Happy Tuesday!
#DidYouKnow the origins of Douglass Day helped to inspire #BlackHistoryMonth?
A thread... 1/
#DidYouKnow the origins of Douglass Day helped to inspire #BlackHistoryMonth?
A thread... 1/
Let's go back to the year of 1895.
We can think about Jim Crow. About the rise of lynchings documented in #IdaBWells' Red Record. About the plague of racial injustice across the nation.
That year, Frederick Douglass passed away at the age of seventy-seven. 2/
We can think about Jim Crow. About the rise of lynchings documented in #IdaBWells' Red Record. About the plague of racial injustice across the nation.
That year, Frederick Douglass passed away at the age of seventy-seven. 2/
Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous Americans in the 1800s.
Widely revered, a champion of racial and social justice, his crossing over was a huge loss for his family, his fellow activists, and his adopted community of Washington DC. 3/
Widely revered, a champion of racial and social justice, his crossing over was a huge loss for his family, his fellow activists, and his adopted community of Washington DC. 3/
How did Black communities mourn the death of Douglass in 1895?
In DC, a bold activist & teacher named Mary Church had an idea. Turn FD's chosen birthday of February 14 into a school holiday.
She invented Douglass Day to rival Lincoln & President's Day in the nation's memory. 4/
In DC, a bold activist & teacher named Mary Church had an idea. Turn FD's chosen birthday of February 14 into a school holiday.
She invented Douglass Day to rival Lincoln & President's Day in the nation's memory. 4/
So, #MaryChurchTerrell proposed to make Douglass Day a holiday. She envisioned events every February 14th at schools and in Black communities across the country to celebrate Douglass and Black history . 5/
MCT sought to make Douglass Day a civic ritual—a national day of remembrance.
Douglass Day quickly expanded. The early c20 saw hundreds of events.
It became a time to hear Douglass's words. To make time to reflect on the continuing pasts, & to share joyful moments together. 6/
Douglass Day quickly expanded. The early c20 saw hundreds of events.
It became a time to hear Douglass's words. To make time to reflect on the continuing pasts, & to share joyful moments together. 6/
In the 1920s, a young Carter G. Woodson proposed to expand Douglass Day into a full week in the middle of February.
In the 1960s, student activists demanded to turn that week into a month. And #BlackHistoryMonth was born. 7/
In the 1960s, student activists demanded to turn that week into a month. And #BlackHistoryMonth was born. 7/
Each year we celebrate Douglass Day to honor their legacies in a collective act of radical love for Black history.
Douglass Day is a day of service to Black history.
Join us to help create new & freely accessible archives so that we may continue to read, learn and share. 8/
Douglass Day is a day of service to Black history.
Join us to help create new & freely accessible archives so that we may continue to read, learn and share. 8/
Watch the Short History of Douglass Day on our YouTube Channel.
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Join our friends at the @nypl for their event celebrating BIPOC activists including #MaryChurchTerrell 10/
https://twitter.com/NYPLEvents/status/1348740821944823811?s=20
And join us and @Crowd_LOC for Douglass Day this year and help us transcribe the papers of Mary Church Terrell. Visit DouglassDay.org End/
https://twitter.com/DouglassDayorg/status/1347243511473729536?s=20
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