IN HR0014

Introduced by Smith V, Bartlett, Brown C, Harris, Porter, Pryor, Shackleford, Summers, and Taylor J in the Indiana House of Representatives to celebrate Black History Month

Black history has been celebrated in America since 1926, initially as Negro History Week established by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and later expanded to Black History Month celebrated in February

Dr. Woodson, whose parents were former slaves and who earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (founded 1915), the Journal of African American History, and Negro History Week to address the omission of Black Americans from historical records

Dr. Woodson selected the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who greatly influenced the Black American population

The Indiana House of Representatives acknowledges the contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans throughout United States and Indiana history and urges entities and organizations to celebrate Black History Month