It feels only right to kick off our Black History Month blog posts with a tribute to Carter G. Woodson, a black scholar and journalist who laid the early foundations for what we know celebrate as Black History Month. Woodson founded the ASALH – Association for the Study of African American Life and History after experiencing years of frustration with the American Historical Association’s dismissal and exclusion of Black American History. Yesterday, the New York Times published a detailed piece on Woodson’s many contributions to American scholarship, told through the lens of his residence at 1538 Ninth Street in Northwest, Washington, D.C.

Pero G. Dagbovie, a former editor of The Journal of African American History and a distinguished professor of history at Michigan State University, said that “some people considered the home to be kind of like a training ground for future historians and scholars of the Black experience.” At one point, Dr. Woodson hosted an exhibition of art from Benin in the office home, Dr. Dagbovie pointed out. “He always wanted people to come and use the resource that was available,” he said.

Read the full article here.