Known as the "Father of Black History," Dr. Carter G. Woodson's love for history began as a young child listening to his father's stories of fleeing slavery and serving in the Union Army.
In 1894, the dream of an education brought Woodson to Huntington, where he enrolled in Douglass High School. Finishing high school in two years, Woodson then went to Berea College to further his education.
In 1900, Woodson returned to Huntington where he served as the principal of Douglass High School until 1903. Woodson's endless pursuit of education took him from the Philippines, where he taught school for the U.S. government, to Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D.
Woodson's pride in his heritage led him to dedicate his life to gathering, preserving and disseminating information on the contributions of blacks to American history. He founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and he was the founder and first editor of the Journal of Negro History and the Negro History Bulletin.
In 1926, he founded Negro History Week, which is now celebrated as Black History Month. He was the author of many books including “The Negro Our History.”
