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February is Black History Month. The man who created the month, historian Carter G. Woodson, lived in D.C., as did other Black history icons such as Frederick Douglass, who lived and died in Anacostia.
The homes of both men are now historic landmarks run by the National Park Service, as is the Logan Circle row house that belonged to civil rights activist and founder of the National Council of Negro Women, Mary McLeod Bethune.
“A lot of people don’t know about her and so a great way to fully appreciate Black History Month is to visit the Mary McLeod Bethune council house site,” said Vince Vaise, program manager for visitor services at National Capital Parks-East, a division of the National Park Services.
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Bethune as director of Negro Affairs at the National Youth Administration, making her the first African American woman to run a federal agency.
Vaise said Bethune’s D.C. home was one of the key locations for planning civil rights marches in D.C.
To celebrate Black History Month, the NPS is hosting a walking tour that begins at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House at 1318 Vermont Avenue NW.
An actor portraying Woodson will lead participants on a tour of the Logan Circle and Shaw neighborhoods, highlighting landmarks relating to Black History. The free tour is Feb. 17 at 11 a.m.
Later in the month, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m., the NPS is holding an interactive event at the same location for visitors interested in learning more about McLeod Bethune.
Registration is required for both events. Register via email.
The NPS is kicking off its Black History Month celebration on Feb. 10, with a birthday party for Frederick Douglass. Although Douglass’s birth date is not known — as he was born into slavery — he celebrated his birthday Feb. 14.
The birthday commemoration at THEARC in Southeast D.C. will feature musical and dance performances and a Jeopardy-style game, during which people can learn more about Douglass’ life.
“Douglass was a real renaissance person and there’s going to be a lot of neat things about him that people didn’t know about,” Vaise said, such as the fact Douglass played violin and was the first African American U.S. ambassador abroad.
Woodson, known as the father of Black history, lived in the Shaw neighborhood in the early 20th century. His home at 1538 Ninth Street NW became a national historic landmark in 1976, the same year Black History Month was officially recognized by then President Gerald Ford.
The son of enslaved people in Virginia, Woodson was the second African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard. In 1926, to promote the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans, he created Negro History Week, held in mid-February to coincide with the birthday of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The week was later expanded to a month.
Woodson’s home is currently temporarily closed to the public due to renovations.
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