A century ago, a Black man in West Virginia named Carter Woodson advanced an idea for the month we’re now in. No, he didn’t invent February. However, Woodson’s thinking was the genesis for Black History Month. It helped that he had authored over a dozen books including “The Negro In Our History.” Woodson died in 1975. The next year, in 1976, the Bi-Centennial for the United States, Black History Month came to be. It was President Gerald Ford that authorized the month.
30 years after that, in an interview with 60 Minutes on CBS, prominent Actor Morgan Freeman was asked about it. He said he thought it was “ridiculous.” Freeman stated, “I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.” It can’t be relegated to just one month. Freeman also maintained the way to get rid of racism was to “stop talking about it.”
Interestingly, Woodson and Freeman are on the same page. Woodson didn’t intend for his concept to be confined to just one month. He maintained his efforts were “to ensure the accomplishments of negros were celebrated and worked into school curriculums as part of general American history that's taught every day.”....
While Blacks now comprise about 11.5 percent of the US population, many contributions have been quantifiably prominent. Recognition of that is on the newest quarter to be released by the US Mint. It celebrates the life and accomplishments of Maya Angelou. It is the first coin in the Mint’s new “American Women Quarters Program.”
Angelou was a writer, poet, performer, teacher and social activist. The new quarters feature an allegorical image of Angelou with her arms outstretched. Behind her are a bird in flight and a rising sun, images inspired by her poetry. As the bird in the image represents, Angelou is particularly known for her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
During her lifetime Angelou received more than 30 honorary degrees. In 1992, she read her work “On the Pulse of Morning” at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton – the first time an African American woman ever wrote and presented a poem at an inauguration. Later in life, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
The new quarters are now being distributed in change throughout the country. In addition, uncirculated rolls and bags of the coins can be ordered directly from the US Mint. Specially struck silver versions will also soon be available. For more information, log onto www.USMint.gov.
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On the postal side of Black History Month, the USPS has issued the 45th stamp in its Black Heritage Stamp series. Featured on the new First-Class release is noted sculptor Edmonia Lewis.
Born and raised near Niagara Falls, NY, Lewis’s early childhood in the early 1800s is something of a mystery. Little is known of her upbringing other than one significant fact – her other name was “Wildfire.” That’s because her father was a black Haitian and her mother a Cherokee/Ojibwe American Indian. As a child, Lewis made and sold crafts for tourists in Niagara Falls.
In 1860, Lewis attended Ohio’s Oberlin College where she studied to be a sculptor. Her education was financed by a half-brother who found fortune in the 1849 Gold Rush.
At the end of the Civil War in 1865, she sailed to Rome to establish an art studio. Her works in marble included many sculptures incorporating African American and Native American overtones. Between 1870 and 1880, Lewis frequently returned to the US for celebrated exhibitions of her work.
Because of her mixed racial heritage and features, she could be challenged by non-progressive individuals. Interestingly, she didn’t place her race in the forefront. Lewis stated, “Some praise me because I am a colored girl, and I don’t want that kind of praise. I had rather you would point out my defects, for that will teach me something.”
Lewis died in 1907 leaving an amazing artistic legacy. Today, her works continue to surface in Europe and the US. The Smithsonian Institute in Washington owns and exhibits the largest collection of her works.
The Edmonia Lewis “Forever” stamps feature a simple portrait of the artist based on a photo taken around 1880. The stamps have already been released and should be available at most post offices across the country.
For more collecting advice, visit www.peterexford.blogspot.com