James Baquet

    For some reason — perhaps because it comes after the relative quiet of January as people recuperate from the holidays — February has a number of significant monthlong observances.

    The best-known of these is Black History Month. For many years the important role of the African-American in the building of America went unrecognized.

    That changed back in 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson promulgated “Negro History Week.” Set in the second week of February, to coincide with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and black social reformer and statesman Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14), the concept was embraced enthusiastically. Three years later, it was said that, in any state with a “considerable Negro population,” the departments of education had distributed literature and promoted the event. Churches also took up the cause. The holiday was endorsed by mayors, and engendered the creation of clubs dedicated to black history, as well as a greater general awareness of African-Americans’ contributions to America.

    Woodson, who has been called “The Father of Black History,” wrote: “If a race has no history... it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”

    In 1976, after the upheavals caused by the Civil Rights Movement, Black History Month was first recognized nationally as part of America’s bicentennial celebrations. Then-President Gerald Ford said Americans should “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” The first such celebrations followed in the United Kingdom in 1987, and in Canada in 1995.

    A related observance is the international “Season for Nonviolence,” which starts Jan. 30 — the day Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated — and ends April 4 — which marks the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. It was established in 1998 by Gandhi’s grandson to promote the philosophies of these two leaders.

    February is also American Heart Month (promoting cardiac health) and National Bird-Feeding Month (near the end of winter) in the United States, and LGBT History Month in the United Kingdom, which happens in October in the United States.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. accepted warmly

    2. created, gave rise to

    3. disturbances

    4. approved, recommended

    5. proclaimed, announced

    6. recover

    7. large, significant

    8. unimportant

    9. of the heart

    10. happen at the same time