[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 153 (Wednesday, November 3, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE CARTER G. WOODSON HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE STUDY 
                              ACT OF 1999

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 2, 1999

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Carter G. 
Woodson Home National Historic Site Study Act of 1999. The legislation 
would honor the great American historian, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, by 
authorizing the Department of the Interior to study the feasibility and 
suitability of designating his home at 1538 Ninth Street, NW., 
Washington, DC, as a national historic site within the National Park 
Service.
  Carter G. Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton, VA. 
Public education was not available to blacks in New Canton, and the 
young Woodson did not begin his formal education until 1895, after he 
had relocated to Huntington, West Virginia. Dr. Woodson obtained his 
high school diploma in 1895 and then entered Berea College in Kentucky, 
where he received his B.L. degree in 1897. Woodson continued his 
education at the University of Chicago, where he earned his A.B. and 
M.A. degrees. In 1912, Woodson earned a Ph.D. degree from Harvard 
University, following W.E.B. Du Bois as the second black American to 
receive a doctorate from that institution. During the period between 
entering Berea College and his Harvard graduation in 1912, Woodson also 
held several teaching positions in the United States and abroad.
  Woodson took a special interest in the widespread ignorance and 
scanty information concerning African American life and history during 
his extensive studies. He saw the great need to educate the American 
public about the contributions of black Americans in the formation of 
the nation's history and culture, and he especially perceived that a 
concerted effort was needed to counter the extensive influence of Jim 
Crow and the pervasively negative portrayals of African Americans 
prevalent at the time. To correct this situation, on September 9, 1915, 
Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and 
History (ASNLH), since renamed the Association for the Study of 
African-American Life and History. Through ASNLH, Dr. Woodson would 
dedicate his life to educating the American public about the 
contributions of black Americans in the formation of the nation's 
history and culture.
  Among its enduring accomplishments, ASNLH instituted Negro History 
Week in 1926 to enlighten all levels of the general populace regarding 
the contributions of black Americans to society. Celebrated annually 
during the second week of February, this weeklong observance gradually 
gained national support and participation of schools, colleges, and 
other organizations across the country. Eventually, Negro History Week 
evolved into Black History Month and is widely celebrated and used to 
educate Americans about African American life, history, and 
achievement.
  Under Dr. Woodson's stewardship, ASNLH in 1920 also founded the 
Associated Publishers, Inc. to handle the publication of research on 
African American history. Dr. Woodson published his seminal work The 
Negro in Our History (1922) and many others under Associated 
Publishers, and the publishing company provided an outlet for scholarly 
works by numerous other black scholars. ASNLH also circulated two 
periodicals: the Negro History Bulletin, designed for mass consumption, 
and the Journal of Negro History, which was primarily directed to the 
academic community.
  Dr. Woodson directed ASNLH's operations out of his home at 1538 Ninth 
Street, NW., Washington, DC. From there, he trained researchers and 
staff and managed the organization's budget and fundraising efforts, 
while at the same time pursuing his own study of African American 
history. This Victorian style house, built in 1890, is already listed 
as a National Historic Landmark. I am now introducing a bill which I 
hope will lead to the Woodson home achieving national historic site 
designation so that the resources of the National Park Service will be 
available to preserve and maintain this national treasure.

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