Black history month in Zimbabwe

Discussion forum to celebrate the struggle and triumph of African Americans

Lenneal Henderson

The U.S. Embassy commemorates Black History Month with a series of roundtable discussions culminating in a public debate to be held at the Book Café, Harare on Thursday 15 February 2007 at 5 pm. 

The discussion “The Current Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.” will be led by Dr. Lenneal Henderson, distinguished Professor of Government and Public Administration at the Schaefer Center for Public Policy in Washington.

Dr. Henderson, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, combines years of academic and real-world public policy experience. He has been a public policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Energy and an associate research director for a Washington think-tank. He serves on the boards of several organizations. He has also lectured and consulted in the U.S., China, Israel, Peru, Brazil, and elsewhere. Author of numerous books and journal articles, Dr. Henderson has received a long list of honors and awards. He has served as associate editor of the Urban Affairs Quarterly, as co-managing editor of the Regionalist and as a member of the Public Administration Review.

The first official Black History Month was announced in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford, who urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” 

Originally established as Negro History Week in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African-American author and scholar, this event evolved into the establishment of February as "Black History Month" in 1976. This commemoration also has been referred to as "African-American History Month." Both names are currently in use.

When Woodson established Negro History week, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention never has been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public's attention important developments that merit emphasis. The theme for 2007, “From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas” takes its name from historian John Hope Franklin’s 1947 book "From Slavery to Freedom".

February 8th 2007: 0950 hours