Black History month of Mayakoba
In the United States, every February since 1976 is held Black History Month, celebrating the contributions of African Americans to the history of the country.
This event was created in 1926 under the name of Negro History Week by the African American historian Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950); the goal was to raise awareness and recognition of African American history, excluded from the national narrative. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also dedicate a month to celebrating black history.
Who is Carter G. Woodson? How did he start Black History Month?
Carter G. Woodson was the son of slaves, born in Virginia in 1875, and was the second African American to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. Woodson was convinced that African Americans in the United States needed to know their past to be free.
In 1915, African American intellectuals met in Chicago to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation. During this conference, they decided to create the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
By the 1920s, books and articles edited by Woodson were circulating. Faced with this success, Woodson and his association inaugurated Negro History Week in the United States in 1926, whose objective was to celebrate and popularize the history of African Americans in American society. The first goal was to make black history known since it was rarely taught in schools or mentioned in the media.
Woodson chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of several significant figures in black history: Abraham Lincoln, (February 12); George Washington, (February 22); and, in between, Frederick Douglass, (February 14).
Until the death of its creator in 1950, Negro History Week continued to grow in importance in the American black community. But it was not until 1976, by President Gerald Ford, that Negro History Week became a national civic institution under the name of Black History Month.
It was then exported abroad, in England, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands… Today, many countries celebrate it. This commemoration honors the often-overlooked achievements of black Americans throughout history.
Theme of 2022
The theme for 2022 focuses on the importance of Black health and wellness.
This theme recognizes the legacy of Black scholars and practitioners of Western medicine and other groups of people’s different ways of knowing (e.g., birth attendants, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African diaspora.
The 2022 theme considers the activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have put in place to be healthy.
For this occasion the Fairmont Mayakoba offers:
At the Fairmont Mayakoba we are committed to celebrating this month. That is why, during February we will provide special amenities for anybody who support the Black History Month, after the reservation is booked. To receive your special amenities, please email the marketing department at mayakoba.marketing@fairmont.com with the subject line “I support black history month”.