\ Carter G. Woodson
The Father of Black History
Carter G. Woodson was convinced thai if a race has
no recorded history its achievements will he forgot
ten and finally claimed by other groups.
The son of former slaves, Woodson was horn in 1875
in New Canton, Va. Growing up, he couldn't attend
school for the entire year because his parents needed
titnv To work on the farm. When he finally was able"
to attend high school, he finished in two years. He
finished college while working as principal of the
high school he attended.
Woodson wrote his doctoral dissertation on black
history and received a doctorate from Harvard Uni
versity in 1912. In 1915, he founded the Association
for the Study of Negro Life and History. He estab
lished Negro History Week, the forerunner of Black
History MontTiTTn 1926T~
Woodson died in 1950, but his legacy to African
Americans lives on.
Planters LifeSavers, makers of Planters nuts and snacks, Life
Savers candies, Breath Savers mints, and Care*Free, Fruit
Stripe and Bubble Yum gums, salutes the men and women of
African American heritage who have made a difference in the
world through their example and leadership.