February is African American History Month in the United States.
The celebration traces back to the work of historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the son of former slaves and a strong believer in the power of education as a liberating force. He was the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard.
In 1915, Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The Association conceived the idea of “Negro History Week,” which was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Fifty years later, President Gerald Ford expanded the celebration to a month.
African American History Month makes me think about the connection between servant leadership and “legitimate power” – a phrase used by Robert K. Greenleaf. Through 400-plus years of US history, African Americans have experienced the worst abuses of power: slavery, lynch mobs and Jim Crow laws, to name some of the most evil.
But during the same time period, we see great servant-leaders and acts of servant leadership in the face of abusive power and evil. The well-known and lesser-known heroes of African American History Month surely met Greenleaf’s “best test” of a servant-leader:
“The best test [of a servant-leader], and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived?”
The heroes of African American History Month – like the everyday heroes we have known – used power legitimately. Those heroes did not accumulate, retain and wield power for personal good, but rather, they gave it away to empower others. Those heroes made others freer.
I enjoy February because I get extra opportunities to learn about the heroes of African American history, especially the lesser-known (like Vivian Malone, pictured here integrating the University of Alabama). The examples set by those heroes could easily have given Robert Greenleaf his servant leadership vision:
“A better society, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people.”
What do you think? Who are your heroes from African American history? Are there lesser-known heroes we should learn about?
Let us know.
As always, we appreciate your views. Thanks!
Joe
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