Gumby's Peers > Carter G. Woodson
Known today as "The Father of African-American History," Carter G. Woodson was a Harvard-educated historian who devoted his life to researching, writing, and popularizing historical scholarship on topics--such as African-American work, education, demographics, and slavery--that many contemporary historians in the first half of the twentieth century either ignored or considered in patronizing or overtly racist terms. In addition to publishing scholarly monographs and essays, Woodson also founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, an organization that published the Journal of Negro History and organized the first "Negro History Week" celebrations in 1926.
Several of Woodson's achievements are evident in the accompanying scrapbook pages. Addressed to Gumby, Woodson’s 1929 letter (see above: "Book Reviews, pt. 2," p. 33) notes the upcoming observance of Negro History Week and offers free pamphlet literature about African-American history while explaining the celebration's importance. In a nod to Woodson's more general career, Gumby mounted the letter alongside (see above right: "Book Reviews, pt. 2," p. 32) two reviews of Woodson’s 1926 work, The Mind of the Negro, as well as a portrait of Woodson whose caption argues that his "scholarly research and writings have been largely responsible for the elevation of the Negro to his proper position in American History."