Since 1926, when it was founded by the African American scholar Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month has been commemorated every February. All month long, ceremonies, readings, and celebrations will focus on the contributions of black people throughout American history.

Carter Woodson’s choice of February was not arbitrary. The shortest month of the year marks the birthdays of two men who had a profound influence on African Americans and the abolitionist movement—Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, the author of the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written By Himself.

February has many more significant connections to black history—birthdays, legislation, and historical events. Can you name five? Take up our webquest challenge and send your answers to writing@weeklyreader.com before February 20 for a chance to win one of two autographed copies of National Award finalist Julius Lester's Time’s Memory. 

In this gripping novel about the slave experience, Amma, the creator god, sends a young man to a plantation in Virginia. There, he becomes a slave on the eve of the Civil War and tries to find a way to bring peace to both the dead and the living.[Read an excerpt from Time's Memory.] 

In the prologue of this novel, Lester writes, "Our lives do not begin when we are born. Only our bodies do. Our lives begin so long ago that only Time remembers when and where, and most important, why." If you ask me, this sentence is a fitting tribute to Black History Month - it reminds us that the stories of our lives are not just our stories; they are also the stories of our ancestors and their life experiences; and, those of the ancestors before them. Deep thought. In West Africa, where the slave trade began, there's a word for this: Sankofa. It means "looking back to go forward."   ... 

OK, so this is a book worth reading and ... winning. Get your thinking cap on and start your research. What other important historical events in February are connected to Black History Month? I look forward to receiving your answers!