By Dale Avery

February is Black History month, but this recognition only began in 1976.  Prior to Black History Month being designated, it was preceded by Negro History week created when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February as "Negro History Week.”  This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.

In 1976, as part of the United States Bicentennial, Negro History Week was officially recognized by the U.S. government as Black History month.  A fellow member of the 100 Black Men of Central Illinois shares the following legislative history.

The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America formerly abolished slavery in the United States.  The Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress and ratified by ¾ of the states (27) inside of the year 1865.  At the cusp of the Civil War’s end and President Lincoln’s assassination, the state and federal representatives of several states abolished slavery through this legislative action.  However, more would have to be done in order to ensure that Blacks obtained the right of citizenship.

After Congress passed the Civil Rights act of 1866 over President Andrew Johnson’s veto, Republicans proposed The Fourteenth Amendment — which guaranteed citizenship rights to the former enslaved.   The Fourteenth Amendment also sought to guarantee due process and equal treatment under the law.  The amendment passed both houses of Congress by mid-1866, but ratification by the states took two years before it would become a part of the federal Constitution. 

While the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed freed slaves citizenship rights and fair treatment under the law, there still remained the task of guaranteeing in the Constitution the right to vote.  That happened with the ultimate ratification — by the states — of the Fifteenth Amendment.  The Fifteenth Amendment was enacted five years after the Civil War, but it stood as the foundation for equal voting rights – not to be realized for another 95 years with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act – providing for statutory enforcement measures to ensure equal voting rights for all citizens.

This timeline shows the progression on how our country’s history and key legislation has allowed me, a black man, to exercise my right to vote.  I did a forum some time back about the importance of voting, and this further emphasizes it being a right and a privilege that many worked and sacrificed greatly to provide.  A few weeks ago I took the time to train to become a Deputy Registrar.  So if you are not registered to vote – give me a call and I will get you registered so that you too can exercise your right to vote.  

Dale Avery, CPCU, is the assistant vice president – Enterprise Services at State Farm® Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, Ill.

Avery began his career with State Farm in 1982 as a personal lines underwriter in Lincoln, Nebraska and assumed his current position in 2006. Avery, a native of Missouri, received his bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State University. He earned his CPCU in 1991.

Dale resides in Bloomington with his wife, Laura and their two daughters; Megan and Jenna.

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