In 2005, Friendship Baptist Church in Laurel — in recognition of the origin of the NAACP during Black History Month — invited the writer to speak on the subject. And, the writer, in great part, shared the following lines:
“Black History is somewhat like prayer. We should not get into the practice of using ‘vain repetitions,’ saying the same thing over-and-over without utility. Black History must be applicable to today’s problems and improve humanity. It must be celebrated 365 days a year to heighten our awareness of what Carter G. Woodson envisioned in 1926 in recognition of the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and the advent of the NAACP — a celebration inspired by Booker T. Washington’s idea of the National Negro Health Week in 1915, emphasizing the practicable philosophy of ‘the famous four H’s — head, heart, hand and health education — for effective service and wholesome living.’
