MARADMINS : 058/14
R 041639Z FEB 14
UNCLASSIFIED/
MARADMIN 058/14
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//
SUBJ/2014 NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH OBSERVANCE//
POC/C. J. WOERPEL/CPL/UNIT: MPE/-/TEL: (703) 784-9371/TEL: DSN 278-9371//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. BLACK HISTORY MONTH ORIGINATED AS "NEGRO HISTORY WEEK" IN 1926 THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF HISTORIAN DR. CARTER G. WOODSON. DR. WOODSON, FOUNDER OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE AND HISTORY (ASALH), SOUGHT TO CREATE AN OBSERVANCE TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE HERITAGE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO AMERICAN SOCIETY BY AFRICAN AMERICANS.
2. THE 2014 BLACK HISTORY MONTH THEME IS "CIVIL RIGHTS IN AMERICA." THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 IS THE NATION'S BENCHMARK FOR CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION. IT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON AND IT PAVED THE WAY FOR FUTURE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION AS WELL AS THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT THE FOLLOWING YEAR. THIS YEAR ALSO MARKS TWO RELATED MILESTONES: THE 151ST ANNIVERSARY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S SIGNING OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION AND THE 51ST ANNIVERSARY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S HISTORIC MARCH ON WASHINGTON TO THE STEPS OF THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL WHERE HE GAVE HIS FAMOUS 'I HAVE A DREAM' SPEECH.
3. IN 1942, PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT GAVE AFRICAN AMERICANS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN THE MARINE CORPS. THESE AFRICAN AMERICAN MARINES WERE SEGREGATED AND TRAINED AT A FACILITY IN CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA KNOWN AS MONTFORD POINT. APPROXIMATELY 20,000 AFRICAN AMERICAN MARINES RECEIVED TRAINING AT MONTFORD POINT DURING WORLD WAR II. EVENTUALLY, THIS LED THE WAY FOR PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN'S EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981, WHICH, OUTLAWED DISCRIMINATION IN THE ARMED FORCES. THE ORDER ELIMINATED SEGREGATED UNITS AND TRAINING FACILITIES. AS UNIFORMED AND CIVILIAN MARINES, WE CONTINUE TO ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
4. TO ENRICH OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS IS TO BROADEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR NATION'S HISTORY, AS THE TWO ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED. DURING NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH, COMMANDERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE AND CELEBRATE THE DEDICATED SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT. COMMANDERS ARE FURTHER ENCOURAGED TO CONDUCT PROGRAMS AND PROMOTE PARTICIPATION IN OBSERVANCE OF EVENTS AT THEIR COMMANDS AND IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
5. RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY (SES) MR. M. F. APPLEGATE, DIRECTOR, MANPOWER PLANS AND POLICY DIVISION.//