As a young man, Carter G. Woodson, “the father of black history,” lived in Huntington, W.Va. I was pleased to read this week that my alma mater, Marshall University, located there, and the Cabell County Schools are honoring his legacy by the launching the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum through a $20,000 grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council.
The Huntington Herald-Dispatch reported that the lyceum opened with a ceremony on January 20 in the Communications Building on campus with Burnis Morris, the Carter G. Woodson professor of journalism and mass communications at Marshall, presiding.
He said the goal of the lyceum would be to familiarize Huntington and West Virginia with Dr. Woodson’s teachings and encourage students and teachers to express his ideas in today’s society.
The term lyceum comes from the school founded by the Greek philosopher Aristotle’ in 335 B.C. as a place for thinking and learning, Morris said.
“At Marshall, the lyceum will reflect Woodson and Aristotle’s influence while addressing critical issues involving education, freedom of expression, race and ethnicity,” Morris said. “The lyceum will support scholarships for minorities and disadvantaged students and encourage full participation of all groups and individuals seeking the American dream.”
The first of the lyceum’s initiatives, supported by a grant of $20,035 from the Humanities Council, will be the Woodson Lyceum’s Summer Program for Black History Instruction. The total grant will double in size, amounting to $40,097 when an additional $20,062 in cash and in-kind contributions are included, Marshall’s Director of Communications Dave Wellman said in a release.
K-12 classroom teachers will study with experts in history, writing and journalism, produce lesson plans on black history and tour regional black history sites. Participants will receive $500 stipends and three hours of graduate credit.
