Black History Month teaches as much about U.S. history as it is does African American history, as far as many people within the community are concerned.

Several local schools and organizations are in the process of planning events to mark the month-long celebration that started small but has grown over the past three decades.

Famed black scholar and historian Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, initiated Black History Week on Feb. 12, 1926, in part to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

In 1976, the recognition was expanded to Black History Month. It is now celebrated all across the nation to make sure that the roles many African Americans played in history are not forgotten.

"I think the event is very important for the fact that it part of our nation's culture. Our nation is a melting pot," said Susan Taylor, former director of Operation Be Proud. "We need to stress that we all need to learn about each other's cultures."

Taylor said it is vital to show this history to everyone, most importantly to America's children. Taylor said she has made a point to talk about it with her own children.

Edi Taylor, 14, said that it is also something that they discuss at school.

She agreed with her mom that the topic is very important.

"I think it is very important because it affects everyone," she said.

The official theme for the national 2004 Black History Month celebration focuses on the 50th Anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education legal decision. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that separate educational facilities are "inherently unequal" and violate the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees all citizens "equal protection of the laws."

Quinn Chapel AME Church in Ironton will host its annual Black History celebration Sunday at the church.

Ironton High School Principal Joe Rowe has encouraged teachers in the school to include content about black history into their lesson plans this month.

The school will host motivational speaker Rosalyn Grant later this month to focus on overcoming adversity. Grant is a successful businesswoman and the first female football official in Ohio.

Several other area schools and the Briggs Lawrence County Library are working on events, displays and observances.

Ohio University Southern and the Workforce Development Resource Center will host a presentation by Marie Saunders Hope, an historical storyteller who portrayed Harriet Tubman at the Lawrence County Fair last year. The presentation is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Bowman Auditorium.

Robert Pleasant Jr., coordinator of the Workforce Development Resource Center's Youth Opportunity Program, said that the community "must know the past to move forward in the future." Pleasant said he wished that recognizing Black History Month individually was not necessary.

"I am not a big fan of Black History Month but I understand why we have to have it," he said. "I think all history, American history, needs to be looked at throughout the entire year.

"I hope one day that we get to a point when we don't need a particular month to celebrate the history of an individual people. I hope we can celebrate all our history in a collective fashion."