President's Greeting
David Wilkins
Welcome to our website. We hope you will find its contents instructive and inspirational. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Father of Black History Month, founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) on September 9, 1915. He believed that self-inquiry was essential to a well-rounded education. As he said in his best-known book, “The Mis-Education of the Negro,”
“Philosophers have long conceded, however, that every man has two educations: that which is given to him, and the other that which he gives himself. Of the two kinds the latter is by far the more desirable. Indeed, all that is most worthy in man he must work out and conquer for himself. It is that which constitutes our real and best nourishment. What we are merely taught seldom nourishes the mind like that which we teach ourselves.”
Manasota ASALH was founded in 1996 and is the largest of the fifty branches that comprise the national ASALH network. Our members are residents of Bradenton and Sarasota and the surrounding communities, as well as an increasing number of institutional partners. Our Mission is to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information on Black life, history and culture to the global community and we welcome all who wish to join us in this important work.
We believe that we can be a resource for those in pursuit of that more desirable education referenced by Dr. Woodson. On this Website you will find a variety of information about the Manasota ASALH branch’s events and activities as well as those of other organizations that relate to our mission. Whether you are a member seeking information about our activities, an educator researching Black history for your classroom, or a local resident seeking general information about Black history, life, or culture, we believe you will find this Website useful.
Please let us know how we can better serve you through this vehicle. After reviewing the material on the website, we sincerely hope that you will decide to support our programs and, in addition, become an active member of Manasota ASALH!
David Wilkins