Association for the Study of African American Life and History

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is a learned society dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. The association was founded in Chicago on September 9, 1915, during the National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) by Carter G. Woodson, William B. Hartgrove, George Cleveland Hall, Alexander L. Jackson, and James E. Stamps, and incorporated in Washington, D.C., on October 2, 1915. The association is based in Washington, D.C. In 1973, ASNLH was renamed the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.

ASALH's official mission is "to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about Black life, history, and culture to the global community." Its official vision is "to be the premier Black Heritage and learned society with a diverse and inclusive membership supported by a strong network of national and international branches to continue the Woodson legacy."

ASALH created Negro History Week in 1926. Woodson selected the week to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Each year, he established a national theme for the celebration. Since 1976, ASALH extended the celebration for all of February.

The organization publishes ''The Journal of African American History'' (formerly ''The Journal of Negro History'') and the ''Black History Bulletin'' (formerly the ''Negro History Bulletin''). In 2005, ASALH established the ASALH Press, reissuing Carter G. Woodson's ''Mis-Education of the Negro''. The same year ASALH established ''The Woodson Review,'' a magazine that promotes its Annual Black History Theme, including it as part of its Black History Kit. In 2005, ASALH discovered a previously unpublished manuscript by its founder, Carter G. Woodson, and published it in a special edition as ''Carter G. Woodson's Appeal: The Lost Manuscript Edition.''

ASALH is a membership organization with more than 25 branches. Provided by Wikipedia