Black History Month 2009: The Founding of the NAACP

February is Black History Month and this year is the Centennial of the NAACP. On February 12, 1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded by a multiracial group of activists, who answered "The Call," in the New York City, NY. They initially called themselves the National Negro Committee.


On the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, February 12, 1909, six black and white citizens, formed the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The struggle of African Americans to secure their rights had sometimes led to violent confrontations between blacks and whites. This is the Centennial year of the founding of the NAACP and is being celebrated throughout February, which is Black History Month.


I have always been interested in Black History and throughout February, I will occasionally post articles recognizing the role that African Americans and Canadians have played in the history of these countries.
Just to let my readers know that Meeko is missed here. The house is eerily silent. No toenails clicking on the laminate floor. No jingling of dogtags, but we are thankful for the eight years that we had him as our constant companion. He will always hold a special place in our hearts.

I had a touch of cabin fever today and wanted to get out of the house. It is strange being here without Meeko. It's been 20 years since we've been without a canine companion in the house, which makes us feel rather lost. So, when the power went out, we gave up our cleaning projects and went for a drive in the countryside, along the Grand River.

The river is high and in some places it is iced over and the water is not evident. In others, it is moving swiftly. It was a mild day and I thought there might be some ducks or geese about, but we didn't see any.

The above photo was taken from an old railroad bridge that has been made into a walkway. This allows people to get to different areas of the city by crossing the river instead of having to walk all the way around. It is very convenient. You can see another old bridge in the distance if you look closely.

This is an area of trails and there is a bench in this lovely spot where you can sit and a place for kids to have a bit of a break. I love the old evergreen. It has been there for as long as I can remember. There was no trail when I was young, but the old evergreen was there.
This is a spot along another area of the hiking trail. You can see the Grand River just beyond the shrubbery. It was flowing swiftly in this spot. I am looking downriver.
The Grand is really high in this spot and there will definitely be flooding when the ice melts upriver. This is not uncommon here. There is also a trail nearby and this is a great spot to park your car in the spring and take a nice walk. This is the area of the river that was right in front of us.

This is the same area but from a different angle. Here, I'm looking upriver. I love the shades of blue in this photo. This is part of the trail. As you can see by the sign, the trail is closed, but some people have been walking in the area and it was a nice day for a walk today. Hubby and I didn't walk this section of trail today. We are planning on a return visit in the spring, after the flooding has subsided and the mud has dried up.

Thanks for coming along with me on our little excursion. When we got back to the house, the power was back on but while I was writing this post it went off again for about five minutes. Not sure what is up with that, as it isn't storming and there is no snow or ice that should be affecting the lines.

Thank you to all those who left comments and sent cards of sympathy over the weekend. Your kind words of love and support were very much appreciated.

Take care and enjoy your week. Remember to take time to do a random act of kindess. ~Blessings, Mary~