Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh spoke on Thursday, Feb. 3 in Kresge Library as part of African American Celebration Month.

OU students and community members were curious to hear the councilman’s thoughts about why we celebrate this month.

James Neal, a second year student at Cooley Law School, wanted to hear Pugh speak because he is “looking to take up some type of political position in Detroit or Wayne County somewhere.”

Pugh, a Detroit native, was raised by his grandmother after both of his parents died by the time he was seven years old.

Pugh graduated from Murray-Wright High School in 1989 and won a scholarship to attend the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

After graduation, Pugh worked as a television journalist across the country before returning to Detroit  to work as a reporter and anchor for FOX 2 News.

“I used to listen to listen to him on the news and radio, so I decided to come,” senior, biology major Crystal Moon said.

Pugh anchored three-hour news shows Saturday and Sunday mornings for seven years, but according to his website, Pugh said that “it was my direct connection to the people on the streets of Detroit that gave me my real purpose.”

Pugh ran for Detroit City Council and he was elected council president in 2009.

“I’m such an un-politician,” Pugh said.” I’m a regular guy who happens to have a very political job for elected office, but I’m just a regular guy from Detroit.”

Pugh said that he is delighted to be a part of African American Celebration Month at OU.

“I am very pleased as a lover of African American History Month, to be here as part of the celebration because I am somebody who loves African–American history,” Pugh said.

When Pugh talks to young people, he said he often asks students why we celebrate African American History Month in the month of February. Pugh said the responses he receives are surprising.

“Our children today are lacking a true and healthy understanding of themselves in the context the world,” he said.  Many of them have their identities defined to the impoverished nature of their environment, rather than having their identity rooted in the rich reality of their history.”

He said many students “are unaware of their history” and urges them to remember that they “should never be confined to their environment … because our forefathers and foremothers have taught us that we can move beyond our unfortunate situation by daring to be achievers.”

Pugh said that we celebrate African American Month because of historian Dr. Carter Woodson, who created Negro History Week in 1926 because he noticed that there were few African American achievements listed in history books.

Dr. Woodson created Negro History Week during the second week of February because “it contains the birthdays of Fredrick Douglas, the abolitionist, and Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator,” Pugh said.

As Negro History Week observance gained momentum, it was extended to a month.

Pugh said that its intent was not to create a “separate category of history, but a place where the achievements of African Americans would not and could not be ignored.”

Pugh wants to continue to advocate for better historical education in America and is pushing to bring new initiatives to Detroit.

“Change is underway and a lot of wonderful seeds were planted years ago, and now we’re really trying to bust through the soil … and some new and exciting things are happening in our town,” Pugh said.