Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for Monday, February 2
WASHINGTON-(Business Wire)-February 2, 2009 - Profile America for the second day of Black History Month. Phyllis Wheatley was brought to Colonial America as a young slave from Senegal and was purchased by a Boston tailor. Unusual for the time, he allowed her to learn to read and write, and she wrote her first poetry at age 14. The first volume of her work, called “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” was published in England when she was 20, and was well received in Europe and the U.S. General George Washington invited her to visit his headquarters after he read a poem she had written about him in 1776. Today, African-American authors, such as Toni Morrison, are a key part of the projected $60 billion worth of books to be sold in the U.S. this year. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
| Sources: | Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 110 | |
| Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 197 | ||
| Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB09-FF.01 | ||
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button).
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