U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for Feb. 23

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23: BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

Profile America for the 23rd day of Black History Month.  One of the nation's foremost educators, Booker T. Washington, was born a slave in Virginia in 1856.  At 16, he walked hundreds of miles from West Virginia to South-East Virginia to enroll at the Hampton Institute, paying his tuition and board by working as a janitor.  His autobiography, "Up From Slavery," recounts his successful personal struggle.  Washington dedicated his life to education, and in 1881 he turned an abandoned plantation into what is today Tuskegee University.  Now, there are some 2.5 million African-American students in college — roughly double the number 15 years earlier.  This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau, conducting the 2010 Census beginning April 1st.  

Sources:  www.nps.gov

U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB10-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).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau