Black History Month

Black History Month commemorates African American history and achievements. It highlights the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans made in building the United States.

Dates: February 1 - 28 (29 on Leap Year)

Black History Month is an annual month-long observation of African American history and achievements in the United States. It also celebrates the contributions African Americans have made to science, literature, art, inventions, leadership, and more.  

Carter G. Woodson, is referred to as the father of Black history, established Negro History Week in 1925 to bring attention to the contributions to civilization by African Americans.  Woodson chose a week in February because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass celebrated birthdays in February. Black history clubs, teachers, and scholars embraced the week and by the 1950s several cities had issued proclamations observing Negro History Week.  The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s expanded the importance of Black history and expanded the week to a month.  President Gerald R. Ford issued the February as Black History Month commemoration in 1976. Every president since has issued a statement honoring Black History Month. 

Woodson had two goals for establishing a week, which was to highlight the important role Blacks played in the creation of American and to increase the visibility of Black life and history.  By highlighting and proving the worth of Black  inventors, entertainers, soldiers, and others, Woodson hoped to prompt equality. At that time, few newspapers and books did not cover much of Black Americans, and a week was needed to shed light on Black history.

Sources:  

• Black History Month 2024
• Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future: The Continuing Importance of Black History Month | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu) 

This page was last updated on: January 2, 2025.