Today marks the first day of Black History Month 2021. The month-long celebration is a chance to acknowledge the historic achievements of Black Americans and to highlight their undeniable impact on American history. Game changers like Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. are some of the names we learn more about each February. But the celebration that is now Black History Month started long before these civil rights leaders made their mark.
In 1915, historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This group focused on researching the advancements made by people of African descent and, in 1926, sponsored the first Negro History Week.
Why February?
The ASALH selected a week in February to coincide with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass’ birthday (Feb. 14), dates the Black community had, at that time, celebrated for decades. Though the timing was chosen based on set traditions, Woodson always had higher ideals for the celebration. “We are going back to that beautiful history and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements,” he told a group of students just a few years before issuing a press release announcing Negro History Week.
Advancement
Through the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, the observation of Negro History Week grew in popularity across America among budding Black history clubs. Joined with other celebrations like Negro Brotherhood Week, the period of time grew larger. Black teachers began teaching Black history curriculum in schools in addition to U.S. history. Each year, major cities acknowledged the celebration. Even before Woodson’s death in the 1950s, cities in West Virginia and other pockets of the country were starting to elongate Negro History Week celebrations to the full month of February. Then came the civil rights movement.
March on Washington – Martin Luther King, Jr, John Lewis
Getty Images/Robert W. Kelley
In the 1960s, the focus on Black identity provided fertile ground for Negro History Week to grow into Black History Month. In 1976, during the United States Bicentennial celebration, President Gerald Ford recognized February as Black History Month, and encouraged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
How to Celebrate
Educate
So much Black history is largely missing from the school curriculum. One of the best things we can do during Black History Month — and throughout the year — is educate ourselves on the achievements of Black Americans and the important role Black people have played in this country’s history. If you love pop culture — and of course you do! — there’s a rich history of Black Hollywood full of pivotal performances in classic films and books documenting pioneers in the entertainment industry.
