“We must never forget that Black History is American History. The achievements of African Americans have contributed to our nation’s greatness.” – Yvette Clarke, U.S. Representative of New York.
Black History Month is an annual observance period set aside to honor the lives and history of African descendants now living in other parts of the world. The month is honored with historical, cultural, and educational presentations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, Black History Month is observed during the month of February. It is marked by various public and private programs designed to raise awareness about the contributions of African American citizens in the United States as well as the difficulties and challenges faced by Africans and their descendants in the African diaspora.
Some people believe that Black History Month provides an important and necessary framework for exploring the importance of African American history and the contributions of African Americans to modern society. Some further argue that designating a specific month to focus on African American history is a useful tool for those preparing educational curricula on the subject and that the month also provides encouragement for scholars and educators to investigate the lives of lesser-known African American historical figures. Critics of Black History Month and other designated history months, such as Women’s History Month, argue that these observational months serve to maintain divisions between different subsets of society and may marginalize individuals of races that have not received recognition in the form of a designated day or month. Another criticism is that the designation of a single month might perpetuate the idea that African American history can be addressed in an abbreviated fashion, while the actual contributions of African Americans should be appreciated in every aspect of the nation’s history.
Issitt M. Black History Month. Salem Press Encyclopedia. 2020. Accessed February 7, 2022.
The language used in the past to describe events and peoples does not always reflect language that is considered acceptable today. The following history of Black History Month contains such language and does so to remain historically accurate.
Since 1976, every United States president has officially declared February Black History Month. However, the idea to celebrate African Americans and their contributions to the United States started much earlier. In 1915, Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard trained Historian, traveled from Chicago, Illinois to Washington, D.C. to take part in the national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the emancipation of African American slaves. At the celebration, Woodson observed the thousands of people who had traveled to see exhibits highlighting the progress of African Americans since the end of the Civil War. The celebration lasted three weeks, and inspired by the immense turnout, Woodson decided to form an organization that would promote the scientific study of black life and history. On September 9, 1915, before leaving Washington, D.C., Woodson met with four others and formed the Association of Negro Life and History (ASNLH).
In 1916, Woodson founded The Journal of Negro History and hoped that others would join him in spreading the word about the findings he and other prominent African Americans were publishing in the journal. Part of his mission to spread the message of Black achievement included asking his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers to help him. They responded by creating Negro History and Literature Week, later renamed Negro Achievement week. While the work Omega Psi Phi was significant, Woodson desired a greater impact and thought that the ASNLH should take an more active role. In fulfillment of this desire, Woodson sent out a press release in February of 1926 announcing Negro History Week.
Woodson chose February specifically since it was already tied to celebrations focusing on Frederick Douglass's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays. Woodson knew that by choosing a month in which the African American community were already celebrating he would have greater success. Woodson was also interested in moving the celebrations away from what he called "great men" to the entire community. Instead of focusing on a couple of people Woodson wanted to focus on the Black community as a whole and the contributions that countess African American men and women had made to the United States.
The 1920s was known at the time as the decade of the New Negro, due to the raising racial pride and consciousness that was developed by the post-WWI generation. As urbanization and industrialization increased, African Americans began to move from rural areas in the south into the bigger, expanding cities of the north. This migration, combined with urbanization and industrialization, helped to expand the Black middle class. This increasing Black middle class became consumers of Black culture and literature and created Black history clubs. It was in this cultural flourishing that Woodson and the ASNHL received an overwhelming response to their call to celebrate African Americans.
Teachers and Black history clubs created a demand for instruction materials and Woodson responded by setting a theme each year for the national celebration and provided study materials, lesson plans, plays, and posters highlighting important peoples and events. Many high schools created Negro History Clubs and the ASNLH branches were formed Across the United States. As Black populations grew, mayors issued Negro History Week proclamations.
In the 1940s, the Black community began to slowly expand the study of Black history and Black history celebrations to the public. African Americans wanted to include African American history as part of school curriculum and not just as a supplement to United States history. The 1940s also saw some communities celebrating the full month of February, not just a week. By the 1960s, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month.
Scott, Daryl Michael. Origins of Black History Month. Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Accessed February 7 , 2022.