Black History month nowadays is celebrated in the month of February from the 1st to the 28th (29th on the occasion that it is a leap year). It is during this time that the achievements of many great leaders and influencers of African descent for their communities and the world are celebrated and highlighted. It is also during this time that the race that has been oppressed in history, and still is today, to celebrate their culture and bask in the achievements of their people.
The Origins of Black History Month
In 1915, Carter G. Woodson, alumnus of the University of Chicago, traveled from Washington, D.C. to be part of the national celebration of the anniversary of the emancipation sponsored by the state of Illinois. Thousands of African Americans traveled from across the country to see exhibits highlighting the progress their people had made since the destruction of slavery (Origins of Black History Month). On September 9th, 1915m Woodson met at the Wabash YMCA with A. L. Jackson and three others and formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) (Origins of Black History Month).
Black History Month was first celebrated as Negro History Week in 1925 after Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of the contributions African Americans have made. That hope was fulfilled when the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) later announced Negro History Week. The event was celebrated for the first time in 1926 in the week that celebrated Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays. The response to this celebration was massive: Black History clubs began, teachers requested educational material to teach their students, and many progressive whites supported this effort.
By the time of Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life (About African American History Month). Progress had also been made in drawing in more Americans to appreciate Black History. The Black Awakening and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s expanded the importance and shined a light on black history to Americans of all race and color and the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.
In 1976, the nation’s bicentennial, Negro History Week was expanded to a one month celebration. Then President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history” (About African American History Month). That same year, fifty years since the first celebration had been held, African American History Month was held. By that time, the nation and its people had come to see the importance of Black History in the American story and history. Since then, American Presidents have issued African American History Month proclamations and the ASNLH, now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, promotes the study of Black History throughout the year.
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