02/01/2026
Black History Month 101
What it is:
Black History Month (celebrated every February in the U.S. and Canada) is a dedicated time to recognize, study, and honor the history, culture, achievements, and ongoing contributions of Black people—many of which were ignored, erased, or minimized in traditional history education.
Why February:
It grew out of Negro History Week, established in 1926 by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. It expanded to a full month in 1976.
Why it exists:
Because Black history is American history, yet it has often been excluded from textbooks, institutions, and public memory. Black History Month corrects that imbalance—it’s about inclusion, not separation.
What it covers:
Enslavement and resistance
Reconstruction and Jim Crow
The Civil Rights and Black Power movements
Black innovation in science, medicine, technology, arts, labor, politics, and culture
Contemporary Black leadership, creativity, and global influence
What it is NOT:
Not a replacement for teaching Black history year-round
Not just about struggle—also about brilliance, joy, imagination, and future-building
Not anti-anyone; it’s pro-truth
Why it still matters today:
Because the impacts of slavery, segregation, and systemic racism are not ancient history—they shape present-day wealth gaps, voting rights, health outcomes, education, and criminal justice. Understanding history helps explain now.
The big idea:
Black History Month isn’t about the past alone.
It’s about memory, accountability, resilience, and possibility—and imagining futures where Black lives, stories, and genius are fully valued.
