Black History Month
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http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-monthhttp://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month
Black History Month, or National African American History
Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a
time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S.
history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of
noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans.
Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of
February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world,
including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to
celebrating black history.
Origins of Black History Month
The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment
abolished slavery in the United States. That September, the
Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister
Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and
promoting achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African
descent. Known today as the Association for the Study of African
American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro
History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide
with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local
celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and
lectures.
In the decades the followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the Civil Rights Movement and a growing awareness of black identity, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Since then, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. The 2013 theme, At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington, marks the 150th and 50th anniversaries of two pivotal events in African-American history.
In the decades the followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the Civil Rights Movement and a growing awareness of black identity, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Since then, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. The 2013 theme, At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington, marks the 150th and 50th anniversaries of two pivotal events in African-American history.
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