Celebrating Black History Month
February marks Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements of African-Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Woodson, a history professor at Howard University, recognized the absence of black history being taught in schools and shared throughout society and the intentionality needed to ensure the achievements by this collection of people did not go unnoticed.
Black history is American history and should be celebrated every day! However, February is even more special because of its focus on the countless ways that the African-American community has contributed to making our country great. We encourage you to stay tuned to our social media and to follow local organizations such as @thenewblackcollective and @blaccent to learn more about ways we all can celebrate Black History Month.