How Black History Month came to be

How Black History Month Came to Be

Black communities didn’t need a week or a month dedicated to their history to remember and treasure it, says historian Matthew Delmont of Dartmouth College.

“They kept it in diaries and family records, in black newspapers and through stories,” says Delmont, who is busy speaking to groups in schools and corporations every February as the United States observes Black History Month.

How an annual celebration began

Celebrating the contributions of African Americans began in 1926 with Negro History Week (using the term later replaced by “black” or “African American”).

The week was timed to coincide with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln, a signer of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick Douglass, who fought against slavery and became a social reformer after escaping slavery. The week was the brainchild of historian Carter G. Woodson, who looked forward to the day when black achievements would be celebrated year-round.

History week led to educational materials for schools with black students, but many segregated schools with white students had little exposure to materials about notable black people.

“It was a direct challenge to the traditional curricula of the time, which often demeaned and dehumanized black people,” says Michael Hines, an assistant professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, in a video conference on the history of the celebration that mentions the push for social and political equality. “More than just an opportunity to talk about some notable achievements, Black History Week was a call to action,” he says.

Fifty years later, during the United States bicentennial celebration, President Gerald R. Ford turned the week into a month-long national observation called Black History Month, saying it was time to “seize the opportunity to honor the achievements of black Americans, too often neglected.” in every area of ​​activity throughout our history.”

Today’s commemorations

Now speeches and performances are held. And the schools focus on notable African Americans: Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks are now among the best-known figures in American history. “Black people always valued this history,” Delmont says. “Black History Month helped others understand the impact black Americans have had on the United States.”

A large portion of history writing already focuses on the experiences of white Americans, and Black History Month is an important addition to seeing the country’s past from a different perspective. “You can’t understand American history without understanding the history of black Americans,” Delmont says.

The Black Lives Matter movement and the 2020 protests over police brutality led to greater recognition by Americans of all races and backgrounds of the experiences of African Americans, Delmont says.

Americans have come to understand that their history is richer and more complex, though less uniformly equitable and honorable, than they once thought. The new academics pay more attention to the Contributions and stories of previously marginalized Americans..

As a historian, Delmont finds it valuable to discuss the good and bad of the nation’s past, including voting rights, slavery and discrimination. He hopes that talking about shared history can bridge divisions and bring people together.