Author and historian Carter G. Woodson is shown in this undated image from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH via AP)
Washington A celebration of Black history, culture, and education, Black History Month will begin on February 1 in schools, museums, and communities around the country.
The month has nearly a century of history, and the way it is observed and changed has made history in and of itself.
The origins of the month
It wasn’t always a month-long celebration of Black History Month. Author and historian Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in February 1926. The purpose of the week-long festival was to educate the public about Black history and contributions.
He established the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, or ASALH, in September 1915, which served as the umbrella body for this endeavor.
According to the organization’s president, Kaye Whitehead, “I believe Black people realized what they had contributed to America’s historical narrative, but no one was talking about it.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson was the first to centralize it in 1926.
The Omega Psi Phi fraternity, of which Dr. Woodson was a member, laid the foundation for the celebration of the week after his death in 1950. The movement to extend the festivities to a full month was also spearheaded by the fraternity. President Gerald Ford eventually became the first to acknowledge the month in a message in 1976.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump intends to carry on the tradition of presidents announcing National Black History Month annually.
Celebrating Black history
Woodson established the annual release of a theme by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
The theme for this year is Labor and African Americans. The group intends to use the month and the remainder of the year to highlight how Black labor, whether in business or community service, helped to develop the country.
Families and communities also celebrate Black history. Some families might spend the month researching their ancestry, learning about their ancestors, or gathering to share a meal and create family trees, according to Worth K. Hayes, an associate professor of history and Africana studies at Morehouse College.
According to Hayes, there are many more private ways that these messages and the holiday are disseminated, even though we may be more accustomed to the more prominent ones.
According to the independent Center for Racial Justice in Education, several schools recognize Black leaders with assemblies or other events.
According to the center’s email to The Associated Press, some schools welcome elders to share their knowledge and life experiences so that young people can learn from them, ask questions, and form deep ties across generations. Furthermore, some groups choose particular subjects or ideas to delve deeply into throughout the month.
Myths about Black History Month
The notion that the U.S. government deliberately selected the shortest month of the year is one of the persistent myths surrounding Black History Month, according to Whitehead. Actually, Woodson selected February because it was the week of the birthdays of two important human rights movement figures: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Whitehead also emphasizes that Black history should be taught and honored throughout the year, not just in February.
Actor Morgan Freeman is among the celebrities who have attacked it for being only a month-long festival. However, Hayes contended that the month is about honoring Black history in general, not simply African-American history.
According to Hayes, “I believe there is a desire to make this point that African-American history, or Black history, is so integral to the American story.” However, doing so diminishes Black history to African-American history, which is not how it is and is honored from its inception to the present. As a result, when discussing Black History Month, you are discussing not just Nat Turner but also Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. Many of the women and men who spearheaded the African continent’s liberation movements are the subject of your discussion.
Whitehead went on to say that Black history is for everyone, not just Black people.
Black History Month is more important than ever if you live in a place where everyone is white because you have to realize that, despite your desire to think otherwise, the world does not fit into this box, according to Whitehead.
According to Whitehead and others, a presidential declaration is not necessary for Black history. Black people can commemorate the month without authorization, according to Whitehead.
We’re awaiting the issuance of a statement, so it doesn’t happen. “We declare it, we honor it, we encourage, we put it front and center, and we assist people in realizing that this is our history,” she said.
Black History Month in 2025
Celebrations of historical or cultural events, such as Black History Month, have been suspended by at least one government body. However, Black History Month celebrations at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History will remain unaffected by the new Trump administration’s choices regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts.
According to ASALH executive director Sylvia Cyrus, Negro History Week began in 1926 without any official declaration from anyone other than the populace. The president of the United States has his opinions, and we may presume that he is aware of the contributions made by people of color, including African Americans.
According to a White House official, the month will be celebrated.
Some think the new administration’s stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives may have an impact on how Black history is taught.
Teachers might be more motivated to teach Black history in their classrooms all year long, according to the Center for Racial Justice in Education. According to the organization’s email, “there are many inspiring forms of resistance, and those committed to celebrating this important history are using innovative and strategic approaches to share and further develop it.”
According to Hayes, it might inspire others to educate communities about the achievements made by Black people.
Like many cultures around the world, Black people, including African Americans, have taken responsibility for their history, he stated. And its shape may be influenced by these different political trends. Regardless of the political climate of the time, however, this story will be recounted.
By the Associated Press’s Haya Panjwani
