Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Black History Month is an annual celebration of
achievements
réalisations
by 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 ofs'est développé à partir de
“Negro History Week,”
the brainchild ofla création de, l'idée originale de
noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other
prominentcélèbres, connus
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
devoteont consacré
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
prominentéminent, remarquable
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 nationwideles collectivités à l’échelle nationale
to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and
lecturesconférences
.
In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began
issuingpublier
yearly proclamations recognizing "Negro History Week." By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing
awarenessprise de conscience
of Black identity, "Negro History Week" had
evolved intoévolué vers
Black History Month on many college campuses.
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976,
calling upon the publicdemandant au public
to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every
area of endeavordomaines d'activitéthroughoutau travers de
our history.”
Today, Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and
legacyhéritage, contribution
of African Americans across U.S. history and society—from activists and civil rights pioneers such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa Parks to leaders in industry, politics, science, culture and more.
Did you know? The NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
Black History Month 2024 Theme
Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and
endorsedchoisi, approuvé
a specific theme.
The Black History Month 2024 theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” explores the key influence African Americans have had in the
fieldschamps
of "visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression."
Photo Galleries
The celebration of Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a
notedréputé, connu
African American historian,
scholarsavant, érudit, educator and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976.
SpurredPoussé par
by growing racial violence in the early 20th century, and particularly by 1908
race riotsémeutes raciales
in Springfield, Illinois, a group of African American leaders joined together to form a new permanent civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Jack Johnson became the first African American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908. He held onto the belt until 1915.
John Mercer Langston was the first Black man to become a
lawyeravocat
when he passed the baril est entré au barreau
in Ohio in 1854. When he was elected to the post of
town clerksecrétaire de mairie
for Brownhelm, Ohio, in 1855 Langston became one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in America.
While Rosa Parks is credited with helping
to sparkdéclencher
the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her public bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955–inspiring the Montgomery Bus Boycott—the lesser-known Claudette Colvin was arrested nine months
prioravant, au préalable
for not giving up her bus seat to white passengers.
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American ever
appointeddésigné
to the U.S. Supreme Court, serving from 1967 to 1991.
George Washington Carver developed 300 derivative products from
peanutscacahuètes
among them cheese, milk, coffee,
flourfarine, ink,
dyescolorants, plastics,
wood stainsteintures pour le bois, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.
Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi was the first African American member of the United States Senate.
he took the oath of officeil a prêté serment
on February 25, 1870.
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was elected in 1968 and represented the state of New York. She
broke groundinnova
again four years later in 1972 when she was the first major party African American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States.
Madam C.J. Walker was born on a cotton plantation in Louisiana and became
wealthyriche, fortunée
after inventing a line of African American hair care products. She established Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories and was also known for her philanthropy.
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African
performeractrice
to win an Academy
awardprix, récompense
—the film industry’s highest honor—for her portrayal of a loyal enslaved governess in
Gone With the Wind
.
On April 5, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play Major League Baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. He led the league in
stolen bases
base volée : la base est volée si le coureur réussit à atteindre la base suivante sans être touché
that season and was named
Rookie of the Year.Recrue de l'année
Robert Johnson became the first African American
billionairemilliardaire
when he sold the cable station he founded, Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 2001.
In 2008, Barack Obama became the first Black president of the United States.
1 / 14: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972-78 and was the first African American congresswoman from
the Deep Southle Sud profond
. In 1976, she became the first African American woman
to deliver a keynote address
à prononcer un discours d’ouverture
at the Democratic National Convention.
Rosa Parks (1913-2005) helped initiate
the civil rights movementle mouvement des droits civiques
in the United States and later became one of its primary organizers when she refused
to give uplaisser
her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. READ MORE: Before the Bus, Rosa Parks Was a Sexual Assault Investigator
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Hamer was the
vice-chairpersonvice-président
of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, as well as a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which organized the Freedom Summer
voter registration drivescampagne d'inscription des électeurs
.
Angela Davis (1944-) is a Black feminist activist and
academicuniversitaire
, known for her affiliation with the Communist Party and connection to a politically charged murder and kidnapping case in 1970. After her acquittal, she became an educator and author.
US
Representativedéputé, représentante
Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn announces her entry for Democratic nomination for the presidency, at the Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York on January 25, 1972.
Carol Moseley Braun (1947-) was elected in 1992 to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, a seat she held until 1998. She was the first African American woman elected to the Senate.
Sheila Jackson Lee (1950-), one of the longest
servingen service
African American women in Congress, has represented the 18th Congressional District of Texas since 1995.
Susan Rice (1964-),
appointerd bynommée par
Barack Obama in 2009, was the first African American woman to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Later she became U.S. national security advisor. In 2021, Joe Biden
tapped herla désigna
to run the White House
Domestic Policy Councilconseil de politique intérieure
.
In January 2021, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president of the United States.
1 / 9: Corbis/Getty Images
Sign up for Inside History
Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.
By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.
.
