By Shayla Leach

Black History Month is celebrated in February each year, but how did it become what it is today? What steps were taken so African- Americans could remember and celebrate their history?

In the summer of 1915, Chicago was full of excitement as it hosted a large celebration for the 15th anniversary of the end of slavery. Carter G. Woodson traveled from Washington, D.C. to join the event. Thousands of African-Americans from across the country came to see displays showing the progress their community had made since emancipation.

Inspired by the three-week celebration, Woodson decided to create an organization dedicated to promoting the study and appreciation of black life, history and culture. 

Woodson saw firsthand the importance of recognizing the achievements and struggles of African -mericans, and he knew that sharing these stories could inspire pride and unity. Before he left Chicago, he teamed up with four others on September 9th to form the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization that would go on to play a vital role in documenting and preserving the legacy of black Americans. Their goal was to encourage scholars, educators, and the general public to learn more about the contributions of African-Americans and to ensure that black history was not forgotten or overlooked.

Woodson wanted others to be inspired by his research and encouraged black scholars to write for The Journal of Negro History, which he started in 1916. He called on his fraternity brothers to help share the achievements he and his researchers were discovering. In 1924, they created Negro History and Literature Week, later renamed Negro Achievement Week. This outreach had a great impact, but Woodson hoped for even more. He told a group of students at Hampton Institute, “We are going back to that beautiful history, and it is going to inspire greater achievements.” His work helped bring awareness to the rich black history.

In 1926, Woodson announced the first Negro History Week, choosing February for a particular reason. He wanted to include the birthdays of two important figures in black history. Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick Douglass, a key abolitionist. While he knew there were already celebrations in February, Woodson designed Negro History Week to connect with these traditional observances and highlight the importance of remembering black history.

Woodson has since passed away, but his legacy still lives on today. Although the shift from a one-week celebration to a month-long one began even before his death. As early as the 1940’s, blacks in West Virginia began to celebrate February as Negro History Month. By the late 1960’s, Black History Month was starting to replace Negro History Week at a quick pace. In 1976, almost 50 years after the first celebration, the ASNLH used the influence it had to shift from a week to a month, and from Negro history to black history.​

Since the mid-1970’s, every American president, Democrat and Republican, has celebrated and issued proclamations endorsing the Association's annual celebration.