Black History Month

Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, conceived of Negro History Week which was first celebrated in February 1926. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort. In 1976, the event was expanded to a month. The month pays tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.