February annually honors Black History Month. We celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans and their contributions to our society and the world.
This specific month was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of two prominent figures in African American history, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Lincoln’s birthday is Feb. 12 and Douglass’s birthday is on Feb.14.
In 1915, Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1926, the group declared the second week in February as “Negro History Week” to recognize the contributions of African Americans in U.S. History.
In 1976, Black History Week became Black History Month by President Gerald Ford when he extended the recognition. He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
In the black community Black History month was met with enthusiastic response. Many Black clubs were formed, schools and churches held Black History events.
Today, Black History Month is celebrated during February and beyond.
The Wall Street Journal describes it as “a time when culture and contributions of African Americans take center stage” in a variety of cultural institutions including theaters, libraries and museums.
Every year the ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) selects a new theme for Black History Month. The 2025 theme is: African Americans and Labor.
African Americans and Labor
African Americans and Labor focuses on the various ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and involuntary – intersect with the experiences of Black people.
This theme highlights Black people and their work whether in the cotton fields as enslaved Africans, traditional agriculture, factories, education, entrepreneurship in Black communities, etc.
The theme focuses on the impact of work on the experience of Black people from the past to the present.
