Considering the endless contributions made by the Black community to education, culture and society, 28 days just does not seem to do it all justice, even with an extra day every four years. So, who chose February, and why?
In the United States, the president officially designates February as Black History Month and endorses a theme set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This has been the practice of each U.S. leader since Gerald Ford signed the first one in 1976.
The mission of the ASALH is “to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community,” stemming from the original Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, founded in part by Carter G. Woodson in 1915.
Woodson believed that publishing and sharing scientific history, specifically achievements of Africans, would disprove widespread fallacies, transforming race relations. The first method Woodson utilized in educating individuals about said history was publication, specifically “The Journal of Negro History,” established in 1916.
Urging the mass recognition of Black achievements, Woodson first worked with his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers to establish a week-long celebration. Desiring a greater outreach, Woodson undertook the responsibility of Negro History and Literature Week with the association in 1925.
Becoming Negro History Week in 1926, the week-long celebration was an official name for the activities which Black communities had observed for decades prior, recognizing former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass during the month of February.
Douglass advocated for the abolition of slavery after having escaped himself, and Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation declared slaves free. However, some argue against the legacy of Lincoln in part because the Proclamation did not actually free all slaves—border states and parts of the Confederacy were exempted.
Three years before the Emancipation Proclamation, on Sept. 18, 1858, in a debate in Charleston, Lincoln said:
“There is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.”
However, Douglass himself took a stance on Lincoln, commenting that Lincoln “was the first great man that I talked with in the United States freely, who in no single instance reminded me of the difference between himself and myself, of the difference of color.”
The second week of February was chosen in honor of the birthdays of both Douglass and Lincoln, which land on Feb. 14 and Feb. 12, respectively. Other notable days in the month include the birthday of Black lesbian feminist Audre Lorde (Feb. 18) and the assassination of civil rights activist Malcolm X (Feb. 21).
Woodson built Negro History Week incorporating these pre-existing traditions into a broader consideration and celebration of the Black community—the men and women who contributed to human civilization.
With the ASALH, Woodson chose a theme for the week-long celebration and provided study materials, lessons for teachers and other resources. At the same time, Woodson advocated for the week to demonstrate what students learned throughout the duration of the year.
As the Civil Rights Movement spread throughout the 1960s, mayors across the United States recognized Black History Month, rather than the previous week-long celebrations. Soon, college campuses, including Kent State University, did the same.
Since no president designated Negro History Week, Ford became the first president to recognize a Black history celebration by proclaiming February as Black History Month. Today, the ASALH continues to strive towards its mission, in part by setting the theme for Black History Month.
Join in the recognition and celebration of Black History Month during February and beyond at CSU with these events.
