As the United States moves into the second month of the year, we also move into the annually celebrated Black History Month.
People have been celebrating Black History Month for decades, but where does the month to celebrate black history, such as how black people have gained rights over the years, actually come from?
According to History.com, in September 1915, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The ASNLH was “dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other people of African descent.”
The organization is known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and they decided to sponsor a national Negro History week in 1926. The group chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
In the years to follow, “mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week.”
By the late 1960s, the civil rights movement had helped in aiding Negro History Week to evolve into Black History Month on many college campuses. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976. According to the Library of Congress, a decade later, in 1986, Congress passed Public Law 99-244, “which designated February 1986 as ‘National Black (Afro-American) History Month.’” In February 1996, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 229 to honor Black History Month and the contributions of African American U.S. Senators.
So how does one go about celebrating Black History Month? Well there are several ways recommended by the NAACP. One way is to support Black-owned small businesses. Another way is to donate to a black organization or an HBCU (Historically Black College or University). Another great way is to listen to a podcast or some music by black creators, or read a book by a black author.
Another thing to do is to watch a YouTube video by your favorite black YouTuber, to help support them. One more great thing to do to help celebrate black history month, especially with what has happened in the recent past, is to call out racism and prejudice when it is seen and to engage in healthy conversations about black history on social media.
A favorite way to celebrate black history month for some is to learn about famous black inventors throughout the years, especially the ones that are not commonly taught about in school. For example, according to business publication, ThinkGrowth, Dr. Shirley Jackson, born in 1946, invented caller ID. Lewis Latimer (1848-1928) invented the carbon filament, which is a major component in the light bulb, and invented one of the first air conditioning units.
Otis Boykin (1920-1982) invented the pacemaker. Charles Drew (1904-1950) invented the blood bank. Philip Emeagwali, born in 1954, worked to develop the first supercomputer. It is crazy to think that without the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th-15th amendments, and the Civil Rights movement, society would not be where it is today. For these reasons and more, Black History Month is something that needs to be celebrated.
Photo by Cooper Beck
