Black History Month

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Black History Month is an annual celebration for African Americans across the world in which they celebrate their achievements and their role in U.S. history. But how did this annual celebration come about?

The annual celebration dates back to the year of 1915, fifty years after the 13th Amendment was passed in which its purpose was to abolish slavery in the United States. A Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and Minister Jesse E. Moorland, both co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). This organization allowed people to research and promote the achievements of Black African Americans.

ASNLH sponsored Negro History Week in 1926, which was celebrated during the second week of February. This is a coincidence because both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass' birthdays fall on this week. The celebration was an inspiration to many schools and communities all over the world to celebrate this week annually as well as start conversations in clubs, organizations, and lectures about Negro History Week. In the 1960s there was more awareness that was developed about this week and later evolved into Black History Month.

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In 1976, President Gerald Ford informed people to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” This month-long celebration began to recognize more African American activists and leaders such as Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks, just to name a few.

Ever since 1976, every American president has come up with a theme for Black History Month. For 2022, the theme of Black History Month is “Black Health and Wellness.” The significance of such theme is to highlight the importance of African Americans in healthcare and Black Scholars. This also brings awareness to discrimination when it comes to African Americans receiving proper and equal healthcare opportunities as white people. The significance of such a theme is to highlight the disparities that Black African's have to face when it comes to healthcare. African Americans are more likely to have cancer, AIDS/HIV, and influenza, just to name a few. The chances are high due to the lack of proper healthcare. One resolution to this problem is to have a more diverse community of health practitioners and have equal representation for medical and healthcare programs.

Developing a better understanding of black history is never-ending. There are many ways in which people can learn more about not just the importance of Black History Month but also what it means to be black in America. One book recommendation is Kwama Ture and Charles V. Hamilton’s book “Black Power: The Politics of Liberation.” The book describes how it was and is still like to be a Black person in America. It highlights the importance of recognizing that what is owned by a Black person is really not owned by them but through a higher power. Another book that is worth reading is “The 100 Best African American Poems: (*but I Cheated) by Nikki Giovani. This book includes over 100

different poems by African American poets such as Tupac

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Shakur, Gwendolyn Brooks, Kwame Alexander, just to name a few. Nikki Giovani explains in an interview with the host of “Tell Me More” Michel Alexander about how there are so many great poems written by African American poets, but she couldn’t just pick the best 100 so she cheated.

Black History Month is an annual celebration across the world. It is important to continue to educate ourselves by doing research, listening to personal experiences, and doing our part to bring awareness to the discrimination of Black people.

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