Carter G. Woodson

Carter G. Woodson is credited with creating “Black History Month”. The idea came to Woodson in 1915 after attending a celebration in Illinois for the 50th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment.

Woodson wrote The Journal of Negro History in 1916, which chronicled the overlooked achievements of African Americans. With this writing Woodson sought to amplify Black people’s success and spread his findings to a wider audience.

Through community outreach, he encouraged his fraternity Omega Psi Phi to promote his work and in 1924 the fraternity responded by creating “Negro Achievement Week”.

Two years later, despite Omega Psi Phi’s efforts, Woodson still wanted to make a bigger impact.

In 1926 Woodson and The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) officially declared the second week in February to be “Negro Histor y Week”.

This was chosen because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on Feb. 12, and Frederick Douglass on Feb. 14.

The ASALH expanded the recognition to Black History Month in 1976, and that same year U.S. President Gerald Ford declared February, “Black History Month” in a commemorative speech.

He urged citizens to seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history. Congress passed a law in 1986 which deemed February as National Black History Month.