The History and Importance of Black History Month

Throughout this month I’ve been trying to find new and interesting ways to celebrate Black History Month—

ways to educate while providing something fresh, something that is oftentimes neglected. There are plenty of publications and school shows that can remind you of the gems that have blessed the black community, but while the stories of MLK Jr., Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X and the rest are important, they are not the only stories to be told. There is so much talent, so much achievement, so much history in the black community, and it would be a shame if no one ever brought them to light.

One of the most important stories to look back on during this month is the story of the beginning. By that, I do not mean the stories of our African ancestry, but the story of Black History Month. Before writing this article I had no idea how Black History Month began; maybe it was touched on briefly in elementary school, eons ago. After asking around I’ve concluded that I’m probably not the only one who has no idea where this month long celebration began.

So this final article is dedicated not only to understanding the origin of Black History Month, but the importance of it as well.

Before Black History Month, there was Negro History Week. Negro History Week was pioneered by historian Carter G. Woodson back in 1926 and fell within the second week of February in order to coincide with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on the 12th and Frederick Douglass’s on the 14th. Back in the 1920s, the history of the United States taught in school often ignored the accomplishments and stories of the black man. “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” said Woodson, and that couldn’t ring more true. Woodson recognized the importance of being represented in history as a black American outside the slavery narrative, and decided to use Negro History Week to educate all students across the US about our history. As expected, it took a while for the non-black citizens to warm up to this unfamiliar history. Only a few states like North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia cooperated at first. Eventually other states began to welcomed the idea of Negro History Week and it evolved into Black History Month.

“The official erasure of any existence before enslavement – as if black Americans did not exist before the yolk and the chains and whip – has always created a passion for us.” That was beautifully written by playwright Bonnie Greer. There is a sort of fire burning behind the scenes of Black History Month, an undeniable aim to be remembered, recognized, and celebrated year after year because no one else will. Not just for the sake of the non-black community, but for ourselves as well. Black History Month provides an audible voice to the black community, a voice that might have been speaking all along but was never really acknowledged till now There is a strength in knowing your story and the power of your people. Black history is American history.

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