This February marks the 100th anniversary of African American History Month. This celebration, originally Negro History Week, was first established by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in February 1926. Dr. Woodson was a historian and founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He chose that week because it included the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, important figures in African American history. African American communities also had a tradition of celebrating the birthday of Douglass and remembering Lincoln in February.
These celebrations were first recognized by the federal government in 1975, when President Gerald Ford issued his Message on the Observance of Black History Week. Grassroots organizations, activists, and students began observing Black History Month in the 1940s; ASALH began promoting it starting in 1976, at the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Woodson’s original celebration. Since Ford’s message, every president has issued proclamations for this month. Congress passed Public Law 99-244, which designated February 1986 as “National Black (Afro-American) History Month” in 1986. February is also the birth month of other prominent African American civil rights activists whom we honor for their contributions to American culture and history, such as Rosa Parks and John Lewis. Presidents and Congress have focused on particular themes for the celebration, as in January 1996, when President Clinton issued Presidential Proclamation 6863 for “National African American History Month” for the achievements of Black women from Sojourner Truth to Mary McLeod Bethune and Toni Morrison. The Senate passed Senate Resolution 229 in 1996, commemorating Black History Month and the contributions of African American U.S. Senators. On this 100th African American History Month, we memorialize the contributions of African Americans, and we remember that every day is Black history in the making.
Additional Resources
Margaret Wood, 2015 African American History Month, In Custodia Legis.
E185.G535 2026 Givens, Jarvis R. I’ll Make Me a World: the 100-Year Journey of Black History Month.
E175.5.W65 F38 1989 The Father of Black History: Carter G. Woodson, a Living Legacy.
Library of Congress. Black History Month 2010: NAACP 100th Anniversary.
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