While many may immediately associate the month of February with Valentine’s Day or Groundhog’s Day, members of the African diaspora around the United States and the world celebrate the annual observance of Black History Month.
For the African American community, Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate and uplift the voices and achievements of Black individuals throughout history and to revel in the elegance and pride of Black culture.
Since its conception, the celebration of Black History Month has spread from the confines of the United States to other countries and continents including Africa, the United Kingdom and Germany. Black History Month has been met with pushback since its founding.
Some critics of the holiday claim that acknowledging only the good deeds of Black activists and leaders will water down the seriousness of their stories and diminish their complexity as individuals.
Other critics, including actor Morgan Freeman, have criticized the duration of Black History Month for being too short, stating that, “Black history is American history.”
Sure, the acknowledgment of Black history can happen on any month in the calendar. Why is Black History Month celebrated in February, then, the shortest month of the year (even during a leap year)?
The immediate answer is that it could be racism, and oftentimes when it comes to American history, that is the answer. But the story of Black History Month is much more complex.
The notion of a Black History Month was conceived in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson and the ASNLH wanted the achievements and history of Black individuals in America to be integrated into America’s educational curricula. They chose the second week of February to celebrate “Negro History Week,” because Feb. 12 is the birthdate of Abraham Lincoln, and Feb. 14 is the assumed birthdate of Frederick Douglass, famous writer, abolitionist and civil rights activist. These dates were widely celebrated by African Americans beginning in the late 19th century, so Woodson wanted the week to coincide with those dates.
In its first year, the reaction to the newly proposed holiday was mild. However, several school boards in states with large African American populations supported celebrating the week. This support transmitted the holiday across American schools over the following decades.
In 1969, educators and students at Kent State University proposed to extend the holiday from a week to a month, and thus created the first Black History Month in February 1970.
In the following years, the holiday gained traction around the country, and only six years later, Black History Month was celebrated nationally. Then President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month during the celebration of the United States’ bicentennial in 1976. This recognition cemented the national acceptance of Black History Month.
Ultimately, we know that you can celebrate Black history any and every day of the year, and in my opinion, we should. The sanctity and uniqueness of the Black experience in America and worldwide cannot be compressed into one month in the year or even a whole year.
Now, to the aforementioned question: Is Black History Month celebrated in February, the shortest month of the year, due to racism?
No. February has always held special significance to members of the Black community in the United States, though many people are not aware of this.
Ren Hite is a senior journalism major from Jackson, Miss.
