Black History is American History

In February 1926, Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week. No individual played a greater role in helping Americans learn about black history than Woodson. To Woodson, the black experience was too important to be left to a small group of academics. Woodson believed that his role was to use black history and culture as a weapon in the struggle for racial uplift.

Woodson had two goals. The first was to use history to prove to white America that blacks had played important roles in the creation of America and thereby deserve to be treated equally as citizens. The second was to increase the visibility of black life and history, at a time when few newspapers, books, and universities took notice of the black community, except to dwell upon the negative. In essence, Woodson — by celebrating heroic black figures — be they inventors, entertainers, or soldiers — hoped to prove worth of Black individuals, and by proving worth — he believed that equality would soon follow. Ultimately Woodson believed Negro History Week would be a vehicle for racial transformation forever.

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.

While the last half century has seen great progress for civil liberties, there have (and continue to be) tremendous setbacks. With the power of listening and education, we can all rally for a more just and equitable country and heal the wounds of centuries of oppression.Past the advancements of Black politicians and leaders, Black History Month is also a time to reflect on the everyday person: the struggles and history of Black Americans across the country.

In 2017, then California Senator Kamala Harris made a Facebook post commemorating Black History Month. In her post, Harris advocates for a more personal approach to Black History Month, using the holiday as a means of celebrating all Black Americans, past and present.

Celebrating Black History Month helps all of us to be better stewards of the privileges we’ve gained. Black History Month provides the chance to focus on different aspects of our narrative of African Americans. We can applaud Madam C.J. Walker as the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S. We can let our eyes flit across the verses of poetry Phyllis Wheatley, the first African American poet and woman to publish a book. And we can groove to soulful jazz and somber blues music composed by the likes of Miles Davis and Robert Johnson. Black History Month spurs us to seek out and lift up the best in African American accomplishments.

When we observe Black History Month, we give citizens of all races the opportunity to learn about a past and a people of which they may have little awareness. The impact African Americans have made on this country is part of our collective consciousness. Contemplating Black history draws people of every race into the grand and diverse story of this nation.