Highlighting the achievements and societal contributions of diverse peoples is important year-round, and occasions like Asian Pacific American HeritageMonth in May and Native American Heritage Month in November serve to uplift the voices in these groups.
In February, the national spotlight is put on African Americans with the celebration of Black History Month.
From innovators to artists to White House staff, there’s plenty to celebrate when it comes to Black culture in the United States. If you need a refresher on why Black History Month was created and what it means, here’s what you need to know.
When is Black History month?
Black History Month is celebrated annually in February.
This year is a leap year, so Black History Month gets an extra day of celebration from Feb. 1 to Feb. 29.
What is Black History Month?
Black History Month celebrates the history and achievements of Black people in the U.S. from any period of national history.
From the enslaved people first brought to America on slave ships in the early 17th century to modern descendants of those very same ancestors, Black History Month shines a light on Black culture in America and reminds society of the many ways this community has contributed to and enriched the nation, according to National Geographic Kids.
Notable figures often highlighted during Black History Month include Mae Jemison, who became the first female African American astronaut to travel in space in 1992 (and who also delivered the commencement address for the University of Delaware’s graduating class of 2023!); Barack Obama, who was elected as the first Black president of the U.S. in 2008; Thurgood Marshall, who was the first Black justice appointed to the United States Supreme Court in 1967; and Martin Luther King Jr., who advocated for equal rights for Black people during the Civil Rights Movement.
And that’s just to name a few.
When was Black History Month created?Black History Month facts
Black History Month has been around for decades, but the first iteration of how the month is now celebrated began nearly a century ago.
Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, wanted to raise awareness about African Americans’ contributions to society and, along with the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Negro History Week was created in 1925, according to Black History Month.
The first Negro History Week was celebrated during a week in February in 1926 that honored the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The result was an overwhelming amount of support in the form of Black history clubs forming, teachers requesting materials to teach their students about Black history and progressive white Americans endorsing the effort, too.
By Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week became a staple for Black culture, with more Americans joining the celebration and mayors of cities across the nation issuing proclamations for the observation of Negro History Week. The Black Awakening and the Civil Rights Movement further propelled the recognition of Black contributions, and in 1976, Negro History Week was expanded to a monthlong occasion.
President Gerald R. Ford emphasized the importance of highlighting Black Americans past and present during Black History Month, and since then, each American president has issued Black History Month proclamations, with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History continuing to promote the study of Black history all year, according to History.
Black History Month theme 2024
Since 1976, every U.S. president has endorsed a specific theme for Black History Month along with their proclamation.
In 2023, the theme for Black History Month was “Black Resistance,” an exploration of how African Americans have addressed historic and ongoing disadvantage and oppression, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
This year, the Black History Month theme is “African Americans and the Arts,” which explores the key influence African American have had in the fields of music, film, fashion, visual and performing arts, folklore, literature, language, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, according to History.
The Harlem Renaissance, the New Negro Movement, Afrofuturism, the birth of hip-hop and the Black Arts Movement are a few eras reflecting the plentiful contributions from Black culture.
Celebrating Black History Month
In honor of this year’s Black History Month theme, a great way to celebrate this year is to dive into Black art of all kinds.
Like to read? Check out the work of Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez and Nikki Giovanni, just to name a few artists who were popular during the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s.
Love to jam? There’s no better way to do so than tracing the birth of hip-hop back to that tiny apartment in the Bronxwith DJ Kool Herc back in 1973, which blossomed to include five foundational elements still alive today: emceeing, break dancing, DJing, graffiti and beat boxing, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Want to learn something new? Dig into Afrofuturism, an effort to define cultural and artistic productions that imagine a society for Black people that exists without oppressive systems and examines the intersection of technology, science and Black history and knowledge, according to the National Museum for African American History & Culture.
Afrofuturism can be found in the music of Janelle Monáe and Jimi Hendrix, the art of Lina Iris and Wangechi Mutu, the literature of Octavia Butler and the film Black Panther, among many others.
Aside from this year’s theme, you also can celebrate Black History Month by visiting local landmarks related to Black history, like the Harriet Tubman Byway that runs through Delaware and the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage in Wilmington, and supporting Black-owned businesses across Delaware, like Cookie's Paper Petals in Milford and Green Box Kitchen in Wilmington.
Do you have a tip or story to share about Black history in Delaware? Contact Krys'tal Griffin atkgriffin@delawareonline.com.
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