Americans have celebrated Black History Month every February for the last 100 years. But it wasn’t always that way. The annual event used to be just one week long:
History of Black History Month
Black History Month’s roots started in 1915 — half a century after slavery was abolished — when scholar Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He urged other Black scholars and civic organizations to promote their community’s achievements, and from that, the association sponsored Negro History Week the second week of February in 1926.
By the late 1960s, Woodson’s concept was expanded into what we now recognize as Black History Month, and officially recognized by President Gerald R. Ford during the 1976 bicentennial.
Why February
Woodson, considered the “father of Black history,” chose February to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, a formerly enslaved person and abolitionist, and former president Abraham Lincoln. Douglass’ birthday is believed to be Feb. 14 and Lincoln’s is on Feb. 12.
Woodson also chose February out of tradition: Black communities had already been honoring these two birthdays during the second week of the month.
This Year’s Theme
The 2026 theme is “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
“For our 100th theme, the founders of Black History Month urge us to explore the impact and meaning of Black history and life commemorations in transforming the status of Black peoples in the modern world,” the association says.
Looking for a Black History Month event? Check out our list! 👇
