Black History Month 2025 - Reflection #1

Dr. Carter G. Woodson 1875-1960

“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”- Dr. Carter G. Woodson

When Dr. Carter G. Woodson introduced Black History Week in 1926 through his organization, The Association of Negro Life and History, he was inspired by two events; teacher Mary Church Terrell convincing leadership in the Washington D.C. school district to set aside an afternoon for students to learn about the life and legacy of Fredrick Douglass whose birthday is on February 14th and the Lincoln Jubilee celebrations in Bronzeville Chicago in 1915 commemorating 50 years since the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved Africans in 1863.   

Dr. Woodson believed that the teaching of Black History in schools ensured that Black people would be better able to survive and thrive in a country that only sought to marginalize the community. Black men and women were recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to the country, and young children in schools learned about the history of slavery in this country and the sheer determination and reliance on God that it took to overcome it. Negro History Week also served as a counterbalance to the notion of the Lost Cause ideas that were circulating throughout the country during the 1920s & thirties. The Lost Cause mythology maintains that Black people were content being enslaved, and if it were not for the aggressions of the North, the Civil War would not have occurred.

Dr. Woodson chose for Negro History Week to take place during the second week of February. This was due to Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass's birthdays being only two days apart, and both were widely celebrated in the Black communities during the late 1800s. First, it met with lukewarm responses; it was through the encouragement of Black newspapers at the time that the idea was put into the hands of mayors in cities across the country. By the 1960s, Negro History Week was widely celebrated across the country. In 1969, Kent State University proposed to extend Negro History Week to be celebrated an entire month. With Kent State taking the lead, educational institutions nationwide began to follow suit, and President Gerald Ford recognized February as Black History Month during the country’s bi-centennial celebrations in 1976.

Today, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History continues to encourage and uplift the story and legacy of African Americans through African American Heritage Month by introducing focus themes. For 2025, the theme is African Americans and Labor in the Past, Present, and Future.

The celebration of Black History Month also inspired other marginalized and ethnic groups to create recognition months of their own to highlight their unique experiences as Americans and what they and their ancestors have contributed to the fabric of our country.

Today, Black History Month is observed in at least four countries, including the UK, Canada, Ireland, and the U.S.

​To learn more about the Association for the Study of African American Life and History or Dr. Carter G. Woodson, visit ASALH | The Founders of Black History Month.

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Tina Carter is a public librarian and works at the King Branch on the south side of the City of Chicago. Tina volunteers as a catechetical leader at her parish Our Lady of Africa in baptismal and Confirmation sacramental preparation. Tina is a member of the UCYM Board of Directors and is part of the Faith Formation and Evangelization Team and Accountability Board.