Video: Origins of Black History Month, “A brief look at the history of African Americans and Black History Month” from the History Channel.

Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans, and is a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. In 2016, former President Barack Obama described it this way, “During National African American History Month, we recognize these champions of justice and the sacrifices they made to bring us to this point, we honor the contributions of African Americans since our country’s beginning, and we recommit to reaching for a day when no person is judged by anything but the content of their character.”

In September of 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) was founded. The organization was dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African descent. In 1926, the ASNLH sponsored a national “Negro History” week, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

By the late 1960s, “Negro History Week” had evolved into “Black History Month” on many college campuses. President Gerald R. 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 then, every American president has designated February as Black History Month. In the final proclamation of his presidency, Barack Obama said,

Our responsibility as citizens is to address the inequalities and injustices that linger, and we must secure our birthright freedoms for all people. As we mark the 40th year of National African American History Month, let us reflect on the sacrifices and contributions made by generations of African Americans, and let us resolve to continue our march toward a day when every person knows the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Read the full proclamation here).

As we kick off this month long celebration, we in the English department will focus in particular on the role of African Americans in literature. All month long, we’ll be featuring African American authors, as well as keeping you informed about various CSU Black History Month events of interest, (see the full schedule here).

---

Today’s CSU Black History Month Event:

• The Black History Month Kick-Off is being held today at 4 pm  in the Lory Student Center Ballroom B. “An evening of dance, music, spoken word, art and singing featuring Vivian Kerr, 1^st Director of the Black/African American Cultural Center (formerly known as Black Student Services) and Meredith Levert, founding Director of Project GO and 1^st President of Black Student Services.” We’ll see you there!