Black History: Special Delivery!
2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the official commemoration of Black history in the United States. In 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson (December 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950) established Negro History Week to challenge the widespread exclusion and distortion of Black history in American education.
Born in Virginia to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson worked in coal mines and on farms before pursuing formal schooling later in life. Despite limited access to education early on, he later earned a doctorate from Harvard University, becoming only the second Black American to do so. Woodson believed that a people without knowledge of their history would struggle to fully understand their present or shape their future.
As we celebrate 100 years of commemorating Black History, let’s explore some things you may not know.
TEN THINGS MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH
1. It started as Negro History Week, not a month.
Black History Month began in 1926 as Negro History Week, created to ensure Black history was studied, documented, and taught at a time when it was largely excluded from American classrooms.
2. Black philanthropist and educator Mary McLeod Bethune partnered with Woodson.
While Woodson founded Negro History Week, Black women were essential to its survival. Leaders like Mary McLeod Bethune used schools, women’s clubs, and national networks to fund, promote, and legitimize early observances.
3. Black fraternities and sororities were key supporters.
Black fraternities and sororities, including Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta, and others, supported Negro History Week through educational programming, community events, and youth engagement, even as formal institutions offered little support.
4. February was chosen intentionally.
While it is often highlighted that February may have been chosen since it is the “shortest” month of the year, February was selected because Black communities were already commemorating the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln long before Negro History Week was formally established.
5. It took 50 years, and a presidential push for the holidayto be recognized.
Although Negro History Week began in 1926, it was not formally recognized as Black History Month until 1976, following decades of grassroots advocacy that led to federal recognition.
6. Many schools originally refused to teach about Black History.
Early Black history materials were often rejected by school systems, forcing churches, community organizations, and Black educators to become the primary teachers of history.
7. It was created to correct miseducation, not just to celebrate culture.
The original purpose was to address historical omissions, distortions, and silences in American textbooks, not simply to create symbolic celebrations.
8. Young people helped expand it from a week into a month.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Black college students pushed for broader, month-long observances through campus activism, long before federal recognition followed.
9. Observances of Black History Month also take place in other countries.
Black history observances extend beyond the United States to countries such as Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
10. Ohio was the first state to recognize Black History Month in 1970.
Most people assume that the commemoration of Black History Month started federally. It did not. Federal recognition did not come until 1976 when President Gerald R. Ford issued a public statement urging Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” In 1978, President Jimmy Carter issued the first formal presidential proclamation explicitly designating February as Black History Month, solidifying it as an annual federal observance.
As we mark this centennial moment, let us keep the legacy alive by celebrating Black history in ways that honor both the past, present, and future. While it is important to remember the struggle, our story has never been rooted solely in survival. It is also a story of brilliance, creativity, faith, laughter, love, and joy. As we move forward, let’s keep it 100 by embracing the fullness of our history and inviting others to do the same.
Another installment of melanated mail has been delivered. Ponder, reflect, and pass it on.
