Established by Public Law-224, the annual observance of Black History Month—also known as African American History Month—runs through the month of February. The observance recognizes the central role African Americans have made in U.S. history. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. The story of Black History Month begins in 1915—approximately half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.
Black History Month Honoring the Past, Securing the Future!
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, and Minister Jesse E. Moorland, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History—or ASNLH. ASNLH was an organization dedicated to researching and promoting the achievements of Black Americans and other people of African descent. Today, the ASNLH, or better known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), sponsors schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, performances, and lectures discussing the accomplishments of Black Americans throughout history. In 1976, President Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. officially recognized Black History Month, and called 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.”
Important Black History Dates 1688: The first formal protest against slavery was passed in Germantown, Pennsylvania
1870: On February 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution was ratified, giving African American men the right to vote
1926: Dr. Carter G. Woodson—American Historian, author, journalist,
and founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History—established “Negro History Week”, known today as Black History Month
1976: President Ronald Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5443, which proclaimed that “the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity… and to celebrate the many achievements of the African American community”
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