Black History Month is considered one of the nation’s oldest organized history celebrations, and has been recognized by U.S. presidents for decades through proclamations and celebrations. Here is some information about the history of Black History Month.
How did Black History Month start?
It was Carter G. Woodson, a founder of the Association for the Study of African American History, who first came up with the idea of the celebration that became Black History Month. Woodson, the son of recently freed Virginia slaves, who went on to earn a Ph.D in history from Harvard, originally came up with the idea of Negro History Week to encourage Black Americans to become more interested in their own history and heritage. Woodson worried that Black children were not being taught about their ancestors’ achievements in American schools in the early 1900s.
“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” Woodson said.
Why is Black History Month in February?
Woodson chose February for Negro History Week because it had the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, and Douglass, a former slave who did not know his exact birthday, celebrated his on Feb. 14.
Daryl Michael Scott, a Howard University history professor and former ASAAH president, said Woodson chose that week because Black Americans were already celebrating Lincoln’s and Douglass’s birthdays. With the help of Black newspapers, he promoted that week as a time to focus on African-American history as part of the celebrations that were already ongoing.
The first Negro History Week was announced in February 1926.
“This was a community effort spearheaded by Woodson that built on tradition, and built on Black institutional life and structures to create a new celebration that was a week long, and it took off like a rocket,” Scott said.
Why the change from a week to a month?
Negro History Week was wildly successful, but Woodson felt it needed more.
Woodson’s original idea for Negro History Week was for it to be a time for student showcases of the African-American history they learned the rest of the year, not as the only week Black history would be discussed, Scott said. Woodson later advocated starting a Negro History Year, saying that during a school year “a subject that receives attention one week out of 36 will not mean much to anyone.”
Individually several places, including West Virginia in the 1940s and Chicago in the 1960s, expanded the celebration into Negro History Month. The civil rights and Black Power movement advocated for an official shift from Black History Week to Black History Month, Scott said, and, in 1976, on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Negro History Week, the Association for the Study of African American History made the shift to Black History Month.
Presidential recognition
Every president since Gerald R. Ford through Joe Biden has issued a statement honoring the spirit of Black History Month.
Ford first honored Black History Week in 1975, calling the recognition “most appropriate,” as the country developed “a healthy awareness on the part of all of us of achievements that have too long been obscured and unsung.” The next year, in 1976, Ford issued the first Black History Month commemoration, saying with the celebration “we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
President Jimmy Carter added in 1978 that the celebration “provides for all Americans a chance to rejoice and express pride in a heritage that adds so much to our way of life.” President Ronald Reagan said in 1981 that “understanding the history of Black Americans is a key to understanding the strength of our nation.”
Select Black History Month Events
Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors: Celebrating Black History Month
For over 30 years, Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors has been dedicated to preserving and playing the Jazz and Blues music of Denver’s legendary Five Points neighborhood and is a regular at Dazzle. In September 2022, the Ambassadors spent a week playing and lecturing in Denver’s Sister City, Brest, France, as part of our cultural exchange. The band has performed for many dignitaries, including the 2008 National Convention, playing for the Clintons and other notables. Purnell is a cousin to Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, George Duke, 5-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves, and legendary bassist Charlie Burrell. Purnell Steen – Piano Myra Warren, Vocals Ed Stephen – Acoustic Guitar Vohn Regensburger – Brazilian Guitar Derek Banach – Trumpet Max Wagner – Sax Ron Bland – Bass Bill Larson – Drum
IF YOU GO —
Feb. 12, 6:30pm
Dazzle, 1080 14th St
www.artscomplex.com
Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks
“Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks” is the debut museum solo exhibition tour for Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo (born 1984). One of the most acclaimed artists of his generation, Boafo’s works focus the viewers’ gaze on his subjects’ presence through his portraits representing Black life.
More than 30 works created between 2016 and 2022 are featured in *Amoako Boafo*, displaying Boafo’s vibrant use of color and thick gestures shaped by improvisational techniques such as finger-painting. His works actively center Black subjectivity, Black joy, and the Black gaze as the foundation of his inspiration and artistic practice.
The exhibition’s title was inspired by civil rights activist, sociologist, and Pan-Africanist W.E.B. Du Bois and his study, “The Souls of Black Folk,” published in 1903. Boafo grew up near the burial site of Du Bois in Accra, Ghana, and was affected by his research, especially his coining of the phrase “double consciousness,” meaning the experience of Black people simultaneously having to look at themselves through their own and through white people’s points of view. Boafo’s artworks serve as an invitation to think about and challenge the “othered” perspective concerning Black people and the Black figure.
IF YOU GO —
Feb. 8, starting at 10 a.m.
Denver Art Museum, 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy
720-865-5000
Denverartmuseum.org
A Table of Our Own—Exclusive documentary screening
Get ready to embark on a mind-expanding journey with “A Table of Our Own,” a groundbreaking documentary that delves deep into the heart of the psychedelic movement from a unique perspective: Black people.
Venture into the hidden realms of the psychedelic experience as we invite you to witness the Black community’s untold stories, struggles, and triumphs within this transformative movement. From underground rituals to above-ground practices, “A Table of Our Own” is an eye-opening exploration of the psychedelic world like you’ve never seen before.
This is not just a documentary about Black people; it’s a film for everyone who seeks to understand the power of these mind-expanding substances and their potential to shape our collective future. As we challenge existing narratives, this film provides an inclusive space for dialogue and understanding, weaving together the diverse voices of the psychedelic community.
IF YOU GO —
Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 6 pm-10 pm
Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E Colfax Ave
Cost: $20