Summer of 2020 was a season filled with heat and flames. There was a rise in temperature, but most importantly, there was a world full of frustration and people full of anger. The coronavirus was just starting to take full effect, making it easy to neglect the injustices and prominence of police brutality on Black people, not only in America, but around the globe. That summer, citizens ranging from the youth to the old, protested and advocated for change. So that no other lives would be taken, so that George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah Mcclain, and many more would not have to die in vain. In the month of February, there is so much more to acknowledge and commemorate in honor of Black History Month and the continued protests for change.

Carter G. Woodson was a Harvard-educated historian who is credited with founding Black History Month in 1915. Woodson, as well as Jesse E. Moorland, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), which later became the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This organization brought attention to the achievements of Black Americans and promoted the study of Black history as the American history books of the 20th century failed to do just that.

“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,” said Woodson.

The ASNLH sponsored a national Black History week in the second week of February 1926. The second week of February includes the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, therefore commemorating both leaders as well as how far the Black community has come.

As communities and schools around the nation began to celebrate Black History Week each year, it soon grew and evolved into Black History Month. Especially because of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, many college campuses began recognizing the entire month of February as Black History Month. A few years later in 1976, President Gerald Ford announced that February would be recognized as Black History Month, with every American president following doing the same.

“One hundred years ago, to help highlight these achievements, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. We are grateful to him today for his initiative, and we are richer for the work of his organization… But, even more than this, we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history,” said President Ford on Feb. 10, 1976.

Each year, there is a theme for Black History Month to bring focus to a certain subject in the Black community. The theme for 2021 is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity” to acknowledge the importance of family in African American culture and history as well as in the modern day.

Black History Month also makes sure to commemorate Black icons from America’s past. Martin Luther King, Jr. was and still is undeniably a major figure in Black history. Guiding the people through peaceful protests and influencing America with his speeches, King will remain a prominent figure in our history books.

Another notable figure is Marsha P. Johnson, a prominent transgender woman who took part in the infamous Stonewall Riots. An early advocate for LGBTQ+ rights as well as AIDS awareness, Johnson is an inspiration to modern youth. The Marsha P. Johnson Institute’s initiative seeks to reclaim Johnson as well as protect Black transgender Americans from the systemic violence and injustice they have face throughout the years.

The Chicago Defender was a weekly newspaper founded by Robert Abbott in 1905, and the first Black newspaper that boldly covered Black unemployment, rapes, and lynchings when no other newspaper did. At first, Abbott sent his newspapers by hand to each of his subscribers. As the newspaper grew due to the Great Migration, The Chicago Defender began traveling by train all over the nation. By 1917, the Defender reached a circulation of 100,000 copies, becoming the first Black newspaper to reach that level of national readership. Without Abbott to start this newspaper, many modern Black newspapers would have ceased to exist and news from the 1900s would not have featured any struggles of Black Americans.

The King of Pop is a loose term thrown around between different cultures and generations, however, Michael Jackson sits around the top of this umbrella term. Starting his career at age 11, Jackson was bound to be a musician when he decided to dedicate his youth to music. With songs like “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Billy Jean,” Jackson soon became known for his unique sound and enticing music videos. Media looked past his skin color and began to recognize him for his catchy music.

As President Biden and his administration continue to advocate for a reformed $20 bill, the face of this new bill will be familiar. She appears with her own section in history books and is recognized by the majority of American elementary students. Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad and into freedom. She risked her own life in order to free many more even with a bounty on her head. If Tubman replaces Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, she will be the first Black woman on American currency, continuing her legacy in American history.

The goal of Black History Month, as said by Woodson, is to continue acknowledging and educating the American youth about the accomplishments and hardships throughout Black history. Black youth used to grow up reading history books that seemingly erased any traces of Black history. But with continued advocacy and perseverance, Black history, along with many other minorities’ histories, made its way into the American textbooks and education system. The world still has a long way to go in terms of equality and justice, but Black History Month reminds us to stay focused on our goals and that advocacy goes a long way.

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