Black History Month is an annual observance, held every February in the United States, that recognizes the history, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans. It began as Negro History Week in 1926 and became a month in 1976.
- What it is: a national observance of Black American history
- When: every February
- Started: 1926, by historian Carter G. Woodson
- Organized today by: the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), which sets a yearly theme
- Recognized by: every U.S. president since 1976
What is the purpose of Black History Month?
The observance exists to make Black history part of the nation's shared history. Black communities already honored Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass each February. Carter G. Woodson built on that tradition but widened the focus, from two great men to the contributions of the Black community as a whole (ASALH).
The same idea shaped the first presidential message in 1976. President Gerald Ford asked Americans to recognize achievements of Black citizens that had too often been overlooked (American Presidency Project).
Where did Black History Month come from?
Woodson and his colleagues founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in Chicago on September 9, 1915 (ASALH). The association held the first Negro History Week in February 1926. It expanded the week into a month in 1976, the nation's bicentennial year (Library of Congress).
Woodson's home in Washington, D.C., served as the association's headquarters. It is now the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site, run by the National Park Service.
Read more in Who Started Black History Month? and What Was Negro History Week?
How is Black History Month observed?
Observance happens at every level, from federal institutions to classrooms.
- National institutions. The Library of Congress runs a joint Black History Month site with the National Archives, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Library of Congress).
- The yearly theme. ASALH sets a national theme each year and holds a virtual festival of programs starting February 1. The 2026 theme was "A Century of Black History Commemorations" (ASALH).
- Schools, libraries, and museums. These hold lessons, talks, exhibits, and family programs throughout the month.
Is Black History Month only about the past?
No. Each year's national theme ties history to a subject people are thinking about now. The 2021 theme, for example, was "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity" (ASALH).
This site treats Black history as a year-round subject. Use the timeline and the museum and site guide any month of the year.
Sources
- Association for the Study of African American Life and History. "Black History Month Virtual Festival." Accessed October 17, 2026.
- Ford, Gerald R. "Message on the Observance of Black History Month, February 1976." February 10, 1976. The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Library of Congress. "About Black History Month." Accessed October 17, 2026.
- National Park Service. "Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site." Accessed October 17, 2026.
- Scott, Daryl Michael, and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. "Origins of Black History Month." Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Accessed October 17, 2026.