It is that time of the year again SDW, Black History Month will be starting next week. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by Blacks in America and a time for recognizing their central role in United States history. Author, journalist and historian, Carter G. Woodson (the brainchild of Black History month) and other prominent Black Americans selected the second week in February in 1926 to celebrate “Negro History Week.” The week was symbolic in that it was the same week of the birthdays of former President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave and prominent abolitionist movement activist. In the late 1960s, the week evolved into an entire month, thanks in large part to the civil rights movement.
Since 1976, every United States president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. As President Gerald Ford said in 1976 when he officially recognized Black History Month, we need to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”Including in the workplace. Below are a few ways to celebrate Black History Month.
Ways to celebrate Black History Month
- Support a black owned business
- Visit a Black History or Civil Rights Museum in your local area
- Donate to a Black organization
- Host a Black film marathon
- Trace your family history
- Read a book by a Black author
- Cook a soul food meal
- Donate to an HBCU (Historically Black College and University)
- Attend or host a Black culture event in your community
- Explore Black music
- Learn about an unsung hero of Black history
- Become a member of a Black organization
- Call out racism or prejudice when you see it
- Learn the lyrics to Lift Every Voice and Sing
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