View source for Black History Month

{{Short description|Annual celebration of Black history}}
{{For|the song|Black History Month (song)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox holiday
|holiday_name  =  Black History Month
|type          = national
|image         =
|imagesize     =
|caption       = A painting dedicated to the founders of Black History Month, the Black United Students at [[Kent State University]], by Ernie Pryor.<ref name=DKS>Veal, Lou (February 3, 1970), [http://dks.library.kent.edu/cgi-bin/kentstate?a=d&d=dks19700203-01.2.10&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------# "'Black History Month' begins with opening of culture center"], ''Daily Kent Stater'', Volume LV, Number 52, Kent State University {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313134405/http://dks.library.kent.edu/cgi-bin/kentstate?a=d&d=dks19700203-01.2.10&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |date=March 13, 2017 }}.</ref>
|nickname      = African-American History Month
|observedby    = [[United States]], [[Canada]],<ref name=CanBHMstamp2014>[[Wayde Compton|Compton, Wayde]] (February 14, 2016), [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/remembering-hogan-s-alley-hub-of-vancouver-s-black-community-1.3448080 "Remembering Hogan's Alley, hub of Vancouver's black community"], ''CBC News''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214331/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/remembering-hogan-s-alley-hub-of-vancouver-s-black-community-1.3448080 |date=March 13, 2017 }}.</ref> [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[United Kingdom]]<ref name=BHMUKTheresaMay>May, Theresa (September 28, 2016), [http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/bhm-intros/6962/ "Black History Month Introduction; Prime Minister, Theresa May"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313221217/http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/bhm-intros/6962/ |date=March 13, 2017 }}, September 28, 2016.</ref>
|litcolor      =
|longtype      =
|significance  = Celebration of the [[African diaspora]] including, [[African-American history]]
|begins        =
|ends          =
|date          = {{plainlist|
* February (US, Canada and Jamaica)
* October (Europe)}}
|frequency     = Annual
|duration      = 1 month
}}
{{African American topics sidebar}}

'''Black History Month''' is an annually observed [[commemorative month]] originating in the [[United States]], where it is also known as '''African-American History Month'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future: The Continuing Importance of Black History Month |url=https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/knowing-past-opens-door-future-continuing-importance-black-history-month |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=National Museum of African American History and Culture |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Is Black History Month Celebrated in February? {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-black-history-month-celebrated-in-february |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the [[African diaspora]], initially lasting a week before becoming a month-long observation since 1970.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Chambers |first1=Veronica |last2=Law |first2=Jamiel |date=2021-02-25 |title=How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/history-of-black-history-month.html |access-date=2024-04-17 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It is celebrated in February in the United States<ref name="Involvement">{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Milton|title=Involvement/2 Years Later: A Report On Programming In The Area Of Black Student Concerns At Kent State University, 1968–1970|url=http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/faculty/mwilson.html|work=Special Collections and Archives: Milton E. Wilson, Jr. papers, 1965–1994|publisher=[[Kent State University]]|access-date=September 28, 2012|archive-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515141427/http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/faculty/mwilson.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Canada]],<ref name="AboutCIC">{{cite web|title=About Black History Month|url=http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/background.asp|publisher=[[Citizenship and Immigration Canada]]|access-date=February 14, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201054700/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/background.asp|archive-date=February 1, 2012}}</ref> where it has received official recognition from governments, and more recently has also been celebrated in [[Ireland]] and the [[United Kingdom]] where it is observed in October.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/black-history-month-ireland-1703855-Oct2014/|title=Ireland becomes fourth country in world to celebrate Black History Month|first=Órla|last=Ryan|website=TheJournal.ie|date=October 4, 2014 |access-date=February 1, 2021|archive-date=November 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122154953/https://www.thejournal.ie/black-history-month-ireland-1703855-Oct2014/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BHMdotORG>{{cite web|title=BHM365|url=http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/|publisher=Black History Month 365|access-date=March 13, 2017|archive-date=March 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323230926/http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Origin ==
[[File:Carter G Woodson portrait.jpg|thumb|[[Carter G. Woodson]] (1875–1950)]]

=== Negro History Week (1926) ===
The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian [[Carter G. Woodson]] and the [[Association for the Study of Negro Life and History]] (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be "'''Negro History Week'''".<ref name=Scott>Scott, Daryl Michael (December 29, 2011), [http://www.asalh.org/blackhistorymonthorigins.html "The Origins of Black History Month"], Association for the Study of African American Life and History. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214045303/http://www.asalh.org/blackhistorymonthorigins.html |date=February 14, 2013 }}.</ref> This week was chosen because it coincided with the [[Lincoln's Birthday|birthday of Abraham Lincoln]] on February 12 and that of [[Frederick Douglass]] on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated since the late 19th century.<ref name=Scott /> For example, in January 1897, school teacher [[Mary Church Terrell]] persuaded the Washington, D.C. school board to set aside the afternoon of Douglass's birthday as Douglass Day to teach about his life and work in the city's [[School segregation in the United States#Jim Crow era|segregated public schools]].<ref name=NYTBHM>{{Cite news |last1=Chambers |first1=Veronica |author2=Jamiel Law (ill.)|date=2021-02-25 |title=How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/history-of-black-history-month.html |access-date=2022-02-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The thought process behind the week was never recorded, but scholars acknowledge two reasons for its birth: recognition and importance.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Reddick|first=L. D.|date=January–June 2002|title=25 Negro History Weeks|journal=The Negro History Bulletin|volume=65}}</ref> In 1915, Woodson had participated in the [[Lincoln Jubilee]], a celebration of the 50 years since [[Juneteenth|emancipation from slavery]] held in [[Bronzeville, Chicago]]. The summer-long Jubilee, which drew thousands of attendees from across the country to see exhibitions of heritage and culture, impressed Woodson with the need to draw organized focus to the history of black people. He led the founding of the ASNLH in Chicago that fall, toward the end of the Jubilee.<ref name=NYTBHM/>

Early in the event's history, [[African-American newspapers]] lent crucial support.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Delmont |first=Matthew F. |title=Black Quotidian: History |url=https://blackquotidian.supdigital.org/bq/history |access-date=2022-02-04 |via=Black Quotidian: Everyday History in African-American Newspapers |publisher=Stanford University Press |date=2019 |language=en |isbn= 978-1503607040}}</ref> From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of Black Americans in the nation's [[state school|public schools]]. The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the departments of education of the states of [[North Carolina]], [[Delaware]], and [[West Virginia]] as well as the city school administrations of [[Baltimore]], [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=Woodson238>{{cite journal |last=Woodson |first=C. G. |date=April 1926 |title=Negro History Week |journal=Journal of Negro History |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=238–242 |doi=10.2307/2714171 |jstor=2714171|s2cid=150316762 }}</ref> Despite this limited observance, Woodson regarded the event as "one of the most fortunate steps ever taken by the Association", and plans for an annual repeat of the event continued.<ref name=Woodson238 />

At the time of Negro History Week's launch, Woodson contended that the teaching of Black History was essential to ensure the physical and intellectual survival of Blacks within broader society:

{{blockquote|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. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Woodson |first=C. G. |date=April 1926 |title=Negro History Week |journal=Journal of Negro History |volume=11 |issue=2 |page=239 |doi=10.2307/2714171 |jstor=2714171|s2cid=150316762 }}</ref>}}

In 1929, ''[[The Journal of Negro History]]'' noted that, with only two exceptions, officials with the state departments of education of "every state with considerable Negro population" had made the event known to that state's teachers and distributed official literature associated with the event.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 1929 |title=Negro History Week-the Fourth Year |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/i347342 |journal=The Journal of Negro History |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=109–110 |doi=10.2307/2714065 |jstor=2714065 |s2cid=224844258 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Churches also played a significant role in the distribution of literature in association with Negro History Week during this initial period, with the mainstream and Black press aiding in the publicity effort.

Throughout the 1930s, Negro History Week countered the growing myth of the South's [[Lost Cause of the Confederacy|"lost cause"]], which argued that enslaved people had been well-treated, that the Civil War was a war of "northern aggression", and that Black people had been better off under slavery. Woodson wrote, "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions, you do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it."<ref>{{cite web|title='Birth of a Nation' and the Birth of Black History Month|url=https://www.theattic.space/home-page-blogs/2020/2/6/black-history-month-a-history|website=The Attic|access-date=March 3, 2020|archive-date=March 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303193356/https://www.theattic.space/home-page-blogs/2020/2/6/black-history-month-a-history|url-status=live}}</ref>

Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout the following decades, with mayors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday.<ref name=Scott />

=== Black History Month (1970) ===

[[File:Kuumba House - Black United Students 1st Black Culture Center 1969.jpg|thumb|The Black United Students' first Black culture center, Kuumba House in [[Kent State University]], where many events of the first Black History Month celebration took place<ref name=Involvement />
]]
Black educators and Black United Students at [[Kent State University]] first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970.<ref name=Involvement />

Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers, both great and small, when President [[Gerald Ford]] recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the [[United States Bicentennial]]. He urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history".<ref>{{cite web|title=President Gerald R. Ford's Message on the Observance of Black History Month|first=Gerald R.|last=Ford|url=http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/760074.htm|work=[[Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum]]|date=February 10, 1976|publisher=[[University of Texas]]|access-date=February 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119095146/http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/760074.htm|archive-date=January 19, 2013}}</ref>

== Observance by region ==

=== United States ===

[[File:Operation Inherent Resolve 150214-N-TP834-019.jpg|thumb|Black History Month on the [[USS Carl Vinson|USS ''Carl Vinson'']] (CVN-70) deployed in February 2015 in the 5th Fleet area of operations supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, strike operations in Iraq and Syria. Photo removed online by the Trump administration in 2025.]]

In the United States, Black History Month is commemorated during the month of February.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Neumann |first1=Scott |last2=Franklin |first2=Jonathan |date=February 1, 2024 |title=Black History Month 2024 Has Begun. Here's This Year's Theme and Other Things to Know |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1150977600/black-history-month-2024-theme-3-things-to-know |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119200126/https://www.npr.org/2023/02/01/1150977600/black-history-month-2024-theme-3-things-to-know |archive-date=November 19, 2024 |website=[[NPR]]}}</ref> Since its inception, the Black community met the creation of Black History Month was met with enthusiastic response; it prompted the creation of Black history clubs, an increase in interest among teachers, and interest from progressive whites.<ref name="Scott" /> Black History Month has also expanded beyond its initial acceptance in educational establishments. Carter Woodson's organization, now known as the [[Association for the Study of African American Life and History]] (ASALH), designates a theme each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thegrio.com/2022/02/01/black-history-month-theme/|title=Black History Month has a theme…who knew?|first=Candice Marie |last=Benbow|date=
February 1, 2022|access-date=May 14, 2023}}</ref> For example, "Black Health and Wellness" in 2022 focused on medical scholars, health care providers, and health outcomes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Franklin |first=Jonathan |date=2022-02-01 |title=Here's the story behind Black History Month — and why it's celebrated in February |language=en |website=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/01/1075623826/why-is-february-black-history-month |access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref> ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' describes Black History Month as "a time when the culture and contributions of African Americans take center stage" in a variety of cultural institutions, including theaters, libraries, and museums.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=Robert J. |date=January 21, 2000 |title=During Black History Month, Enjoy a Slice of American Culture |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB948404192310527611 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024183613/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB948404192310527611 |archive-date=October 24, 2020}}</ref>

Black History Month has garnered attention from the U.S. business community.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/secrets-of-wealthy-women-african-american-women-on-overcoming-obstacles-11549473371 "Secrets of Wealthy Women: African-American Women on Overcoming Obstacles"], ''The Wall Street Journal'', February 6, 2019 {{subscription required}}. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024182723/https://www.wsj.com/articles/secrets-of-wealthy-women-african-american-women-on-overcoming-obstacles-11549473371 |date=October 24, 2020 }}.</ref> In 2018, [[Instagram]] created its first Black History Month program with the help of its Head of Global Music & Youth Culture Communications, [[Shavone Charles|SHAVONE.]] Instagram's Black History Month program featured a series of first-time initiatives, including a #BlackGirlMagic partnership with [[Spotify]] and the launch of the #CelebrateBlackCreatives program, which reached more than 19&nbsp;million followers.<ref name="PAPER">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.papermag.com/shavone-c-sith-instagram-2630198554.html|title=SHAVONE. Is Stepping Out of Tech and Into Her Own|last=Long|first=Tia|date=February 27, 2019|magazine=PAPER MAGAZINE|access-date=February 1, 2021|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031051157/https://www.papermag.com/shavone-c-sith-instagram-2630198554.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2020, many American corporations commemorated Black History Month, including [[The Coca-Cola Company]], [[Google]], [[Target Corporation]], [[Macy's]], [[United Parcel Service]] and [[Under Armour]].<ref>Todd, Samantha (February 3, 2020), [https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthatodd/2020/02/03/how-google-coca-cola-and-other-american-companies-are-celebrating-black-history-month-2020/#79ae91b249e9 "How Google, Coca-Cola And Other American Companies Are Celebrating Black History Month 2020"], ''Forbes''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027061344/https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthatodd/2020/02/03/how-google-coca-cola-and-other-american-companies-are-celebrating-black-history-month-2020/#79ae91b249e9 |date=October 27, 2020 }}.</ref>

On February 18, 2016, 106-year Washington, D.C., resident and school volunteer [[Virginia McLaurin]] visited the [[White House]] as part of Black History Month. When asked by [[President Barack Obama]] why she was there, McLaurin said: "A Black president. A Black wife. And I'm here to celebrate Black history. That's what I'm here for."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/i-am-so-happy-106-year-old-woman-dances-with-joy-as-she-meets-obama-1.2787437|title='I am so happy': 106-year-old woman dances with joy as she meets Obama|date=February 22, 2016|work=CTVNews|access-date=December 1, 2018|language=en-CA|archive-date=December 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202024723/https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/i-am-so-happy-106-year-old-woman-dances-with-joy-as-she-meets-obama-1.2787437|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2016/02/22/meet-106-year-old-who-got-dance-president-and-first-lady|title=Meet the 106-Year-Old Who Got to Dance with the President and the First Lady|website=obamawhitehouse.archives.gov|date=February 22, 2016 |access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref>

{{anchor|United Kingdom}}

In 2025, the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] cancelled internal celebrations of Black History Month and other "special observances" due to the [[second Trump administration]]'s efforts to stop [[diversity, equity, and inclusion]] initiatives. However, at the start of February, President [[Donald Trump]] signed a proclamation honoring National Black History Month.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dilanian |first1=Ken |last2=Marquez |first2=Alexandra |last3=Bellamy |first3=Claretta |last4=De Luce |first4=Dan |title=Federal agencies bar Black History Month and other 'special observances' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/defense-agency-bans-black-history-month-rcna190189 |access-date=4 February 2025 |agency=NBC News |date=3 February 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Botelho |first1=Jessica |title=Trump signs Black History Month proclamation despite rumors he planned to 'cancel' it |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/02/03/trump-signs-black-history-month-proclamation-despite-rumors-he-planned-to-cancel-it/ |access-date=4 February 2025 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |date=3 February 2025}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
[[File:Handbill - Pugilism, or Self-Defence - 1822.jpg|thumb|1822 handbill advertising a Black boxing tutor in [[Alnwick]], Northumberland; tweeted by [[Northumberland Archives]] as part of Black History Month in 2020<ref>{{cite web|title=#BlackHistoryMonth – Boxers 1/2|website=[[Northumberland Archives]] twitter feed|url=https://twitter.com/NorthldArchives/status/1314193678483759104|date=October 8, 2020|access-date=February 1, 2021|archive-date=October 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008132337/https://twitter.com/NorthldArchives/status/1314193678483759104|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

In the United Kingdom, Black History Month was first celebrated in [[1987 in the United Kingdom|October 1987]]<ref>Kalia, Ammar (October 8, 2019), [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/08/from-emperors-to-inventors-the-unsung-heroes-to-celebrate-in-black-history-month "From emperors to inventors: the unsung heroes to celebrate in Black History Month"], ''The Guardian''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130094121/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/08/from-emperors-to-inventors-the-unsung-heroes-to-celebrate-in-black-history-month |date=November 30, 2020 }}.</ref> The year of 1987, recognized as the African Jubilee, was coincidentally the year of the 150th anniversary of Caribbean emancipation, the centenary of the birth of [[Marcus Garvey]] and the 25th anniversary of the [[Organization of African Unity]], an institution dedicated to advancing the progress of African states.<ref name=CNN>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/13/opinions/uk-black-history-month-akyaaba-addai-sebo-intl-gbr/index.html|title=Black children must be able to believe in themselves. That's what Black History Month is for|first=Akyaaba|last=Addai-Sebo|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=October 13, 2020|access-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106015121/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/13/opinions/uk-black-history-month-akyaaba-addai-sebo-intl-gbr/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Black History Month in the UK was organised through the leadership of [[Ghana]]ian analyst [[Akyaaba Addai-Sebo]], who had served as a coordinator of special projects for the [[Greater London Council]] (GLC) and created a collaboration to get it underway.<ref>Zamani, Kubara, [http://everygeneration.co.uk/index.php/black-british-history/bhm-black-history-month/24-akyaaba-addai-sebo "Akyaaba Addai-Sebo Interview"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101810/http://everygeneration.co.uk/index.php/black-british-history/bhm-black-history-month/24-akyaaba-addai-sebo |date=April 2, 2015 }}, Every Generation Media, reproduced from ''New African'' magazine.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crer.scot/post/2017/09/28/how-did-black-history-month-come-to-the-uk|title=How did Black History Month come to the UK?|first=Ansel|last=Wong|author-link=Ansel Wong|website=Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER)|date=September 28, 2017|access-date=October 6, 2021|archive-date=February 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211063430/https://www.crer.scot/post/2017/09/28/how-did-black-history-month-come-to-the-uk|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first Black History Month celebration in the UK was held in London on October 1, 1987, when Dr. [[Maulana Karenga]] from the US was invited to an event by the [[Greater London Council]] about Black people's contributions to history.<ref name=BHMUK>{{cite web|title=Black History Month FAQ|url=http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/sitea/BHM_FAQ.html|publisher=Black History Month|access-date=February 14, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221055929/http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/sitea/BHM_FAQ.html|archive-date=February 21, 2012}}</ref>

Some institutions have faced criticism for supporting Black History Month with images of people from British Asian backgrounds, using the term "black" to refer to [[political blackness]] encompassing all people of color.<ref name="Mohdin">{{cite web |last1=Mohdin |first1=Aamna |title='Political blackness': a very British concept with a complex history |url=https://qz.com/1219398/political-blackness-a-very-british-concept-with-a-complex-history/ |website=Quartz |date=3 March 2018}}</ref>

===Germany ===
In [[Berlin]], Germany, in 1990, members of the [[Black German]] community began observing Black History Month. Programs have included discussions of black Europeans, international African perspectives, the history of civil rights in the U.S., and apartheid in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Florvil  |first=Tiffany |date=2019-02-22 |title=Rethinking Black History Month in Germany |url=https://aaihs.org/rethinking-black-history-month-in-germany/}}</ref>

=== Canada ===
In 1995, after a motion by politician [[Jean Augustine]], representing the riding of [[Etobicoke—Lakeshore (federal electoral district)|Etobicoke—Lakeshore]] in [[Ontario]], Canada's [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] officially recognized February as Black History Month ({{Langx|fr|Mois de l'histoire des Noirs}}) and honored [[Black Canadians]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/fr/patrimoine-canadien/campagnes/mois-histoire-des-noirs.html|title=Février est le Mois de l'histoire des Noirs|first=Patrimoine|last=canadien|date=January 29, 2021|website=www.canada.ca}}</ref> In 2008, Senator [[Donald Oliver]] moved to have the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] officially recognize Black History Month, which was unanimously approved.<ref name=AboutCIC />

Black History Month was first proclaimed by the [[Toronto|City of Toronto]] in 1979, and then by the Province of [[Ontario]] in 1993. Work done by the Ontario Black History Society helped lead to these proclamations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blackhistorysociety.ca/about/ |title=About – Ontario Black History Society }}</ref>

Canada defines the festivity as an opportunity to celebrate "the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities who … have done so much to <!-- aljazeera says "take make" here, but that's a typo introduced by them. See https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month/about.html -->make Canada a culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous country".<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 Feb 2022 |title=Black History Month 2022: What is it and why is it celebrated? |website=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/3/black-history-month-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-celebrated |access-date=7 Feb 2023}}</ref>

===Jamaica===

In Jamaica, Black History Month is observed during the month of February,<ref name=":cbhm">{{Cite web |date=2004-02-01|title= Celebrating Black History Month|url=https://old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040201/news/news2.html|access-date=2025-02-02|newspaper= Jamaica Observer}}</ref><ref name=:"jabhm">{{Cite web|title=Black History in Roots Reggae Music| url=https://jis.gov.jm/jamaica/black-history-in-roots-reggae-music/|website=Jamaica Information Service (JIS)|access-date=2025-02-02}}</ref> which had been informally adopted by the mid-1990s.<ref name=":bab">{{Cite journal|date=2007-01-01|first=Deborah A. |last=Thomas| title=Blackness Across Borders: Jamaican Diasporas and New Politics of Citizenship, Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power |url=https://anthropology.sas.upenn.edu/sites/www.sas.upenn.edu.anthropology/files/page/Blackness%20Across%20Borders.pdf|pages=114–129|access-date=2025-02-16|journal=Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania}}</ref> Special attention is given to this period as February also marks [[Reggae]] Month,<ref name=:"jabhm"/> which coincides with the birthdates of the ''King of Reggae'', [[Bob Marley|Robert Nesta Marley OM]], and the ''Prince of Reggae'', [[Dennis Brown]].<ref name=":cbhm"/><ref name=":reggae">{{Cite web|title= Reggae Month| url=https://jis.gov.jm/features/reggae-month/#:~:text=On%20January%209th%202008,social%2C%20cultural%20and%20economic%20development.|website=Jamaica Information Service (JIS)|access-date=2025-02-06}}</ref> It has been a time to acknowledge and honour the achievements and inventions of black figures throughout history, and to reflect on liberation, past racial adversity and struggles.<ref name=":cbhm"/><ref>{{Cite web|title= Black History Month|url=https://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/category/black-history-month/|access-date=2025-02-02|website= National Gallery ofJamaica}}</ref><ref name="bhmj">{{Cite web|date= 2024-02-01|title=The significance of Black History Month|url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/02/01/significance-black-history-month/|newspaper=Jamaica Observer|access-date=2025-02-02}}</ref> During this period, locals especially reflect on and pay homage to the contributions of prominent African American civil rights activists, and Jamaican activists and pioneers who have been impactful internationally and nationally— such as [[Marcus Garvey]], [[Bob Marley]], [[Peter Tosh]], [[Harry Belafonte]], [[Ferdinand Smith]], [[John Brown Russwurm]], and others. Reggae's role in global social and political activism against [[apartheid]], oppression and inequality,<ref name=:"jabhm"/><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Reactions to Oppression: Jamaica and South Africa|first=Erin |last=Kenny|url=https://www.uvm.edu/~debate/dreadlibrary/kenny.html|access-date=February 2, 2025|website=The Dread Library, University of Vermont}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 2, 2024 |title=Reggae's resistance roots struck a chord in SA|first=Carsten |last=Rasch|url=https://mg.co.za/friday/2024-02-02-reggaes-resistance-roots-struck-a-chord-in-sa/#:~:text=For%20black%20South%20Africans%2C%20identifying,stand%20against%20racism%20and%20supremacism.|newspaper=The Mail & Guardian|access-date=2025-02-02}}</ref> has amplified the significance of Black History Month on the island. Since January 9, 2008, February has been officially declared as Reggae Month, which also celebrates the genre's musical, cultural and economic contributions to the development of the island.<ref name=":reggae"/>

In the past, some critics questioned the rationale and relevance of commemorating an "imported" event to Jamaican contexts— in light of differences in demographics and experiences between the United States and Jamaica, and Jamaicans' penchant of adopting anything emanating from the United States.<ref name=":bab"/> Others argued for greater attention to local heroes, while demonstrating solidarity with Black Americans.<ref name=":bab"/>

=== Republic of Ireland ===
[[Ireland's Great Hunger Museum|Ireland's Great Hunger Institute]], at [[Quinnipiac University]] in [[Connecticut]], notes: "Black History Month Ireland was initiated in [[Cork (city)|Cork]] in 2010. This location seems particularly appropriate as, in the 19th century, the city was a leading center of [[abolitionism|abolition]], and the male and female anti-slavery societies welcomed several black abolitionists to lecture there, including [[Charles Lenox Remond]] and [[Frederick Douglass]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/how-ireland-is-celebrating-national-black-history-month |title=How Ireland is celebrating its National Black History Month |date=October 12, 2018 |website=IrishCentral.com |access-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014091740/https://www.irishcentral.com/news/how-ireland-is-celebrating-national-black-history-month |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== France ===
In France, Black History Month was first organized in 2018 in [[Bordeaux]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.20minutes.fr/bordeaux/2213947-20180202-bordeaux-lancement-premier-black-history-month-france|title=Bordeaux: Lancement du premier Black History Month en France !|first=Elsa |last=Provenzano|website=[[20 minutes (France)|20 minutes]]|date=2018-02-02|access-date=2023-01-27}}</ref> Since then, there have been celebrations in [[Paris]], [[Le Havre]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[La Rochelle]] and [[Bayonne]]. In 2022 the month was dedicated to [[Josephine Baker]], a dancer and member of the [[French Resistance]] during [[World War II]] born in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://outremers360.com/bassin-atlantique-appli/la-guadeloupe-associee-au-5eme-black-history-month-dedie-cette-annee-a-josephine-baker|title=La Guadeloupe associée au 5ème "Black History Month" dédié cette année à Joséphine Baker|first=Eline |last=Ulysse|date=5 February 2022|access-date=2023-01-27}}</ref>

=== Africa ===
In 2020, Black History Month was celebrated in seven African countries for the first time. Participating countries were [[Benin]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Chad]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Comores]], [[Senegal]] and [[Cameroon]]. The event was initiated by the organisation Africa Mondo founded by [[Mélina Seymour]].<!--https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://ca923f69-6ab4-4149-94db-86173888003d.filesusr.com/ugd/54320e_3b967fc3fc1b458fb611ac957796567e.pdf--> Starting in 2021, an African History Month was celebrated in March.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

==Developments==
When first established, Black History Month resulted in some controversy.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pitre|first=Abul|date=November 3, 2002|title=The Controversy Around Black History|journal=The Western Journal of Black Studies|volume=26}}</ref> Those who believed that Black History Month was limited to educational institutions questioned whether it was appropriate to confine the celebration of Black history to one month, as opposed to the integration of Black history into mainstream education for the whole year.

Another concern was that, contrary to the original inspiration for Black History Month, which was a desire to redress how American schools failed to represent Black historical figures as anything other than enslaved people or colonial subjects, Black History Month could reduce complex historical figures to overly simplified objects of "[[wikt:hero worship|hero worship]]".

Other critics refer to the celebration as a form of racism.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hirsch|first=Afua|author-link=Afua Hirsch|title=Black History Month has to be more than hero worship|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/oct/01/black-history-month-hero-worship|access-date=February 14, 2012|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=October 1, 2010|archive-date=September 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917113535/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/oct/01/black-history-month-hero-worship|url-status=live}}</ref> Actor and director [[Morgan Freeman]] and actress [[Stacey Dash]] have criticized the concept of declaring only one month as Black History Month.<ref>{{cite journal|last=McCarter|first=William Matt|title=There is a White Sale at Macy's: Reflections on Black History Month|journal=International Journal of Radical Critique|volume=1|issue=2|year=2012|url=http://www.radicalcritique.org/2012/12/Mccarter.html|access-date=January 29, 2013|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903064234/http://www.radicalcritique.org/2012/12/Mccarter.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thegrio.com/2016/01/27/stacey-dash-morgan-freeman-apology-bet-black-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129162606/http://thegrio.com/2016/01/27/stacey-dash-morgan-freeman-apology-bet-black-history/ |archive-date=January 29, 2016 |title=Stacey Dash says Morgan Freeman agrees with her views on Black History Month, ask for apology from 'Twitter haters' |website=[[TheGrio]] |date=January 27, 2016}}</ref> Freeman noted, "I don't want a Black history month. Black history is American history."<ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Freeman calls Black History Month 'ridiculous'|url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/10482634/ns/today-entertainment/t/freeman-calls-black-history-month-ridiculous/#.TzrCrUxWrTw|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707102926/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/10482634/ns/today-entertainment/t/freeman-calls-black-history-month-ridiculous#.TzrCrUxWrTw|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 7, 2011|access-date=February 14, 2012|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|date=December 15, 2005}}</ref>

In February 2025, [[Google]] announced that Black History Month would no longer be highlighted by default on [[Google Calendar]], arguing that it was no longer "scalable or sustainable" to continue adding the growing number of national and international "cultural moments" manually to its calendars.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/news/608858/google-calendar-missing-events-holidays|title=Google Calendar removed events like Pride and BHM because its holiday list wasn't 'sustainable'|last=Peters|first=Jay|date=11 February 2025|work=[[The Verge]]|access-date=11 February 2025}}</ref>

== Themes ==

In the US, a theme for each Black History Month is selected by the ASALH:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/|title=Black History Themes|website=asalh.org|publisher=Association for the Study of African American Life and History|date=January 5, 2022 |access-date=24 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/02/01/black-history-month-facts/11155620002/|title=Why is Black History Month in February? How do you celebrate? Everything you need to know.|first=N'dea|last=Yancey-Bragg |website=[[USA Today]]|date=February 1, 2023|access-date=May 14, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://davenport.libguides.com/bhm/themes#:~:text=2021%20Theme%3A%20The%20Black%20Family,%2C%20anthropology%2C%20and%20social%20policy.|title=Black History Month Library Guide {{!}} Black History Month Themes|publisher=[[Davenport University]]|access-date=May 14, 2023}}</ref>
<div style="column-width: 20em;">
* 1928: Civilization: A World Achievement
* 1929: Possibility of Putting Negro History in the Curriculum
* 1930: Significant Achievements of the Negro
* 1931: Neglected Aspects of Negro History
* 1932: What George Washington Bicentennial Commission Fail to Do
* 1933: Ethiopia Meets Error in Truth
* 1934: Contribution of the Negro in Poetry, in Painting, in Sculpture and in Science
* 1935: The Negro Achievements in Africa
* 1936: African Background Outlined
* 1937: American Negro History from the Time of Importation from Africa up to the Present Day
* 1938: Special Achievements of the Race: Oratory, Drama, Music, Painting, Sculpture, Science and Inventions
* 1939: Special Achievements of the Race: Religion, Education, Business, Architecture, Engineering, Innovation, Pioneering
* 1940: Negro Labor
* 1941: The Career of Frederick Douglass
* 1942: The Negro in Democracy
* 1943: The Negro in the Modern World
* 1944: The Negro and the New Order
* 1945: The Negro and Reconversion
* 1946: Let us Have Peace
* 1947: Democracy Possible only Through Brotherhood
* 1948: The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth
* 1949: The Use of Spirituals in the Classroom
* 1950: Outstanding Moments in Negro History
* 1951: Eminent Negroes in World Affairs
* 1952: Great Negro Educators (Teachers)
* 1953: Negro History and Human Relations
* 1954: Negro History: A Foundation for Integration
* 1955: Negro History: A Contribution to America's Intercultural Life
* 1956: Negro History in an Era of Changing Human Relations
* 1957: Negro History
* 1958: Negro History: A Factor in Nationalism and Internationalism
* 1959: Negro History: A Foundation for a Proud America
* 1960: Strengthening America Through Education in Negro History and African Culture
* 1961: Freedom and Democracy for the Negro after 100 years (1861–1961)
* 1962: Negro History and a New Birth of Freedom
* 1963: Negro History Evaluates Emancipation (1863–1963)
* 1964: Negro History: A Basis for the New Freedom
* 1965: Negro History: Freedom's Foundation
* 1966: Freedom from Racial Myths and Stereotypes Through Negro History
* 1967: Negro History in the Home, School, and the Community
* 1968: The Centennial of the Fourteenth Amendment Afro American History Week
* 1969: Changing the Afro American Image through History
* 1970: [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|15th Amendment]] and Black America in the Century (1870–1970)
* 1971: African Civilization and Culture: A Worthy Historical Background
* 1972: African Art, Music, Literature; a Valuable Cultural Experience
* 1973: Biography Illuminates the Black Experience
* 1974: Helping America Understand
* 1975: Fulfilling America's Promise: Black History Month
* 1976: America for All Americans
* 1977: Heritage Days: The Black Perspective; the Third Century
* 1978: Roots, Achievements and Projections
* 1979: History: Torch for the future
* 1980: Heritage for America
* 1981: Black History: Role Model for Youth
* 1982: Afro American Survival
* 1983: Afro Americans in the United States
* 1984: Afro Americans and Education
* 1985: Afro American Family
* 1986: Afro American Experience: International Connection
* 1987: Afro Americans and the Constitution from Colonial Times to the Present
* 1988: Constitutional Status of Afro Americans in the 21st Century
* 1989: Afro Americans and Religion
* 1990: Seventy-Five Years of Scholarly Excellence: A Homage to Our Forebearers
* 1991: Educating America: Black Universities and Colleges, Strengths and Crisis
* 1992: African Roots Experience New Worlds, Pre-Columbus to Space Exploration
* 1993: Afro-American Scholars: Leaders, Activists and Writers
* 1994: Empowering Black Americans
* 1995: Reflections on 1895: Douglass, Du Bois & Washington
* 1996: Black Women
* 1997: African Americans and Civil Rights; a Reprisal
* 1998: Black Business
* 1999: Legacy of African American Leadership for the Present and the Future
* 2000: Heritage and Horizons: The African American Legacy and the Challenges for the 21st Century
* 2001: Creating and Defining the African American Community: Family, Church Politics and Culture
* 2002: The Color Line Revisited: Is Racism Dead?
* 2003: The Souls of Black Folks: Centennial Reflections
* 2004: Before Brown, Beyond Boundaries: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of [[Brown v. Board of Education]]
* 2005: The [[Niagara Movement]]: Black Protest Reborn, 1905–2005
* 2006: Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social, and Civil Institutions
* 2007: From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas
* 2008: Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of [[Multiculturalism]]
* 2009: The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas
* 2010: The History of Black Economic Empowerment
* 2011: African Americans and the Civil War
* 2012: Black Women in American Culture and History
* 2012: President Barack Obama National Black History Month Proclamation
* 2013: At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington
* 2014: Civil Rights in America
* 2015: A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture
* 2016: Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories
* 2017: The Crisis in Black Education
* 2018: African Americans in Times of War
* 2019: Black Migrations
* 2020: African Americans and the Vote
* 2021: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity
* 2022: Black Health and Wellness
* 2023: Black Resistance
* 2024: African Americans and the Arts
* 2025: African Americans and Labor
</div>

== See also ==
* [[African-American history]]
* [[African-American Heritage Sites]]
* [[African-American Music Appreciation Month]]

===Other history months===
* [[Filipino American History Month]]
* [[LGBT History Month]]
* [[Women's History Month]]
* [[Disability History Month]]
* [[Dalit History Month]]

===Heritage months===
* [[Arab Americans#Arab American Heritage Month|Arab American Heritage Month]]
* [[Gay and Lesbian Pride Month]]
* [[Irish-American Heritage Month]]
* [[Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month]]
* [[Jewish American Heritage Month]]
* [[National Hispanic Heritage Month]]
* [[Tibetan American#Immigration timeline|National Tibetan American Heritage Month]]
* [[Native American Indian Heritage Month]]
* [[Polish American Heritage Month]]
* [[Puerto Ricans in the United States#Civic participation|Puerto Rican Heritage Month]]
* [[South Asian Heritage Month]]
* [[Asian Pacific American Heritage Month]]
* [[Haitian Heritage Month]]

===International===
* [[Afro-Colombian Day]]
* [[Black Awareness Day]], Brazil

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |first=Derrick |last=Bell | author-link = Derrick A. Bell, Jr. |date=February 22, 1984 |title=''Brown v. Board of Education'' and the Black History Month Syndrome |url=https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-brown-v-board-of-education-and-the-black-history-month-syndrome/1984/02<!-- Original publication per: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/hblj1&div=5&id=&page= --> |department= Opinion |journal=Education Week |volume=3 |number=22 |page= |jstor=}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Black History Month}}
* [https://blackhistorymonth.gov/ Library of Congress Black History Month Website]
* [https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/ Official UK Black History Month Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150215013601/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/index.asp Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada Black History Month website]
* Carter Woodson's life is retold in the 1950 [[radio drama]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJ_YpaXgHg&list=PLlUoyloCGlWwWpbzUccApPOWYsOP4mu0Z&index=70 "Recorder of History – Dr. Carter G. Woodson"], a presentation from ''[[Destination Freedom]]'', written by [[Richard Durham]]

{{Public holidays in the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1976 introductions]]
[[Category:African-American events]]
[[Category:Black British history]]
[[Category:Commemorative months]]
[[Category:February observances]]
[[Category:History of Black people in Canada]]
[[Category:Month-long observances]]
[[Category:Observances in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Observances in the United States]]
[[Category:October observances]]
[[Category:Post–civil rights era in African-American history]]