Origins
The observation of Black history was
originally called “Negro History Week” in 1926. Carter G. Woodson, a historian
of African American Life and History, established it. The week was chosen to
coincide with Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ birthdays, February 12,
1809, and February 14, 1818. President Gerald Ford officially recognized
February as Black History Month in 1976, and since then, it has been celebrated
annually in the United States and Canada.
