The History and Origins of African American History Month
Originally established as Negro History Week in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a noted African-American author and scholar, and founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, which was later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He initiated Black History Week, February 12, 1926. For many years the 2nd week of February (chosen so as to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln) was celebrated by Black people in the United States.In 1976, as part of the nation's Bicentennial, it was expanded and became established as Black History Month". This commemoration has increasingly been referred to as "African-American History Month," although both names are currently in use.
Since 1926, The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH) has established the national theme for the month-long celebration of Afro-American History Month.
The National Theme for the celebration of Black History Month in the year 2004 is "Brown v. Board of Education (50th Anniversary)."
On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The decision effectively denied the legal basis for segregation in Kansas and 20 other states with segregated classrooms and forever changed race relations in the United States, setting the stage for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
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