Black History Month is an annual celebration and recognition of the extraordinary accomplishments of Black Americans. Black History Month began in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a renowned Black American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher, and was originally referred to as “Negro History Week.” It became a month-long annual celebration first acknowledged by the U.S. Government in 1976 under the leadership of President Gerald Ford. Since 1976, every U.S. President has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. The celebration is held in February in order to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln; both men having made positive and lasting contributions to the lives of Black Americans. (Source: History.com, Black History Month, January 2010)

Join us in celebrating #BlackHistory throughout February. We encourage you to set aside time to learn more about our collective American History by viewing, reading, and listening to these resources. We honor, support, and lift up Black voices everywhere.

Black History Month Resources:

• Pan-African Flag (red, black, green seen in the graphic for this article)
• 10 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Des Moines
• BlackPast
• Iowa PBS Black History Month
• Black History Month
• WHO 13 – Honoring Black History Month
• Reading Rockets
• National Archives

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