Black History Month

Black History Month, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingom in October.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the USA, when historian Carter Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week". This week was chosen because it coincided with the Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.

From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of American blacks in the nation's 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 administations of Baltimore and Washington DC.

Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness and fairness of a designated month dedicated to the history of one race. Many people hold concerns about black history being delegated to a single moth and the "hero worship" of some of the historical figures often recognized.