Column, Vernon Whitmore
Celebrated in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Black History Month is an important annual commemoration of African American history and people. It began in 1926 with historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, who wanted to encourage the study of the lives, the culture, and the events of the African diaspora.
Originally known as Black History Week, it was celebrated in the second week of February to recognize the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. In 1976 the United States government officially recognized Black History Month as part of the Bicentennial celebration.
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