Black History Month is a time when communities across the nation come together to celebrate the achievements of and by Black Americans and recognize the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. Black History Month started as “Negro History Week,” in 1926, conceived by Carter G. Woodson, an influential African American historian, educator, and scholar. In 1976, it became a month-long national observance.

February was selected as the official month to include the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.