Happy Black History Month!

February marks Black History Month, a national observance honoring the achievements, culture and contributions of Black Americans.

The commemoration began in 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week to counter the exclusion of Black history from U.S. textbooks and public life. He chose February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

The observance expanded to a month in 1976 and has since been recognized annually across the United States. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Woodson’s original effort, highlighting a century-long push to preserve, study and celebrate Black history as central to the American story.