Black History Month   Tags: african american, african american art, african american history, african american music, african-american, black, black culture, black history, black history month, civil rights, cultural resources, emancipation, slavery  

Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

In the 2013 Presidential Proclamation, President Barack Obama states:

In America, we share a dream that lies at the heart of our founding:  that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter how modest your beginnings or the circumstances of your birth, you can make it if you try.  Yet, for many and for much of our Nation's history, that dream has gone unfulfilled. For African Americans, it was a dream denied until 150 years ago, when a great emancipator called for the end of slavery. It was a dream deferred less than 50 years ago, when a preacher spoke of justice and brotherhood from Lincoln's memorial.  This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily -- but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible.

Read the Complete 2013 Presidential Proclamation

How much do you Know about Black History?  Test your knowledge here!

Use the tabs above to navigate through the Weaver Library Black History Month Research Guide.

View this short video on the origins of Black History Month from the History Channel.