Why We Celebrate Black History Month

It’s Black History Month, y’all! Let’s celebrate!

Every February, we honor the achievements, history, and resilience of Black Americans — but Black History Month is so much more than a moment of recognition. It’s a time to correct historical omissions, challenge false narratives, and empower future generations with the truth.

How Black History Month Started

The roots of Black History Month trace back to 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson — often called the “Father of Black History” — established Negro History Week. He chose the second week of February to honor the birthdays of two key abolitionists:

President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12)

Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14)

In 1976, the celebration expanded into Black History Month, thanks to the efforts of Black educators, activists, and the Civil Rights Movement.

“Why Isn’t There a White History Month?” and Other Misconceptions

Critics argue that Black History Month is unnecessary or even “racist” because there’s no equivalent “White History Month.” But please remember:

White history is already the default. For centuries, mainstream education has focused on European and white American contributions while deliberately excluding Black history.

Black History Month exists because of racism. Black Americans’ achievements, struggles, and cultural impact have been erased, distorted, or minimized in traditional curricula.

Erasing Black history fuels the myth of white superiority. Great pains were taken to limit what little, if anything, was learned about black people and the contributions our ancestors made to America. Consequently, people of all races got the message that white people were the only people who did anything significant or important, which helped to feed into the idea of black inferiority, a belief used to justify racism and racist systems and laws. Learning black history helps to dispel that big lie.

In recent years, attacks on Black history have intensified, with books being banned and vital lessons being mislabeled as Critical Race Theory — a legal framework taught in law schools, not K-12 classrooms. The reality? These bans attempt to erase uncomfortable truths and maintain ignorance.

Why Black History Matters Every Day

Some say, “One month isn’t enough.” And they’re absolutely right. Just like we don’t show love only on Valentine’s Day, we don’t learn Black history only in February. Holidays exist to call to mind something important. They serve as a reminder. During this month, we focus on Black History or highlight it, but we learn and celebrate black history every day, or at least we should because black history is American history. Black History is world history.

When I was in school, my world history class skipped the chapter on Africa. When I asked my teacher why, she shrugged and said, “It’s not important.” That message was clear: Black history didn’t matter — not to the curriculum, not to society, and not to those who controlled the narrative.

Sometimes the Black Studies Club or my church would do things during Black History Month that focused on the same nine people every single year. I am sure you can list them: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Ron McNair. These folks are important, very important, but there are many great people we don’t talk about enough:

Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806): A self-taught Black mathematician, surveyor, and almanac author who helped design Washington, D.C.

Garrett Morgan (1877–1963): The Black inventor of the traffic signal and early gas mask prototype.

Dr. Charles Drew (1904–1950): The father of modern blood banks.

Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005): The first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black woman to run for U.S. President.

Fannie Lou Hamer: a no-nonsense civil rights activist who led voting drives and founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

It wasn’t until college that I truly learned in-depth black history and literature. It was life-changing for me. I think on some subconscious level, I bought into the idea of my own inferiority and really did not believe that the American dream was for me and people who looked like me. I felt this sense of limitation and distance. I felt like a visitor, an outsider, in my own country.

Knowledge of black history helped build my confidence and self-esteem. Through the stories of these amazing people, I became aware of my own gifts and possibilities. I also began to realize that black people have been in America since the country’s inception and have contributed to every aspect of its growth and greatness.

I have just as much of a right to be here as anyone else, and the promises of America belong to me, too. Like the black bard Langston Hughes once said, “I, Too, Sing America.” This is my inheritance, paid in full by my ancestors’ blood, sweat, and tears.

Getting the Ancestry app and going back several generations on my family tree helped me realize that my family was a part of everything, especially here in the Low Country. Yes, many of them were slaves and servants, but the slaves and servants made the south wealthy and the country powerful.

I came to understand that my ancestors were not only slaves. They were also soldiers, craftsmen, chefs, preachers, inventors, teachers, politicians, businessmen, and businesswomen, and they accomplished all of that despite racism and racist laws that were designed to keep them as second-class citizens. They survived and thrived because they had grit, intellect, and determination, and they had faith in God and hope that life would always get better.

Despite everything they experienced with slavery and Jim Crow laws, black people always believed in the promises of America. They remained optimistic, and they remained kind and forgiving.

They fought in every war in a humiliating, segregated military. They created some of the inventions that make us all more productive and successful. That’s the blood that flows through my veins. I stand on the backs of some amazing people.

So I say to everyone, Happy Black History Month because black history belongs to everyone, and it can inspire everyone to be their best selves by helping us all see that every person was made in the image and likeness of God. Every person has value, and their dignity should be respected and protected.

Black history proves that something as insignificant as the amount of pigment in one’s skin does not determine someone’s value or worth. Talent, intelligence, and character do not belong to only one race, and no one is superior or inferior to anyone else. It’s a man-made lie. This lie only has power when we buy into it, and unfortunately, too many people are buying into this lie, and the consequences are detrimental to everyone.

Despite all of these efforts to oppress and destroy the pride and spirits of black folks, we have thrived in every field. We’ve proven to be people of intellect, creativity, ingenuity, and spirit, which is why those who are hell-bent on preserving white supremacy don’t want these stories told. They want us to remain ignorant.

What White History Books Don’t Tell You

Even as a Black person, I didn’t realize some basic historical truths until adulthood:

The first humans came from Africa. Scientific research confirms that all human life originated on the African continent. (Yes, even your distant ancestors.) Africa is a huge continent with 54 countries with diverse people of various tribes, religions, and cultures. Every country in Africa is not poor and desolate. Africa is home to many of the world’s most exquisite natural resources, exotic animals, beautiful landscapes, and amazing people with spirit and heart.

Not all Black people were enslaved. There were free Black business owners, inventors, and landowners in early America.

The Civil Rights Movement was infiltrated. The FBI wiretapped Dr. King. Dr. King suffered from depression, and he cheated on his wife. None of that makes him any less heroic to me. It makes him more human, and humans aren’t perfect. They were trying to break up his marriage and family to discredit and weaken him and the movement he led.

Black soldiers fought and died in every U.S. war. Despite serving in segregated units, Black troops fought bravely for a country that refused them full citizenship.

Rosa Parks was not the first person to refuse to move from her seat on the bus. Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old honors student, was the first to be arrested for refusing to give up her seat. Organizers of the movement thought Rosa Parks, because of her age and reputation, would be a more palatable figure to highlight and galvanize the movement.

Dr. King and Malcolm X were not enemies or opponents. They actually worked together in secret to manipulate their opponents. They differed in their methods and rhetoric style, but they both wanted the same thing: freedom and equality for black people.

It was a common practice for white folks to steal the inventions and creations of black folks and get a patent on them or credit for them. This is why we still have many “hidden figures” who have never been credited for their contributions.

Not all white people were racist. Many abolitionists and civil rights activists were white — and they faced intense backlash for supporting Black liberation. They risked their social status, reputation, livelihoods, and even their lives to do the right thing. For some reason, their contributions are rarely discussed or celebrated. There are no streets or buildings named after them. I suspect this is because white people who support black folks are even more hated than black folks. To me, these people are American heroes. It’s brave to do what is right in the face of so much hate, especially when you could easily live in ignorant bliss and pretend like racism and oppression didn’t exist or they were normal and acceptable. Here are white heroes who deserve honor and praise, especially during Black History Month:

William Lloyd Garrison: abolitionist newspaper editor

John Brown: militant abolitionist

Angelina and Sarah Grimké: white Southern women who rejected slavery

Thomas Clarkson: English abolitionist

Anne Braden: journalist and community activist who defied racist real estate laws and helped black families move into all-white neighborhoods

Prudence Crandall: schoolteacher and activist who defied segregation laws and allowed a black girl to attend an all-white school. She also founded a school for black girls and was thought to be the first to integrate schools.

Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman: white activists murdered alongside Black activist James Chaney in 1964.

When I taught African American Literature, it was important to me to include these brave souls in what we read and studied. These stories matter. They prove that race is a social construct — not a biological disposition— and that oppressive systems can only be dismantled by those who benefit from them.

Knowing that positive representation matters, I wanted the white students in the class to know that racism is not a synonym for “whiteness.” Not all white people agreed with this way of life; some exhibited great moral courage to stand up for what is right. I wanted white students to not carry any kind of guilt or shame for the mistakes of their ancestors. Instead, I wanted them to be proud of who they are and see themselves in these heroes. I wanted the black kids to know the whole truth and to know that white people are not somehow innately predisposed to being racist. In fact, white people are a big part of the reason why we are free and have rights today. It was important to me that my students understood this.

How Do You Celebrate Black History Month?

Read a few good books. Heck, start a book club: I highly recommend Black Boy by Richard Wright and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Don’t avoid the stories of oppression and racism but also find some books that don’t just focus on oppression. Yes, that is a huge part of our story, but it isn’t all of our story. We live, love, triumph, and fail like anyone else and have vast and interesting life experiences.

Post about famous black folks on your social media. Try to focus on some of the hidden figures who helped build this country:

3. Watch some movies and documentaries that focus on black history: The 1619 Project, Roots, Sankofa, Selma, Eyes on the Prize, The Great Debaters, Hidden Figures, and The Triple Six 8 are some of my favorites.

Final Thoughts

Education and exposure are the ways to dispel ignorance. So, this Black History Month, make an extra effort to read some great African-American literature and history books, watch a few movies, attend a few programs, learn, grow, stand tall, and be proud. We have come a mighty long way as a society, and that will always be worth celebrating.

Black history isn’t just for Black people. It belongs to everyone — because understanding it makes us all better, wiser, and freer.

Happy Black History Month! 🎉 How do you plan to celebrate? Do share.