Angie Zirbes
Three important faces of black history.
Every February, the nation observes Black History Month. Speeches are made, events are arranged and Google doodles are crafted to honor the stories and experiences of African-Americans in this country. But how exactly did February come to be Black History Month?
In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a black historian, established the second week of February as a “Negro History Week,” since both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays fell during that period. Fifty years later, President Gerald Ford expanded it into a month-long national observance (Time). The country has been celebrating it ever since.
To celebrate Black History Month this year, West Side Story is proud to present a short timeline of major events in African-American history.