Black History Month explained: Origins, celebrations and myths

#inform-video-player-1 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; } #inform-video-player-2 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; } WASHINGTON – Black History Month, a celebration of Black history, culture and education, kicks off Feb. 1. The history of the month dates back almost a century, and the way it is celebrated and evolved has created history in itself. Origins of the month Black History Month wasn’t always a month-long celebration. In February 1926, historian and author Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week. It was a weeklong celebration in an effort to teach people about African American history and the contributions of Black people. This undated photo provided by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) shows historian and author Carter G. Woodson. (ASALH via AP) HONS This effort was made under the umbrella of an organization he founded in September 1915 called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, or ASALH. “I think Black folks understood what they had contributed to America’s historical narrative, but no one was talking about it,” said Kaye Whitehead, the organization’s president. “No one was centralizing it until Dr. Carter G. Woodson was in 1926.” After he...