Black History Month is an annual cultural celebration celebrated from Feb. 1 until March of every year. It is a celebration of achievements of African Americans in the United States, as well as staying educated on the history that has been forgotten or erased. It is a time to embrace and remember to continue to bring awareness to Black history and culture.
According to History.com “Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of Feb. as Black History Month.” The historic holiday is known to be created by Historian Carter G. Woodson.
Woodson, who was known as the “Father of Black History” chose February for two reasons, according to an article by CNN.
The first reason being because of Frederick Douglass. Douglass was a civil rights leader and an abolitionist who bravely escaped slavery. Unsure of his actual birthdate, it was known to be celebrated on Feb. 14.
Why Woodson chose February was also because of President Abraham Lincoln who’s birthday was on Feb. 12. Lincoln was known for pushing for the freedom of all slaves throughout the nation and leading the country during the American Civil War.
In 1976, Black History Month was officially acknowledged by President Gerald Ford. It was then that he brought awareness to the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Within the last year, history has been made with many protests and the fight to bring awareness surrounding the ongoing police brutality. Most of the Untied States took a stand for justice after the death of George Floyd enraged the country to say “enough is enough.”
Since 2013, three words have surrounded our country continually in hope of one day change will be made eternally. The three words that have since made a change and brought much awareness are known as: Black Lives Matter.
The movement Black Lives Matter was created in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Partrisee Cullors and Opal Tometi in response to the death of Trayvonn Martin. One of their goals stated on their website is to be in “a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise.”
Black History Month is often celebrated by supporting Black-owned or Black operated businesses and nonprofit organizations. It is also largely celebrated by events but this year due to the pandemic, many events will be held virtual.
Other ways to celebrate the whole month of February is by staying educated on past and current history events and truly appreciating where genres of music came from like Blues and Hymns.
Moorpark College will hold virtual presentations that will be available all year as long as students register, according to the school website. On Feb. 1 the Black History Month Kick-off Event will be from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. with the topic of “Why Black History Month?” Other webinars to look forward to include Black History Trivia Game: Knowledge Bowl on Feb. 5, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with cash prizes. On Feb. 10 a film discussion will be held from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. with Life Lessons from Remember the Titans.
For more information on the virtual presentations for Black History Month visit moorparkcollege.edu
