why is black history important essay

The Study Blog

Term Paper Writing Help

If you aren't sure whether you are good at expressing yourself through writing, then if you find it difficult to do so (e.g., when trying to write an english essay), we can help you overcome those obstacles by assisting you in improving your communication through writing. We help students compose essays or other types of papers for their courses. Now is the time to come visit us!

How to Overcome the Complexity of a Nursing Essay

There aren't many alternatives for professional translations. Before writing a good summary of something, you need to know your subject well enough to be able to write an accurate one. A research paper requires mastery of research language, a deep understanding of their subjects to be able to write about them clearly, and a careful consideration of possible problems before proposing solutions. Students often have trouble understanding medical terminology when they first encounter it, because they have never heard of these words before. When writing a cohesive psychology essay, students must be familiar with some psychological concepts. We have a wealth of experience under our belt, so we know where they need help. Although you may be able to find better deals elsewhere, there is no way to tell if these sites offer superior customer service and top-quality results. Read customer reviews before making any online purchases. If you don't think there's a market for them, it's perhaps best to skip them.

Professional Help from Copywriters

If you would like us to write anything from an essay in history to a term paper for you, we’d be happy to oblige. When writing something, there's a precise formula for choosing the best word. You can rest assured that you'll receive an expertly written paper from those who know exactly what they're doing. No need to write anything down today; there are no reasons why you shouldn't let others edit your document for you. Don't waste your time trying to convince them to do it for you, instead, invest it in something more productive! Order term papers online and go there! Founded in a simple belief that we are capable of delivering top-quality content to you, we offer a range of guarantees. Test it out yourself! The results must be presented after all the research has been completed.

Cheap Business Essay Writing Services

Before being accepted into our company, we underwent extensive background checks. Check their credentials to confirm that they have been writing professionally for some time. If they are members of professional associations, check, for instance.

Fun Tips to Spend Orthodox Easter Away from Home

In "Student Life"

Welcome to the New Bloggers

In "Degree Essentials"

Mastering Warwick as a Postgraduate

In "Looking After You"

Comments are closed.

Copyright, 2023

National Museum of African American History & Culture

• Plan Your Visit
• Group Visits
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Accessibility Options
• Sweet Home Café
• Museum Store
• Museum Maps
• Our Mobile App
• Search the Collection
• Exhibitions
• Initiatives
• Museum Centers
• Publications
• Digital Resource Guide
• The Searchable Museum
• Freedmen's Bureau Search Portal
• Early Childhood
• Talking About Race
• Digital Learning
• Strategic Partnerships
• Ways to Give
• Internships & Fellowships
• Today at the Museum
• Upcoming Events
• Ongoing Tours & Activities
• Past Events
• Host an Event at NMAAHC
• About the Museum
• The Building
• Meet Our Curators
• Founding Donors
• Corporate Leadership Councils
• NMAAHC Annual Reports

Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future: The Continuing Importance of Black History Month

No one has played a greater role in helping all Americans know the black past than Carter G. Woodson, the individual who created Negro History Week in Washington, D.C., in February 1926. Woodson was the second black American to receive a PhD in history from Harvard—following W.E.B. Du Bois by a few years. To Woodson, the black experience was too important simply to be left to a small group of academics. Woodson believed that his role was to use black history and culture as a weapon in the struggle for racial uplift. By 1916, Woodson had moved to DC and established the “Association for the Study of Negro Life and Culture,” an organization whose goal was to make black history accessible to a wider audience. Woodson was a strange and driven man whose only passion was history, and he expected everyone to share his passion.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, late 1940s

This impatience led Woodson to create Negro History Week in 1926, to ensure that school children be exposed to black history. Woodson chose the second week of February in order to celebrate the birthday of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is important to realize that Negro History Week was not born in a vacuum. The 1920s saw the rise in interest in African American culture that was represented by the Harlem Renaissance where writers like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglass Johnson, Claude McKay—wrote about the joys and sorrows of blackness, and musicians like Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Jimmy Lunceford captured the new rhythms of the cities created in part by the thousands of southern blacks who migrated to urban centers like Chicago. And artists like Aaron Douglass, Richmond Barthé, and Lois Jones created images that celebrated blackness and provided more positive images of the African American experience.

Woodson hoped to build upon this creativity and further stimulate interest through Negro History Week. Woodson had two goals. One was to use history to prove to white America that blacks had played important roles in the creation of America and thereby deserve to be treated equally as citizens. In essence, Woodson—by celebrating heroic black figures—be they inventors, entertainers, or soldiers—hoped to prove our worth, and by proving our worth—he believed that equality would soon follow. His other goal was to increase the visibility of black life and history, at a time when few newspapers, books, and universities took notice of the black community, except to dwell upon the negative. Ultimately Woodson believed Negro History Week—which became Black History Month in 1976—would be a vehicle for racial transformation forever.

The question that faces us today is whether or not Black History Month is still relevant? Is it still a vehicle for change? Or has it simply become one more school assignment that has limited meaning for children. Has Black History Month become a time when television and the media stack their black material? Or is it a useful concept whose goals have been achieved? After all, few—except the most ardent rednecks - could deny the presence and importance of African Americans to American society or as my then-14 year old daughter Sarah put it, “I see Colin Powell everyday on TV, all my friends—black and white—are immersed in black culture through music and television. And America has changed dramatically since 1926—Is not it time to retire Black History Month as we have eliminated white and colored signs on drinking fountains?” I will spare you the three hour lesson I gave her.

I would like to suggest that despite the profound change in race relations that has occurred in our lives, Carter G. Woodson’s vision for black history as a means of transformation and change is still quite relevant and quite useful. African American history month, with a bit of tweaking, is still a beacon of change and hope that is still surely needed in this world. The chains of slavery are gone—but we are all not yet free. The great diversity within the black community needs the glue of the African American past to remind us of not just how far we have traveled but lo, how far there is to go.

While there are many reasons and examples that I could point towards, let me raise five concerns or challenges that African Americans — in fact — all Americans — face that black history can help address:

The Challenge of Forgetting

You can tell a great deal about a country and a people by what they deem important enough to remember, to create moments for — what they put in their museum and what they celebrate. In Scandinavia — there are monuments to the Vikings as a symbol of freedom and the spirit of exploration. In Germany during the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazis celebrated their supposed Aryan supremacy through monument and song. While America traditionally revels in either Civil War battles or founding fathers. Yet I would suggest that we learn even more about a country by what it chooses to forget — its mistakes, its disappointments, and its embarrassments. In some ways, African American History month is a clarion call to remember. Yet it is a call that is often unheeded.

Let’s take the example of one of the great unmentionable in American history — slavery. For nearly 250 years slavery not only existed but it was one of the dominant forces in American life. Political clout and economic fortune depended on the labor of slaves. And the presence of this peculiar institution generated an array of books, publications, and stories that demonstrate how deeply it touched America. And while we can discuss basic information such as the fact that in 1860 — 4 million blacks were enslaved, and that a prime field hand cost $1,000, while a female, with her childbearing capability, brought $1,500, we find few moments to discuss the impact, legacy, and contemporary meaning of slavery.

In 1988, the Smithsonian Institution, about to open an exhibition that included slavery, decided to survey 10,000 Americans. The results were fascinating — 92% of white respondents felt slavery had little meaning to them — these respondents often said “my family did not arrive until after the end of slavery.” Even more disturbing was the fact that 79% of African Americans expressed no interest or some embarrassment about slavery. It is my hope that with greater focus and collaboration Black History Month can stimulate discussion about a subject that both divides and embarrasses.

As a historian, I have always felt that slavery is an African American success story because we found ways to survive, to preserve our culture and our families. Slavery is also ripe with heroes, such as slaves who ran away or rebelled, like Harriet Tubman or Denmark Vessey, but equally important are the forgotten slave fathers and mothers who raised families and kept a people alive. I am not embarrassed by my slave ancestors; I am in awe of their strength and their humanity. I would love to see the African American community rethink its connection to our slave past. I also think of something told to me by a Mr. Johnson, who was a former sharecropper I interviewed in Georgetown, SC:

Though the slaves were bought, they were also brave. Though they were sold, they were also strong.

The Challenge of Preserving a People’s Culture

While the African American community is no longer invisible, I am unsure that as a community we are taking the appropriate steps to ensure the preservation of African American cultural patrimony in appropriate institutions. Whether we like it or not, museums, archives, and libraries not only preserves culture they legitimize it. Therefore, it is incumbent of African Americans to work with cultural institutions to preserve their family photography, documents, and objects. While African Americans have few traditions of giving material to museums, it is crucial that more of the black past make it into American cultural repositories.

A good example is the Smithsonian, when the National Museum of American History wanted to mount an exhibition on slavery, it found it did not have any objects that described slavery. That is partially a response to a lack of giving by the African American Community. This lack of involvement also affects the preservation of black historic sites. Though there has been more attention paid to these sites, too much of our history has been paved over, gone through urban renewal, gentrified, or unidentified, or un-acknowledged. Hopefully a renewed Black History Month can focus attention on the importance of preserving African American culture.

There is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. And there is no higher cause than honoring our struggle and ancestors by remembering.

The Challenge of Maintaining a Community

As the African American Community diversifies and splinters, it is crucial to find mechanisms and opportunities to maintain our sense of community. As some families lose the connection with their southern roots, it is imperative that we understand our common heritage and history. The communal nature of black life has provided substance, guidance, and comfort for generations. And though our communities are quite diverse, it is our common heritage that continues to hold us together.

The Power of Inspiration

One thing has not changed. That is the need to draw inspiration and guidance from the past. And through that inspiration, people will find tools and paths that will help them live their lives. Who could not help but be inspired by Martin Luther King’s oratory, commitment to racial justice, and his ultimate sacrifice. Or by the arguments of William and Ellen Craft or Henry “Box” Brown who used great guile to escape from slavery. Who could not draw substance from the creativity of Madame CJ Walker or the audacity and courage of prize fighter Jack Johnson. Or who could not continue to struggle after listening to the mother of Emmitt Till share her story of sadness and perseverance. I know that when life is tough, I take solace in the poetry of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, or Gwendolyn Brooks. And I find comfort in the rhythms of Louie Armstrong, Sam Cooke or Dinah Washington. And I draw inspiration from the anonymous slave who persevered so that the culture could continue.

Let me conclude by re-emphasizing that Black History Month continues to serve us well. In part because Woodson’s creation is as much about today as it is about the past. Experiencing Black History Month every year reminds us that history is not dead or distant from our lives.

Rather, I see the African American past in the way my daughter’s laugh reminds me of my grandmother. I experience the African American past when I think of my grandfather choosing to leave the South rather than continue to experience share cropping and segregation. Or when I remember sitting in the back yard listening to old men tell stories. Ultimately, African American History — and its celebration throughout February — is just as vibrant today as it was when Woodson created it 85 years ago. Because it helps us to remember there is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. And there is no higher cause than honoring our struggle and ancestors by remembering.

Lonnie Bunch Founding Director

Subtitle here for the credits modal.

Stanford scholars reflect on Black history in their lives and work

Humanities and social sciences scholars reflect on “Black history as American history” and its impact on their personal and professional lives.

As Black History Month comes to a close, Stanford faculty reflect on the crucial contributions of Black Americans that should be studied and celebrated not only during February but also throughout the year. Whether examining the impact of writers like Toni Morrison, Civil War-era abolitionists or present-day political activists in Georgia, scholars from the humanities and social sciences emphasize that the history of Black Americans is essential to understanding our nation and our world.

Below, scholars from the School of Humanities and Sciences talk about how an understanding of Black history has shaped them personally and is integral to their research and work.

Hakeem Jefferson (Image credit: Harrison Truong)

Hakeem Jefferson Assistant Professor, Political Science

This year’s Black History Month comes on the heels of a white supremacist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. With this tragic event in mind, I am reminded that Black people have long served as the conscience of nations around the world in moments of crisis. I am reminded of brave abolitionists and freedom fighters and artists and everyday people who, with everything to lose, including life itself, have stood as vanguards and safekeepers of our democracy. And as a political scientist whose work tries to highlight the diversity and complexity of Black politics, I am reminded of Black activists and organizers in places like Georgia and Texas and Arizona who are working right now to make real the promise of democracy not just for Black people but also for all of us.

As a community of scholars, we have an opportunity to join these efforts, and this Black History Month offers us another opportunity to recommit ourselves to the cause of democracy – a cause Black people in this country have been advancing for generations and continue to advance today. The real question is whether we have the courage to stand with them.

Tomás Jiménez (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

Tomás Jiménez Associate Professor, Sociology

Black history is American history. At each step in our nation’s development, Black Americans have led the call and shown by example how to live out the promise in our founding documents. Living up to that promise is an ongoing project. Taking up the challenge of that project requires reckoning with the ways that institutions and individuals have subjugated Black Americans through direct action, inaction or both. It also requires honoring the contributions of Black Americans to every aspect of American life, from politics and science, to art and spirituality.

It is well worth honoring the widely known individuals who have made those contributions. But we should also lift up individuals for whom there will never be a monument or plaque, but who have worked in every facet of American life to make our country a better place. They too made and continue to make Black history; to make American history.

Paula M. L. Moya (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

Paula M. L. Moya Danily C. and Laura Louise Bell Professor in the Humanities Professor, English

I study literature written by people of African descent not just for its wisdom, profundity, sadness and humor, but also because not to do so would leave me ignorant of a crucial history that has contributed fundamentally to making our nation what it is.

Toni Morrison is, for me and so many others, a beacon of wisdom and truth. Her writings, along with those of Frantz Fanon, Audre Lorde, Toni Cade Bambara and James Baldwin (among others), have taught me important lessons about how I, as a human being and also as a woman of color, can live with generosity in this challenging but beautiful world. I treasure their words, I carry them around in my heart and I use them to guide me as I make difficult decisions about who to care for and how to love even those who might not seek to love me back.

Patrick Phillips (Image credit: Marion Ettlinger)

Patrick Phillips Professor, English Interim Director, Creative Writing Program

I see the history of Black Americans as another name for  real American history – for our full history as a nation. And I think more people are finally rejecting a whitewashed version of the past, designed to protect white people from ever facing the monumental crimes of our ancestors, and from ever acknowledging the central role of African Americans in building American prosperity.

I learned this firsthand when I was doing research for a book about my hometown’s long-hidden history of lynching, white-supremacist terror and land theft. It also chronicles the lives of heroic Black residents who, amid crushing injustice, built new lives in post-Emancipation Georgia.

As a white southerner, I see the study of Black history as an urgent corrective to white America’s long tradition of willful ignorance and complicit silence. For as James Baldwin said, “it is not permissible that the authors of devastation should also be innocent. It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.”

Steven O. Roberts (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

Steven O. Roberts Assistant Professor, Psychology

“History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history.” —James Baldwin

We, as individuals and as a collective, cannot understand ourselves if we do not understand Black history. And the term itself is important to contextualize. Black history is U.S. history. It is human history. To understand Black history is to know the strength and resilience necessary to affirm one’s humanity, as affirmed by Malcolm and Queen Nzinga and many others. To understand Black history is to feel the heart and depth necessary to sing in soul, as sang by Aretha and Cooke and many others. To understand Black history is to understand what has been and what should be.

There ain’t no history like Black history, and I’m so honored to carry that history with me.

Black History Month: What is it and why is it important?

Black History Month is an opportunity to understand Black histories. Image:  Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Alem Tedeneke

.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} Systemic Racism is affecting economies, industries and global issues

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}} Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:, systemic racism.

This article was originally published in February 2021 and has been updated .

• A continued engagement with history is vital as it helps give context for the present.
• Black History Month is an opportunity to understand Black histories, going beyond stories of racism and slavery to spotlight Black achievement.
• This year's theme is African Americans and the Arts.

February is Black History Month. This month-long observance in the US and Canada is a chance to celebrate Black achievement and provide a fresh reminder to take stock of where systemic racism persists and give visibility to the people and organizations creating change. Here's what to know about Black History Month and how to celebrate it this year:

Have you read?

Black history month: key events in a decade of black lives matter, here are 4 ways businesses can celebrate black history month, how did black history month begin.

Black History Month's first iteration was Negro History Week, created in February 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, known as the "father of Black history." This historian helped establish the field of African American studies and his organization, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History , aimed to encourage " people of all ethnic and social backgrounds to discuss the Black experience ".

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” ― Carter G. Woodson

His organization was later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and is currently the oldest historical society established for the promotion of African American history.

Why is Black History Month in February?

February was chosen by Woodson for the week-long observance as it coincides with the birthdates of both former US President Abraham Lincoln and social reformer Frederick Douglass. Both men played a significant role in helping to end slavery. Woodson also understood that members of the Black community already celebrated the births of Douglass and Lincoln and sought to build on existing traditions. "He was asking the public to extend their study of Black history, not to create a new tradition", as the ASALH explained on its website.

How did Black History Month become a national month of celebration?

By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil-rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, Negro History Week was celebrated by mayors in cities across the country. Eventually, the event evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History month. In his speech, President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.

Since his administration, every American president has recognized Black History Month and its mission. But it wasn't until Congress passed "National Black History Month" into law in 1986 that many in the country began to observe it formally. The law aimed to make all Americans "aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity".

Why is Black History Month celebrated?

Initially, Black History Month was a way of teaching students and young people about Black and African-Americans' contributions. Such stories had been largely forgotten and were a neglected part of the national narrative.

Now, it's seen as a celebration of those who've impacted not just the country but the world with their activism and achievements. In the US, the month-long spotlight during February is an opportunity for people to engage with Black histories, go beyond discussions of racism and slavery, and highlight Black leaders and accomplishments.

What is this year's Black History Month theme?

Every year, a theme is chosen by the ASALH, the group originally founded by Woodson. This year's theme, African Americans and the Arts .

"In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount," the website says.

Is Black History Month celebrated anywhere else?

In Canada, they celebrate it in February. In countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Ireland, they celebrate it in October. In Canada, African-Canadian parliament member Jean Augustine motioned for Black History Month in 1995 to bring awareness to Black Canadians' work.

When the UK started celebrating Black History Month in 1987, it focused on Black American history. Over time there has been more attention on Black British history. Now it is dedicated to honouring African people's contributions to the country. Its UK mission statement is: "Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger".

Why is Black History Month important?

For many modern Black millennials, the month-long celebration for Black History Month offers an opportunity to reimagine what possibilities lie ahead. But for many, the forces that drove Woodson nearly a century ago are more relevant than ever. As Lonnie G. Bunch III, Director of the Smithsonian Institution said at the opening of the Washington D.C.'s National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016: “There is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. And there is no higher cause than honouring our struggle and ancestors by remembering".

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;} Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

.chakra .wef-1dtnjt5{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;} More on Economic Growth .chakra .wef-17xejub{-webkit-flex:1;-ms-flex:1;flex:1;justify-self:stretch;-webkit-align-self:stretch;-ms-flex-item-align:stretch;align-self:stretch;} .chakra .wef-nr1rr4{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;white-space:normal;vertical-align:middle;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:0.75rem;border-radius:0.25rem;font-weight:700;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;line-height:1.2;-webkit-letter-spacing:1.25px;-moz-letter-spacing:1.25px;-ms-letter-spacing:1.25px;letter-spacing:1.25px;background:none;padding:0px;color:#B3B3B3;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;}@media screen and (min-width:37.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:0.875rem;}}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:1rem;}} See all

How can we bridge the gap between economic fact and economic sentiment? A new report sheds light

Pedro Conceição

April 22, 2024

IMF says global economy 'remains remarkably resilient', and other economics news

April 19, 2024

The latest from the IMF on the global economy, and other economics stories to read

April 12, 2024

Eurozone inflation, Asian factory activity and other economics news to read

April 5, 2024

What is 'phygital' infrastructure and how can it impact growth in developing economies?

Chirag Chopra and Piyush Gupta

April 2, 2024

Top weekend reads on Agenda: Paris Olympics, Japan's negative interest rates, and more

Pooja Chhabria

March 28, 2024

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Black History Month 2022

February is Black History Month in the U.S., and this year's theme is Black Health and Wellness. NPR has compiled a list of stories, music performances, podcasts and other content that chronicles the Black American experience.

Why does Black History Month matter?

Sandhya Dirks

Post racist attack in 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. American National Red Cross Photograph Collection. GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

Post racist attack in 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. American National Red Cross Photograph Collection.

About 10 years ago, Shukree Hassan Tilghman tried to cancel Black History Month.

Outfitted in a sandwich board with the words "End Black History Month" written across the front, he walked the streets of New York City looking for people to sign his petition to do away with it.

To figure out what Tilghman was up to, it helps to know the other side of his placard read "Black history is American history." It also helps to know he was filming all this for a documentary he made, " More Than A Month ." That movie explored an ongoing question about Black History Month; rather than lifting up African American accomplishment, does it instead maintain a segregated history of America?

Here's the story behind Black History Month — and why it's celebrated in February

"Some people think it was a stunt," says Tilghman. In some ways it was one, but he was also being genuine.

Tilghman says the "core impulse" for his petition to end Black History Month was rooted in his childhood. Both of his parents were school teachers, and those posters of famous Black people that go up on classroom walls and in school hallways every February were in his house year round. When he was little, Black History Month was exciting, but as he kept hearing the same stories of a few sanitized heroes repeated just one month a year, it began to feel insulting. "We were invisible for 11 months out of the year, but now suddenly we were visible in February," he says.

"What did it mean that we had a Black History Month," he started to wonder.

"And what would it mean if we didn't?"

Why did Carter G. Woodson come up with it?

Talk to any group of historians about the meaning of Black History Month and they will all mention the same name: Carter G. Woodson.

"We call him the father of Black history," says Daina Ramey Berry, chair of the history department at The University of Texas, Austin.

In 1926, Woodson founded Negro History Week — which would grow into what we now know as Black History Month .

"The idea was to make resources available for teachers — Black teachers — to celebrate and talk about the contributions that Black people had made to America," says Karsonya Wise Whitehead, the founding executive director for the Karson Institute for Race, Peace, and Social Justice at Loyola University. Whitehead is also a former secretary of ASALH — the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which Woodson founded in 1915.

Woodson picked the week in February marked by the birth of Abraham Lincoln and the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass, because those days were celebrated in his community. In this way, Woodson built on a Black tradition that was already commemorating the past.

"He also understood that for Black students, to see themselves beyond their current situation, they had to be able to learn about the contributions that their ancestors had made to this country," Whitehead says.

A picture of U.S. democracy in action: Black people at work, rest and play

The historical context of the moment is also key, according to Berry. "African Americans were, 50 or so years outside of slavery and trying to figure out their space in the United States," she says.

That space was being violently demarcated by white supremacy. "We were experiencing segregation, lynchings, mass murders and massacres," says Berry. A few years before was 1919's so-called Red Summer , when white mobs attacked Black neighborhoods and cities. Then in 1921 came the Tulsa race massacre .

Alongside white supremacist violence was an attempt to whitewash U.S. history, excluding both the contributions and the realities of Black people. This was the period when statues of confederate soldiers were erected and the lost cause myth — the lie that the Civil War was about preserving a genteel way of life and that slaves were well treated — was becoming a dominant narrative. "Not just in the South," says Hasan Kwame Jeffries, a professor of history at The Ohio State University.

"A complete revision and distortion of the Civil War, of slavery, of emancipation, of reconstruction was being deeply embedded into the American public education system," he adds.

"Let's talk about Black people"

By the time he was growing up in New York City public schools in the 1980s, Jeffries says Black History Month felt very much like, "let's talk about Black people for a couple of days."

"It was the usual cast of characters," he says. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, a couple of Black inventors — "and then we'd move on."

Says Whitehead, "In school, all of a sudden everything became about Black people, right?"

"So you're putting your Mac and cheese and collard greens into the cafeteria. You're lining the halls with all this Black art that would then get taken down when February ended," she says.

The Picture Show

Reflecting on the power of affirmations for black history month.

Black History Month may sometimes feel tokenizing, but it is still necessary, says Whitehead. "You can go to places," she says rattling off state names, "where if you didn't have Black History Month, there would be no conversations at all."

What we need is an inclusive — and accurate — American history, according to Berry. But American history remains a segregated space. "When you go into American history courses, many of those courses are taught from the perspective of just white Americans and students," Berry says.

The paradox of Black History Month today, Whitehead says, is that we still need it, even if it is not enough. "We want Black history to be American history," she says. "But we understand that without Black History Month, then they will not teach it within the American history curriculum."

Which brings us back to Tilghman, and an answer to his question: What would it mean if we didn't have Black History Month?

"If, but for Black History Month, those stories wouldn't be told," Tilghman says, "then we have a larger problem that is not Black History Month. And that's not actually a reason to keep Black History Month."

"That's a reason to fight for something better than Black History Month."

Parallels to Woodson's Time

There have been efforts in some states , and in some curriculums to integrate American history across the year, making slow steps forward. But Hasan Jeffries says the moment we are in right now acutely parallels the time period in which Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week and January 6th. Once again, at the center of all of this, is a battle over who gets to control history.

"We see that same pushback now with this divisive subjects and divisive issues stuff," Jeffries says, referring to " divisive topics" laws in Republican-led states that ban acknowledging that America was founded on racist principles.

"If we can just trot out Rosa Parks sitting on a bus and then put her back on the bus and not talk about it, that's fine," says Jeffries. "But we don't want to talk about the society as a whole that supported and embraced Jim Crow. And the way in which inequality is literally written into the U.S. constitution."

Artwork from the Black Lives Matter memorial has a new home: the Library of Congress

Integrating Black history into American history isn't some simple act of inclusion, Jeffries says. You can't just insert Black people who invented things, or made notable contributions, into a timeline, he says.

"You start having to question what you assume to be basic truths about the American experience, the myth of perpetual progress and American exceptionalism — all that crumbles," Jeffries says.

But change is coming, he notes.

The undergraduates Jeffries teaches don't necessarily begin with a full grasp of U.S. history, but many are now showing up in his class precisely because they feel they haven't been told the whole story.

"They've been seeing all this happen over the last four or five years — the rise of racism, white supremacy and hate," he says of some of his white students. "And they're coming to college saying, okay, something ain't right."

Feeding the appetite for robust history

That hunger for Black history, for robust American history, is something high school teacher Ernest Crim III has tapped into on social media. His TikTok videos about Black figures in history have gone viral, racking up tens of thousands of views. One of those videos was about Carter G. Woodson , and the origins of Black History Month.

Crim is a Black teacher teaching Black, Latino and white students in a Chicago suburb, which means in a lot of key ways he is similar to the teachers Woodson created Negro history week to serve. "Woodson created Negro History Week with a particular purpose," Crim says. "So that we could come together and discuss what we've been doing all year round, not to celebrate it for one week, which eventually became a month."

Which is why in Crim's history classroom, February isn't the only time they talk about people of color. "In every unit of study I look for examples of what Black people and Latino people were doing at that time," he says.

"We'll get to the civil rights unit in my class, probably in March," he says. "They going to think it's February, with how much we're talking about Black people."

For Crim, in the teaching of history, separate is not equal.

Abraham Galloway is the Black figure from the Civil War you should know about

Illinois, where he teaches, does not have a divisive topics law, but even without an outright ban, he says a lot of his students aren't learning about systemic racism in American history. "Even though every state isn't banning it, there's no need to because most history teachers don't really do it at all," Crim says. You don't need to ban something that is not really taught in the first place.

Teaching history, teaching integrated honest history, can be transformative, Crim says. "It's about changing your thoughts and that can change your entire generation. That can change your family. That could change, just the trajectory of your entire life," he says.

"The story that we as Americans tell about who we were, that story tells us who we are," says Shukree Tilghman.

Tilghman's campaign to end Black History Month left him with a renewed respect for the rich history of the month itself. In the past few years it may seem like history has resurfaced as a battleground of American identity, but it's always been that way. "History is about power," Tilghman says, "and who has the power to tell the story."

Black History Month, at its best, has the ability to crack open the door to a kind of narrative reparations, says Hasan Jeffries. "I mean, that's part of the power of Black History Month. It holds America accountable for the narrative that it tells about the past."

Correction Feb. 27, 2022

A previous version of this story misspelled Daina Ramey Berry's name as Diana Ramey Berry.

• Black History Month

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

Black History Month

By: History.com Editors

Updated: January 29, 2024 | Original: January 14, 2010

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, 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.

Origins of Black History Month

The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

That September, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent.

Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass . The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.

In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing "Negro History Week." By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, "Negro History Week" had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses.

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Today, Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society—from activists and civil rights pioneers such as Harriet Tubman , Sojourner Truth ,  Marcus Garvey ,  Martin Luther King Jr. ,  Malcolm X and Rosa Parks to leaders in industry, politics, science, culture and more. 

Did you know? The NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

Black History Month 2024 Theme

Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme.

The Black History Month 2024 theme, “ African Americans and the Arts ,” explores the key influence African Americans have had in the fields of "visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression."

Photo Galleries

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Resource List

Celebrating Black History With The New York Times

Recent and archival articles, essays, photographs, videos, infographics, writing prompts, lesson plans and more.

By The Learning Network

Below, a collection of Times articles, essays, photographs, videos, infographics and more that can help bring the wealth of Black history and culture into your classroom.

We begin with links to historic Times front pages, from the Dred Scott decision of 1857 through the civil rights movement and on to the election of Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to be elected vice president of the United States, and the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Below that, you’ll find a selection of more recent pieces from across Times sections on Black history and contemporary culture, including a section featuring the “Black History, Continued” series and “The 1619 Project.” Finally, we list some of our own recent related Learning Network lesson plans and writing prompts in the hopes that they inspire further reading, writing and discussion.

Our list is long, yes, but we also know it’s not nearly complete. Are there important pieces about Black history that you teach with? Please let us know in the comments.

Here’s what you'll find below:

Historic headlines, special new york times projects, selected recent reporting and multimedia, learning network lessons, writing prompts and films.

Archival articles that document key moments in Black history, and give us a glimpse into the time period in which they unfolded.

Historic Front Pages

Selected front pages and articles from The Learning Network’s “ On This Day ” feature which ran from 1999 to 2014. Please note that historic front pages published after that include a link to the front page and the original digital article.

1857 | Decision of the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott Case

1863 | President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

1947 | Dodgers Purchase Robinson, First Negro in Modern Major League Baseball

1954 | High Court Bans School Segregation; 9-to-0 Decision Grants Time to Comply

1956 | High Court Rules Bus Segregation Unconstitutional

1957 | Arkansas Troops Bar Negro Pupils; Governor Defiant

1957 | President Sends Troops to Little Rock, Federalizes Arkansas National Guard; Tells Nation He Acted to Avoid An Anarchy

1957 | Miss Gibson Wimbledon Victor

1960 | Negro Sitdowns Stir Fear Of Wider Unrest in South

1961 | 400 U.S. Marshals Sent to Alabama as Montgomery Bus Riots Hurt 20; President Bids State Keep Order

1963 | Birmingham Bomb Kills 4 Negro Girls In Church; Riots Flare; 2 Boys Slain

1963 | Mississippi Gives Meredith Degree

1963 | 200,000 March for Civil Rights in Orderly Washington Rally

1964 | 3 In Rights Drive Reported Missing

1964 | Civil Rights Bill Passed, 73-27; Johnson Urges All To Comply; Dirksen Berates Goldwater

1964 | Martin Luther King Wins The Nobel Prize for Peace

1965 | New Negro Riots Erupt on Coast; 3 Reported Shot

1965 | The Big Parade: On the Way to Montgomery

1965 | 25,000 Go to Alabama’s Capitol

1965 | Malcolm X Shot to Death at Rally Here

1967 | President Sees Marshall Take Supreme Court Seat

1968 | Martin Luther King is Slain in Memphis

1968 | 2 Black Power Advocates Ousted From Olympics

1971 | Supreme Court, 9-0, Backs Busing to Combat South’s Dual Schools, Rejecting Administration Stand

1975 | Ashe Triumphs at Wimbledon

1991 | Police Brutality Under Wide Review by Justice Dept.

1992 | Los Angeles Policemen Acquitted In Taped Beating

2008 | Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls

2013 | Prayer, Anger and Protests Greet Verdict in Florida Case ( Article )

2014 | Protests in Ferguson, Mo. ( Article )

2015 | Races Unite for Nine Killed by Gunman at Black Church ( Article )

2020 | Two Crises Convulse a Nation: A Pandemic and Police Violence ( Article )

2020 | Kamala Harris Makes History as First Woman and Woman of Color as Vice President ( Article )

2022 | Jackson Confirmed as First Black Woman to Sit on Supreme Court ( Article )

From Our Historic Headlines Collection

Selected articles from The Learning Network’s 2011 “ Historic Headlines ” collection that connects famous historical events to recent news.

Jan. 13, 1990 | L. Douglas Wilder Becomes First Elected Black Governor in U.S.

Feb. 1, 1960 | Black Students and the Greensboro Sit-In

Feb. 21, 1965 | Malcolm X Is Assassinated by Black Muslims

Feb. 29, 1968 | Kerner Commission Reports on U.S. Racial Inequality

March 6, 1857 | Supreme Court Issues Dred Scott Decision

March 7, 1965 | Civil Rights Marchers Attacked in Selma

March 15, 1965 | President Johnson Calls for Passage of Voting Rights Act

April 4, 1968 | The Assassination of Martin Luther King

April 20, 1971 | Supreme Court Rules That Busing Can Be Used to Integrate Schools

May 17, 1954 | Supreme Court Declares School Segregation Unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education

May 1, 1992 | Rodney King Asks, ‘Can We All Get Along?’

June 21, 1964 | Three Civil Rights Workers Missing

July 5, 1975 | Arthur Ashe Becomes First Black Man to Win Wimbledon

July 6, 1957 | Althea Gibson Becomes First Black Player to Win Wimbledon

Aug. 11, 1965 | Riots in the Watts Section of Los Angeles

Aug. 18, 1963 | James Meredith Graduates From Mississippi

Sept. 15, 1963 | Birmingham Church Is Bombed by Klansmen

Oct. 14, 1964 | Martin Luther King Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Oct. 18, 1968 | American Olympic Medal Winners Suspended for Black Power Salutes

Nov. 4, 2008 | Obama Is Elected President

Throwback Thursday | The Rodney King Verdict and the L.A. Riots

Throwback Thursday | Rosa Parks Refuses to Move to the Back of the Bus

These projects explore Black history in depth and from a variety of angles — connecting history to the present.

Progress, Revisited

Selected pieces from a new series from Headway that explores how measures of Black achievement in the U.S. have stalled or reversed, and looks back at historical gains for their lessons today.

The Elusive Quest for Black Progress

How the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike Changed the Labor Movement

How Greenwood Grew a Thriving Black Economy

Three Days That Changed the Thinking About Black Women’s Health

Sentenced to Life as Boys, They Made Their Case for Release

Black History, Continued

Selected pieces from Black History, Continued and our related curriculum. The 2021 series explores pivotal moments and transformative figures in Black culture and examines how the past shapes the present and the future.

Our Curriculum

Learning With the ‘Black History, Continued’ Series

On-Demand Webinar: Teaching With ‘Black History, Continued’

Writing Prompt: How Much Have You Learned About Black History?

Lesson of the Day: ‘When Blackness Is a Superpower’

Lesson of the Day: ‘The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn’t Have’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Bringing Black History to Life in the Great Outdoors’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Black Surfers Reclaim Their Place on the Waves’

Lesson of the Day: ‘What Is Black Love Today?’

Teaching About the Tulsa Race Massacre With The New York Times

Additional Pieces

A Record Number of Black Women Run Some of the Biggest U.S. Cities

How Black Foragers Find Freedom in the Natural World

Why Students Are Choosing H.B.C.U.s: ‘4 Years Being Seen as Family’

The Joy of Black Hair

The Black Nerds Redefining the Culture

How Can Blackness Construct America?

Do We Ask Too Much of Black Heroes?

The Essential Toni Morrison

The 1619 Project

Selected pieces from The 1619 Project , an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

Essays From The New York Times Magazine

Why We Published the 1619 Project , by Jake Silverstein

The Idea of America , by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Capitalism , by Matthew Desmond

A Broken Health Care System , by Jeneen Interlandi

Traffic , by Kevin M. Kruse

Undemocratic Democracy , by Jamelle Bouie

Medical Inequality , by Linda Villarosa

American Popular Music , by Wesley Morris

Sugar , by Khalil Gibran Muhammad

Mass Incarceration , by Bryan Stevenson

The Wealth Gap , by Trymaine Lee

Hope, a Photo Essay , by Djeneba Aduayom

400 Years: A Literary Timeline

Why Can’t We Teach This? by Nikita Stewart

A Brief History of Slavery , by Mary Elliott and Jazmine Hughes

The 1619 Podcast

Related Pieces

How the 1619 Project Came Together

Is Slavery’s Legacy in the Power Dynamics of Sports?

Stories From Slavery, Shared Over Generations

We Respond to the Historians Who Critiqued The 1619 Project

The 1619 Project Curriculum (Pulitzer Center)

“The 1619 Project” docuseries on Hulu

Recent articles, essays, photos, obituaries, photos and graphics on Black history and contemporary culture.

Articles on Culture, Sports, Science and the Arts

How Hip-Hop Changed the English Language Forever

How Hip-Hop Conquered the World

A Silvery, Shimmering Summer of Beyoncé

The Great Experiment That Is ‘The Color Purple’

Norman Lear Reshaped How America Saw Black Families

The First 10 Words of the African American English Dictionary Are In

The Blind Side of Sports Storytelling

A Negro Leagues Star Is Still Sharing His Story

Michael Jordan Was an Activist After All

How ‘Weathering’ Contributes to Racial Health Disparities

The Toll of Police Violence on Black People’s Mental Health

Black Artists Say A.I. Shows Bias, With Algorithms Erasing Their History

How Unconscious Bias in Health Care Puts Pregnant Black Women at Higher Risk

Two Chefs on Keeping Alive, and Redefining, Soul Food

Black Spirituals as Poetry and Resistance

The African-American Art Shaping the 21st Century

Why We’re Capitalizing Black

Seven Black Inventors Whose Patents Helped Shape American Life

The Most Important Decade for Movies About Black Lives

Why Won’t Blackface Go Away? It’s Part of America’s Troubled Cultural Legacy

28 Days, 28 Films for Black History Month

Love and Black Lives, in Pictures Found on a Brooklyn Street

The National Museum Of African-American History And Culture: I, Too, Sing America

Edna Lewis and the Black Roots of American Cooking

Articles on History, Politics, Education and Business

Inside the College Board’s Revised African American Studies Curriculum

One Black Family, One Affirmative Action Ruling, and Lots of Thoughts

Florida Scoured Math Textbooks for ‘Prohibited Topics.’ Next Up: Social Studies.

Hate Crimes Reported in Schools Nearly Doubled Between 2018 and 2022

8 Places Across the U.S. That Illuminate Black History

‘I Have a Dream,’ Yesterday and Today

The Home of Carter G. Woodson, the Man Behind Black History Month

America’s Black Cemeteries and Three Women Trying to Save Them

A New Front in Reparations: Seeking the Return of Lost Family Land

How the Voting Rights Act, Newly Challenged, Has Long Been Under Attack

‘The Justins’ Follow a Legacy of Resistance in Tennessee

Juneteenth: The History of a Holiday

Teachers Tackle Black History Month, Under New Restrictions

Revitalizing Black Neighborhoods by Preserving Their History

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Ghosts of Segregation

Welcome to Homecoming!

Meet the Brave but Overlooked Women of Color Who Fought for the Vote

What Is Owed

Lock-Ins and Walkouts: The Students Changing City Schools From the Inside

Emmett Till’s Murder, and How America Remembers Its Darkest Moments

1.5 Million Missing Black Men

Found: Rosa Parks’s Arrest Warrant, and More Traces of Civil Rights History

President Obama’s Farewell Address: Full Video and Text

New Databases Offer Insights Into the Lives of Escaped Slaves

Opinion Essays

Yes, Kwanzaa Is Made Up. That’s Why It’s Great

Who’s Afraid of Black History?

How Does Diversity Actually Work at College? We Asked 10 Young Black Americans.

How the Underground Railroad Got Its Name

The Forgotten Radicalism of the March on Washington

Martin Luther King Jr. Wasn’t a Lone Messiah

Why We Have to Reckon With the Real Malcolm X

Genuine Progress Is the Ability to Be Black and Stumble

Tyre Nichols’s Death Is America’s Shame

My Hair Was Always a Source of Tension Between My Mother and Me. Then We Met Charlotte.

Rodeo Is Turning America’s Whitest Big City Black

What Canceling Student Debt Would Do for the Racial Wealth Gap

The True Meaning of Juneteenth

Black History Month Is About Seeing America Clearly

When Everyone Around You Is Talking About the End, Talk About Black History

Black Valedictorians and the Toxic Trope of Black Exceptionalism

The Real Rosa Parks Story Is Better Than the Fairy Tale

We Need a Second Great Migration

Racism’s Hidden Toll

A ‘Glorious Poetic Rage’

This Black History Month’s Lesson: Joy

It Was Never About Busing

Brent Staples’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning Work at The Times

I’m Not Here to Answer Your Black History Month Questions

The ‘Lost Cause’ That Built Jim Crow

Ta-Nehisi Coates: The Cancellation of Colin Kaepernick

The Cultural Canon Is Better Than Ever

Who First Showed Us That Black Lives Matter?

How Black America Saw Obama

The Authentic Power of Michelle Obama

Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Restoring Black History

How to Stay Sane While Black

Remember Langston Hughes’s Anger Alongside His Joy

Selected Obituaries

Remarkable Black Men and Women We Overlooked

For Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Black Leaders as Obituaries Portrayed Them

Recent Notable Deaths

Harry Belafonte

Tina Turner

Chadwick Boseman

C.T. Vivian

Kobe Bryant

Toni Morrison

Scenes From Juneteenth: America’s Newest Holiday, 156 Years in the Making

Heirlooms, Redefined

How Black Lives Matter Reached Every Corner of America

From The Times’s Photo Vault, the Many Dimensions of Jackie Robinson

50 Years After Their Mug Shots, Portraits of Mississippi’s Freedom Riders

Loving, 50 Years Later

African-American History Seen Through an African-American Lens

A Look at the Heart-Wrenching Moments From Equal Rights Battles

Using Photography to Tell Stories About Race

The World According to Black Women Photographers

An Elegant, Lyrical Look at Black Lives by Black Photographers

The Lasting Power of Emmett Till’s Image

From Slavery to Freedom: Revealing the Underground Railroad

Understanding Race and History Through Photography

A Last Look at Ebony’s Archives, Before They’re Sold

Unpublished Black History

Unpublished: Sports and Black History

Times Photographs of the Civil Rights Era

Our site has been publishing lesson plans and student resources since 1998. Those chosen for this collection are from 2014 or later. See our Race, Racism and Racial Justice Resources spotlight for more.

Some Recent Lesson Plans

Lessons based on Times articles that explore Black history and culture

Lesson Plan: ‘Octavia Butler’s Science Fiction Predicted the World We Live In’

8 Ways to Teach and Learn About Hip-Hop

Lesson Plan: ‘An American Puzzle: Fitting Race in a Box’

Lesson Plan: The End of Race-Based Affirmative Action in College Admissions

A Teacher-Created Unit on Race and Racism Using The New York Times

Lesson Plan: The Debate Over the Teaching of U.S. History

Lesson of the Day: ‘A Call to Remember the 200,000 Black Troops Who Helped Save the Union’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Tour a House Full of Black History’

Lesson of the Day: ‘How a National Movement Toppled Hundreds of Confederate Symbols’

Lesson of the Day: ‘A Civil Rights Pioneer Seeks to Have Her Record Cleared’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Critical Race Theory: A Brief History’

Five Ways to Learn About Juneteenth With The New York Times

Lesson of the Day: ‘Four Studies of Black Healing’

Lesson of the Day: ‘As New Police Reform Laws Sweep Across the U.S., Some Ask: Are They Enough?’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms’

Lesson of the Day: ‘A Teenager Was Bullied. His Ancestors Saved Him.’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Dr. Seuss Books Are Pulled, and a “Cancel Culture” Controversy Erupts’

Resources for Teaching About Race and Racism With The New York Times and an on-demand webinar

Lesson of the Day: ‘What Students Are Saying About Race and Racism in America’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Black, Deaf and Extremely Online’

Lesson of the Day: Amanda Gorman and ‘The Hill We Climb’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Listen Up: These Young Black Poets Have a Message’

Lesson of the Day: ‘How Black Lives Matter Reached Every Corner of America’

Teaching Ideas and Resources to Help Students Make Sense of the George Floyd Protests

Learning About Slavery With Primary Sources

Lesson of the Day: ‘Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories.’

Lesson of the Day: ‘Can Biology Class Reduce Racism?’

Still Separate, Still Unequal: Teaching about School Segregation and Educational Inequality

‘Her Subject Is America’: Teaching Toni Morrison With The New York Times

Moving On Up: Teaching With the Data of Economic Mobility

25 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity With Students

First Encounters With Race and Racism: Teaching Ideas for Classroom Conversations

Equality Under the Law? Investigating Race and the Justice System

Teaching and Learning About Martin Luther King Jr. With The New York Times

Front Page History: Teaching About Selma Using Original Times Reporting

Reader Idea | Reading Langston Hughes and Charles Blow With Youth in Detention

Reader Idea | A Mural Project Inspired by New York Times Columns on Race

Guest Post | Ideas for Student Civic Action in a Time of Social Uncertainty

Text to Text Series

An often-taught text paired with a Times article that echoes, extends or challenges its themes or ideas

Text to Text | ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and ‘Discrimination in Housing Against Nonwhites Persists Quietly’

Text to Text | Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Protest and Frederick Douglass’s ‘What to the Slave is the 4th of July?’

Text to Text | ‘Why Reconstruction Matters’ and ‘Black Reconstruction in America’

Text to Text | ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘History of Lynchings in the South Documents Nearly 4,000 Names’

Text to Text | ‘What Would Malcolm X Think?’ and ‘After the Bombing’

Text to Text | ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ and ‘The Sequel’

Text to Text | ‘Little Things Are Big’ and ‘Students See Many Slights as Racial ‘Microaggressions’ ’

Text to Text | ‘I Have a Dream’ and ‘The Lasting Power of Dr. King’s Dream Speech’

Writing Prompts

A selection of Student Opinion questions and Picture Prompts based on Times articles and images

How Should Schools Respond to Racist Jokes?

What Is Your Reaction to the End of Race-Based Affirmative Action in College Admissions?

What Do You Think About the Controversy Surrounding the New A.P. Course on African American Studies?

The Death of Tyre Nichols: A Place for Teenagers to Respond

What Has Serena Williams Meant to Tennis, the Sports World and You?

What Is the Purpose of Teaching U.S. History?

What Does Judge Jackson’s Supreme Court Confirmation Mean to You?

What Can History Teach Us About Resilience?

Do You Support Affirmative Action in College Admissions?

Does the N.F.L. Have a Race Problem?

How Much Have You Learned About Black History?

How Diverse Is Your School?

What Is Your Reaction to Efforts to Limit Teaching on Race in Schools?

How Much Have You and Your Community Changed Since George Floyd’s Death?

Should White Writers Translate a Black Author’s Work?

Should Athletes Speak Out On Social and Political Issues?

Should We Rename Schools Named for Historical Figures With Ties to Racism, Sexism or Slavery?

How Should Racial Slurs in Literature Be Handled in the Classroom?

How Have You Learned About Slavery?

How Much Racism Do You Face in Your Daily Life?

Do You See Yourself in the Books You Read?

Does the United States Owe Reparations to the Descendants of Enslaved People?

Is Racial and Economic Diversity in Schools Important?

Is Fear of ‘The Other’ Poisoning Public Life?

Should All Americans Receive Anti-Bias Education?

How Much Power Do Books Have to Teach Young People Tolerance of Others?

What Does Dr. King’s Legacy Mean to You?

Why Is Race So Hard to Talk About?

Should Confederate Statues Be Removed or Remain in Place?

Do You Ever Talk About Issues of Race and Class With Your Friends?

Who Does Hip-Hop Belong To?

Picture Prompt | Lizzo and James Madison’s Crystal Flute

Picture Prompt| ‘You Need to Try Harder’

Picture Prompt | Confronting Stereotypes

Picture Prompt | Reading and Diversity

Film Club Films

Short documentary films with related discussion questions

Why Rappers Stopped Writing: The Punch-In Method

Fifty years into hip-hop’s constant evolution, many of today’s rappers don’t write down their lyrics at all. Here’s how they make songs now.

“I think a lot of people picture, like, modern rappers who really just, like, pen and paper in the studio, writing down their raps, figuring it out, scratching it out, changing it.” “Yeah, no, we stopped writing a long time ago. Not many people write.” “Back in the day, when people were just using tape, you just had one take. So everybody had to be on point.” “There used to be a time before the 24 track, for instance. If a singer went in, you had to sing that [expletive], top to bottom, baby. You had to have it figured out.” “Most music up until about 20 years ago was always recorded on tape. It’s more of a process. It’s a lot more laborious, a little bit more tedious.” Rapping: “Three strikes and we might just blast —” “I’ve watched Tupac giving a speech — ‘Hey, we have two hours of studio time. Come here prepared.’” “We don’t have time or the luxury to spend all of this time doing one song. We don’t have it.” “Fast forward a little bit. Word starts to spread mid-to-late 90s that Jay doesn’t actually write any of his rhymes down.” “So you literally come in the studio and then formulate sentences in your head?” “Yeah.” “And then spit it to that beat?” “Yeah.” “And you never write down the lyrics?” “Never.” “Which leads to other rappers wanting to do the same thing.” “I found out that Jay wasn’t writing. I didn’t want to ever see a pen or paper, again, in my life.” “He has class, first in the lunch line. My lunch ticket let me eat rappers at lunch time.” “What I know is, when you see your hero can jump seven feet, it makes you want to jump eight.” “If it depends on me, 10 out of 10.” “You’re telling me, you’re falling out of love with me.” “I came up at the trenches.” “The problem is that not all of them are as great or as capable of doing it.” “Yeah, turn me up in my ear.” [rapping] “That’s no pen, no pad. They’re just going in and punching in.” “Punch in.” “Punch method.” “Punch and recording.” “Punching three more bars.” “I ain’t never wrote raps. I just be rapping.” “Do you write, or do you punch in?” “I punch in. I don’t write.” “Today, ProTools is essentially, like, the pen and paper, and that’s where it becomes this different type of art form.” “It’s improvisational versus writing the stand-up piece. You know what I mean?” “It’s like freehand versus tracing.” “Oh OK.” “Keep that part for me, just punch me in.” “The artist might not really have the song written, but they’re not necessarily freestyling in the traditional sense, where they’re just going in and saying the first thing that comes to mind, and they’re doing that for four minutes straight.” “Punching in, like saying one bar at a time.” “I’ve got these racks that can’t fold in the wallet. I’m making deposits. “Definitely one line at a time.” “That bar, and you said the bar out there, and you play it all together. It sounds like a whole sentence. “They’re using punching in as a way to create their rhymes as opposed to a way to correct their rhymes. Yeah, I feel it’s really just a generational thing.” “But you don’t think you could end up with something better if you sometimes wrote some stuff?” “No.” “It’s just not for you?” “No, [expletive] that.” “Rap has grown. Rap has evolved, and there’s always good and bad when it comes to evolution. What we’re seeing is a lot of the same lane being explored over and over again.” “People think, oh, they just rap about this, or they’re just rapping about, like, the easy rhyme scheme or the easy — but to be in a studio and write five songs a day, seven days a week about new topics and make it sound different, it’s very, very impressive.” “It is a sport. It is a sport to it.” “Instead of one song for a week, it’s five songs a night, and you keep it pushing.” “Not that our artistry isn’t appreciated, but it’s more so like, all right, how fast are we getting this done?” “And I’m just saying that the unprofessional rap culture is what I’m a kid of. Guys were like, I’m just a street cat, and I’ll rap.” [rapping] “I jumped off the porch and bought me a gun.” “I just want people to know that, like, you’re not Jay-Z, you’re not a failure.” “It’s about you, whether you’re writing on a phone, a piece of paper, punching in, off the dome. It doesn’t matter.” “Rapping to me, coming from, like, how I feel right then and there. Like me writing down ain’t going to be the same energy of me saying it.” “You can’t really hold your technique over a younger generation’s head, right? Ultimately, it is about just getting the best end result.” [rapping] “I respect it all because it all takes work, and it all takes thought. Whether you’re sitting over a pad or you got to spend four hours figuring it out, piecing it together, punching in, if the end, result moves people emotionally, the art is worth it.”

How a Rare Portrait of an Enslaved Child Arrived at the Met

What’s Tea?

Trayvon Martin Is Still Making America Confront Its Original Sin

Almost Famous: The Queen of Basketball

Long Island’s Enduring Black Beachfront Community

Inside the Battle Over George Floyd Square

What It Means to Be Black in America

My Father, Martin Luther King Jr., Had Another Dream

A Concerto Is a Conversation

‘Baptized in Blackness’: Why Homecoming Is Vital to the Black College Experience

Why I Won’t Teach My Son ‘Black Codes’

Almost Famous: The Lost Astronaut

Traveling While Black

How Dr. King Changed a Sanitation Worker’s Life

Taking a Knee and Taking Down A Monument

Crossing Cultures: Black K-Pop Fans in America

A Conversation With My Black Son

Why Black History Matters Today: A Historian’s Perspective

By Andy Zunz ’14 | February 5, 2020

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history,” wrote Carter G. Woodson, who’s known as the father of black history. In 1926, Woodson created Negro History Week, a predecessor of Black History Month.

With its  Africana Studies minor  and several other courses and programs that focus on teaching and preserving black history, UCF’s  College of Arts and Humanities  is helping students stay connected with the past.

We caught up with three young alumni to discuss why they pursued this line of work, and why everyone should be invested in the study of black history.

Ariel Collier ’19  is the program coordinator for the Florida Prison Education Project at UCF, where she helps provide higher-education opportunities for those who are incarcerated by teaching at local prisons.  Collier also works to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by spreading awareness and offering mentoring for students through a partnership with AMIkids.

Porsha Dossie ’14 ’18MA  is a staff historian at the National Park Service in the Office of the Chief Historian, where she helps manage the African American Civil Rights Network. Dossie works to preserve civil rights movement sites through digitization, public programming and more traditional historic preservation efforts.

Brandon Nightingale ’16 ’19MA  is the assistant archivist at Bethune-Cookman University — a historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida — where he assists with research on the university and its founder, Mary McLeod Bethune.

How does your work tie into black history and impact people of color today?

Collier:  People of color are mostly impacted by the systems we are working to reconstruct (at FPEP). In Florida, among male incarcerated citizens, 49 percent were black non-Hispanics, 38 percent were white non-Hispanics, 13 percent were Hispanic, and under 1 percent were other non-Hispanics. Florida holds more youth in adult jails and prisons than any other state. Florida is one of only three states that give prosecutors the sole, unappealable discretion to prosecute juveniles as adults. The Tough on Crime philosophy has led to over-incarceration; zero-tolerance policies have led to a large push of students of color out of school and into the criminal and juvenile justice system.

Dossie:  This work is impactful because historic preservation unfortunately has ignored structures with significant ties to black history and culture as they were deemed insignificant decades ago when the original criteria that determined how sites are selected and preserved in the National Register of Historic Places was created. This is starting to change, and programs like the African American Civil Rights Network are helping to preserve the physical record of black history and promote these historical resources so they are more accessible to the public.

Nightingale:  What I do now in this archive — there’s so much in there. Right now, I’m cleaning it up, identify everything that’s in there and moving forward. I want to see how we can get it to the public, through digitization and social media.

Why is it important for young people today to study and learn this history?

Collier : “Know yourself, know you worth.” –Drake

Dossie:  It’s important because we should have a fuller, more accurate understanding of our human history, and that isn’t possible without knowing or understanding black history. History as a discipline is making sense of the past to understand how the present comes to be, and when we talk especially about social problems, race relations and structural inequality, those conversations must be informed by the study of history, particularly black history.

Nightingale:  It’s vital for everyone living in America and around the world to know where you come from and what was here before you. Everybody is so caught up in technology, but it’s history that we have to keep reminding ourselves of so we don’t repeat it. I know that’s cliché, but it’s so true. Not everyone has to be a historian, but it doesn’t take much to find the history of your family or your community or where you work. History, in general, is an important concept for all human beings.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Collier:  Black History Month means more people are paying attention to the things I pay attention to 365 days of the year. It’s great, it’s cute, I support it — but there is a lot more our society could be doing to support people of color year-round.

Dossie:  For me, Black History Month is about commemoration. The reason we have annual observation months like Black History Month or Hispanic Heritage Month is because these communities have often been left out of mainstream narratives in the past. For much of our nation’s history, this was purposeful.

When Carter G. Woodson first created what was then called Negro History Week in 1926, black history was not actively taught in most schools or mainstream cultural institutions. Woodson viewed it as a vehicle for not just commemoration, but to enact transformative change. He believed that if children, especially Black children, were more familiar with their history they would have a deeper sense of pride and understanding of the important role black people have played in United States history since its formation.

Today, nearly 100 years later, Black History Month is still relevant because despite the profound changes I’ve seen even in my lifetime, the struggle for racial equality continues; and Black History Month reminds us of how far we come, but how far we still have to go.

Nightingale:  It was Black History Month during my sophomore year when I went into the book store — they did a good job of advertising for Black History Month — and I picked up the autobiography of Malcolm X. That was my first glance into what I was studying with history. I saw a lot of similarities between me and Malcolm, and that was the book that really drew me in.

I grew up frustrated with (Black History Month), because there’s just one month dedicated to it. But, if it wasn’t for that I probably would not have come across that Malcolm X book as a young guy in college. More so, it’s a reminder of the accomplishments that black Americans have made in history. We need those reminders because there could be other people like me — I was on an engineering track. I had no intention of doing scholarly work; I was all numbers. That display for Black History Month drew my attention. If it wasn’t for that, I may not be where I am today.

What motivated you to pursue the study of black history?

Collier:  My first class within the minor was Documenting Africana Heritage and Life with the late professor Tony Major during the summer before my junior year, which I took to fulfill a requirement for my major in Visual Arts and Emerging Media Management . His class opened my eyes to so much basic history that I had never learned in my early education. I decided to make it officially my minor after that summer because I felt like I was learning more about myself every class period.

Dossie:  My interest in black history started early (I learned to read when I was 3). My parents encouraged my interest in reading by giving me books on Harriet Tubman, Coretta Scott King and Bessie Coleman, to name a few. As I got older, I consumed more books and media about historical figures and movements that interested me. I decided senior year of high school that I wanted to study black history, particularly black women’s history, so I became a history major when I enrolled at UCF.

Nightingale:  I got to UCF in 2012, and I started out in electrical engineering . I was doing OK in the classes, but it just wasn’t for me. I took a class with Dr. (James) Clark, and I was hooked after his history class. The class was speaking to me. I took more history courses, and I was started to read more toward the end of my undergrad career, but I had the opportunity to really dig down deep in grad school in the public history program. Also, professor Luis Martínez-Fernández pulled me to the side and showed me what you can really do with history in museums. He took me to one of my first museums, the Orange County Regional History Center in downtown Orlando. He took me under his wing, and that’s where it all started with me.

These UCF alumni are making a difference in the world every day. You can impact the next generation of Knights studying history with a gift to the College of Arts and Humanities at the link below.

More Topics

Pegasus magazine.

Founded to help fuel talent for the nearby space industry , UCF continues to build its reputation as SpaceU. Here's a look at the early days of UCF's space ties and journey to new frontiers.

The importance of black history and why it should be celebrated beyond February

Carter G. Woodson started the tradition of celebrating black history.

In 1925, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson, known as the "Father of Black History," had a bold idea.

That year, he announced "Negro History Week" -- a celebration of a people that many in this country at the time believed had no place in history.

The response to the event, first celebrated in February 1926, a month that included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, was overwhelming -- as educators, scholars and philanthropists stepped forward to endorse the effort. Fifty years later, coinciding with nation's bicentennial and in the wake of the civil rights movement, the celebration was expanded to a month after President Gerald R. Ford decreed a national observance.

Since Woodson's death in 1950, the organization that he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History -- now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) -- has fought to keep his legacy alive.

Now, nearly 105 years after its founding, one of the organization's biggest challenges is keeping people engaged beyond February.

"One cannot discuss the African American freedom struggle or the civil rights movement without paying attention to white allies who were working alongside black people," Lionel Kimble, vice president for programs at ASALH, told ABC News. "One of the biggest issues we see, especially for those non-black folks, is that the emphasis on black history is divisive and some mistakenly label it 'racist.'"

"But, if we continue to emphasize that all Americans worked towards these common goals, then everyone can see themselves as part of the larger mission."

ASALH, which holds events to promote and celebrate black history all throughout the year, said the organization has made major gains toward promoting African American history to a wider audience, but there are still too many who only recognize black history during the month of February and ignore it for the rest of the year.

"It's disappointing," Kimble said. "But we have to really build on the study of black history and get people to understand the important roles of black folks in the larger narrative of the United States."

Noelle Trent, director of interpretation, collections and education at the National Civil Rights Museum, said it's wonderful to mobilize for Black History Month festivities, but "there's no one season for it. It's continuous."

"We do black history 365 days a year," Trent told ABC News. "We're telling the story of the African American struggle for civil rights, for human rights, and all aspects, through our programming and through our exhibition in various capacities throughout the year."

The museum, which is located at the former Lorraine Motel in Memphis where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, said it pays special attention to Black History Month and uses it as a time to emphasize educating children about black heritage. The museum specializes in the civil rights era, but Trent said Woodson's mission guides just about all of their initiatives.

"When 'Negro History Week' was founded, black history was not being talked about or written about and people were saying African Americans had no presence in history," Trent said. "What we're able to do here at the museum today through our work is really amplify that historical presence."

"Woodson was dedicated to making African American history accessible to the everyday person. He wanted African Americans, and all Americans, really, to know the African American story and to see themselves in it because representation is power," she added.

As a part of her work with the museum, Trent said she is frustrated that black history tends to be ignored by popular culture once February ends. Instead, she thinks Black History Month should be seen as a "starting point" for a larger conversation about how to incorporate black history into American history as a whole.

"I understand that culturally organizations are in different places, but ideally in 2020 we would like people to be more inclusive. But if you start just doing it in February, then the next step is, how can we incorporate this into other days of the year," she said.

If companies, schools and other organizations "keep relegating the story to just February," they're missing the point of Black History Month, according to Trent.

Kimble, of ASALH, said the organization has seen a growing number of partnership interests from corporate donors and organizations that aren't necessarily "black oriented," as more companies look to address issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.

He said the increase is "very encouraging," but it isn't enough to indicate a significant trend just yet.

"I would like to companies do more," Trent said. "But all we can do is keep pushing and educating folks who have an interest in black history and black studies."

ASALH picks a theme each year to bring to the public's attention important developments that merit emphasis. This year's theme is "African Americans and the Vote."

The year 2020 marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment and the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement. It also marks the sesquicentennial of the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to vote in 1870, following the Civil War.

"Through voting-rights campaigns and legal suits from the turn of the 20th century to the mid-1960s, African Americans made their voices heard as to the importance of the vote," ASALH says on its website. "Indeed the fight for black voting rights continues in the courts today."

Kimble said the group has events scheduled throughout the year that will deal with civic education, voter suppression, voting rights and other issues that are tethered to this year's theme, but its main goal is to engage with people outside of academia to educate them about the depth of their heritage.

"This isn't a conversation that only black folks should be having. If we look at ourselves as a diverse nation, I think everyone should have these conversations about their history," Kimble said. "We want people to see that their stories are valuable and that you don't have to be this internationally renowned figure to do great things."

Related Topics

Top stories.

Judge declares mistrial in case of Arizona rancher accused of killing unarmed migrant

• Apr 22, 8:03 PM

Trump faces potential contempt of court if judge determines he violated gag order

• 3 hours ago

Celebrity handbag designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags

• Apr 22, 11:45 AM

Brittney Griner opens up about Russian detention in exclusive '20/20' special

Trump hush money trial: Trump hasn't stopped violating gag order, prosecutors say

• 5 minutes ago

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

Black History Essay Topics

• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Black history is full of fascinating stories, rich culture, great art, and courageous acts that were undertaken within unthinkable circumstances. While Civil Rights events are the most common themes in our studies, we should resist equating Black history only with Civil Rights-era history. This list contains 50 prompts that might lead you into some interesting and little-known information about Black American history.

Note: Your first challenge in studying some of the topics below is finding resources. When conducting an internet search, be sure to place quotation marks around your search term (try different variations) to narrow your results.

• Black American newspapers
• Black Inventors
• Black soldiers in the American Revolution
• Black soldiers in the Civil War
• Buffalo Soldiers
• Buying time
• Camp Logan Riots
• Clennon Washington King, Jr.
• Coffey School of Aeronautics
• Crispus Attucks
• Domestic labor strikes in the South
• Finding lost family members after emancipation
• First African Baptist Church
• Formerly enslaved business owners
• Freedom's Journal
• Gospel music
• Gullah heritage
• Harlem Hellfighters
• Harlem Renaissance
• Harriet Tubman
• Historically Black Colleges
• History of rock-and-roll
• Jumping the broom
• Manumission papers
• Maroon villages in the eighteenth century
• Motown Records
• Multi-cultural pirate ships
• Narratives by Enslaved People
• Otelia Cromwell
• Ownership of property by enslaved people
• Purchasing freedom
• Ralph Waldo Tyler
• Register of Free Persons of Color
• Secret schools in antebellum America
• Sherman's March followers
• Susie King Taylor
• The Amistad
• The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
• The Communist Party (involvement)
• The Great Migration
• The Haitian Revolution
• Tuskegee Airmen
• Underground Railroad
• Urban enslavement (related to buying time)
• Wilberforce College, Ohio
• Celebrating Black History Month
• Important Cities in Black History
• What Is Black History Month and How Did It Begin?
• Black History and Women's Timeline: 1900–1919
• Black History Timeline: 1700 - 1799
• Black History Timeline: 1910–1919
• Biography of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Black Historian
• Black History Timeline: 1865–1869
• Black History Month Printables
• Black History Timeline: 1920–1929
• Little Known Important Black Americans
• Black History and Women's Timeline: 1920-1929
• Important Black Women in American History
• Black History and Women Timeline 1870-1899
• Black History Timeline: 1940–1949
• Black History from 1950–1959

The Important Political History of Black History Month

• Share article

Many accept Black History Month as a special time of year, yet few recognize the role African American teachers played in establishing and popularizing this tradition during Jim Crow. Originally founded in 1926 as Negro History Week by the famed educator and groundbreaking historian Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month is the product of Black teachers’ long-standing intellectual and political struggles.

As a longtime public school teacher, Woodson witnessed white school leaders resist efforts to meaningfully transform curriculum and school policies, and while earning his doctorate from Harvard University, between 1908 and 1912, he learned how distortions about Black life were constructed at the highest levels of education. Recognizing these barriers, he decided to work from outside the classroom to partner with teachers. This began with Woodson founding the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915.

Woodson was particularly interested in using Negro History Week to infuse students’ learning with critical knowledge about racial domination as well as the long traditions of Black resistance and achievement. Negro History Week quickly became a cultural norm in Black segregated schools. According to surveys conducted by Black educator and journalist Thomas L. Dabney in 1934, it was celebrated in more than 80 percent of those high schools by the mid-1930s.

The creation of Negro History Week did not occur in a vacuum. It reflected a continuum of consciousness among Black educators, channeling an intellectual and political tradition long practiced in the private spaces of their classrooms. This class of teachers placed the needs of their students above protocols imposed by white school leaders.

This tradition stretched back as early as 1864, when Black abolitionist Charlotte Forten taught recently freed children in South Carolina about Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution. Noticing the absence of such narratives in textbooks and materials supplied by white missionaries, Forten wrote that Black children “should know what one of their own color had done for his race.”

A decade before establishing Negro History Week, Woodson and his colleagues at the M Street School in Washington planned professional-development events for Black teachers, and they did so independent of the school district. These workshops during the 1915-16 academic year extended from previous strategies they employed to work around the official school curriculum. Woodson facilitated a history and civics workshop, which took place just after he published the inaugural issue of the Journal of Negro History—the first academic publication of its kind and one that Woodson founded and edited using the small salary he earned from teaching history, English, and French at the M Street School. W.E.B. Du Bois—who had visited the school in previous years at the invitation of Anna Julia Cooper, the school’s principal at the time and the author of A Voice from the South: By A Black Woman from the South —led workshops on Black history for teachers.

These educators insisted on the importance of providing students with cultural armor to repudiate the racial myths reflected in the nation’s laws, social policies, and American curriculum.

Such examples reflect a robust intellectual culture among Black schoolteachers. What’s more, these educators insisted on the importance of providing students with cultural armor to repudiate the racial myths reflected in the nation’s laws, social policies, and American curriculum.

But teaching about Black life and culture was not just about songs, poems, and a few good stories of successful Black people. Woodson emphasized the direct relationship between curricular content and the violent lived experiences of Black people in the world. When reflecting on Negro History Week in 1926, he wrote the following in the Journal of Negro History: “A Negro is passed on the street and is shoved off in the mud; he complains or strikes back and is lynched as a desperado who attacked a gentleman. And what if he is handicapped, segregated, or lynched? According to our education and practice, if you kill one of the group, the world goes on just as well or better; for the Negro is nothing, has never been anything, and never will be anything but a menace to civilization.”

Woodson argued that the official school curriculum cultivated anti-Blackness as a social competence, and its system of representation reflected and reproduced social hierarchies that plagued human society. Based on the American curriculum, Blackness and Black people represented the antithesis of human civilization and achievement. Thus, Negro History Week emerged from Black teachers’ political clarity about the ideological foundations of American schooling and their desire to disrupt such foundations.

The occasion arrived annually in February, yet teachers should not wait until February to study Black life and culture. Woodson emphasized this point again and again. “Some teachers and their students have misunderstood the celebration of Negro History Week,” Woodson explained in the February 1938 Negro History Bulletin. He observed how some schools “work up enthusiasm during these few days, stage a popular play, present an orator of the day, or render exercises of a literary order; but they forget the Negro thereafter throughout the year. To proceed in such fashion may do as much harm as good.”

At its best, Negro History Week dramatized and expressed an educational vision that shaped learning year-round. This caution offered in 1938 might also be applied to our 21 st -century present.

As we reflect on the importance of Black History Month in 2021—a time of unprecedented challenges—we might draw inspiration from the robust intellectual and political tradition of Black teachers from the past. The greatest among them were more than ordinary practitioners. They were scholars of the practice. We have Black History Month because of their long tradition of study and struggle.

A version of this article appeared in the February 03, 2021 edition of Education Week as The History of Black History Month

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

Home — Essay Samples — History — African American History — Why Is Black History Month Important: My Views

Why is Black History Month Important: My Views

• Categories: African American African American History

About this sample

Words: 877 |

Updated: 22 November, 2023

Words: 877 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

• Adams, M. S. (2017). Celebrating black history month: Linking black heroes to academic success. Journal of African American Studies , 21(4), 633-643.
• Blackburn, J. M., & Smith, R. L. (2018). Recognizing black lives: The relevance of black history month in counseling. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 46(2), 98-113.
• Deyhle, D., & Margonis, F. (2001). Multicultural education, critical race theory , and the "Postmodern Turn" in education. Review of Research in Education, 25(1), 195-246.
• Garvey, G., & White, S. (2015). Black history month: The experiences and opinions of young people in two London boroughs. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(3), 326-340.
• Glenn, E. N. (2015). Black History Month: Democratizing history. In L. H. Collins Jr. (Ed.), Exploring Race and Ethnicity: Contemporary Readings (pp. 60-65). Routledge.
• Karenga, M. (2017). Black history month: Its creation and legacy. Journal of Pan African Studies, 10(2), 155-176.
• La Garett, J. (2016). Black history is not just a month: A qualitative exploration of black history education throughout the year. Journal of African American Studies, 20(2), 213-226.
• Landa, M. (2012). The purpose of black history month. Academic Questions, 25(1), 58-63.
• Thomas, G. M. (1986). Black History Month: A chance to learn. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, (1), 108-109.
• Van De Mieroop, D. (2016). Black history month: (Re)membering the past. South African Journal of Psychology, 46(3), 363-375.

Video Version

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Sociology History

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 538 words

4 pages / 1735 words

3 pages / 1157 words

6 pages / 2546 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on African American History

Black history month is an important time to celebrate Black people. The history of African Americans is not taught enough. There are many ways to educate society about the experiences that African Americans endured. This [...]

Rosa Parks is a prominent figure in American history known for her pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. This essay will analyze the character of Rosa Parks, exploring her background, actions, and impact on society. By [...]

The War of 1812, fought between the United States and Great Britain, is often overshadowed by the American Revolution and the Civil War. However, it had significant impacts on the United States that affected its political, [...]

Baseball has been a popular sport in the United States for over a century, and its integration has been a topic of discussion for many years. While the integration of baseball is often associated with the breaking of the color [...]

Dr. Carter G. Woodson was father of Black History Month, he was born in1875 near New Canton, VA. He was the son of former slaves. In 1907, he obtained his BA degree from the University of Chicago. In 1912, he received his PhD [...]

Bessie Coleman's life and achievements serve as a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and the pursuit of one's dreams. Despite facing significant obstacles, she defied societal expectations and became a pioneer [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

Race Is Central to Identity for Black Americans and Affects How They Connect With Each Other

Many learn about ancestors, u.s. black history from family, table of contents.

• The importance of being Black for connections with other Black people
• The importance of Blackness for knowing family history and U.S. Black history
• Younger Black people are less likely to speak to relatives about ancestors
• Black Americans differ by party on measures of identity and connection
• The importance of race, ancestry and place to personal identity
• The importance of gender and sexuality to personal identity
• Black Americans and connectedness to other Black people
• Intra-racial connections locally, nationally and globally
• How Black Americans learn about their family history
• Most Black adults say their ancestors were enslaved, but some are not sure
• Most Black adults are at least somewhat informed about U.S. Black history
• For many Black adults, where they live shapes how they think about themselves
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand the rich diversity of Black people in the United States and their views of Black identity. This in-depth, robust survey explores differences among Black Americans in views of identity such as between U.S.-born Black people and Black immigrants; Black people living in different regions of the country; and between Black people of different ethnicities, political party affiliations, ages and income levels. The analysis is the latest in the Center’s series of in-depth surveys of public opinion among Black Americans (read the first, “ Faith Among Black Americans ”).

The online survey of 3,912 Black U.S. adults was conducted Oct. 4-17, 2021. The survey includes 1,025 Black adults on Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP) and 2,887 Black adults on Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel. Respondents on both panels are recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses.

Recruiting panelists by phone or mail ensures that nearly all U.S. Black adults have a chance of selection. This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the whole population (see our Methods 101 explainer on random sampling). Here are the questions used for the survey of Black adults , along with its responses and methodology .

The terms “Black Americans” , “Black people” and “Black adults” are used interchangeably throughout this report to refer to U.S. adults who self-identify as Black, either alone or in combination with other races or Hispanic identity.

Throughout this report, “Black, non-Hispanic” respondents are those who identify as single-race Black and say they have no Hispanic background. “Black Hispanic” respondents are those who identify as Black and say they have Hispanic background. We use the terms “Black Hispanic” and “Hispanic Black” interchangeably. “Multiracial” respondents are those who indicate two or more racial backgrounds (one of which is Black) and say they are not Hispanic.

Respondents were asked a question about how important being Black was to how they think about themselves. In this report, we use the terms “being Black” and “Blackness” interchangeably when referencing responses to this question.

In this report, “immigrant” refers to people who were not U.S. citizens at birth – in other words, those born outside the U.S., Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories to parents who were not U.S. citizens. We use the terms “immigrant” and “foreign-born” interchangeably.

Throughout this report, “Democrat and Democratic leaners” refers to respondents who say in they identify politically with the Democratic Party or are independent but lean toward the Democratic Party. “ Republican and Republican leaners” refers to respondents who identify politically with the Republican Party or are independent but lean toward the Republican Party.

To create the upper-, middle- and lower-income tiers, respondents’ 2020 family incomes were adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and household size. Respondents were then placed into income tiers: “Middle income” is defined as two-thirds to double the median annual income for the entire survey sample. “Lower income” falls below that range, and “upper income” lies above it. For more information about how the income tiers were created, read the methodology .

No matter where they are from, who they are, their economic circumstances or educational backgrounds, significant majorities of Black Americans say being Black is extremely or very important to how they think about themselves, with about three-quarters (76%) overall saying so.   

A significant share of Black Americans also say that when something happens to Black people in their local communities, across the nation or around the globe, it affects what happens in their own lives, highlighting a sense of connectedness. Black Americans say this even as they have diverse experiences and come from an array of backgrounds.

Even so, Black adults who say being Black is important to their sense of self are more likely than other Black adults to feel connected to other groups of Black people. They are also more likely to feel that what happens to Black people inside and outside the United States affects what happens in their own lives. These findings emerge from an extensive new survey of Black U.S. adults conducted by Pew Research Center.

A majority of non-Hispanic Black Americans (78%) say being Black is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. This racial group is the largest among Black adults , accounting for 87% of the adult population, according to 2019 Census Bureau estimates. But among other Black Americans, roughly six-in-ten multiracial (57%) and Hispanic (58%) Black adults say this.

Black Americans also differ in key ways in their views about the importance of being Black to personal identity. While majorities of all age groups of Black people say being Black shapes how they think about themselves, younger Black Americans are less likely to say this – Black adults ages 50 and older are more likely than Black adults ages 18 to 29 to say that being Black is very or extremely important to how they think of themselves. Specifically, 76% of Black adults ages 30 to 49, 80% of those 50 to 64 and 83% of those 65 and older hold this view, while only 63% of those under 30 do.

Black adults who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than those who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party to say being Black is important to how they see themselves – 86% vs. 58%. And Black women (80%) are more likely than Black men (72%) to say being Black is important to how they see themselves.

Still, some subgroups of Black Americans are about as likely as others to say that being Black is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. For example, U.S.-born and immigrant Black adults are about as likely to say being Black is important to how they see their identity. However, not all Black Americans feel the same about the importance of being Black to their identity – 14% say it is only somewhat important to how they see themselves while 9% say it has little or no impact on their personal identity, reflecting the diversity of views about identity among Black Americans.

Beyond the personal importance of Blackness – that is, the importance of being Black to personal identity – many Black Americans feel connected to each other. About five-in-ten (52%) say everything or most things that happen to Black people in the United States affect what happens in their own lives, with another 30% saying some things that happen nationally to Black people have a personal impact. And 43% say all or most things that happen to Black people in their local community affect what happens in their own lives, while another 35% say only some things in their lives are affected by these events. About four-in-ten Black adults in the U.S. (41%) say they feel their fates are strongly linked to Black people around the world, with 36% indicating that some things that happen to Black people around the world affect what happens in their own lives.

The survey also asked respondents how much they have in common with different groups of Black Americans. Some 17% of Black adults say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are immigrants. But this sense of commonality differs sharply by nativity: 14% of U.S.-born Black adults say they have everything or most things in common with Black immigrants, while 43% of Black immigrants say the same. Conversely, only about one-in-four Black immigrants (26%) say they have everything or most things in common with U.S.-born Black people, a share that rises to 56% among U.S.-born Black people themselves.

About one-third of Black Americans (34%) say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are poor, though smaller shares say the same about Black people who are wealthy (12%). Relatively few Black Americans (14%) say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). However, a larger share of Black Americans (25%) say they have at least some things in common with Black people who identify as LGBTQ. All these findings highlight the diversity of the U.S. Black population and how much Black people feel connected to each other.

These are among the key findings from a recent Pew Research Center survey of 3,912 Black Americans conducted online Oct. 4-17, 2021. This report is the latest in a series of Pew Research Center studies focused on describing the rich diversity of Black people in the United States.

The nation’s Black population stood at 47 million in 2020 , making up 14% of the U.S. population – up from 13% in 2000. While the vast majority of Black Americans say their racial background is Black alone (88% in 2020), growing numbers are also multiracial or Hispanic. Most were born in the U.S. and trace their roots back several generations in the country, but a growing share are immigrants (12%) or the U.S.-born children of immigrant parents (9%). Geographically, while 56% of Black Americans live in the nation’s South , the national Black population has also dispersed widely across the country.

It is this diversity – among U.S.-born Black people and Black immigrants; between Black people who live in different regions; and across different ethnicities, party affiliations, ages and income levels – that this report explores. The survey also provides a robust opportunity to examine the importance of race to Black Americans’ sense of self and their connections to other Black people.

The importance of being Black to personal identity is a significant factor in how connected Black Americans feel toward each other. Those who say that being Black is a very or extremely important part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Blackness is relatively less important to express a sense of common fate with Black people in their local communities (50% vs. 17%), in the United States overall (62% vs. 21%), and even around the world (48% vs. 18%).

They are also more likely to say that they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are poor (37% vs. 23%) and Black immigrants (19% vs. 9%). Even so, fewer than half of Black Americans, no matter how important Blackness is to their personal identity, say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are poor, immigrants or LGBTQ.

The new survey also explores Black Americans’ knowledge about their family histories and the history of Black people in the United States, with the importance of Blackness linked to greater knowledge. 

Nearly six-in-ten Black adults (57%) say their ancestors were enslaved either in the U.S. or another country, with nearly all who say so (52% of the Black adults surveyed) saying it was in the U.S., either in whole or in part. Black adults who say that being Black is a very or extremely important part of how they see themselves (61%) are more likely than those for whom being Black is less important (45%) to say that their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, Black adults for whom Blackness is very or extremely important (31%) are less likely than their counterparts (42%) to say that they are not sure if their ancestors were enslaved at all.

When it comes to learning more about their family histories, Black adults for whom Blackness is very or extremely important (81%) are more likely than those for whom Blackness is less important (59%) to have spoken to their relatives. They are about as likely to have researched their family’s history online (36% and 30%, respectively) and to have used a mail-in DNA service such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe (15% and 16%) to learn more about their ancestry.

The importance of Blackness also figures prominently into how informed Black Americans feel about U.S. Black history. Black adults who say Blackness is a significant part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Blackness is less important to say that they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. Black history (57% vs. 29%). Overall, about half of Black Americans say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of Black people in the United States.

Among Black adults who feel at least a little informed about U.S. Black history, the sources of their knowledge also differ by the importance of Blackness to personal identity. Nearly half of Black adults for whom Blackness is very or extremely important (48%) say they learned about Black history from their families and friends, making them more likely to say so than Black adults for whom Blackness is less important (30%). Similarly, those who say being Black is important to their identity are more likely than those who did not say this to have learned about Black history from nearly every source they were asked about, be it media (33% vs. 22%), the internet (30% vs. 18%) or college, if they attended (26% vs. 14%). The only source for which both groups were about equally likely to say they learned about Black history was their K-12 schools (24% and 21%, respectively).

Overall, among Black Americans who feel at least a little informed about U.S. Black history, 43% say they learned about it from their relatives and friends, 30% say they learned about it from the media, 27% from the internet, and 24% from college (if they attended) and 23% from K-12 school.

Black adults under 30 years old differ significantly from older Black adults in their views on the importance of Blackness to their personal identity. However, Black adults also differ by age in how they pursue knowledge of family history, how informed they feel about U.S. Black history, and their sense of connectedness to other Black people.

Black adults under 30 (50%) are less likely than those 65 and older (64%) to say their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, 40% of Black adults under 30 say that they are not sure whether their ancestors were enslaved. Black adults in the youngest age group (59%) are less likely than the oldest (87%) to have spoken to their relatives about family history or to have used a mail-in DNA service to learn about their ancestors (11% vs. 21%). They are only slightly less likely to have conducted research on their families online (26% vs. 39%).

Black adults under 30 have the lowest share who say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of Black people in the United States (40%), compared with 60% of Black adults 65 and older and about half each of Black adults 50 to 64 (53%) and 30 to 49 (51%). In fact, Black adults under 30 are more likely than those 50 and older to say they feel a little or not at all informed about Black history. While Black adults are generally most likely to cite family and friends as their source for learning about Black history, the share under 30 (38%) who also cite the internet as a source of information is higher than the shares ages 50 to 64 (22%) and 65 and older (14%) who say this.

These age differences persist in the sense of connectedness that Black Americans have with other Black people. Black adults under 30 are less likely than those 65 and older to say that everything or most things that happen to Black people in the United States will affect their own lives. This youngest group is also less likely than the oldest to have this sense of common fate with Black people in their local community. One exception to this pattern occurs when Black adults were asked how much they had in common with Black people who identify as LGBTQ. Black adults under 30 (21%) were considerably more likely than those 65 and older (10%) to say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who identify as LGBTQ.

Black Democrats and Republicans differ on how important Blackness is to their personal identities. However, there are also partisan gaps when it comes to their connectedness to other Black people. 1

Black Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are more likely than Black Republicans and Republican leaners to say that everything or most things that happen to Black people in the United States (57% vs. 39%) and their local communities (46% vs. 30%) affect what happens in their own lives. However, Black Republicans (24%) are more likely than Black Democrats (14%) to say that they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are LGBTQ. They are also more likely than Black Democrats to say they have everything or most things in common with Black people who are wealthy (25% vs. 11%).

When it comes to knowledge of family and racial histories, Black Democrats and Republicans do not differ. Democrats (59%) are just as likely as Republicans (54%) to know that their ancestors were enslaved. Nearly 80% of Black adults from both partisan coalitions say they have spoken to their relatives about their family history. Similar shares have also researched their family histories online and used mail-in DNA services.

Black Democrats are also not significantly more likely than Black Republicans to say they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. Black history (53% vs. 45%). And among those who feel at least a little informed about U.S. Black history, Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to say they learned it from family and friends (45% vs. 38%).

Place is a key part of Black Americans’ personal identities

The majority of Black adults who live in the United States were born there, but an increasing portion of the population is comprised of immigrants. Of those immigrants, nearly 90% were born in the Caribbean or Africa . Regardless of their region of birth, 58% of Black adults say the country they were born in is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. A smaller share say the same about the places where they grew up (46%).

Black adults also feel strongly about their current communities. About half of Black adults (52%) say that where they currently live is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. And when it comes to the quality of their neighborhoods, 76% of Black adults rate them as at least good places to live, including 41% who say the quality of their community is very good or excellent.

Still, Black adults say there are concerning issues in the communities they live in. When asked in an open-ended question to list the issue that was most important in their neighborhoods, nearly one-in-five Black adults listed issues related to violence or crime (17%). Smaller shares listed other points of concern such as economic issues like poverty and homelessness (11%), housing (7%), COVID-19 and public health (6%), or infrastructure issues such as the availability of public transportation and the conditions of roads (5%).

While nearly one-in-five Black Americans (17%) say that individual people like themselves should be responsible for solving these problems, they are most likely to say that local community leaders should address these issues (48%). Smaller shares say the U.S. Congress (12%), the U.S. president (8%) or civil rights organizations (2%) bear responsibility.

• According to the survey, 80% of Black adults say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, 10% say the same of the Republican Party and 10% did not answer the question or indicated that they did not affiliate with either party. Among Black registered voters, the survey finds 85% identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, 10% identify with or lean toward the Republican Party and 5% did not answer the question or indicated that they did not affiliate with either party. ↩

Sign up for The Briefing

Weekly updates on the world of news & information

• Black Americans
• Family & Relationships
• Gender & LGBTQ
• Racial & Ethnic Identity
• Rural, Urban and Suburban Communities

A look at Black-owned businesses in the U.S.

8 facts about black americans and the news, black americans’ views on success in the u.s., among black adults, those with higher incomes are most likely to say they are happy, fewer than half of black americans say the news often covers the issues that are important to them, most popular, report materials.

• American Trends Panel Wave 97

1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Age & Generations
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Economy & Work
• Immigration & Migration
• International Affairs
• Internet & Technology
• Methodological Research
• News Habits & Media
• Non-U.S. Governments
• Other Topics
• Politics & Policy
• Race & Ethnicity
• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

Reprints, Permissions & Use Policy