February is Black History Month
Download the Texas Cable Association Programming Guide for Programming and
Online Content that Celebrates People and Events in the History of African Americans
Black History Month can be traced back to 1920, when historian Carter G. Woodson – the son of former slaves and the second black person to earn a degree from Harvard University – successfully urged the creation of "Negro History and Literature Week." That week became “Negro History Week” in 1926.
Although Woodson died in 1950, his legacy continued to grow as more and more cities and organizations across the country commemorated the special week. The week evolved into Black History Month starting in 1976, our nation’s bicentennial, when President Gerald R. 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.”
The commemoration always has been held in February in order to honor the birthdates of two men whose actions dramatically impacted the lives and history of African Americans: President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12), who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14).
Download the TCA Black History Month Programming Guide
 
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