Why February is Black History Month
In the early 1900s, historian Carter G. Woodson led the fight for a holiday that would promote Black achievements—and counter racist stereotypes.
In the early 20th century, historian Carter G. Woodson chafed at the world’s silence on Black achievement. In a racist society that mischaracterized Black people and overlooked their contributions, he worked tirelessly to tell the world about their rich history. Woodson wanted the world to know about the complexity of the historical lives of people of African descent.
He had plenty of material to choose from. Africans contributed to animal domestication as early as the 5th millennia B.C., developing complex societies in sometimes harsh conditions. Enslaved Africans fueled the global textile trade and managed to resist their oppressors in the process.
And despite rampant racism and discriminatory laws, Black Americans made critical contributions in the United States, from the military service
