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Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. The United States and Canada celebrate Black History Month in February, and the United Kingdom celebrates it in October.

In the United States
The precursor to Black History Month was “Negro History Week.” Historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History created it in 1926 in the U.S. It took place the second week of February because it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Black History Month was first proposed by Black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, in February 1970. In 1976, during the U.S. Bicentennial, the federal government officially expanded it and recognized as Black History Month.

In the US, it aims to highlight contributions of African Americans that were historically ignored or minimized, educate the public about Black history beyond slavery, including culture, science, politics, arts, and activism, and encourage reflection on ongoing racial inequality and social justice.

Some Highlighted Figures and Movements

Civil Rights leaders: Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X

Innovators and scholars: George Washington Carver, Katherine Johnson

Artists and writers: Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Jacob Lawrence

Political leaders: Thurgood Marshall, Shirley Chisholm, Barack Obama