Every February, this newspaper and others like it around the United States make an extra effort to delve into the history of Black Americans. It hasn’t always been this way. The tradition of taking time to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to our country began in 1926, the brainchild of historian and author Carter Woodson. He and others settled on February because of two significant birthdays that month, that of Abraham Lincoln and the date chosen by Frederick Douglass to celebrate his birth — born into slavery on the Eastern Shore — because he did not know the actual date.
Our Say: Black History Month works to retell the American story so it includes all of us
February 26, 2021
