Афроамерикалық тарих айы: Тарих пен мәдениеттің мерекесі

Annual celebration of Black history
the song

Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African American History Month and was formerly known as Negro History Month before 1976. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, initially lasting a week before becoming a month long observation since 1970. It is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, where it has received official recognition from governments, but more recently has also been celebrated in Ireland and the United Kingdom where it is observed in October.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week". This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated since the late 19th century. The thought process behind the week was never recorded, but scholars acknowledge two reasons for its birth: recognition and importance. In 1915, Woodson had participated in the Lincoln Jubilee, a celebration of the 50 years since emancipation from slavery held in Bronzeville, Chicago. The summer long Jubilee, which drew thousands of attendees from across the county to see exhibitions of heritage and culture, impressed Woodson with the need to draw organized focus to the history of black people. He led the founding of the ASNLH in Chicago that fall, toward the end of the Jubilee. From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of Black Americans in the nation's public schools. The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the departments of education of the states of North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia as well as the city school administrations of Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D. C. Despite this limited observance, Woodson regarded the event as "one of the most fortunate steps ever taken by the Association", and plans for an annual repeat of the event continued. In 1929, The Journal of Negro History noted that, with only two exceptions, officials with the state departments of education of "every state with considerable Negro population" had made the event known to that state's teachers and distributed official literature associated with the event. Churches also played a significant role in the distribution of literature in association with Negro History Week during this initial period, with the mainstream and Black press aiding in the publicity effort. Throughout the 1930s, Negro History Week countered the growing myth of the South's "lost cause", which argued that enslaved people had been well treated, that the Civil War was a war of "northern aggression", and that Black people had been better off under slavery. Woodson wrote, "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions, you do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it." Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout the following decades, with mayors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday.

In the Black community, the creation of Black History Month was met with enthusiastic response; it prompted the creation of Black history clubs, an increase in interest among teachers, and interest from progressive whites. For example, "Black Health and Wellness" in 2022 focused on medical scholars, health care providers, and health outcomes. The Wall Street Journal describes Black History Month as "a time when the culture and contributions of African Americans take center stage" in a variety of cultural institutions, including theaters, libraries, and museums. Black History Month has garnered attention from the U. S. business community. In 2018, Instagram created its first Black History Month program with the help of its Head of Global Music & Youth Culture Communications, SHAVONE. Instagram's Black History Month program featured a series of first time initiatives, including a #BlackGirlMagic partnership with Spotify and the launch of the #CelebrateBlackCreatives program, which reached more than 19 million followers. In February 2020, many American corporations commemorated Black History Month, including The Coca Cola Company, Google, Target Corporation, Macy's, United Parcel Service and Under Armour. On February 18, 2016, 106 year Washington, D. C., resident and school volunteer Virginia McLaurin visited the White House as part of Black History Month. When asked by President Barack Obama why she was there, McLaurin said: "A Black president. A Black wife. And I'm here to celebrate Black history. That's what I'm here for."

In the United Kingdom, Black History Month was first celebrated in October 1987 The year of 1987, recognized as the African Jubilee, was coincidentally the year of the 150th anniversary of Caribbean emancipation, the centenary of the birth of Marcus Garvey and the 25th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity, an institution dedicated to advancing the progress of African states. Black History Month in the UK was organised through the leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai Sebo, who had served as a coordinator of special projects for the Greater London Council (GLC) and created a collaboration to get it underway. The first Black History Month celebration in the UK was held in London on October 1, 1987, when Dr. Maulana Karenga from the US was invited to an event by the Greater London Council about Black people's contributions to history. Some institutions have faced criticism for supporting Black History Month with images of people from British Asian backgrounds, using the term "black" to refer to political blackness encompassing all people of color.

In Berlin in 1990, members of the Black German community began observing Black History Month. Programs have included discussions of black Europeans, international African perspectives, the history of civil rights in the U. S., and apartheid in South Africa.

In 1995, after a motion by politician Jean Augustine, representing the riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore in Ontario, Canada's House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month and honored Black Canadians. In 2008, Senator Donald Oliver moved to have the Senate officially recognize Black History Month, which was unanimously approved.

Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, notes: "Black History Month Ireland was initiated in Cork in 2010. This location seems particularly appropriate as, in the 19th century, the city was a leading center of abolition, and the male and female anti slavery societies welcomed several black abolitionists to lecture there, including Charles Lenox Remond and Frederick Douglass."

In France, Black History Month was first organized in 2018 in Bordeaux. Since then, there have been celebrations in Paris, Le Havre, Guadeloupe, La Rochelle and Bayonne. In 2022 the month was dedicated to Josephine Baker, a dancer and member of the French Resistance during World War II born in the United States.

In 2020, Black History Month was celebrated in seven African countries for the first time. Participating countries were Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Comores, Senegal and Cameroon. The event was initiated by the organisation Africa Mondo founded by Mélina Seymour. From 2021 onwards an African History Month was celebrated in March.

When first established, Black History Month resulted in some controversy. Those who believed that Black History Month was limited to educational institutions questioned whether it was appropriate to confine the celebration of Black history to one month, as opposed to the integration of Black history into mainstream education for the whole year. Another concern was that, contrary to the original inspiration for Black History Month, which was a desire to redress how American schools failed to represent Black historical figures as anything other than enslaved people or colonial subjects, Black History Month could reduce complex historical figures to overly simplified objects of "hero worship". Other critics refer to the celebration as a form of racism. Actor and director Morgan Freeman and actress Stacey Dash have criticized the concept of declaring only one month as Black History Month. Freeman noted, "I don't want a Black history month. Black history is American history."