Black history did not begin as a monthlong celebration. It started as Negro History Week in February 1926. Still, its roots go back to 1915, when historian Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Woodson chose February for the observance to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two key figures in Black American history.
In 1975, President Gerald Ford urged Americans to recognize the important contributions Black citizens have made to the nation’s life and culture. The following year, during the U.S. bicentennial, the observance was expanded from a week to the entire month of February and officially became Black History Month.
In 1986, Congress passed Public Law 99-244, formally designating February as National Black History Month. The law marked the 60th annual public and private recognition of Black history in the United States.
At Bay View High School, staff and students have been honoring Black History Month by decorating classroom doors and organizing programs that highlight Black culture and history.
The school itself has a complex history. Bay View Historical Society documents that the building is now more than 100 years old and existed before African American students were allowed to attend. Learning this history helps students better understand how the past shapes the present.
Recognizing Black history is important because it ensures that the contributions, struggles, and achievements of Black Americans are acknowledged as a vital part of the nation’s story, not just in February, but year-round.
