By asalh.org
Known as the “Father of Black History”, Carter G. Woodson was the son of formerly enslaved people and understood the importance of gaining a proper education when striving to secure and maximize one’s divine right of freedom.
The story of Black History Month begins in Chicago in 1915, Carter G. Woodson traveled from Washington, D.C. to participate in a national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation sponsored by the State of Illinois. Inspired by the three-week celebration of the 1912 Republican Convention held at the Coliseum, Woodson decided to form an organization to promote the scientific study of Black life and history before leaving town.
Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform. It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping Black history, namely Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are February 12th and the 14th, respectively.
When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis.
This year’s theme is African Americans and Labor. The theme focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – intersect with the collective experiences of Black people. Work is at the very center of much of Black history and culture. The 2025 Black History Month theme, sets out to highlight and celebrate the potent impact of this work.
