Black History Month has been celebrated in February since 1969, but its roots can be traced back even further to the early 1900s. Originally, recognition took place during the second week of February to honor Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, whose birthdays fall on the 12th and 14th of February, respectively. Observances continued to grow until 1969, when students and teachers from Kent State University declared all of February as Black History Month. The celebration of Black history continued to expand across the country until February 1976, when President Gerald R. Ford issued a message officially recognizing February as Black History Month, becoming the first U.S. president to do so.
Below is a brief list highlighting famous activists in Black history. If you are unfamiliar with any of the names featured, we encourage you to research these prominent figures to better understand how they have impacted history.
- Louis Armstrong – One of the most influential figures in jazz music history.
- Bessie Coleman – The first African American woman to hold a pilot's license.
- Frederick Douglass – A renowned social reformer, abolitionist, and writer in the 19th century. He is known as the "father of the abolitionist movement."
- Mae Jemison – Engineer, physician, and former astronaut; the first African American woman to travel to space.
- Martin Luther King Jr. – American minister and activist; one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement, best known for his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
- Rosa Parks – American activist known as the "mother of the civil rights movement" for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- Jackie Robinson – The first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era.
- Harriet Tubman – Abolitionist and social activist. She was a former slave known for helping others escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad.