Happy 100th Birthday!
2026 marks a milestone of both progress and persistence in the United States, the 100th anniversary of federal recognition for Black Americans. What began as a singular week of learning and recognition called Negro History Week in 1926 has grown into an overall cultural observance of Black History throughout the month of February.
The architect of this movement was Dr. Carter G. Woodson. A historian and educator, he also holds the distinction of being the second African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University, following W.E.B. Du Bois. As the son of formerly enslaved parents, Dr. Woodson understood that denying people of their history denies them of their humanity. “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history,” he wrote.
To combat that, he launched Negro History Week (NHW) to coincide with the February birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, the two figures whom he felt were symbolically tied to African American freedom. His goal was simple but ambitious: to integrate Black history into the educational curriculum, public libraries, local churches, and communities at large across the nation. He did not design the week to be a symbolic gesture; instead, it was meant to be a permanent shift in how America viewed and understood itself.
By 1976, the United States formally expanded the week-long recognition into Black History Month with the essence of Woodson’s vision remaining unchanged: Black history is not a sidebar to American history - it is part of it.
The 100-year anniversary prompts reflection not only on what has been accomplished, but also on why this work continues to matter.
Black History Month is often associated with familiar icons - Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman - yet the deeper intention is about uncovering thousands of stories once ignored: scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, academics, inventors, policy leaders, soldiers, and everyday citizens who shaped the nation.
For students, leaders, and global citizens, engaging with Black history is not only about honoring resilience - it is about building cultural competency, learning from systemic injustice, and developing the leadership skills required in an increasingly diverse world. Woodson warned: “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition... it stands in danger of being exterminated.”
This Black History Month is not simply a date on the calendar; it is a powerful reminder to recognize the generations who fought for inclusion in the historical record, even when the nation resisted acknowledging their humanity.
And as the world pauses in 2026 to honor a century of commemoration, the message remains as clear — and necessary — as ever:
Black history is American history. And remembering it strengthens us all.
by Doug Melville, FORBES contributor