Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a founding member of what is now called the Association for the Study of African American History, announced the first “Negro History Week” in 1926, selecting February because it held the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two icons in the history of blacks in America.

The celebration grew to a monthlong observance in 1976. Beginning with Gerald Ford, every president has issued a proclamation honoring February as Black History Month.