King reflects on origins, importance of Black History Month

What began as Negro History Week in 1926 has grown into what is now recognized as Black History Month. As the 100th anniversary approaches, it provides an opportunity to reflect on how it began and to consider its future.

To offer a comprehensive overview of the history and importance of Black History Month, UBNow spoke with LaGarrett King, director of the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education in the Graduate School of Education.

Scholars, including King, credit historian, author, journalist and educator Carter G. Woodson with the creation of Negro History Week and its eventual expansion into Black History Month. Born to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson spent his early years working on farms and in coal mines before pursuing higher education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Berea College, a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a PhD in history from Harvard University in 1912 — becoming only the second African American to do so, after W.E.B. Du Bois.

“Woodson’s groundbreaking work made Black history visible, accessible and integral to the nation’s story,” King says. “His vision established a tradition of celebrating and preserving the legacies of Black people who shaped the nation.”

February was selected as Black History Month to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. According to King, the timing was both practical and intentional.

“Black communities had been celebrating Frederick Douglass Day since the late 19th century,” King explains. “Using February allowed for a seamless transition, honoring two major figures in Black history while building on traditions that already existed. It also expanded the celebration beyond college campuses to include schoolchildren and the broader public.”

While President Gerald Ford’s 1976 proclamation is often credited with formally recognizing Black History Month, King notes the shift from a week to a month began years earlier.

“The move from Negro History Week to Black History Month was already happening in many Black communities, schools and colleges before 1976,” King says. “The origins of Black History Month are often traced to Kent State University’s Black student organization, Black United Students, which held a Black History Month celebration in 1970.”

While Ford’s recognition gave Black History Month national visibility and legitimacy, it did not establish a curriculum mandate. In 1986, Congress passed legislation designating February as “National Black History Month,” further institutionalizing its observance. Today, however, curriculum standards for teaching Black history are set at the state and local levels, and instruction varies widely by district. Some states require Black history as part of K–12 curricula, while others do not.

“Overall, most teachers continue to miss the mark when teaching Black history,” King says. “If educators only follow state standards, the content is often limited to slavery, Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement. The instructional approaches tend to be mundane and disconnected from the present, which leaves little understanding of how this history shapes contemporary society. As a result, many people are left with fragmented views of our current world.”

King notes that some educators are seeking out organizations and resources designed to better support Black history instruction. One such resource is his own Teaching Black History Principles.

“These principles have been adopted by teachers and school districts across the country,” King says. “I regularly receive emails describing how they have helped educators restructure their courses and rethink how they teach.”

He adds that while Black History Month has increased awareness overall, there is still significant work to be done.

“More teachers are teaching Black history now than they were 50 years ago,” King says. “But much work remains.”

He says there’s still so much more to explore around the origins of Black History Month and to consider for its future.

“We need to understand more on what local teachers did the first 50 years of Negro History Week, especially in places where it was frowned upon. We need to learn about the next 50 years and what changed when Negro History Week changed to Black History Month. We need to know more about local and state leaders who promoted Black History Month. We need to know how all students were influenced by Black History Month.”

King recommends reading books such as “I’ll Make Me A World” by Jarvis R. Given, “The Early Black History Movement” by Pero Gaglo Dagbovie and “Making Black History” by Jeffrey Aaron Snyder to learn about some of the additional and important history around Black History Month.

As the 100th anniversary of Black History Month approaches, King says the milestone carries important personal meaning.

“I feel proud,” he says. “As someone working to build and sustain an institution — the Center for K–12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education — I understand how difficult that work is. I don’t know whether Carter G. Woodson imagined Negro History Week evolving into something larger or lasting this long, but its continued existence speaks to his vision and to the determination of Black communities.”

King also points to recent political tensions surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which have raised questions about the future of such institutions.

“My response has always been, ‘We do not need permission to celebrate history,’” he says. “Black History Month exists because the people created it, and it will continue as long as the people sustain it. Black communities have nurtured Black History Month and made it what it is today. As someone trying to sustain an institution myself, that gives me hope — even during challenging times.”