Black History Month occurs only once a year. In the United States, society honors the success, culture, and impact of African Americans every February. In contrast to the U.S., however, some countries, like Canada and the United Kingdom, celebrate the event in July.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 192
6, which is where Black History Month began. Dr. Woodson arranges Negro History Week to fall on the birthdays of two significant individuals in African American history, Fredrick Douglass (February 14) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12). In 1976, former President Gerald Ford extended the celebration from a week to a month. Since then, the event is celebrated each year during February with a new theme. The theme of 2025 is African Americans and Labor, highlighting the contributions of African Americans to the economy and community building.
Danbury High School celebrates Black History Month yearly. This year is the first year DHS has a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) club and to get students involved they have been “holding fun flexes every Thursday to bring students together, planning to hold a spirit week at the end of the month, and is even having a community party,” says Yamnkela Lutz a member of the NAACP club. With these events, the club hopes to bring not only the students and faculty together, but also the community. Although the NAACP club was just established this year, Lutz wishes more could have been done. With that being said, she understands that with the budget given that was not a possibility. She does hope, however, that as the NAACP becomes more well-known and established, the club will begin to grow and gain the attention it deserves.
Black History Month honors the historical accomplishments made by African Americans and is a time for self-reflection, celebration, and unity. The NAACP group at DHS is working to promote knowledge and community involvement. As the club continues to grow, so do its expectations to educate, inspire, and bring people together in the spirit of Black History Month, not just in February but all year long.
