The Impact of Woodson

By: BHS Features Staff

February 5, 2025

We are five days into February, which means we are also five days into Black History Month. Therefore, we decided to explore the origins of Black History Month instead of writing an article about important individuals.

Black History Month started in 1915 in Chicago, Illinois. Carter G. Woodson, an alumnus of The University of Chicago, traveled from Washington, D.C., to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation. Thousands of African-Americans from everywhere traveled to celebrate and highlight the progress people have made since the destruction of slavery. On September 9, 1915, Woodson met four individuals to form the Association for the Study of Black Life and History (ASNLH).

Woodson wished for the world to popularize the accomplishments of African-Americans, which he added to the Journal of Black History, his creation in 1916. He asked black civic organizations to promote these achievements. In 1924, they responded to Woodson by publishing Black History and Literature Week, which was later named Black Achievement Week. 

In the 1920s, Black History Week spread and became a tradition in schools. Due to the uprising of black people migrating to the South, black literature and culture spread rapidly. This caused black history groups to form, and teachers prepared all of the needed materials.

The reason Woodson picked February for BHM is because it is commonly stated that February holds two important figures who helped shape black history. Those people were Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas, whose birthdays fell on February 12 and February 14. The other important reason why February was selected was because of traditions since Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. The black community and many others celebrated the fallen president’s birthday, and since the late 1890s, they have celebrated Douglas’ birthday as well. Woodson was also aware of pre-existing traditions, so he made Black History Week around some of those traditional days of commemorating black history.

Woodson never liked that it was originally a celebration of Lincoln and Douglas. Although they were important to black history, he believed that history was made by the people and not simply just by two great men. He believed that it should be focused on the countless men and women who contributed to society. 

In the 1930s, Woodson made sure that teachers, black and white, had better education and had a greater education than the students. Any speakers who the teachers brought in also had to be knowledgeable. Books that were published by black people slowly started showing up in schools and markets. 

In the 1940s, schools in the South slowly started to teach Black History, often by black teachers. Black history was a topic that was eventually added to U.S. History. This did not mean that every teacher accepted this new curriculum, though. There was a report of a teacher hiding all of Woodson’s textbooks under the desk, making sure the principal would not find out to avoid conflict. 

In West Virginia during the 1940s, many African-Americans started to celebrate February as Black History Month due to Woodson often giving speeches there. By the 1970s, Black History Month became an annual celebration, nationally. 

Before Woodson’s death in the 1950s, he pushed for schools to use Black History Week to show what the students had learned all year. He also made sure that adults could learn about their past with a black studies extension program.

Anyone can celebrate Black History Month, regardless of their cultural background because as American citizens, we are a melting pot of societal contributions.

“No man knows what he is capable of until he tries,” Carter G. Woodson.

{Information for this article is sourced from ASALH.}