When is Black History Month 2024? How do we celebrate?

We celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January, but honoring the lives and contributions of members of the Black community in America continues all year long. And this month is set aside specifically for education and celebration of those who make a difference.

What is Black History Month?

Black History Month is an annual celebration that aims to teach about, honor and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of members of the Black community in America as well as their role in U.S. history.

When is Black History Month in 2024?

Black History Month is celebrated every February.

What is the 2024 Black History Month theme?

Each year, there is a theme for Black History Month. In 2024, the theme is African Americans and the Arts.

When did the celebration of Black History Month began?

In 1925, historian Carter G. Woodson and the organization he founded in 1915, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, announced Negro History Week. It first was celebrated in 1926, during a week in February that included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

According to the ASNLH, "Since Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, the Black community, along with other Republicans, had been celebrating the fallen president’s birthday. And since the late 1890s, Black communities across the country had been celebrating Douglass’. Well aware of the pre-existing celebrations, Woodson built Negro History Week around traditional days of commemorating the black past."

During the year of America's bicentennial, 1976, Black History Month was celebrated as an entire month for the first time. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Since then, every president has issued Black History Month proclamations, and in 1986, also the first year to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday, Congress designated February as “National Black History Month.”

The ASNLH now is known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and continues to advocate for the study and celebration of the achievements of the Black community.

How to celebrate Black History Month

There are many ways to celebrate Black History Month.

The website archives.gov/news/topics/african-american-history is one source with a comprehensive collection of historical figures, important moments and more to study the history of Black Americans. It includes resources including original documents, videos, educational materials and more.

Many local communities also hold celebrations, memorial services and more throughout the month, to do everything from showcasing vibrant arts and music to advocating for change. There are concerts, theater production, service projects and other events held throughout the month.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: How to celebrate Black History Month 2024