For more than 40 years, February has served as an opportunity for our nation to recognize the history of African Americans.
First recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976, Black History Month has become an American institution. Every year, TV programs, publications, websites and more take the time to recognize figures and facts about African Americans and the contributions they have made to our culture and heritage.
Our newspapers have been no exception, as we have worked on several stories covering or previewing upcoming Black History Month events in the area, as well as profiling several local African Americans who have made history close to home.
While only a few days remain in the month, we wanted to take the chance to highlight some facts about Black History Month, as well as about the contributions made by African Americans, that you may not know about, courtesy of facts.net.
• Black History Month dates back to 1926, at which time it was known as Negro History Week. At this time, the celebration lasted only a week, and began on Feb. 12.
• By 1969, the celebration of Negro History Week had become widely popular across the US. This was due in part to the growth of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Starting in early 1969, the leaders of the Black United Students at Kent State University in Ohio suggested that the celebration should be extended from just one week to the whole month of February.
• The U.S. is not the only country to celebrate Black History Month. Canada also began to observe Black History Month in 1995. The celebration was officially recognized by a 2008 bill, which received unanimous approval. In Canada, Black History Month is also observed in February.
• Another country that also celebrates Black History Month is the United Kingdom. In the UK, this month-long celebration takes place in October.
• Many tools and dishes Americans use everyday were created by African Americans: mashed potatoes was created Dr. William C. Davis; air-cooling units for transportation trucks were created by Frederick McKinley; and Phil Brooks received the first patent for the disposable syringe.
• Famous scholar W.E.B Dubois was the first African American to receive a doctorate degree from Harvard. The second was Carter G. Woodson, a son of former slaves, in 1912.
• Madam C. J. Walker, born with the name of Sarah Breedlove, became America’s first self-made millionaire. She built her wealth through developing her own line of beauty and hair care products designed for African-American women. She was the wealthiest African-American woman at the time of her death.

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of General Manager Ambrosia Neldon and editors Scott Novak and Ted Yoakum.