Author and scholar Carter G. Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915. The son of former slaves, Woodson created the first Negro History Week in 1926 to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Fifty years later, the association designated the first Black History Month.
In honor of this year's celebration, travel in Harriet Tubman’s footsteps and discover the daring escape from slavery of William and Ellen Craft. Read about the great musicians who performed at the legendary Apollo theater in Harlem, and learn about Black History Month celebrations at the Smithsonian and the around the country.
The Invisible Line Between Black and White
Vanderbilt professor Daniel Sharfstein discusses the history of the imprecise definition of race in America
By T.A. Frail
On the Trail of Harriet Tubman
Maryland’s Eastern Shore is home to many historical sites and parks devoted to the heroine of the Underground Railroad
By Jeanne Maglaty
Martin Luther King Jr. by Mural
Photographer Camilo José Vergara captures varying portrayals of the civil rights leader in urban areas across the United States
By Jess Righthand
The Great Escape From Slavery of Ellen and William Craft
Passing as a white man traveling with his servant, two slaves fled their masters in a thrilling tale of deception and intrigue
By Marian Smith Holmes
Show Time at the Apollo
A stellar roster of African-American singers, dancers and comedians got their start at the venue, celebrating its 75-year history
By Lucinda Moore
A Civil Rights Watershed in Biloxi, Mississippi
Frustrated by the segregated shoreline, black residents stormed the beaches and survived brutal attacks on "Bloody Sunday"
By Matthew Pitt
Courage at the Greensboro Lunch Counter
Fifty years ago, four college students sat down to request lunch service at a North Carolina Woolworth's and ignited a struggle
By Owen Edwards
The Scurlock Studio: Picture of Prosperity
For more than half a century the Scurlock Studio chronicled the rise of Washington's black middle class
By David Zax
A Year of Hope for Joplin and Johnson
In 1910, the boxer Jack Johnson and the musician Scott Joplin embodied a new sense of possibility for African-Americans
By Michael Walsh
Memphis Blues, Mississippi Delta Roots
A random jaunt through the hallowed region that flavors the culture of its urban cousin to the north
By Jamie Katz
Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal’ Cells
Journalist Rebecca Skloot’s new book investigates how a poor black tobacco farmer had a groundbreaking impact on modern medicine
By Sarah Zielinski
