We have successfully made it through one month of 2019. January has come and gone, and now we are in February. February has many well known holidays such as Valentine's Day as well as President's Day. However, there is one thing that spans the entire month of February and is important to recognize. This is Black History Month!

Black History Month is a period of twenty-eight days designated for remembering and recognizing the great achievements of African Americans who accomplished incredible feats despite the trials they faced in attempting to do so.

Black History Month is more than recognizing the few names we frequently hear of. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, etc, all of whom are quite monumental figures in African American history, however, they are not all of our histories. More people and their contributions need to be recognized.

Throughout this month, I hope to highlight more contributions made to society by African Americans. But for now, let's begin with how February became to be known as Black History Month.

The accomplishments of African Americans were not always celebrated along the twenty-eight days of February. The celebration of these accomplishments used to only span just one week. This one week was referred to as "Negro History Week".

Historian Carter G Woodson (1875-1950), is the one credited with coming up with this celebratory week. Negro History Week ran during the second week of February, running parallel to the birthdays of Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.

Over time, Negro History Week evolved into a celebratory month due to several aspects including but not limited to the civil rights movement and more people coming to recognize African Americans as their own person. Although people in the late 1960's were beginning to celebrate the whole month, Black History Month had yet to be officially recognized until the year 1976.

President Gerald Ford, the thirty-eighth president, officially recognized Black History Month in 1976. He said the general public must "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."

So happy Black History Month here's to celebrating and continuing to learn more about the countless great people who shaped our world today!