Veritext is honored to celebrate Black culture, history, achievements, experiences, joy, voices, and stories – today and every day. In an effort to build more inclusivity in our workplace and communities, we have pulled together the resources below.
Explore the history, arts, & culture of the Black experience in the U.S. throughout time
Celebrating the icons, moments, & milestones from activists & educators to authors & filmmakers
Celebrating U.S. Black music makers, pioneering artists, names to know & pop culture icons
Learn about pioneers & innovators throughout history, from Sojourner Truth to Jean-Michael Basquiat
How Black History Month began and how it has changed to what it is today | Just the FAQs
UNITED STATES
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of Carter G. Woodson, a leading historian, and Jesse E. Moorland, a prominent minister. Together they created an organization now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The ASALH first sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs, and host performances and lectures.
Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
The Black History Month 2024 theme is “African Americans and the Arts” spanning the many impacts Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements, and more. Source / Source
CANADA
In 1978, the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) was established. Its founders, including Dr. Daniel G. Hill and Wilson O. Brooks, presented a petition to the City of Toronto to have February formally proclaimed as Black History Month. In 1979, the first-ever Canadian proclamation was issued by Toronto.
The first Black History Month in Nova Scotia was observed in 1988 and later renamed African Heritage Month in 1996.
In 1993, the OBHS successfully filed a petition in Ontario to proclaim February as Black History Month. Following that success, Rosemary Sadlier, president of the OBHS, introduced the idea of having Black History Month recognized across Canada to the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament.
In December 1995, the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada following a motion introduced by Dr. Augustine. The House of Commons carried the motion unanimously.
In February 2008, Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate, introduced the Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month. It received unanimous approval and was adopted on March 4, 2008. The adoption of this motion completed Canada’s parliamentary position on Black History Month. Source.
The 2024 theme for Black History Month is: “Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build”. This theme celebrates the rich past and present contributions and accomplishments of Black people in Canada, while aspiring to embrace new opportunities for the future.
The theme aligns with the 10th year of the International Decade for People of African Descent and recognizes that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected.” Source
Why February? Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s creation of “Negro History Week” | NPS
Portia White: The African-Canadian contralto singer who won international acclaim / Historica Canada
History Celebrates Black History Month
MasterClass: Black History, Freedom, and Love.
These 30 Black History Documentaries Will Teach You a Lot
Black History is American History | Netflix Watch List
Why Black History Month Shouldn’t Exist | Let Lee Explain
Black Booksellers Recommend 25 Books To Read During Black History Month and Beyond
20 books that are essential reading for Black History Month
Great Short Stories by African-American Writers
34 Powerful Black History Month Poems for All Ages
African-American Rights Movements: Legislation / Court Cases
Why Do We Celebrate Black History Month? | The Wise Channel
As both the originator of pop gospel and a popularizer of the electric guitar, Sister Rosetta brought an emotionally charged dimension that was foundational to rock’n’roll. Her hit recordings, beginning in the late 30s and lasting into the 50s, informed a Who’s Who of early rock’n’roll.
James Baldwin was a writer whose works helped to raise public awareness of racial and sexual oppression. His honest portrayal of his personal experiences in a national context challenged America to uphold the values it promised of equality and justice.
Willie O’Ree is the first Black hockey player to play in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. He debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on January 18, 1958.
Gladys West is an American mathematician known for her contributions to the mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of the satellite geodesy models that were eventually incorporated into the Global Positioning System
Before Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin was arrested at the age of 15 for bravely touting her constitutional rights to remain seated near the middle of the bus
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress, representing New York’s 12th congressional district. In 1972, she made history again by becoming the first Black woman of a major party to run for a presidential nomination.
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