In a nation rich in history of all sorts, February is the designated month to reflect on the history of African Americans.

Black History originates from Negro History Week in 1926, created by Carter G. Woodson.

Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, chose to celebrate Negro History on the second week of February in honor of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas.

In the following decades, many cities began celebrating Negro History Week. Partly thanks to the Civil Rights Movement, Negro History Week started being celebrated as Black History Month.

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month, telling America to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Jerry Anderson, a ULM history professor, said Black History Month changed the way history was viewed.

“In the past, the United States’ history was about white politicians. Social change was not a part of it. Ethnic and racial minorities were not a part of it. Black History Month has helped change this by introducing Americans to the contributions of those other than powerful white figures,” said Anderson. “Recognizing that black workers built the economy of the South–and thus the nation–is the sort of thing we need to remember.”

Since 1976, every February has been Black History Month.

In recent years, a theme has been assigned to Black History Month. Last year’s theme was “Black Women in American Culture and History,” while 2013’s theme is “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality.”