Black history is American history, and though we pay special attention to the significant achievements and contributions Black Americans and people of African descent have made to this country during February, learning and honoring Black history is absolutely of year-round importance.
"Black History Month shouldn't be treated as though it is somehow separate from our collective American history,” said President Barack Obama in 2016. “It's about the lived, shared experience of all African Americans, high and low, famous and obscure, and how those experiences have shaped and challenged and ultimately strengthened America.”
History of Black History Month
Black History Month’s roots started in 1915 — half a century after slavery was abolished — when scholar Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He urged other Black scholars and civic organizations to promote their community’s achievements, and out of that motivation the Association sponsored Negro History Week in the second week of February 1926.
By the late 1960s, Woodson’s concept was expanded into what we now recognize as Black History Month, officially recognized by President Gerald R. Ford during the 1976 bicentennial.
How Madison is Celebrating
There are plenty of local events around Madison to celebrate Black History Month. Here are a few to check out.
“I AM A Man: The Rehumanization of Black Men” is a group exhibit at the Goodman South Madison Library inspired by the slogan of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike that became a hallmark of the civil rights movement. Listen to curator Sharon Bjyrd and artist Jerry Jordan on the City Cast Madison podcast talk about how the exhibit celebrates the humanity and joy of Black men.
Black Heritage Celebration at Madison Children’s Museum on Feb. 13 is a free event celebrating the Black community with Black artists, musicians, and leaders. There will also be hands-on arts and crafts activities for families.
Black Box Sessions is an inaugural series on the UW-Madison campus celebrating Black music and culture. On Feb. 13, New York hip-hop duo Smif-n-Wessum will perform at the Wisconsin Union Theater.
SOULful Joy is a new group art exhibit at Madison College running all month long that celebrates Black joy and resilience. The opening ceremony takes place Feb. 6, and the exhibit honors the memory of Dzigbodi Akyea, a community leader and academic advisor who died in 2021.
History of Racial Covenants is a new traveling exhibit that looks at the racially and ethnically restrictive language that were hidden in the covenants of Dane County neighborhoods. The exhibit will be at Monona Library starting on Feb. 6.
✏️ Rob Thomas contributed to this article.
