Black History Month is here and while we’re always on that type of time at Urban One, it makes sense to turn to Black Twitter and view how the collective is bringing in February. Along with the historical facts and knowledge bombs, there is a smattering of jokes mixed in there as well.
Black History Month in America has roots that date back to 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week. A month-long celebration of Black history took place at Kent State University back in 1970 and six years later, President Gerald Ford officially recognized the month in 1976. There are similar celebrations in the United Kingdom, Canada, and several countries in Africa.
More from BlackHistory.gov:
As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.
While prominent Black leaders, politicians, and celebrities are rightly celebrating the history of Black people properly, there are also some performative acts of support that abound as expected. That said, much of what we’ve seen so far is positive and welcomed on this side.
Check out some of the Black History Month tweets from Black Twitter below.
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Photo: ayagiz / Getty
