By The Editors

African-American history has not always been celebrated for an entire month.

The February tribute known as Black History Month began in 1926 as Negro History Week, created by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a distinguished scholar who was determined to counteract the deliberate omissions of and distortions about black Americans’ history found in most school history textbooks, which virtually ignored black Americans except to occasionally portray them as socially inferior.

Prior to launching Negro History Week, Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915. The following year, he created the renowned Journal of Negro History.

It is said that Woodson selected the second week of February for Negro History Week because it includes the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom had a deep impact on America’s racial history and the laws of the land.

The article, “Black History Month has additional meaning in ‘09″ from the February 2 issue of USA Today, quotes an Atlanta high school student as saying that the election of Barack Obama has made Black History Month come to life. The article also spotlights the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, with the organization’s new President and CEO, Benjamin Todd Jealous, explaining that President Obama’s election does not signal the end of the struggle for justice, equality and civil rights.

America “won’t be post-racial until we are post-racism,” Jealous said.

• Read the USA Today story.
• To learn more about Black History Month and view an interactive Black History Timeline.
• Learn more about the NAACP and its 100th anniversary celebration.