What Is The History Behind Black History Month?

4. In 1969, a Week Became a Month

In 1969, teachers and students at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, proposed making Negro History Week a month-long celebration of black history, known as Black History Month. This was met with support from the African-American community and the country in general, riding on the coattails of the Civil Rights Movement and an increasingly racially-aware country. The first Black History Month was celebrated in 1970.

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