Black History Month Exhibition

"A Century of Black History Commemorations"

2026 Black History Month Exhibit

"A Century of Black History Commemorations"

Exhibit Archive

This year marks 100 years since the first organized national Black history commemoration in 1926, a groundbreaking cultural celebration established by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) to honor and illuminate the vital contributions of Black Americans.

Black History Month is a celebration of Black history and culture, but also a time for reflection and correction. It began when leaders and advocates sought to change the fact that the historical record often excluded or overlooked African American stories, achievements, and cultural contributions. What began as a focused effort to preserve Black history has grown into a national observance that deepens our understanding of American history.

From its origins in the early 20th century to its lasting influence today, Black History Month has expanded the definition of achievement to include not only political and civil rights milestones but also artistic innovation, cultural leadership, and individual excellence across generations.

This exhibition traces the origins of Black History Month and celebrates New York State as a national leader in shaping how Black history is preserved and honored.

Please note that historical documents in this exhibition may contain outdated and offensive terminology and depictions.

The Origins of Black History Month

Black History Month 2026 We are the Custodians

For much of American history, the achievements of African Americans were excluded from textbooks, museums, and public memory. Black history was often treated as marginal, or omitted entirely, despite its central role in shaping the nation.

Black historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who recognized that understanding Black history is essential to understanding American history as a whole, encouraged schools and communities to study Black life, culture, and achievement. In 1926, he helped launch “Negro History Week,” established in February to honor the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The celebration found early support, especially in New York, where activists founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.

As schools, churches, and civic groups embraced “Negro History Week,” its impact expanded. During the Civil Rights Movement, interest in Black history and culture grew alongside demands for equality and representation. In 1976, the U.S. government officially recognized Black History Month, affirming its national importance.

Caption: A poster celebrating the nation’s bicentennial honored Black educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune. Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Negro History Week Press Release

Press release announcing “Negro History Week” in February 1926.

Courtesy of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

White House Negro History Week Letter

In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the nation’s bicentennial and the 50th anniversary of “Negro History Week.”

Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Black History Month 2026 White House Letter

Expanding Definitions of Achievement

Black History Month 2026 WEB Du Bois photo

The century-long efforts to recognize Black history have helped expand definitions of achievement for African Americans beyond a narrow focus on survival or singular firsts.

This wider recognition — across fields such as arts and culture, science and innovation, education, business, and community leadership — affirms that African American accomplishments have actively shaped our state and our nation, rather than existing on the margins of history.

By valuing cultural expression, intellectual labor, collective progress, and political milestones, we honor the full scope of contributions that have shaped our shared history.

Caption: W.E.B. Du Bois, ca. 1946. Photo by Carl Van Vechten, Yale University Library Collection.

W.E.B. Du Bois "Negro History Week" Article

In February 1951, Black scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois penned an article, “Negro History Week,” in the New York newspaper “The Daily Compass.” He credited Dr. Woodson with emphasizing the impact of African Americans’ intellectual, cultural, and social achievements on American history.

New York Teacher News

In 1953, the New York City Board of Education published a “Negro History Week” supplement in its “New York Teacher News” bulletin.

The piece included poetry by Black artists, information about the effects of prejudice, book recommendations “about Negro life” for children, and more. It also emphasized the importance of teaching Black history.

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg collected books, documents, and artifacts that preserved and celebrated Black history. He sold his collection to the New York Public Library in 1926, then served as its curator from 1932 until his death in 1938.

The collection formed the basis of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and helped promote scholarship and public awareness.

Arts as History and Resistance

Black artists, musicians, writers, and performers have long documented history through creative expression. The Harlem Renaissance helped a mass audience recognize Black literature, visual art, and theater as cultural triumphs and powerful platforms for acts of resistance. The movement to celebrate Black history elevated the arts from niche forms of entertainment to vital historical records.

Arts as History and Resistance

The New Negro: An Interpretation

The New Negro: An Interpretation (1925), edited by Alain Leroy Locke, encouraged Black Americans to exert agency over their creative self-expression.

The anthology is widely considered the spark that ignited the Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant explosion of Black culture in literature, music, and art in Harlem, New York, in the 1920s.

Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

(Enlarge image)

Colored Musicians Club

Members of the Buffalo Local 533 Musicians’ Union chartered the Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo in 1935. The club, a separate entity from the union, purchased the property at 145 Broadway, where it still operates. It is the only continuously running all-Black-owned music venue in the nation.

Photo by Andre Carrotflower/Wikimedia Commons, 2019.

(Enlarge image)

Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City in 1958. It was the first major Black repertory dance company, described as being “established to uplift the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality with its universal humanity.”

Today, it is known as one of the most acclaimed dance companies in the world, continuing its legacy of giving African American choreographers and dancers opportunities for self-expression and visibility to a global audience.

Photo portrait of Alvin Ailey by Carl Van Vechten, 1955. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

(Enlarge image)

The Black Arts Movement

The Black Arts Movement (1965-1975) emerged from the Black Power Movement. Writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other cultural leaders celebrated Black identity and history through art. The movement’s impact, however, helped advance civil rights and advocate for social and political change.

Poets Audre Lorde and June Jordan are just a few of many New Yorkers involved in the Black Arts Movement.

Audre Lorde. Photo by Jack Mitchell, Getty Images

June Jordan. Image courtesy of Harvard University, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America.

The Birth of Hip-Hop

The 1520 Community Center at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx is officially recognized as the birthplace of hip-hop music. On August 11, 1973, the party’s emcee, DJ Kool Herc, used his pioneering “merry-go-round” technique, switching between two records to extend the instrumental breaks in songs and give dancers more time to perform. Such innovations sparked early hip-hop culture and influenced generations of performers.

Courtesy of the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Black History Month 2026 Birth of Hip Hop

History as Inspiration

Black History Month is not just about marking the past; it is an ongoing practice of recognizing how history continues to shape and inspire policy, civic leadership, and opportunities. Each generation adds its own voices and perspectives to expand the story. By celebrating Black history, we deepen our understanding of American identity and resilience.

Hazel Dukes, a pioneering civil rights leader, became President of the NAACP New York State Conference in 1977. Her tireless advocacy for equal opportunities in housing, education, and the workforce influenced several gubernatorial administrations and earned her the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP's highest honor.

In January 2023, Dukes made history in Albany, becoming the first layperson in the U.S. to administer the oath of office to a governor — Governor Kathy Hochul.

Photo courtesy of the NAACP.

Harlem native Charles B. Rangel was one of the longest-serving members of U.S. Congress in history. He represented New York City districts for 46 years, becoming the first African American chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Prior to his public service career, Congressman Rangel served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for leading dozens of soldiers from behind enemy lines despite being wounded himself.

In 2014, former President Barack Obama established the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Task Force at the federal level to focus on closing opportunity gaps for young men of color. Two years later, New York became the first state to accept President Obama’s challenge and enact the initiative into law.

Today, the New York State Department of Education manages MBK, which includes more than 20 communities in its network. In addition to initial educational and employment milestones, MBK in New York State is committed to responding to structural and institutional racism.

Black History Month 2026 State of the State

In 2025, during her State of the State for Future Leaders engagement, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a Black Girls Mentoring Initiative based on the success of the New York State Latinas Mentoring Initiative.

Milestones in Black History A New York Timeline

View Timeline