One hundred years ago, a visionary named Carter G. Woodson proposed a bold idea: a dedicated week to celebrate the history and achievements of Black people. He knew that our history was foundational to the American story despite being ignored, overlooked, and suppressed.
Today, as we mark the centennial of what grew from Negro History Week into Black History Month, we celebrate a century of resilience and our unyielding demand to be seen, heard, and respected. Since its inception, Black History Month has served as a powerful declaration that Black history is American history.
We look back at this past century with pride, reflection, and determination.
Pride for the giants whose shoulders we stand on: people like Dr. Woodson, who armed us with knowledge, leaders like Thurgood Marshall, a son of the NAACP, who used the law as a weapon for justice, and activists like Rosa Parks, whose quiet courage ignited a movement. We honor the artists, the scientists, the innovators, the hidden figures, and the everyday heroes whose contributions have shaped every facet of our nation. Their stories are ones of triumph against unimaginable odds.
At the same time, we reflect on the painful truths of this journey. The century behind us was marked by lynchings, voter suppression, and systemic discrimination. Our fight for basic human dignity and rights was met with brutal resistance along the way, but the NAACP was born from this struggle, and for 117 years, we have been on the front lines, fighting for a world where your race does not determine your destiny.
Today, under the leadership of President Trump, we face a new, insidious campaign to erase the very history we celebrate every year. We’ve seen the efforts to ban books, to rewrite curricula, and to silence the voices that speak truth to power. There are those who seek to sanitize our past, to pretend that the deep wounds of slavery and Jim Crow have simply healed on their own.
But let us be clear: We will not allow this to happen. We will not stand by while any forces attempt to turn the clock back on progress, and we will certainly not let them rob our children of the truth.
This Black History Month, we must remain committed to the work that remains: ensuring every Black vote is counted, that every community is safe, that every child has the opportunity to succeed, and that the fight for equity and justice rages on.
The next chapter of our history is being written right now, and it must be written by us, the people.
