African-American History Month

February is African-American History Month in the United States. Here is a bit of the background on this commemoration, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Fact for Features:

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month. Each year, U.S. presidents proclaim February as National African-American History Month.

Here at the Arkansas State Library, we have many print resources that center on African-American history and African-Americans.  We also have online databases, such as Gale Biography in Context, the Diversity Studies Collection from Gale, and the Chicago Defender newspaper archives, that can help students or others looking for more information about African-American history. These databases are available to the public here at the library.