“Black history month must be more than just a month of remembrance. It should be a tribute to our history and reminder of the work that lies in the months and years ahead”
-Marty Meehan

The history of our forefathers has always been a much discussed topic. The story of the struggle that every country underwent to rise to what it is today has intrigued all generations that followed.
One historic tale that is lesser known to most people is the “Black History Month”.
The synopsis of this event has been given below as facts.

1) The first Modern Black History Month was in 1976.
By 1969 interest in black history had grown exponentially due to the efforts of many brave men and women who marched for their civil rights throughout the 1960s. This brought along the transition of “Negro History Week” to Black History Month .The first Black History Month was suggested by the leaders of the Black United Students at Kent State University in Ohio in February 1969. The first Black History Month was then held in the year 1970.During the United States Bicentennial six years later in 1976, Black History Month was officially recognized by the federal government.

2) Black History Month is observed by other countries as well.
Canada began observing Black History Month during the month of February and an official bill came into effect in the year 2008 which was unanimously approved.
The United Kingdom celebrates Black History Month in October and not February.

3) Black Population in the US held important Posts.
There are 46 black members in the 114th Congress and the first black senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels, who represented Mississippi from 1870 to 1871.The first black congresswoman was Shirley Chisholm, who represented New York during seven terms.

4) The blacks also had a professional basketball team.
“The Renaissance” was the name of the first black professional basketball team. They were nicknamed the Rens and once won an amazing 88 consecutive games.

5) Robert Henry Lawrence Jr was a well-known black astronaut.
Robert Henry Lawrence Jr was the first black astronaut, but he died before he could travel to space. The first black astronaut in space was Guion Bluford in 1983.

6) Potato chips were invented by a black man.
In 1853, a restaurant customer sent his French fries back to the kitchen because they were too thick. The chef, George Crum, cut potatoes as thin as he could, fried them crisp and thus was born the famous potato chips!

7) Other inventions by African Americans.
The golf tee, gas mask and modern blood bank were also invented by African Americans.

8) There has been severe criticism about Black History Month.
Many people think that a full month should not be dedicated to history of just one race and black history should be integrated with the remainder of US or British history.

9) The March in Washington.
This represented a coalition of several civil rights organizations. The demands of the march were the passage of meaningful civil rights legislation and elimination of racial segregation in public schools. It also asked for a $2 an hour minimum wage; and self-government for the District of Columbia, which had a black majority.

10) Important cities in Black History.
The black population was concentrated mainly in the southern regions initially but after a series of calamities after the civil war, they migrated north. The black population is concentrated mainly in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Harlem New York, New Orleans, Kansas and Washington DC.