Code Switch The history of Black History Month, one hundred years in
Feb 4, 2026
Jarvis Givens, Harvard professor of education and African and African American studies and author of I'll Make Me a World, explores the 100-year history of Black History Month. He traces its origins from Negro History Week, highlights grassroots preservation by teachers and communities, and discusses how celebrations shifted over time. The conversation centers on memory work, everyday lives, and the politics of teaching Black history.
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Origins As Corrective Historical Project
- Black History Month began as a corrective intellectual project, not trivia about famous firsts.
- Carter G. Woodson intended it to build critical historical consciousness in Black communities.
Early Oratory Shaped Personal Identity
- Jarvis Givens recalls memorizing Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" passages in preschool.
- Performing Black poetry and speeches shaped his public-speaking confidence and identity.
Everyday Lives Give Context To Icons
- Focusing only on celebrated figures sanitizes Black history and hides everyday lives.
- Studying ordinary people reveals the social contexts that shaped famous leaders.
