Black history month is a month where we can celebrate the excellence and success of black people in history and in present. As this month comes to an end, it is fascinating to reflect on the origin of this celebration.

Black history month was created in 1926 by Carter G Woodson. What first started as a week long celebration has now grown into a month long celebration and has been celebrated since,

We look back on great leaders like Malcolm X, Martin luther king, Rosa parks and others who were political and civil rights leaders. However, we also take this opportunity to look back on others who have transformed technology, created everyday necessities and fought for their countries and people.

Harriet Tubman was a abolitionist who helped slaves escape through the underground railroad. She also worked as a spy and nurse for the Union army during the Civil war.

Edward Bouchet was the first African American to earn a PHD from an American college. He was also the first African American physicist and educator. Lastly he was one of the first African Americans to graduate from Yale college.

Mary Jackson was one of the first women to help with the advancement of technology in NASA. She was a math mathematician and aerospace engineer. She worked in the segregated division at first because at the time they were still underneath the laws of jim crow. She worked her way up to the first African American woman engineer of the NASA affirmative Action program.

Although we celebrate great black leaders and people of the past we also celebrate the present leaders, students, and young people who are working to create change today.

Barack Obama was our first black president and changed history for black people as a whole.

Tony Weaver is a 23 year old black activist and founder of “weird enough production” which works to help change the misrepresentation of black men in the media.

Also programs and long running respected groups like the NAACP (national association of the Advancement of Colored People) Are still working hard to improve the black community.

With tons of new books and movies and other forms of entertainment coming out of people celebrating black culture or being proud of the black culture black history cannot be limited to one month.

Black history month is just a reminder and tribute to great leaders and activists and is a celebration of the culture and the people