Last Updated: January 25, 2024
To celebrate this year’s Black History Month, Team AgLearn is providing information and resources to encourage engagement with this annual month-long commemoration.
Background
It was Carter G. Woodson, the "father of Black history," who first set out in 1926 to designate a time to promote and educate people about Black history and culture. Woodson envisioned a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black history in public schools. He designated the second week of February as Negro History Week and galvanized fellow historians through the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which he founded in 1915. His purpose was to focus and broaden the nation's consciousness about Black life in the United States. The idea eventually grew in acceptance, and by the late 1960s, Negro History Week had evolved into what is now known as Black History Month. Protests around racial injustice, inequality and anti-imperialism that were occurring in many parts of the U.S. in the 1960s were pivotal to the change. Fifty years after the first celebrations, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the country's 1976 bicentennial. Ford called upon Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Black History Month 2024 Resources
- Black History Month 2024 Resources from The Smithsonian External Link
- President Gerald R. Ford's Message on the Observance of Black History Month External Link
- More information about Black History Month from National Public Radio External Link
- Black History Month resources from the Library of Congress External Link
- Information from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History External Link
- Black History Month Resources and Events from the National Museum of African American History & Culture External Link
Featured AgLearn Resources
- Course: Foundations of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging External Link
- Learning Path: Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Leaders and Managers External Link
- Book: Seven Sisters and a Brother: Friendship, Resistance, and Untold Truths Behind Black Student Activism in the 1960s External Link
- Book: Building A Pro-Black World: Moving Beyond DE&I Work and Creating Spaces for Black People to Thrive External Link
- Book: Successful Black Entrepreneurs: Hidden Histories, Inspirational Stories, and Extraordinary Business Achievements External Link
- Book: Ending Checkbox Diversity: Rewriting the Story of Performative Allyship in Corporate America External Link
- Book: Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There External Link
- Audiobook: Race, Work, and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience External Link
- Audiobook: A Fool's Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture… External Link
USDA Resources
- Article: Agriculture in America: Deeply Rooted in Black Culture External Link
- Black History Month Spotlight: U.S. Representative Mickey Leland External Link
- Article: Black History Month - Celebrating Black American Achievements Past and Present External Link
- Article: Black History: Our Living History External Link
- Article: Jumpstart Your Heart with a “Daly” Dose of Healthy Foods External Link
- USDA Black History Month Archives External Link
USDA Black History Month Graphics
Please feel free to download and use the following USDA Black History Month 2024 African Americans & the Arts graphics in the zip file below.
Description: A colorful art piece of artwork with African American motifs centered around the Black History Month theme of 'African Americans and the Arts'. The graphic intertwines abstract musical instruments, various art media like watercolors, and graphic designs indicative of African motifs and design. The graphic also shows abstract plant leaves and floral designs in an overall abstract setting.
(Square Dimensions: 1024 x 1024 pixels)
(Meeting Background 01 Dimensions: 1212 x 682 pixels)
(Meeting Background 02 Dimensions: 1212 x 682 pixels)