Believe it or not, some of the things that you use every day were invented by African Americans. For example: the traffic light, blood banks, laser cataracts treatments, tissue holders, automatic gear shifts and peanut butter.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson is the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson helped begin the first Negro History Week in February which turned into Black History Month in 1976.

Congress officially declared February as Black History Month in 1986, meaning that there were countless years before where African Americans didn’t receive the respect and attention that they deserved.

Black History Month is a time when we look back on all the past greats, everything that they have done, and the impact that they have made.

For African Americans everywhere, the celebration of Black History Month is important as it shows that others acknowledge our ancestors and everything that they’ve done for our country.

There are other activists that I didn’t get to mention in my articles, but their contributions will not go unnoticed as we should continue to celebrate them throughout the rest of the year.

Black History Month isn’t the only federal holiday: we also have Juneteenth. Juneteenth is short for June Nineteenth which marks the day in history where federal troops traveled to Galveston, Texas in 1865 to free enslaved people.

The celebration of Black culture and Black activism is not something that should be limited to February.