Black History Month Playlist (2024)

FAQs

What song was sung during Black History Month? ›

Known as the Black National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson.

The Black History Month 2024 theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” explores the key influence African Americans have had in the fields of “visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression.”

Each February, we celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans as part of Black History Month. It's an opportunity to understand Black stories, uplift Black voices and spotlight those who have made a difference in our culture and history.

In 1890, George Washington Johnson became the first African-American to make commercial records. The Library of Congress is now adding Johnson's "The Laughing Song" to the National Recording Registry.

Aretha Franklin

Following Sam Cooke in recording pop music, the rest is history. With an incredible 112 charted singles on the US Billboard charts, from 1961 all the way up to to 1998, Franklin's contribution to music and culture was symbolic.

Madam C.J.

Walker (1867-1919), who started life as a Louisiana sharecropper born to formerly enslaved parents in 1867, is usually cited as the first Black millionaire.

It was first celebrated during the second week of February in 1926 to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass (February 14). In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial, the week was expanded to a month.

Top 10 Best Black History Month Quotes:

"The time is always right to do what is right." "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear." "Have a vision. Be demanding."

Woodson and other prominent African Americans. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Carter G. Woodson was a scholar whose dedication to celebrating the historic contributions of Black people led to the establishment of Black History Month, marked every February since 1976.

Why is February Black History Month? ›

Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform. It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping black history, namely Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th and the 14th, respectively.

Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. It honors all Black people from all periods of U.S. history, from the enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the early 17th century to African Americans living in the United States today.

Black History Month celebrates African Americans' history, contributions, and achievements. Almost 100 years ago, Black History Month began as a weeklong event. It's now a month-long celebration that takes place every February. Black history embraces the 400-year-long record of Black life in America.

The celebration of Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976.

African American Spirituals as Protest Against Slavery

They sang songs such as "Come Along, Moses"[2] about the plight of the enslaved Israelites and the spiritual "Sampson" (also spelled "Samson"), about the strongest man, betrayed and put in chains.

Although the Negro spirituals are the best known form of slave music, in fact secular music was as common as sacred music. There were field hollers, sung by individuals, work songs, sung by groups of laborers, and satirical songs.

James Brown's iconic song “Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud” was released in August 1968, seemingly a fitting coda for a spring and summer that had been dominated by the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

The term "rhythm and blues," often called "R&B," originated in the 1940s when it replaced "race music" as a general marketing term for all African American music, though it usually referred only to secular, not religious music.