The first black history observance was launched in February of 1926 by Carter G. Woodson. Several landmark events in black history occurred in February, for example:
- February 23, 1868: W. E. B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, was born.
- February 3, 1870: The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.
- February 25, 1870: The first black U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels (1822-1901), took his oath of office.
- February 12, 1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City.
- February 1, 1960: In what would become a civil-rights movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.
- February 21, 1965: Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was shot to death by three Black Muslims.
