Black History Month: 5 Interesting Facts About the Annual Cultural Celebration

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Wednesday, February 01, 2017

2. Why February?

The original Negro History Week fell on the second week of February due to its proximity to the birthdays of two notable 19th century figures, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809, and while Douglass' date of birth is unknown, the man himself chose Feb. 14 as the day to celebrate his birth.

In a related matter, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was officially founded on Feb. 12, 1909, or the 100^{th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.}