Black History Month (or African-American History Month) was first proposed by black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in February, 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later from January 2-Feb. 28. Six years later, President Gerald Ford (Grand Rapids native!) formally recognized Black History Month during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. He urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." (Information taken from Wikipedia article on Black History Month).

To celebrate Black History Month, we are featuring “Stories of Unsung Heroes" on our Instagram, highlighting important but perhaps lesser-known African Americans, and sharing books from the Hekman collection about these significant men and women. Also, be sure to browse our Black History Month reading guide (brought to you with help from the Center for Intercultural Student Development at Calvin).