Black History Month wasn’t always a monthlong celebration. In February 1926, historian and author Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week. It was a weeklong celebration in an effort to teach people about African-American history and the contributions of Black people.

Black History Month was recognized nationally in 1976, when President Gerald Ford designated the month as a time for the public to honor the contributions of Black Americans, according to the museum. The month has since inspired other groups and an appreciation of multicultural backgrounds.

Every Black History Month and Juneteenth, pioneers in African American history are often mentioned like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali and Harriet Tubman. They are revered and in the spotlight because they are on stamps,

Feb. 1 marks the first day of Black History Month, and suddenly the study of the Black experience may feel like an act of defiance.

This year's Black History Month theme celebrates the role of Black labor in building the nation through industry or community work.

Groups celebrating Black History Month are including this year’s theme of African Americans and Labor as part of their commemorations.

Trump’s Black History Month message was surprisingly subdued, as he simply expressed “honor” in celebrating Black Americans’ contributions.

Black History Month theme, African Americans and Labor, focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds.

The Trump White House has issued a proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month around the same time the Defense Department issued guidance declaring “identity months dead.”

An order from Donald Trump‘s administration has ordered the Pentagon to stop Black History Month activities and many more celebrations. In a memo to the Pentagon’s intelligence agency, the White House revealed that all activities related to Black History Month are now banned.