Black History Month starts this weekend, but its origins are more than 100 years old. Here's why it's always celebrated in February.

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.

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.

No other president, Republican or Democrat, has ever used a Black History Month proclamation for such crass self-promotion.”

DELMARVA- Historically Black Colleges and Universities known as HBCUs emerged after the Civil War to provide Black Americans the most basic of human rights, access to a full education. For over 180 years,

Carolyn Wallace is adamant that opportunities to learn black history need to be ongoing, not merely boxed in the confines of a 28-day space. “Regardless of what black history exists, it’s 365/24/7,” Wallace,