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Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents is our award-winning radio news magazine, broadcasting Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community. Listen to full episodes at kalw.org/crosscurrents

The story of Black History Month

Portrait of Carter G. Woodson
National Museum of African American History
Portrait of Carter G. Woodson

This story first aired on February 21, 2022 and it aired again most recently in the February 26, 2024 episode of Crosscurrents.

Black History Month is winding down and we wanted to know: what’s the history of Black History Month?

The idea came from a man named Carter G. Woodson in 1915. He created an organization called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. The purpose was to raise awareness of the history of Black people. In 1926 Woodson started the first “Negro History Week.”

In this interview, we hear from Stanford Historian Michael Hines about Woodson’s story and how his idea would become the month that we celebrate today.

Read more in this article from Stanford News about The history of Black History Month.

This interview was produced by Erin Copp.

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Crosscurrents CrosscurrentsBlack History
Hana Baba is host of Crosscurrents, KALW's weeknight newsmagazine that broadcasts on KALW Public Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area.