Chicago Women Played Key Role in Creating Black History Month

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While Dr. Carter G. Woodson is credited as the founder of Black History Month, a new report highlights the vital contributions of Black women in Chicago who helped lay the groundwork for the annual celebration. Figures like Mary Church Terrell, Vivian G. Harsh, and Madeline Stratton Morris organized early Black history programs, built expansive archives, and pushed for curriculum changes that paved the way for the nationwide observance.

Why it matters

The report underscores the often overlooked role of Black women activists, educators, and librarians in shaping the origins of Black History Month. Their efforts to preserve and promote Black history laid critical foundations that allowed the annual celebration to grow and become widely adopted across the United States.

The details

Mary Church Terrell, a founding member of the National Association of Colored Women, successfully pushed for Douglass Day celebrations in schools starting in 1897 - nearly 30 years before the establishment of Negro History Week. Vivian G. Harsh, Chicago's first professional Black librarian, built the largest Black history collection in the Midwest and organized Negro History Week programs. In 1942, Madeline Stratton Morris created the first Black history curriculum for Chicago Public Schools, the first such program adopted by a major school system.

• In 1897, Mary Church Terrell began advocating for Douglass Day celebrations in schools.
• In the late 1920s, Vivian G. Harsh organized Negro History Week programs in Chicago.
• In 1942, Madeline Stratton Morris created the first Black history curriculum for Chicago Public Schools.