2026 to Mark Century of Black History Commemorations

National theme announced to honor civil rights milestones and Black leaders

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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The year 2026 will mark a century of commemorations and celebrations of Black history and civil rights milestones in the United States. The national theme for 2026 will be "A Century of Black History Commemorations", highlighting pivotal events and figures from the past 100 years of the ongoing struggle for racial equality.

Why it matters

The 2026 theme aims to educate the public on the long history of the civil rights movement and the courageous individuals who risked their lives to fight for justice and desegregation. By reflecting on these critical moments, the commemorations will inspire continued progress towards racial equity and inclusion.

The details

The sit-in movement of the 1940s and 1960s was a key tactic of the civil rights era, with early examples in Chicago in 1943 and Des Moines in 1948. The most famous sit-in took place in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960, when young Black students refused to leave a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter, sparking a wave of similar protests across the South that helped force the desegregation of public accommodations.

  • The Chicago Sit-In took place on May 15, 1943.
  • The Katz Drug Store sit-in in Des Moines, Iowa occurred on July 7, 1948.
  • The NAACP Youth Council sit-in at Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City happened on August 19, 1958.
  • The Greensboro sit-in began on February 1, 1960.

The players

Edna Griffin

An activist who led a sit-in at a Katz drug store in Des Moines, Iowa in 1948, successfully filing a lawsuit that helped desegregate the establishment.

Clara Luper

A high school teacher who led the NAACP Youth Council in a 1958 sit-in at a segregated Katz Drug Store lunch counter in Oklahoma City.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

A civil rights organization that organized the 1943 Chicago Sit-In, one of the earliest recorded sit-in protests.

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The takeaway

The sit-in movement of the mid-20th century was a pivotal tactic in the broader civil rights struggle, with courageous activists like Edna Griffin, Clara Luper, and the Greensboro students risking arrest and violence to challenge segregation and inspire further progress. The 2026 national theme will provide an opportunity to reflect on and honor these historic milestones.