who is the father of black history

The person widely known as “the father of Black history” is Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian, author, educator, and journalist who pioneered the formal study and public celebration of Black history in the United States.

Quick Scoop

• Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875 in Virginia to formerly enslaved parents and rose to become a leading scholar of African American history.

• He founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 (today the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, ASALH).

• In 1916, he created The Journal of Negro History to publish research on Black life and contributions.

• In 1926, he launched “Negro History Week,” which later evolved into what we now celebrate as Black History Month.

• Because of these foundational efforts, he is commonly called the “father of Black history” and the founder of Black History Month.

In short: when people ask “who is the father of Black history,” they are almost always referring to Carter G. Woodson.

Why he’s given that title

• Woodson realized that Black achievements and experiences were largely excluded from schools and mainstream history, even after he earned his PhD from Harvard in 1912.

• He built institutions (ASALH, a scholarly journal, public lectures, and curricula) specifically to research, preserve, and teach Black history.

• His work laid the groundwork for today’s Black History Month and for the broader academic field of African American history.

Today’s relevance and “trending” angle

Every February, discussions of Black History Month almost always mention Carter G. Woodson and his role in creating Negro History Week and popularizing the study of Black history.

Educational institutions, media outlets, and public forums continue to highlight his legacy as debates about curricula, representation, and historical memory remain highly visible in current news and online conversations.

TL;DR

Carter G. Woodson is recognized as the father of Black history because he created the key organizations, scholarship, and celebrations—especially Negro History Week—that grew into Black History Month and firmly established Black history as a respected field of study.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.