Black History Month Zoom Background

The start of February marks the beginning of Black History Month. To honor its observance at OIT, we created a new Zoom background for 2023. You can download it here.

 The roots of Black History Month go back to 1926, 61 years after emancipation, when Black historian Carter G. Woodson launched “Negro History Month” as an annual observance taking place during the second week of February. The second week of February was chosen because it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14).

 In 1969, Black educators and students at Kent State University in Ohio proposed the celebration of Black History Month. The first observance took place a year later. In 1976, President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month nationally for the first time.

 This year’s Black History Month theme is Black Resistance, addressing the many ways in which Black Americans have resisted oppression so that Black life can be sustained, fortified, and respected. To learn more about Black History Month in the U.S., visit blackhistorymonth.gov.