Black Excellence

This Black History Month is even more special than all the ones that came before. 

It was February 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a historian who co-founded what is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, established what eventually became Black History Month. The celebration was a bit shorter then, starting as Negro History Week. As the week marked its first 50 years in 1976, President Gerald Ford called for the nation to recognize and celebrate Black history throughout the month of February each year.

Black history stretches back much longer than 100 years, of course. But it’s still important to mark 100 years of Black History Month. MNPS will do that this month by honoring some of the historic Black leaders we’ve named our schools for as well as some of the Black students, employees, and graduates who are doing bold and brilliant work in our schools and across Nashville today.