The City of Jersey City, Mayor Steven Fulop, the Municipal Council Members and the Office of Cultural Affairs were proud and honored to celebrate the African American History Month during the flag raising on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

 African American History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States. It was first recognized in 1976 as an expansion of Negro History Week, which was first established in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. In February 1969, Black History Month was first proposed by black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970.  In 1976, the celebration expanded to include the entire month of February, the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, an American social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman.

 While African American History Month is synonymous with prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, George Washington Carver and Barack Obama, there are countless other African Americans who’ve made a profound impact in history: self-made millionaire Madam C.J. Walker, astronaut Mae C. Jemison, open-heart surgeon Daniel Hale Williams, inventor Garret Morgan, media mogul Oprah Winfrey and “Father of Black History” Carter G. Woodson, who lobbied extensively to establish African American History Month as a nationwide celebration, among many others.

 African American History Month has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, while in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom it is observed in October.

Mayor Fulop and the City Council are joined by community members

To view the flag raising on YouTube please, CLICK HERE