A new study is shining a light on how Black Americans celebrate Black History Month.
The report by Collage Group found that while 26 percent of Americans celebrate Black History Month, 76 percent of Black Americans celebrate the month.
The most common way Black Americans celebrate the month is by supporting Black-owned businesses. Fifty-eight percent of Black respondents indicated this is how they celebrate the month, though 48 percent said they celebrate by educating themselves on Black history and culture.
Black History Month is the brainchild of Carter G. Woodson. Born in 1875 in New Canton, Virginia, to two formerly enslaved illiterate parents, Woodson earned his PhD from Harvard University.
In 1915, he started the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, with the goal of teaching, preserving, researching and making public the history of African Americans.
In 1926, Woodson launched Negro History Week, to be celebrated in the second week of February. He wanted the holiday to align with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and scholar and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford extended the week-long recognition to a full month to “honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Today, 66 percent of Black respondents said the month is important to the Black community in general, according to the study, while 41 percent said it is important for non-Black Americans to celebrate or acknowledge Black History Month.
The survey comes at a time when the instruction of Black history is facing scrutiny around the country.
Since 2021, at least 18 states have imposed bans or restrictions on teaching topics of race and gender, according to reporting by Ed Week. Some of these bans have led to the banning of books written by Black authors.
A new advanced placement African American Studies pilot program came under scrutiny in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year forbade the course from running in public schools in the Sunshine State. Arkansas also banned the pilot program.
In December, Missouri’s Francis Howell School District Board of Education voted to stop offering courses on Black History and Black Literature. The classes had been available to students at the three high schools in the district since 2021.
“In a time when there are debates about teaching Black History around the country, we see the significance the Month holds,” Sudipti Kumar, director of multicultural insights at Collage Group, told The Hill in a statement.
“Historically, Black History Month has been an opportunity to celebrate Black Americans' rich cultural heritage and that desire persists,” Kumar added. “In general, Collage Group research finds that very few Americans across race or ethnicity don’t want brands to celebrate or acknowledge this Month in their marketing efforts – which speaks to an overall desire to see Black History Month effectively represented in our society – whether that be through education in schools or by brands/companies educating consumers.”
According to the study, 54 percent of Black Americans said brands should teach about Black history in America while 42 percent said brands should focus on recognizing the injustices Black Americans face today.
Still, Jack Mackinnon, senior director of cultural insights at Collage Group, said it's important to note the specifics of how many Black Americans want brands to engage in celebrating the Month.
Though 68 percent of the Black segment said they want brands to celebrate Black History Month, 23 percent don’t have a preference.
“In other words, the risk for brands to acknowledge and partake in Black History Month is very low, and the reward for engaging in the month is very high,” Mackinnon said.
