In 1915 Carter G. Woodson traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the festivities planned in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the emancipation of African American slaves. At the end of this three-week festival, on September 9, 1915, Woodson met with four other attendees and founded the Association of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The following year, 1916, Woodson founded and became the first editor of The Journal of Negro History. The ASNLH established the Negro History and Literature week, which is now celebrated as Negro Achievement week. In 1916 an official press release was issued announcing Negro History Week. So why celebrate Black History Month in February? Interestingly Woodson selected the month of February because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass have February birthdays. In the late 1940s the week-long celebration was extended for the entire month of February. In the 1960s the name was officially changed from Negro History Week to Black History Month. In 1976, and every year since, the President of the United States has officially declared February as Black History Month.
References:
Scott, Daryl Michael. "Origins of Black History Month." Association for the Study of African American Life and History, accessed Janruary 27, 2021. https://asalh.org/about-us/origins-of-black-history-month/.