Ep 28: Black History Month Centennial, 1926–2026: One Hundred Years of Black History Month

Ep 28: Black History Month Centennial, 1926–2026: One Hundred Years of Black History Month

Author: Dr. Reiland Rabaka February 12, 2026 Duration: 46:37

"If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated."
— Dr. Carter G. Woodson

In 2026, we mark 100 years of Black History Month. One hundred years of intentional remembering, rigorous study, and collective struggle around Black life and Black humanity. One hundred years of insisting that Black history is not a footnote to American history but central, foundational, and indispensable.

In this special centennial episode, Dr. Reiland Rabaka pays tribute to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the historian and activist who founded Negro History Week in 1926. Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson understood that the erasure of Black history was strategic and political. He believed that a people cut off from their past are easier to dominate in the present and to deny a future.

Dr. Rabaka explores how Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month by 1976, reflecting broader cultural shifts including the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and global decolonization. The shift from "Negro" to "Black" reflected a reclamation of identity, dignity, and power.

This episode examines four essential questions: What is Black History Month and where did it come from? Why does it matter for anyone committed to justice and democracy? Why is 2026 such a consequential year? And why does Black History Month remain urgently relevant in the 21st century?

Dr. Rabaka makes clear that Black History Month is for anyone who believes American history should be told honestly. To study Black history is to study the unfinished project of American democracy and to learn how ordinary people forced extraordinary change.

The episode features an original poem, "Sankofa and the Mathematics of Survival," exploring the Akan principle from Ghana, West Africa. Sankofa teaches that knowledge is cumulative, wisdom is layered, and forgetting is dangerous. It means critical retrieval, ethical remembrance, and purposeful return in service of collective renewal.

As we mark this centennial, Dr. Rabaka confronts the danger of misremembering: nostalgia without commitment, reverence without responsibility. The struggles of countless ancestors were not meant to be admired. They were meant to be enacted.

See the full show notes and the Black History Month playlist on our website.


Dr. Reiland Rabaka hosts The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, a series produced in collaboration with the Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Each episode feels like a necessary gathering, a space where the rhythms of song, the lessons of the past, and the ongoing work of building a just society converge. You’ll hear dialogues that are both courageous and nuanced, moving beyond simple answers to examine how cultural expression and historical understanding fuel democratic engagement. This podcast is built on the conviction that art and critical thought are not separate from the fight for equity; they are its very heartbeat. Rabaka guides these explorations with a scholar’s depth and a listener’s curiosity, drawing connections between a protest anthem, a pivotal moment in history, and the contemporary struggle for racial justice. It’s an audio experience designed to provoke thought, deepen perspective, and remind us that learning itself is a form of action. Tune in for insightful reflections and powerful conversations that challenge, inspire, and underscore the interconnectedness of our cultural and political lives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 33

The Cause:  Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
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