Black History At 100
This year Black History Month reaches a powerful milestone: 100 years of recognition, reflection and resistance. What began in 1926 as Negro History Week, envisioned by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson has evolved into a global observance that honors not only Black achievement, but Black impact. Black history is not a sidebar to American history. It is the framework upon which much of America’s progress has been built.
At UC Berkeley Extension, where education meets real-world transformation, this centennial moment invites us to ask deeper questions: What does it mean to honor Black history in a world shaped by complexity? And how do institutions of learning continue to serve as vessels of meaningful change?
Why We Celebrate Black History in America
Black History Month exists because Black contributions were systematically excluded from textbooks, institutions and public memory. Dr. Woodson understood that a nation unable—or unwilling—to acknowledge the full truth of its past could not responsibly shape its future.
Black Americans were foundational in building this country—economically, culturally, intellectually—while simultaneously being denied its promises. From enslavement to emancipation, from Jim Crow to civil rights, Black history tells the story of America grappling with its own ideals.
Yet Black history is not defined solely by struggle. It is also a story of innovation, resilience, leadership, creativity and vision.
Explore:
National Museum of African American History & Culture
https://nmaahc.si.edu
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
https://asalh.org
The Blueprint: How Black History Opened Doors for Others
The freedoms many Americans now experience—across race, gender, sexuality, disability and immigration status—were not granted voluntarily. They were fought for, often first by Black Americans.
The Civil Rights Movement laid the legal and moral groundwork for:
- Women’s rights and Title IX protections
- Disability rights legislation
- LGBTQ+ equality and marriage rights
- Immigrant labor protections
- Fair housing and voting rights
The strategies of nonviolent protest, grassroots organizing, legal challenge and cultural storytelling became a blueprint replicated across movements. When Black Americans expanded democracy, they did so for everyone.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That truth continues to reverberate.
Explore:
Library of Congress: African American Research Guide
Black Excellence as Intellectual and Cultural Capital
Black Americans have shaped nearly every domain of American life:
- Science and medicine (Dr. Charles Drew, Henrietta Lacks)
- Education and scholarship (W.E.B. Du Bois, bell hooks)
- Law and policy (Thurgood Marshall)
- Arts and culture (James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, August Wilson)
- Technology and innovation (Katherine Johnson, Mark Dean)
Black culture has continuously redefined language, music, fashion, politics and social thought—often without attribution, yet always with undeniable influence.
Black history teaches critical thinking, systems analysis, ethical leadership and creative resistance. These are not niche lessons; they are core competencies for navigating today’s interconnected world.
We Place Education as a Vessel for Change
UC Berkeley Extension has long stood at the intersection of access, rigor and relevance. As an institution rooted in Berkeley’s legacy of free speech, activism and academic excellence, UC Berkeley Extension plays a vital role in translating values into practice.
In a world facing complex challenges—economic inequality, technological disruption, climate change, social polarization—education must do more than inform. It must empower.
Through:
- Inclusive program design
- Workforce-aligned education
- Lifelong learning opportunities
- Global and multicultural perspectives
We continue to reflect the spirit of Black History Month—not as a moment, but as a methodology.
Education becomes a tool for equity when it:
- Centers lived experience alongside theory
- Welcomes learners from all backgrounds
- Challenges systems while preparing people to lead within them
Explore:
Celebrating Our Black Instructors, Students | UC Berkeley Extension | Voices
History & discoveries - University of California, Berkeley
Black History Is American History and Human History
At its core, Black History Month reminds us that progress is collective. When Black Americans pushed America to live up to its ideals, they reshaped the possibilities for everyone who came after.
The centennial of Black History Month is not just a celebration, it is a call to action. A call to teach truthfully. To lead ethically. To design systems that work for many, not few.
At UC Berkeley Extension, honoring Black history means continuing to educate for impact, complexity and justice—ensuring that learning remains a powerful force for societal transformation.
Black history is not behind us.
It is beneath us, the foundation.
And it is before us, the future we are still building together.
