What does “Arts” mean? It can be a painting. It includes acting or dancing. Of course, there is written art — with poems and books. Don’t forget music! In each of these art forms, African Americans have made an impact. Black History Month is a time to celebrate. The 2024 theme is “African Americans and the Arts.”
Carter G. Woodson created Black History Month. He was a teacher. In 1915, Woodson founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Then he made “Negro History Week” in 1926. Now it is “Black History Month.” Each year, the ASALH creates the theme.
People of African have been creating art in the United States for hundreds of years. They were producing artwork even before it was a country. For example, enslaved people wove baskets from grasses in South Carolina in the 1600s. Back then, it was a colony. Weavers continue to show their craft there today.
“We can still see the unbroken chain of Black art production,” said the ASALH. It said that goes “from antiquity to the present.”
Art has always been an important form of Black expression. Enslaved people sang while they worked. It was a way to express their feelings. By the early 1900s, Black musicians played blues. Those include Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. In 1973, Clive Campbell created hip-hop. Black rappers helped make it popular.
The work of Black artists served another purpose. “African American artists have used art to history,” said the ASALH. For example, enslaved people passed down songs from parents to children. You can hear that in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” That song helped preserve Black .
Black artists shaped U.S. culture. Those include authors, cooks, and designers. Each has a story to tell. And their stories must be told. The ASALH celebrates “the richness of the past and present.”
Updated January 31, 2024, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
