Black History Month is an annual celebration of the achievements and contributions of Black, African, and African American communities during the month of February. Born in 1875 in the state of Virginia, Carter G. Woodson, a distinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and historian, dedicated his life to the study of the African diaspora and maintained historical records of Black life and achievements globally. Woodson launched Negro History Week in February 1926 to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. This concept was later expanded into Negro History Month, and more than two decades after Woodson's death, U.S. President Gerald Ford wrote a message urging Americans to recognize Black History Month. Finally, in 1986, U.S. Congress passed a Public Law to officially designate the month of February as National Black History Month.