Carter G. Woodson was a scholar whose commitment to honouring Black people's historical contributions led to the founding of Black History Month, which has been observed every February since 1976. Woodson was a firm believer in Black people being proud of their heritage and that all Americans should be aware of Black Americans' often ignored achievements.

NAACP tells us that Woodson overcame adversity to become a well-known historian and the author of several important books on African-Americans. Woodson's education was inconsistent, as he was born in 1875 to illiterate parents who were former slaves. When he was a child, he helped out on the family farm, and as a teenager, he worked in the West Virginia coal mines to supplement his father's low income. He was mostly self-taught and hungry for knowledge.

Despite paying dues, Woodson was denied entry to American Historical Association conferences, leading him to conclude that the white-dominated historical profession was uninterested in Black history. African-American accomplishments were "missed, neglected, and even suppressed" by history textbook authors and teachers, he said.

Woodson knew that in order for Black scholars to research and preserve Black history, he would have to establish a different institutional structure, which he did successfully.