Black History Month

February 2, 2008

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Profile America — Saturday, February 2nd. This is Black History Month — a time to recall and celebrate the positive contributions to our nation made by people of African descent. Started as a special week in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson, the observance has gone by several names and is now a full month of activities across the country. There are just over 40 million African-Americans in the U.S., about 13½ percent of the total population. The largest number — 3.2 million — live in New York state. Seventeen states have a population of least a million blacks. Among the states, Mississippi has the highest proportion of African-Americans — 37 percent. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 109
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB08-FF.01
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/010969.html