In 1920, Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson (1875-1950) founded "Associated Publishers." In February 1926, he announced the institution of Negro History Week, which coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

In 1976, the observance was expanded to "National Afro-American History Month," in honor of the nation's bicentennial. Beginning in 1975, U.S. Presidents have paid tribute to the mission of the association and urged all Americans to celebrate Afro-American History Month.