Black History Month 2021 As explained by the ASALH, “When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public.” (ASALH-Black History Themes, 2020) The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity is 2021’s theme of focus.

The black family has been a topic of study in many disciplines—history, literature, the visual arts and film studies, sociology, anthropology, and social policy. Its representation, identity, and diversity have been reverenced, stereotyped, and vilified from the days of slavery to our own time. The black family knows no single location, since family reunions and genetic-ancestry searches testify to the spread of family members across states, nations, and continents. Not only are individual black families diasporic, but Africa and the diaspora itself have been long portrayed as the black family at large. While the role of the black family has been described by some as a microcosm of the entire race, its complexity as the “foundation” of African American life and history can be seen in numerous debates over how to represent its meaning and typicality from a historical perspective. The family offers a rich tapestry of images for exploring the African American past and present.

ASALH. (2020). Black History Themes. 2021- The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. Retrieved December 2, 2020 from the ASALH website: https://asalh.org/ black-history-themes/

To delve further on this theme topic or to participate in 2021 Black History Month Virtual Festival, see the ASALH.org website.