Black History Month wasn’t always a monthlong celebration. In February 1926, historian and author Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week. It was a weeklong celebration in an effort to teach people about African-American history and the contributions of Black people.

Feb. 1 marks the first day of Black History Month, and suddenly the study of the Black experience may feel like an act of defiance.

This year's Black History Month theme celebrates the role of Black labor in building the nation through industry or community work.

Black History Month theme, African Americans and Labor, focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds.

In celebration of Black History Month, there is free admission to the Evansville African American Museum throughout the month of February. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday,

Trump’s Black History Month message was surprisingly subdued, as he simply expressed “honor” in celebrating Black Americans’ contributions.

The Trump White House has issued a proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month around the same time the Defense Department issued guidance declaring “identity months dead.”

An order from Donald Trump‘s administration has ordered the Pentagon to stop Black History Month activities and many more celebrations. In a memo to the Pentagon’s intelligence agency, the White House revealed that all activities related to Black History Month are now banned.

The Defense Intelligence Agency also ordered the suspension of events marking LGBTQ Pride Month, Juneteenth and Holocaust Remembrance Day.