2026 Black History Month Message from City African American Network (CAAN)

January 28, 2026

As we celebrate Black History Month, we honor the rich cultural heritage, contributions and achievements of Black people throughout history. This month serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey towards social justice and economic empowerment.

Black History Month recognizes and pays tribute to the contributions that African Americans have made to American history through their struggle for freedom and their innovations in science, industry, culture and the arts, which deepen our collective understanding of our shared history.

Black History Month is a time for remembering significant and influential people and events in the history of the African diaspora, and the resilience and strength of the Black community.

The national theme for Black History Month 2026, "A Century of Black History Commemorations," celebrating 100 years of formally recognizing Black history in the U.S., encourages us to take opportunities for reflection on the power and necessity of remembering Black history as a core part of American history. It highlights the important ways that celebrating Black history transforms identity, builds pride, and promotes Black progress in the modern world.

As a society currently facing a strong political effort to erase Black history and its influence in this country, it has never been more important to examine and honor the lessons learned and emphasized during Black History Month. Black history's indisputable value and impact is not only its contribution to shaping and molding mainstream historical narratives, but also its reverberation in the lives of Black people whose DNA is etched with the essence of a rich history and extraordinary ancestors.

Additionally, let us not forget that this nation, as a whole, currently faces many of the same challenges, obstacles, and threats that our celebrated ancestors faced; and it is now our time to write what will be the Black History, and the American History, for our descendants.

Let us stand united in our efforts to promote the values and importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace and beyond; even when the words themselves are erased by proclamation and authoritarian contempt, and in spite of what society may be attempting to influence by physical, financial, and legal threat.

Together we can make a difference as inequality and injustice towards Black people continues to plague our systems, cities, states, and country, and regardless of whether it is acted upon, ignored, or relinquished, it is the right and responsibility of all community members to advance the American notion of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.