Black History Month 2026 Begins: A Century of National Commemoration and Celebration
Image Credit: Sam Gilliam, Wissahickon, 1975, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Funds from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2023.22.17 | blknews.com - Feb 2026
As the nation turns the calendar to February, the United States marks Black History Month 2026 — a milestone year commemorating 100 years since the very first national observance of Black history and culture. What began in 1926 as “Negro History Week,” created by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and leaders of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now ASALH), has grown into an enduring national movement honoring the richness, resilience, and contributions of Black Americans and the African diaspora.
A Theme for the Century: Reflection and Forward Motion
The official theme for Black History Month 2026 — “A Century of Black History Commemorations” — invites communities to reflect
not only on the history itself, but on how the rituals of remembering have helped shape culture, identity, and national understanding of Black life.
Your Park Story: Black History and Heritage
nps.gov - Feb 2026
Developed by a group of NPS staff and interns, this film explores the trauma, resilience, and beauty of the African American experience in our country.
More than 400 years of Black history and heritage are preserved in national parks and communities around the country. Discover stories shared by people who formed powerful connections with these places of history, nature, and enjoyment. Inspire others by sharing your “park story”!
At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs
Photo Credit & Article: nmaahc.si.edu - Feb 2026
At the Vanguard weaves together stories of ingenuity, artistry and resistance — through collections from Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University and Tuskegee University.
It is a collaboration between the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It is part of the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium Initiative made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and a bequest from Dr. Beryl Carter Rice.
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The Contribution of Black Writers to Literature
blknews.com - Feb 2026
The contributions of Black writers to literature began long before their work was widely recognized. Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American poet and Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and writer, used his autobiographies to expose the realities of slavery and argue for freedom.
By establishing themselves in a literary world that often excluded them, these writers created a tradition of resilience. Their works remain central to understanding both the history of literature and the broader history of social justice. Continue Reading
James Baldwin, 1924 - 1987
"NOT EVERYTHING THAT IS FACED CAN BE CHANGED.
BUT NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED UNTIL IT IS FACED."
Dubbed the “joy goddess of Harlem’s 1920s” by poet Langston Hughes, A’Lelia Walker was a dazzling cultural icon whose legendary parties and Dark Tower salon helped define the Harlem cultural scene.. Continue Reading
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Spoken Word & Hip-Hop
J. Cole Previews New Album ‘The Fall-Off’ With Introspective Teaser
yahoo.com & rollingstone.com - Feb 2026
The rapper’s seventh studio album is scheduled to arrive on Feb. 6, a date that corresponds with a local nickname for his hometown, Fayetteville, North Carolina.
J. Cole revels in the simplicity of domestic life in the official announcement trailer.
The clip opens with the rapper rinsing his truck at a self-service car wash. The next scene zooms in on him dining solo at a local restaurant.
There’s nothing high-scale or even particularly exciting about either. It’s all painstakingly normal, which seems to be the exact point.
A$AP Rocky Announces ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ World Tour Dates
Photo Credit: gettiyimages | xxlmag.com - Feb 2026
At long last, A$AP Rocky returns with his highly anticipated, oft-delayed new album Don't Be Dumb.
On Friday (Jan. 16), the Harlem, N.Y. rapper finally released his first solo album in seven years. Don't Be Dumb includes 17 songs, with production from The Alchemist, Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell Williams, Mike Dean, Hitkidd, Madlib, Metro Boomin and more. Features include Tyler, The Creator, Westside Gunn, Doechii, Sauce Walka and others. Rocky taps into multiple genres on the project, which was preceded by the singles "Punk Rocky" and "Helicopter$."
Next up...Poetic Melody
Rebirth Immortale: A Poetic Tale (Excerpt)
Each day life is lived
With the simplest of ease;
Everyone in their place,
Doing as they please.
Yet how often do you see
Consequences taken
In a manner in which
The soul repents
And is no longer forsaken?
Such a travesty occurs
In the ‘City of Waves’,
Deep, beyond mountains
And waterfall caves.
Those who dare enter
Must be beyond brave.
COPYRIGHT © 2021 All Rights Reserved
by Poetic Melody
The excerpt from
Rebirth Immortale: A Poetic Tale is currently still in progress by featured author, Poetic Melody.
Online Poetry Resources
Are you an Artist, Author or Poet?
Are you an Artist, Author or Poet?
www.poetryfoundation.org one of the best resources online for anyone interested in poetry. The site hosts an extensive, searchable collection of poems from many eras and styles.
Are you an Artist, Author or Poet?
Are you an Artist, Author or Poet?
Are you an Artist, Author or Poet?
Let us know what you're up to so that we can shine
the spotlight on you! We love to feature your work and share with our visitors.
Next up...Langston Hughes
“Harlem” (as it originally appeared in 1951)
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Copyright © 2002 by Langston Hughes.
by Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columist from Joplin, MO. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
In “Harlem,” Langston Hughes asks one of American poetry’s most famous questions: what happens to a dream deferred? This question echoes throughout American culture, from Broadway to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches. It would not be an exaggeration to say that every time the “American dream” is invoked, Hughes’s question is there, asking what that dream is, what conditions make it possible, and why for so many it seems little more than a trap, or an illusion, or a promise that no longer meaningfully obtains.
This allowable excerpt is from:
Langston Hughes "Harlem" from The Collected Works of Langston Hughes. Copyright © 2002 by Langston Hughes. Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates, Inc.
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