February is Black History Month. This month has been federally designated since 1976, but the push for formal recognition dates back to 1926 and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s (ASALH) national Negro History Week. In the first Message on the Observance of Black History Month, President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Since Black History covers such a wide breadth of information, the ASALH chooses a theme to help guide celebrations each year. The 2025 Black History Month theme is African Americans and Labor. During this month the ASALH encourages everyone to consider the various ways the work of Black people has helped to shape our nation. This includes both paid and unpaid labor, including volunteer works and labor that occurred during enslavement. The theme also sheds light on wage discrepancies and the discrimination and that Black Americans often face in the workplace.
In honor of this theme, the Michigan School of Psychology is sharing just some of the things we use and enjoy every day that would not exist without the labor and ingenuity of Black Americans.
Blood Banks
The blood bank was created thanks to the work of Dr. Charles Richard Drew who invented a way to store blood plasma long-term. He would go on to create the first blood bank and work with the American Red Cross
Internet Networking
World Wide Technology is the United States’ largest Black owned business. The work being done by World Wide Technology helps maintain many of the web platforms and add-ons many of us use daily including Amazon’s pay-as-you-go options.
Traffic Lights
The traffic light was invented by Garrett Morgan, the first black man to own a car in Cleveland. After witnessing an accident first hand, Morgan’s work on the traffic light would go on to save countless lives.
Childbirth Practices
Midwifery was a field traditionally cultivated by Black women. These women were able to deliver hundreds of babies in even the poorest of conditions. In the modern day, many Black midwives work to help reduce the disparities Black women face in reproductive health care.
Animation
Computer scientist and tech entrepreneur Lisa Gelobter helped invent Shockwave, a technology that allowed animation to be displayed on browsers, which later led to the development of GIFs, online videos, and video games.
Additional Resources
African American Workers Built America
Invisible Changemakers of Industry
Smithsonian Stories You Should Know (scroll toward bottom of the page)
