Black History Month 2019: 28 historical black figures to celebrate

February marks Black History Month.

The month-long event celebrates important black figures and moments in history, such as the 1963 March on Washington, Barack Obama becoming the first black president of the United States in 2009, and even Canadian Viola Desmond being arrested in 1946 for sitting in a floor seat at a segregated movie theatre in Nova Scotia.

READ MORE: Ontario to officially recognize Black History Month

Originally created in 1926 as Negro History Week by Carter G. Woodson — he chose the second week of February as a way to highlight the birthdays of Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) — the week turned into a month-long national observance in the U.S. in 1976. Canada followed suit in 1995, thanks to Jean Augustine, the first black woman elected to Parliament in Canada.

Throughout the month of February, Global News will profile a black historical figure every day to celebrate their contributions to their communities and honour their incredible accomplishment(s).

February 28, 2019: Nelson Mandela

February 27, 2019: Joycelyn Elders

February 26, 2019: Wilma Rudolph

February 25, 2019: Garrett Morgan

February 24, 2019: Hattie McDaniel

February 23, 2019: Addie Aylestock

February 22, 2019: Beverly Johnson

February 21, 2019: Harriet Tubman

February 20, 2019: Alice Walker

February 19, 2019: Dorothy Dandridge

February 18, 2019: Alice Ball

February 17, 2019: Sidney Poitier

February 16, 2019: Elijah McCoy

February 15, 2019: Willie O’Ree

February 14, 2019: Martin Luther King Jr.

February 13, 2019: Mae C. Jemison

February 12, 2019: Madam C. J. Walker

February 11, 2019: Rosa Parks

February 10, 2019: Ralph Joseph Bunche

February 9, 2019: Alton C. Parker

February 8, 2019: Malcolm X

February 7, 2019: Althea Gibson

February 6, 2019: Diahann Carroll

February 5, 2019: Carter G. Woodson

February 4, 2019: Viola Desmond

February 3, 2019: Shirley Chisholm

February 2, 2019: Jackie Robinson

February 1, 2019: Chuck Berry

Listen to Berry’s Johnny B. Goode here.