It's Black History Month. Here are 3 things to know about the annual celebration

Vice President Harris (center) marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 6, 2022, in Selma, Ala., to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Elijah Nouvelage / Elijah Nouvelage

February marks Black History Month, a tradition that got its start in the Jim Crow era and was officially recognized in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebrations. It aims to honor the contributions that African Americans have made and to recognize their sacrifices.

Here are three things to know about Black History Month:

It was Negro History Week before it was Black History Month