Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements African Americans have made.

It is also a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.

Since 1976, every U.S. president has legitimately designated the month of February as Black History Month.

Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

When you hear about Black History Month you think about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, or even Malcolm X.

Though these figures play a huge role in black history, there are more inventors, artists, writers, and others who get overlooked.

African Americans have a month to celebrate their history, but Black History Month does not get a lot of recognition.

Certain factors determine how much recognition Black History gets, such as where you are and what school you attend.

In the inner city, being more urban, Black History is largely recognized. In elementary school, Black History Month is addressed. During junior and senior high school, the acknowledgement decreases.

In my three years at Northtown, Black History Month has never been recognized.

Northtown is a very diverse school and we learn about different cultures every day. Other nationally recognized months should be recognized in our school also, not just Black History Month.

NKC students and staff should take action and inform each other on other cultures, including African-American culture.