Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Township Commissioners are pleased to honor Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.

American historian Carter G. Woodson first established Black History Week (then called “Negro History Week”) in 1926 to commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent. The event was first celebrated during the second week of February 1926, selected because it coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and abolitionist/writer Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14). That week would continue to be set aside for the event until 1976 when, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, it was expanded to a month.

The Black History Month theme for 2026 is “A Century of Black History Commemorations.”

The North Bergen Free Public Library invites kids ages 6 to 12 to learn about influential African Americans in history while playing a fun game of bingo at the 81st St Library on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. Registration is required at NBPL.org/calendar.