Black History Month starts on February 1. Celebrate the invaluable contributions of Black Americans in a wide range of fields of endeavor—including science, literature, social work, politics and sports—by reading inspirational Black History Month quotes.
History of Black History Month
Black History Month began in 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History proclaimed the second week of February to be a time when the history of American Black people would be taught in public schools. These dates were chosen because abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, both central figures in the emancipation of enslaved people, had birthdays in the second week of February.
The movement to recognize and celebrate the role African Americans have played in U.S. history gained momentum, and by 1976, the annual event became Black History Month. Then-President Gerald Ford proclaimed the country should “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Here are 25 inspiring Black History Month quotes to inspire you in February and beyond:
Motivational Black History Month Quotes
1. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. —James Baldwin, author
2. Believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader, and fuller life. —W.E.B. Du Bois, historian, activist, author and editor
3. Make a difference about something other than yourselves. —Toni Morrison, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author
4. The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. —Ida B. Wells, journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist
5. I call something a miracle when an ordinary person achieves something extraordinary. We all have the potential to create miraculous changes. —Tina Turner, singer and actress
Black History Month Leadership Quotes
6. When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. —George Washington Carver, botanist and inventor
7. If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. — Shirley Chisholm, first African American woman in Congress
8. Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself. —Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, producer, actress, author, and philanthropist
9. True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. —Arthur Ashe, champion tennis player and activist
10. A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. —Jackie Robinson, first African American to play in Major League Baseball
Black History Month Quotes for Strength
11. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. —Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy
12. No matter how often you fall from grace, what matters most is how many times you get up. —Taraji P. Henson, actress
13. Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me. —Zora Neale Hurston, author
14. I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail. —Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and women’s rights activist
15. That’s part of your life lesson to be afraid. The bigger question is how you deal with being afraid. Do you have to summon courage or something else to live with that fear without letting it take you over? —Gladys Knight, singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman
Short Black History Month Quotes
16. I will what I want. —Misty Copeland, first African-American principal ballerina in American Ballet Theatre
17. Character is power. —Booker T. Washington, author, educator, and adviser to U.S. Presidents
18. Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations. —Dr. Mae Jemison, engineer, physician, and NASA astronaut
19. The soul that is within me no man can degrade. —Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, writer, and statesman
20. Kindness eases change. Love quiets fear. ―Octavia E. Butler, science fiction author
Black History Month Quotes About Faith and Hope
21. We have one life; it soon will be past; what we do for God is all that will last. —Muhammad Ali, champion boxer
22. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., minister and activist
23. I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us. —Serena Williams, professional tennis player
24. Storms of all kinds rage through our lives, and sometimes they can take everything from us. But if you have faith, your own worst moment can become your best. —George Foreman, former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author
25. Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. —Maya Angelou, memoirist, poet and civil rights activist
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