While some people say that National Black History Month can be traced back to “Negro History Week,” which was created by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926 alongside the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, its inspiration goes back even further than that. In the summer of 1915, Woodson traveled with many friends from his hometown of Chicago to Washington D.C. for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the emancipation of black people. They were a few of many thousands of black people who traveled across the country that summer to honor the progress that had been made since the destruction of slavery.

The National Education Association (NEA) has sponsored National Read Across America Day since 1998. The NEA is an organization that works for the advancement of public education. They have been working to promote reading across the nation with events planned in schools, libraries and throughout communities.