The Middletown Branch of the NAACP joined residents across Orange County in celebrating Black History Month 2025.
The United States has celebrated Black History Month every year since 1976, and schools, museums, and communities across the country will join the celebration this year.
Some say Black History Month is unnecessary or even call it divisive, but the purpose is to fix the way Black and African-American history has often been misrepresented in our history books, or omitted altogether. Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Black History Month because he was barred from attending American Historical Association conferences, despite being a dues-paying member and holding a Ph.D. in history from Harvard.
As an example, many New Yorkers are not aware that slavery was common in New York until the state passed abolition in 1827. The earliest Black residents of Orange County were enslaved Africans, brought by the first Dutch settlers in the 1600s.
“We have been here since the beginning,” said Middletown Branch President Danielle Matthews, “but too often we are left out of the story. That’s why it’s so important we take a month to focus on celebrating Black history.”
The Middletown NAACP will join several events throughout the month commemorating Black History Month. Our monthly meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, February 18 at 7 p.m. NAACP membership is not required to attend, and we invite everyone in our community to join.
Middletown NAACP
Middletown