Why is Black History Month Celebrated in February?

The celebration of Black History month finds its origins at the dawn of the 20th Century when civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell began the practice of honoring former slave turned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Terrell’s celebration, beginning in 1900, took place annually on Douglass’ birthday, Feb. 14, in Washington, DC. For 26 years the celebration remained exclusively a Washington, DC, affair until African-American historian, author and journalist Carter G. Woodson, also known as the “Father of Black History,” helped institute the observance of Black History Week in 1926. The second week of February was chosen because it marks the birthdays of Douglass and Abraham Lincoln—key figures in African-American history. Another 50 years would pass before the annual weekly observance expanded to a month-long celebration in 1976.

In addition to Douglass and Lincoln, February holds several important dates and milestone, including:
Feb. 23, 1868: W.E.B. DuBois, civil rights leader and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was born.
Feb. 3, 1870: The 15th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.
Feb. 12, 1909: The NAACP was founded in New York City by a group of black, Jewish and white citizens.
Feb. 1, 1960: A group of black college students from Greensboro, NC, staged a sit in at a segregated lunch counter at Woolworth’s.
Feb. 21, 1965: Malcolm X was assassinated.

--Source: Wikipedia