A Straight Talk Blog from Rosie
Presidents Day, Black History, and What a “Holiday” Really Means for Us
By Rosetta “Rosie” Brown — Alderwoman, Ward 4 (Alton) & Candidate for Illinois House, District 111
Every February, folks argue online about why we celebrate Presidents Day, what it should be called, and who it honors. Is it Washington? Washington and Lincoln? All presidents? And how does that square with Black History Month, which is also in February, on purpose? Let’s cut through the noise and talk about what these observances are, why they matter to Illinois families, and how we carry their meaning past a single Monday in February.
What is this holiday—really?
Here’s the plain truth: at the federal level, the holiday is still “Washington’s Birthday,” created in the 1880s and now scheduled for the third Monday in February because of the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The Monday move created three‑day weekends; the name never officially changed in the U.S. Code. The “Presidents Day” label grew in popular use and state practice—especially as many states combined Washington’s and Lincoln’s February birthdays, so most of us call it Presidents Day even though federal law still says, “Washington’s Birthday.”
If you’re wondering what’s open or closed, this is a federal holiday, USPS is closed and mail doesn’t run; banks and federal offices are closed; most retailers stay open and run sales. That’s why your kid might be home while your grocery store is packed.
Why do we celebrate it at all?
The short answer is memory and meaning. After the Revolution, Americans began marking Washington’s birthday as a civic ritual—an intentional way to remember leadership, restraint, and the peaceful transfer of power. Congress made it a federal holiday in 1879 (D.C. only at first, then all federal workers by 1885). Later, the Monday Holiday Act moved it to a Monday, which had the side effect of separating the observance from Washington’s actual birth date of February 22.
Holidays are more than days off. Real holidays are public rituals that bring people together around shared values—sometimes even interrupting conflict long enough to remind us we’re human first. They can be occasions for peace, reflection, and truth‑telling, not just shopping.
So where does Black History Month fit?
Black History Month wasn’t placed in February by accident. Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week in 1926 to coincide with Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass’s chosen birthday (Feb. 14). In 1976—the U.S. Bicentennial—it expanded to a month‑long observance, and every president since has issued proclamations recognizing it. The organization Woodson founded, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), still sets an annual theme and reminds us that Black history is a year‑round responsibility.
Put simply: February brings twin invitations. Remember the office (Presidents Day/Washington’s Birthday) and remember the people whose work and lives re‑made that office’s promises (Black History Month). Those are not competing ideas. They are threads of the same American story.
“Shouldn’t we celebrate this all year?”
Yes—and that’s the point.
I’ll be real with you: a single day or month can’t carry the weight of our history. But ritual moments matter because they force us to pause. If we use the pause well—reading Washington’s Farewell Address with clear eyes, revisiting Lincoln’s second inaugural, teaching Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” to our kids—then we’re doing more than observing a day. We’re building civic muscles that last beyond the calendar.
ASALH has always argued that Black history should be studied and taught year‑round; February is simply a doorway. Let’s walk through it and keep going in March, June, and November.
“Did presidents just create new holidays out of nowhere?”
Congress creates permanent federal holidays (5 U.S.C. § 6103). Presidents can sign those bills, issue proclamations, or close federal offices for one‑time dates (like Christmas Eve) via executive order, but that does not permanently add to the holiday list. Recent headlines about “new holidays” under President Trump mostly refer to one‑year closures (e.g., Dec. 24 and 26, 2025) or proclamations layered on top of existing days (like WWII “Victory Day” commemorations); they don’t change the statute. The newest permanent federal holiday is Juneteenth (2021)—created by Congress and signed by President Biden.
For context, President Trump has also argued the U.S. has “too many” federal holidays and that they cost the economy. Comments that sparked debate about productivity and worker well‑being. Whatever your view, the bottom line remains, permanent changes require Congress.
What does any of this have to do with Illinois—and our campaign?
In District 111, holidays meet real life:
Parents balancing work with school closures.
Small businesses deciding whether to stay open on a federal Monday.
Teachers using a three‑day weekend to plan lessons on Washington, Lincoln, Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, and the countless Illinoisans who shaped this state.
Communities deciding whether we merely mark the day or use the day to deepen our civic health.
Here’s what I believe:
Presidents Day isn’t hero worship. It’s accountability. Washington voluntarily gave up power; Lincoln preserved the Union and helped destroy slavery’s legal hold. Holding leaders to those standards; past and present, is a living act of patriotism.
Black History Month isn’t a box to check. It’s an ongoing practice of telling the whole truth of our pain and our genius and making sure our kids see themselves in the story. Carter G. Woodson didn’t ask for temporary respect; he demanded permanent inclusion in America’s memory.
Holidays should renew responsibility. If the day doesn’t move us toward service, learning, and local action, it’s just a sale. The best holidays push back against what diminishes life and re‑knit community.
How we’ll honor the day—and the month—year‑round?
In our campaign—and in office—I’m committed to:
Civic learning where people already are. Partner with libraries, churches, and youth groups for short, accessible sessions on founding documents, voting rights, Reconstruction, the Great Migration, and Illinois’s role in civil rights—12 months a year, not just in February. (Yes, we’ll bring snacks and childcare.)
Local history, local pride. Elevate Metro East stories. Black entrepreneurs, veterans, union organizers, artists—and weave them into school projects and neighborhood tours. Black history and Illinois history are inseparable.
Service over slogans. Organize service days on and around federal holidays. School‑supply drives on MLK Day, food and coat drives on Presidents Day weekend, and Juneteenth events that combine celebration with civic education about freedom and unfinished work.
Make it easy to participate. Clear, simple public info on what’s open/closed; transportation options; and “what to read/watch with your kids tonight” lists for each observance. (No gatekeeping; just helpful, nonpartisan guidance.)
Where is America? Where are we?
America is where we choose to remember and then act on what we remember. Washington’s Birthday asks whether we still value humility and duty in leadership. Black History Month asks whether we have the courage to tell the whole story, to repair harm, and to celebrate brilliance that was too often ignored. Together, they ask if we will be one nation, not in sentiment but in practice.
If you’re reading this on Presidents Day, I hope you get a few minutes to rest. Then I hope you’ll do one thing with your family: read one speech, watch one short documentary, or visit one Illinois history site this month.
Because the real holiday is not a day off; it’s a day on purpose.
Rosie Brown for Illinois State Rep — District 111
Rooted in Community. Ready for change.