The U.S. has officially celebrated women's history since 1911 — first as a day, then as a week and finally a month beginning in 1987.

The purpose of Women's History Month is to recognize the many contributions that women have made to society, as well as their individual accomplishments, throughout the month of March. But this celebration has historically left some people out: black women.

"Black women have traditionally been written out of history unless it is in the context of victimization," says Dr. Aimee Meredith Cox, a cultural anthropologist, author and professor at Fordham University. As a result, black women's accomplishments and contributions have not received the same recognition as white women's during Women's History Month.