150222-N-SQ432-130 ANNAPOLIS, Md. – U.S. Marine Corps Col. Bobbi Shea, deputy commandant of midshipmen, accepts the Maryland Governor’s proclamation from Theodore H. Mack, chair, Maryland commission on African American history and culture at the closing of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Black History Month celebration Feb. 22. Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.