EPMG Black History Month 2014

Table of Contents

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

14

18

30

48

56

60

54

38

24

26

40

42

Timeline 4 Significant Events

Feature 6 Black History Month

Profiles 10 Artists Athletes Influencers

Historical Profiles 36 Artists Athletes Activists Entertainers Musicians Pioneers War Heroes

2014

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 3

Timeline

1865, On February 1, 1865, Abraham Lincoln signs the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlawing slavery throughout the United States.

1866, On June 13, Congress approves the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law to all citizens. The amendment also grants citizenship to African Americans.

1870, The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified on March 30.

1896, In September George Washington Carver is appointed director of agricultural research at Tuskegee Institute. His work advances peanut, sweet potato, and soybean farming.

1907, Madam C.J. Walker of Denver develops and markets her hair straightening method and creates one of the most successful cosmetics firms in the nation.

1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is formed on February 12 in New York City, partly in response to the Springfield Riot.

1916, In January the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) begins publishing the Journal of Negro History which becomes the first scholarly journal devoted to the study of African American history.

1917, Nearly 10,000 African Americans and their supporters march down Manhattans Fifth Avenue on July 28 as part of a silent parade, an NAACP-organized protest against lynchings, race riots, and the denial of rights. This is the first major civil rights demonstration in the 20th Century.

1919, The Associated Negro Press is established inChicagoby Claude A. Barnett on March 2.

1923, Photographer James Van Der Zee begins his career by capturing images of Marcus Garvey and the UNIA.

1862, On September 22, President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation and announces that it will go into effect on July 1, 1863 if the states then in rebellion have not by that point returned to the Union.

1877,President Rutherford B. Hayes appointsFrederick Douglassas the first black U.S. Marshal. His jurisdication is the District of Columbia.

1895, Booker T. Washington delivers his famous Atlanta Compromise address on September 18 at the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition. He says the Negro problem would be solved by a policy of gradualism and accommodation.

1901, On October 11, when Bert Williams and George Walker record their music for the Victor Talking Machine Company, they become the first African American recording artists.

1920, The decade of the 1920s witnesses the Harlem Renaissance, a remarkable period of creativity for black writers, poets, and artists, including among others Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston.

1921, On May 31-June 1, at least 60 blacks and 21 whites are killed in the Tulsa Race Riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The violence destroys a thriving African American neighborhood and business district called Deep Greenwood.

1926, Carter G. Woodson establishes Negro History Week in February between the Abraham Lincoln and Frederick DouglassBirthdays.

1931, William Grant Stillbecomes the first black symphony composer to have his music performed by a major symphony orchestra when the Rochester, New York, Philharmonic Orchestra presets The Afro-American Symphony in concert.

1937, William H. Hastie, former advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt, is confirmed on March 26 as the first black federal judge after his appointment by Roosevelt to the federal bench in the Virgin Islands.

1943, The Detroit Race Riot, June 20-21, claims 34 lives including 25 African Americans. Other riots occur in Harlem, Mobile, Alabama, and Beaumont, Texas.

1947, On April 10, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers becomes the first African American to play major league baseball in the 20th Century.


1974, On April 8, Henry (Hank) Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th home run surpassingBabeRuthto become the all-time leader in home runs in major league baseball.

1975, General Daniel Chappie James of the Air Force becomes the first African American four star general.

1986, On January 20, the first national Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is celebrated.

1988, In September, Temple University offers the first Ph.D. in African American Studies.

1947, John Hope Franklins From Slavery to Freedom is published. The work will become the most popular textbook on African American history published in the 20th Century.

1959, Ella Fitzgerald and William

Count Basie become the first African American performers to win Grammy awards.

1965, On March 7, six hundred Alabama civil rights activists stage a Selma-to-Montgomery protest march to draw attention to the continued denial of black voting rights in the state. The marchers are confronted by Alabama State Troopers whose attack on them at the Edmund Pettus Bridge is carried on national television. On March 21,Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.leads a five-day, 54-mile march retracing the route of the original activists. The 3,300 marchers at the beginning of the trek eventually grow to 25,000 when they reach the Alabama capitol on March 25. After the protest march, President Lyndon Johnson proposes theVoting Rights Actto guarantee black voting throughout the South.

1955, Rosa Parks refuses to relinquish her bus seat to a white man on December 1, initiating the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1961, On May 4, seven blacks and fourwhites leaveWashington, D.C., for the Deep South on the first Freedom Ride for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

1962, Ernie Davis, a running back at Syracuse University, becomes the first African American athlete to receive college footballs Heisman Trophy.

1963, Despite Governor George Wallaces vow to block the schoolhouse door to prevent their enrollment on June 11, Vivian Malone and James Hood register for classes at the University of Alabama. They are the first African American students to attend the university.

1964, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed by Congress on July 2. The act bans discrimination in all public accommodations and by employers. It also establishes the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) to monitor compliance with the law.

1967, Solicitor GeneralThurgood Marshalltakes his seat as the first African American Justice on the United States Supreme Court on July 13.

1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4. In the wake of the assassination 125 cities in 29 states experience uprisings. By April 11, 46 people are killed and 35,000 are injured in these confrontations.

1980, Robert L. Johnson begins operation of Black Entertainment Television (BET) out of Washington, D.C.

1983, On August 30,Guion (Guy) S. Bluford, Jr., a crew member on theChallenger,becomes the first African American astronaut to make a space flight.

1993, Joycelyn M. Elders becomes the first African American and the first woman to be named United States Surgeon General on September 7.

1997, On April 13, golfer Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. At 21 he is the youngest golfer ever to win the title. He is also the first African American to hold the title.

2001, In January President-elect George W. Bush nominates Colin Powell to be Secretary of State. Condoleezza Rice is also appointed to the positon of National Security Advisor for the Bush Administration. This is the first time either post has been held by African Americans.

2002, In March, Halle Berry and Denzel Washington win Oscars for best actress and best actor for their portrayals in Monsters Ball and Training Day respectively.

2008, On November 4, Barack Obama of Illinois, the only sitting African American U.S. Senator, is elected President of the United States. Obama wins the election decisively and becomes the first African American elected to this office.


Feature

In the following article Daryl Michael Scott,

Professor of History at Howard University and Vice

President of Program for the Association for the Study

of African American Life and History, describes the

history of the Black History Month Celebration.

The story of Black History Month begins in Chicago during the

late summer of 1915. An alumnus of the University of Chicago

with many friends in the city, Carter G. Woodson traveled from

Washington, D.C. to participate in a national celebration of the

fiftieth anniversary of emancipation sponsored by the state of

Illinois. Thousands of African Americans traveled from across

the country to see exhibits highlighting the progress their

people had made since the destruction of slavery. Awarded a

doctorate in Harvard three years earlier, Woodson joined the

other exhibitors with a black history display. Despite being held

at the Coliseum, the site of the 1912 Republican convention,

an overflow crowd of six to twelve thousand waited outside

for their turn to view the exhibits. Inspired by the three-week

celebration, Woodson decided to form an organization to

promote the scientific study of black life and history before

leaving town. On September 9th, Woodson met at the Wabash

YMCA with A. L. Jackson and three others and formed the

Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH).

Carter G. Woodson believed that publishing scientific

history would transform race relations by dispelling the

wide-spread falsehoods about the achievements of Africans

and peoples of African descent. He hoped that others would

popularize the findings that he and other black intellectuals

would publish inThe Journal of Negro History, which

he established in 1916. As early as 1920, Woodson urged

black civic organizations to promote the achievements that

researchers were uncovering. A graduate member of Omega

Psi Phi, he urged his fraternity brothers to take up the work.

In 1924, they responded with the creation of Negro History

and Literature Week, which they renamed Negro Achievement

Week.Their outreach was significant, but Woodson desired

greater impact. As he told an audience of Hampton Institute

students, We are going back to that beautiful history and it

is going to inspire us to greater achievements. In 1925, he

decided that the Association had to shoulder the responsibility.

Going forward it would both create and popularize knowledge

about the black past. He sent out a press release announcing

Negro History Week in February, 1926.

Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform.

It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to

encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played

a prominent role in shaping black history, namely Abraham

Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th

OUR HISTORY

History of Black History Month


and the 14th, respectively. More importantly, he chose

them for reasons of tradition. Since Lincolns assassination

in 1865, the black community, along with other Republicans,

had been celebrating the fallen Presidents birthday.

And since the late 1890s, black communities across the

country had been celebrating Douglass. Well aware of the

pre-existing celebrations, Woodson built Negro History Week

around traditional days of commemorating the black past.

He was asking the public to extend their study of black history,

not to create a new tradition. In doing so, he increased his

chances for success.

Yet Woodson was up to something more than building on

tradition. Without saying so, he aimed to reform it from the

study of two great men to a broader examination of a great

race. Though he admired both men, Woodson had never been

fond of the celebrations held in their honor. He railed against

the ignorant spellbinders who addressed large, convivial

gatherings and displayed their lack of knowledge about the

men and their contributions to history. More importantly,

Woodson believed that history was made bythe people, not

simply or primarily by great men. He envisioned the study and

celebration of the Negro as a race, not simply as the producers

of a great man. And Lincoln, however great, had not freed the

slavesthe Union Army, including hundreds of thousands of

black soldiers and sailors, had done that. Rather than focusing

on two men, the black community, he believed, should focus on

the countless black men and women who had contributed to

the advance of human civilization.

From the beginning, Woodson was overwhelmed by the

response to his call. Negro History Week appeared across

the country in schools and before the public. The 1920s

was the decade of the New Negro, a name given to the

Post-War I generation because of its rising racial pride and

consciousness. Urbanization and industrialization had

brought over a million African Americans from the rural

South into big cities of the nation. The expanding black middle

class became participants in and consumers of black literature

and culture. Black history clubs sprang up, teachers demanded

materials to instruct their pupils, and progressive whites

stepped and endorsed the efforts.

Woodson and the Association scrambled to meet the demand.

They set a theme for the annual celebration, and provided

study materialspictures, lessons for teachers, plays for

historical performances, and posters of important dates and

people. Provisioned with a steady flow of knowledge, high

schools in progressive communities formed Negro History

Clubs. To serve the desire of history buffs to participate in the

re-education of black folks and the nation, ASNLH formed

branches that stretched from coast to coast. In 1937, at the

urging of Mary McLeod Bethune, Woodson established

theNegro History Bulletin, which focused on the annual theme.

As black populations grew, mayors issued Negro History

Week proclamations, and in cities like Syracuse, New York,

progressive whites joined Negro History Week with National

Brotherhood Week.

Like most ideas that resonate with the spirit of the times, Negro

History Week proved to be more dynamic than Woodson or the

Association could control. By the 1930s, Woodson complained

about the intellectual charlatans, black and white, popping up

everywhere seeking to take advantage of the public interest in

black history. He warned teachers not to invite speakers who

had less knowledge than the students themselves. Increasingly

publishing houses that had previously ignored black topics and

authors rushed to put books on the market and in the schools.

Instant experts appeared everywhere, and non-scholarly

works appeared from mushroom presses. In America,

nothing popular escapes either commercialization or eventual

trivialization, and so Woodson, the constant reformer, had his

hands full in promoting celebrations worthy of the people who

had made the history.

Well before his death in 1950, Woodson believed that the

weekly celebrationsnot the study or celebration of black

history--would eventually come to an end. In fact, Woodson

never viewed black history as a one-week affair. He pressed

for schools to use Negro History Week to demonstrate what

students learnedallyear. In the same vein, he established a

black studies extension program to reach adults throughout the

year. It was in this sense that blacks would learn of their past

on a daily basis that he looked forward to the time when an

annual celebration would no longer be necessary. Generations

before Morgan Freeman and other advocates of all-year

commemorations, Woodson believed that black history was

too important to America and the world to be crammed into

a limited time frame. He spoke of a shift from Negro History

Week to Negro History Year.

In the 1940s, efforts began slowly within the black community

to expand the study of black history in the schools and

black history celebrations before the public. In the South,


black teachers often taught Negro History as a supplement to

United States history. One early beneficiary of the movement

reported that his teacher would hide Woodsons textbook

beneath his desk to avoid drawing the wrath of the principal.

During the Civil Rights Movement in the South, the Freedom

Schools incorporated black history into the curriculum to

advance social change. The Negro History movement was an

intellectual insurgency that was part of every larger effort to

transform race relations.

The 1960s had a dramatic effect on the study and celebration of

black history. Before the decade was over, Negro History Week

would be well on its way to becoming Black History Month.

The shift to a month-long celebration began even before Dr.

Woodson death. As early as 1940s, blacks in West Virginia, a

state where Woodson often spoke, began to celebrate February

as Negro History Month. In Chicago, a now forgotten cultural

activist, Fredrick H. Hammaurabi, started celebrating Negro

History Month in the mid-1960s. Having taken an African

name in the 1930s, Hammaurabi used his cultural center, the

House of Knowledge, to fuse African consciousness with the

study of the black past. By the late 1960s, as young blacks on

college campuses became increasingly conscious of links with

Africa, Black History Month replaced Negro History Week at a

quickening pace. Within the Association, younger intellectuals,

part of the awakening, prodded Woodsons organization to

change with the times. They succeeded. In 1976, fifty years

after the first celebration, the Association used its influence

to institutionalize the shifts from a week to a month and from

Negro history to black history. Since the mid-1970s, every

American president, Democrat and Republican, has issued

proclamations endorsing the Associations annual theme.

What Carter G. Woodson would say about the continued

celebrations is unknown, but he would smile on all honest

efforts to make black history a field of serious study and

provide the public with thoughtful celebrations.

Feature


2009 ASALH This copy may be republished electronically with the following acknowledgement and link: By Daryl Michael Scott for ASALH at www.asalh.org

Sources: Pero Gaglo Dagbovie,The Early Black History Movement, Carter G. Woodson, and Lorenzo Johnston Greene (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007); Jacqueline Goggin,Carter G. Woodson: A Life in Black History (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993)

Contributor(s):Scott, Daryl MichaelHoward University

For more information, visit: www.blackpast.org


Profiles


Name: Sanya Richards Ross

Occupation:4 time Olympic Gold Medalist, Entrepreneur, Reality Show Star

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Black History Month is by far my favorite month, not only because Im born in February, but just because it really gives us an opportunity to reflect on where weve come from and it highlights so many of the heroes in the African American Community. It also gives us a chance to see where we are and where we are going and how much more we have to accomplish. For me, Black History Month has always been very special.

What was the most poignant moment in Black History month to you?I think of Brown vs the Board of Education when schools were no longer segregated. And for me that always sticks out, because my coach, Coach Clyde Hart, he was actually a part of the first school in Arkansas that became integrated and he always talked about that. Sometimes, I cant wrap my mind around that moment because were so used to being integrated.

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:My very first role model was Merlene Ottey. She was a Jamaican celebrity sensation, one of the best 100 meter runners in history. I remember thinking as a young kid, I wanted to be just like her. Not only because of her strength and power on the track but she was always so poised, so relatable and did so much in the community in Jamaica. Similarly, my American role model is Jackie Joyner-Kersee. I loved her grit, her determination, and also all of the stuff she has done for St Louis, which is her hometown. To know her personally is a great thrill.

Follow @SanyaRichiRoss

www.sanyarichardsross.com

Watch Sanya Richards-Ross Interview at www.blackhistory2014.com

Name: Baratunde Thurston

Occupation:Co-Founder & CEO of Cultivated Wit, Author and Comedian

I run a company called Cultivated Wit that uses humor and technology to better communicate, tell stories, and shape technology products. We run comedically-focused digital marketing campaigns for causes and businesses. We make media. We build things including apps, that are fun. Its all very inspiring and exciting.

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Its like Kwanzaa but longer.

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. First, every name this brother had was amazing from Malcolm Little to Detroit Red to Malcolm X to his final name. Second, his life (as so beautifully captured by Manning Marable) represents evolution, transformation, and reinvention. These are all themes essential to the survival and thriving not just of the black community but all communities.

Favorite moment in Black History:Today!

Follow @baratunde

www.cultivatedwit.com

www.baratunde.com


Name: Hank Willis Thomas

Occupation:Artist at large, Photo conceptual artist, Contemporary visionary

What is the significance of Black History Month?I think its ever changing, isnt it? Thats the beauty of it. One of the things were becoming more and more aware of is that African-American history is just American history. There was a time in which African-American accomplishments and contributions to American history and culture were kind of undervalued and ignored and now its become part of the everyday experience of American culture in history. And Black history month is becoming a greater celebration of contributions of AA in a much broader sense.

What was the poignant moment in Black history?I think every day. I think we sometimes forget that history is being made every day by people who arent famous. Were all constantly making history. I think its important to not just highlight the heroes but to also recognize the people that are doing the work with their heads down. There are moments that are happening that arent celebrated that are just as important. I think its important to know that the time is always now.

Who were the African-American icons you looked up to and why?It sounds clich, but I would say my grandmother. She was a pretty pious and modest person. But she also had strength and courage and her capacity to love. Having grown up in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, I learned about African American icons through osmosis. It was always there, and my father was a Black panther. I also think about photographers like James Van Der Zee, and Gordon Parks would be important. Also of importance would be contemporary peers of my mother like James Baldwin.

Where do you see the direction of black history?Living in this moment, having a multi-ethnic president of African descent, and recognizing that things that we thought were impossible years ago are a reality today. I would hope that African Americans stop seeing themselves as limited to things that the group is supposed to be good at or care about. Having come back from South Africa and Kenya, recognizing the symbiosis and condensation that has been going on at an international level with African-Americans across the Atlantic, I would like us to think about things on a global scale. I think there is a greater connectivity with the history of progress with human evolution that I think African American history often overlooks. We tend to think a little bit about Mendela and apartheid but we really dont pay much attention to African independence and African movements and progress made in the Caribbean and even Europe. I would hope that in the future we stop being so America-centric and see ourselves more as global citizens and realizing that just as Martin Luther King Jr and his peers had gained a lot of their knowledge through global perspectives, looking at Ghandi for example, that we start to think about ourselves in a global context.

Follow @hankwthomas

www.hankwillisthomas.com

Profiles


Hank Willis Thomas, a prominent photo

conceptual artist, grew up surrounded

by art and culture. His father, also

Hank Thomas, dabbled in many career

fields and his, mother, Deborah Willis,

is an renowned art photographer and

University Professor and Chair of the

Department of Photography & Imaging

|at the Tisch School of the Arts at

New York University . Hank was

consistently around culture and

photographs but it was never his

intent to pursue an art career.

Hanks interest in art intensified around

high school. He joined the museum

studies program which led him to study

and receive his BFA from New York

Universitys Tisch School of the Arts

and his MFA in photography, along

with an MA in visual criticism, from

California College of the Arts (CCA)

in San Francisco.

[These experiences] gave me a

great foundation in critical thinking

and thinking about how images can

tell stories, said Hank. All of these

different experiences combined to

give me a foundation to a career

where I almost kind of followed in

my mothers footsteps.

His work has been featured in several

publications including 25 under 25:

Up-and-Coming American

Photographers (CDS, 2003) and 30

Americans (RFC, 2008), as well as

his monograph Pitch Blackness

(Aperture, 2008). Running themes in

Hanks works revolve around racial

and cultural identity, history, and

pop culture.

There isnt really a formal process for

me because a lot of the work comes out

of research, and experimentation, and

really involves me coming upon other

materials and just pondering them for an

extended period of time and formulating

this interesting interaction, Hank said.

His single and collaborative pieces have

exhibited in galleries and museums

throughout the United States and

internationally. Hanks works have

been showcased in numerous public

collections including the Whitney

Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn

Museum, the Guggenheim Museum,

and the Museum of Modern Art.

He collects his inspiration from many

different resources.

I get inspiration from pop culture,

I get inspiration from historical archives,

I get inspired by everyday people, Hank

said. Anyone who is open or vulnerable

or exposes themselves to new ideas or

exposes their ideas to the rest of the

world is an inspiration for me.

One of his more recent collaborative

works, Question Bridge: Black Males,

is an innovative video installation

that initiates a dialogue with over 150

Black men from different cities across

the nation. The installation invites

visitors into a space where they view

an intimate exchange between the

subjects of the project. Question Bridge

constructs a platform for contributors

to represent and redefine black male

identity in the U.S.

If you look at projects like Question

Bridge: Black Males, its really trying to

show that there is as much diversity in

any demographic as much as there is out

of it. Its really trying to encourage us to

listen to, and to applaud the people that

go against traditional measurements of

success and to recognize that we all have

something to contribute, said Hank.

By JD Collins

Ive never really expected to be interested in art, said Hank. I actually, in a sense, fell into it.

- Hank Willis Thomas

OUR ARTISTS Hank Willis Thomas, Conceptual Artist


Name: Shawne Merriman

Occupation:Noted NFL Veteran, 3x Pro Bowl Selection and 3x All-Pro Selection

What is the significance of Black History Month?Black History Month allows those that have been a positive influence on the world those that I looked up to growing up because they were doing something big to take a month and acknowledge the special things theyve accomplished.

What was the poignant moment in Black history?If youre talking about sports, then it would be Doug Williams, a quarterback in the NFL who broke barriers. In business, it would be Michael Jordan, as the owner of a NBA team and an all-around business mogul who transcended being just an athlete. Magic Johnson would also be in that conversation, overcoming his personal challenges and going on to becoming an owner of a baseball team.

Who were the African-American icons you looked up to and why?It was the athletes I just mentioned. I think every athlete always models their dream to other athletes growing up. It wasnt until I was old enough to be in the position theyre in now to realize you can be more than just a player. You have the ability to be an owner. That, to me, means more than any dunk or Super Bowl. Theyre owners of something now. They worked to stake their place in this world.

Where do you see the direction of black history?

Its going to keep opening up doors. Obamas election gave people hope to enter many different areas that blacks werent allowed to be in previously. Its incredible what impact the hope alone has done for people nowadays.

Follow @shawnemerriman

www.shawnemerriman.com

Profiles


From the gridiron to the boardroom,

Shawne Merriman proves that there is

life after playing professional football.

Growing up in a rough and tumble

neighborhood in Maryland, Shawne

avoided the negativity and managed

to channel his energy into something

positive. He knew that there was more

out there for him.

We struggled financially and I

definitely had a rough upbringing but

it molded me into the person I am

today, said Shawne.

Shawnes outstanding talent in

football emerged quickly. He earned the

nickname Lights Out in high school

knocking out four guys in one football

game as a high school sophomore. After

which the name stuck with him through

college and when he was a first round

draft pick. Merriman then played in the

NFL for teams such as the San Diego

Chargers and the Buffalo Bills.

I was blessed to even be there

on this grand stage, and it was

something I dreamed about

as a kid, Shawne said when

reflecting on his career in

the NFL.

He also dedicates his

time to the Lights On

Foundation which

hold annual coat drives

as well as specially

community projects

such as rebuilding home for wildfire

relief in San Diego. As for life after the

NFL, Merriman says his goal is to Keep

grinding and building my own personal

empire and myself.

He is working on completing his

MBA, doing commentary work on

NFL Network, and having roles in

TV and movies. Shawne is also

working on a lifestyle line aptly

named Lights Out which features

athletic but still fashionable apparel

for men and women.

The quote of the company is push

the limit, its about doing everything

to the fullest and giving 110%, and

accepting nothing less, said Shawne.

Right now, Im working, having fun and

doing what I love to do.

After overcoming many adversities,

the future is bright for Shawne. With

multiple projects in the queue, along

with a budding television career, he gives

his advice to those who endure some

hardships as he did.

Keep looking at the light at the end of

the tunnel, keep looking at people who

are breaking down the barriers and

doing stuff that 60, 70 years ago that

couldnt have been done, said Shawne.

His recommendation for those that want

to be the next Shawne Merriman

Be better than Shawne Merriman, keep

going, there are no ceilings.

By JD Collins

Youre going to have obstacles, youre going to have adversities, but at the end of the day, dont stop, just never stop.

- Shawne Merriman

OUR ATHLETES

Shawne Merriman, Former NFL Pro Bowler


Follow@AllenWest

www.allenbwest.com

www.allenwestguardianfund.com

www.allenwestfoundation.org

Name: Cheryl Contee

Occupation:Co-founder of Jack and Jill Politics, CEO at Fission Strategy and Co-Founder of Attentive.ly 2010 Most Influential Women in Tech

Personal Significance of Black History Month:My father was an historian at Howard University and his love of history showed me that there are many sides and stories. Black History Month is an opportunity to explore this history we all share as Americans from a different angle and that is valuable. It enriches our collective knowledge.

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:Harriet Tubman - she was a Renaissance woman who loved as hard as she fought. She served not only as the Moses who freed many slaves including most of her family but she was brilliant and served as a Union spy during the Civil War to aid in vital intelligence gathering.

Favorite moment in Black History:Barack Obama becoming president in 2008. No matter what feelings we may experience concerning his administrations triumphs and tribulations, theres no question that specific moment will always be special to all Americans - the election of the first black president.

Follow @ch3ryl

www.FissionStrategy.com

www.Attentive.ly

www.ThisWeekinBlackness.com

Profiles

Name: Allen West

Occupation:Former Congressman, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, Author

What is the significance of Black History Month?The significance of Black History month is immeasurable. When I look at who I am, it is all about black history. When I first put on my army uniform, I go back and remember the 54th Massachusetts Regiment because those were the first black soldiers that was able to wear the uniform of the United States of America. I think of all of the black soldiers, sailors, airmen marines that went on and enabled me to be able to put on that uniform.

What was the poignant moment in Black history?When I think about the most poignant moment in black history, its very simple. My elementary school was right across the street from Ebenezer Baptist Church. Every single day, I walked by Ebenezer Baptist Church. Every single day, I got to see the resting place of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His impeccable words that he would hope for a country where young men and women would not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character; thats the most poignant moment, the most poignant memory that I have when talking about black history month. I was walking, each and every day, looking at black history when I walked past Ebenezer, when I walked down Auburn Ave, I saw black history. So thats why we have to have this month. Thats why we need to have this reflection.

Who werethe African-American icons you looked up to and why?I think about Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point. I think about Dorie Miller at Pearl Harbor. I think about the 361st Infantry Regiment during World War I. I think about the Tuskegee Airmen. I think about my own dad serving in World War II or my brother serving in Vietnam. I think about the Montford Point Marines.


Name: Tony Dungy

Occupation:Football Analyst, NBCs Football Night in America

Tony Dungy is the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of Quiet Strength, Uncommon, The Mentor Leader, and The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge. He led the Indianapolis Colts to Super Bowl victory on February 4, 2007, the first such win for an African American head coach. Dungy established another NFL first by becoming the first head coach to lead his teams to the playoffs for ten consecutive years. He retired from coaching in 2009 and now serves as a studio analyst for NBCs Football Night in America. He is dedicated to mentoring others, especially young people, and encouraging them to live uncommon lives.

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Growing up in the 1960s and seeing our country grow from the days where segregation was the norm to where we are now, Black History Month is very significant to me. My dads first teaching job was in a segregated high school in Virginia. I remember vividly as a young boy watching television and seeing the struggles of African American students who were trying to attend all white schools in the South. I can still hear my dads voice telling me about Joe Louis winning the Heavyweight Championship and Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in major league baseball. Its much different in America today but Black History Month is a time for me to personally reflect on the men and women who paved the way for my generation

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:It has to be Dr. King. I was 8 years old when he gave the I Have A Dream speech and that galvanized my thinking. My mom and dad were always encouraging us to dream and think about our futures, but that was the first time I ever saw a black man on a national platform saying that. I was in junior high school when he was killed and, again, it impacted me that someone was willing to die for their convictions. In fact, Dr. King said he didnt fear death and he knew he had helped our country, and African Americans in particular, in the fight for equality.

Favorite moment in Black History:There were a lot of significant moments but Id have to say for me it was in 1966 Texas Western University, playing seven black players beat the University of Kentucky for the NCAA basketball championship. I was only 10 years old and didnt understand the social significance until much later. Those seven African Americans were taking on the establishment and the tradition of Kentucky basketball, and as I look back that game changed a lot of things for college athletics and sports as a whole in our country. It also showed me that years later I could use the athletic field to make social and spiritual points.

Follow @TonyDungy

www.CoachDungy.com


Name: Grand Master Flash

Occupation:Noted NFL Veteran, 3x Pro Bowl Selection and 3x All-Pro Selection

What is the significance of Black History Month?Black History Month allows those that have been a positive influence on the world those that I looked up to growing up because they were doing something big to take a month and acknowledge the special things theyve accomplished.

What was the poignant moment in Black history?If youre talking about sports, then it would be Doug Williams, a quarterback in the NFL who broke barriers. In business, it would be Michael Jordan, as the owner of a NBA team and an all-around business mogul who transcended being just an athlete. Magic Johnson would also be in that conversation, overcoming his personal challenges and going on to becoming an owner of a baseball team.

Who were the African-American icons you looked up to and why?It was the athletes I just mentioned. I think every athlete always models their dream to other athletes growing up. It wasnt until I was old enough to be in the position theyre in now to realize you can be more than just a player. You have the ability to be an owner. That, to me, means more than any dunk or Super Bowl. Theyre owners of something now. They worked to stake their place in this world.

Where do you see the direction of black history?Its going to keep opening up doors. Obamas election gave people hope to enter many different areas that blacks werent allowed to be in previously. Its incredible what impact the hope alone has done for people nowadays.

Profiles

Follow @DJFlash4eva

www.grandmasterflash.com

Watch DJ Grandmaster Flashs Interview at www.blackhistory2014.com


There are lots of stories about the birth

of jazz and the beginning of rock n roll,

but hip-hop has founding fathers: one of

them is DJ Grandmaster Flash. In the

early 70s Joseph Saddler was living in

the South Bronx and studying electrical

engineering. However, Saddler, a native

of the Bronx, had a much deeper passion

for music; he had been experimenting

with his fathers vinyl since he was

an toddler. His knowledge of audio

equipment led him to an idea that

would revolutionize the way he

played music: the turntable

would become his instrument.

The career of DJ Grandmaster

Flash began in the Bronx with

neighborhood block parties

that essentially were the start

of what would become a global

phenomenon the dawn of a

musical genre. He was the first DJ to

physically lay his hands on the vinyl and

manipulate it in a backward, forward or

counterclockwise motion, when most

DJs simply handled the record by the

edges, put down the tone arm, and let it

play. Those DJs let the tone arm guide

their music, but Flash marked up the

body of the vinyl with crayon,

fluorescent pen, and grease pencil

and those markings became his compass.

He invented the Quick Mix Theory,

which included techniques such as

the double-back, back-door, back-spin,

and phasing. This allowed a DJ to

make music by touching the record

and gauging its revolutions to make

his own beat and his own music.

Flashs template grew to include cuttin,

which, in turn, spawned scratching,

transforming, the Clock Theory and

the like. He laid the groundwork for

everything a DJ can do with a record

today, other than just letting it play.

What we call a DJ today is a role that

Flash invented.

By the end of the 70s, Flash had

started another trend that became

a hallmark around the world:

emcees followed flash to the various

parts and parties to rap/emcee over

his beats. Before long, he started his own

group, Grandmaster Flash and

the Furious Five. Their reputation grew

up around the way the group traded off

and blended their lyrics with Flashs

unrivaled skills as a DJ and his acrobatic

performancesspinning and cutting

vinyl with his fingers, toes, elbows, and

any object at hand.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

went Platinum with their single,

The Message. Meanwhile, the single

The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash

on the Wheels of Steel introduced DJing

to a larger listening audience than it

had ever known before; it became the

first DJ composition to be recorded by

a DJ. The groups fame continued to

grow with Superappin, Freedom,

Larrys Dance Theme, and You Know

What Time It Is. Punk and new wave

fans were introduced to Flash through

Blondie, who immortalized him in her

hit, Rapture.

The rock n roll hall of fame also

recognized Flash with an honor no

one else in hip hop has received:

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious

Five became the first hip hop group ever

inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of

Fame in 2007. Flash is the first DJ to

ever receive that honor.

OUR ARTISTS Grandmaster Flash, Hip-Hop Legend


Follow @blackgirlsrun

www.blackgirlsrun.com

Name: Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks

Occupation:Co-Founder of Black Girls RUN

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Black History Month is an opportunity to honor and pay homage to African-Americans who have made a significant impact on our history and in our communities.

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Definitely the Civil Rights Movement. It is a great example of the resilience of our community. Its really been the only time in history that weve come together for the greater good of our people.

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:W.E.B Dubois and Malcolm X. Both were considered radicals of their time and offered a different way of thinking when it came to the plight of African-Americans.

Favorite moment in Black History:Unfortunately, I dont believe enough emphasis is put on black history. We now look to reality stars as role models instead of the people who truly make a difference in our community.

Profiles


Black Girls RUN! was created in 2009 by Toni Carey and Ashley

Hicks in an effort to tackle the growing obesity epidemic in

the African-American community and provide encouragement

and resources to both new and veteran runners. What started

off as an online blog has grown to be a nationwide movement

to include an annual national race and conference, fitness

clinic tours, national race partnerships, Walk Before You RUN!

training, and more.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 51.6

percent of black women ages 20-74 are considered obese.

The mission of Black Girls RUN! is to encourage African-

American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority

and create a movement to lower the obesity rate among

women and subsequently, lower the number of women with

chronic diseases associated with an unhealthy diet and

sedentary lifestyle.

To date, Black Girls RUN! has more than 60 running

groups across the nation with more than 62,000 members.

The groups include beginner and experienced runners

and provide a support system to help members reach their

fitness goals.

Toni Carey: Native of Lebanon, Tennessee. Carey graduated

from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro,

Tenn., with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass

Communications with concentrations in Public Relations

and Advertising and minors in marketing and Spanish.

She also received a Master of Arts and Science degree from

Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. She has worked

with Dye, VanMol & Lawrence Public Relations in Nashville,

Tenn., as an account executive and Avis Budget Group, Inc., a

Fortune 500 Company located in Parsippany, N.J.,

as a corporate communications and industry relations

specialist, as well as CRT/tanka a public relations and

marketing agency in Norfolk, Va. She currently works for

Black Girls RUN! full-time, lives in Atlanta, Ga. with her

husband and two dogs, Legend and Cali.

Ashley Hicks: Native of Evans, Ga., Ashley attended

and played soccer at Middle Tennessee State University

in Murfreesboro, Tenn. She graduated in 2005 with

a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications.

She also received a Master of Science in Communication

from Columbia University in New York. She has worked

with WRDW-TV as a television director, the South Carolina

Educational Television as a producer director and as

a social media, communications manager for a non-profit

headquartered in New York. She currently works for Black Girls

RUN! full-time and lives in Atlanta, Ga. with her fianc.

Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks have been recognized locally

and nationally for their work to combat obesity in the

African-American community. They were recently awarded

the Young Professionals Dream Catchers award from the

Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professional.

Also, they were recently profiled by Runners World magazine,

espnW, The Tennessean and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

and appeared on The Michael Baisden Show. They were also

named to Ebony Magazines Power 100 list, The Grios Class

of 2012 list, nominated as Best Blogger by Shape Magazine

and named as one of the 30 Black Bloggers You Should Know,

by TheRoot.com.

OUR ATHLETES

Black Girls Run


Name: Marcus Stroud

Occupation:Noted NFL Veteran, 3x Pro Bowl Selection, 3x All-Pro Selection

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Its the celebration of everyone who paved the way for me to be able to do the things Im doing today. To me, every day we move forward is a celebration of the things African Americans have done to make progress. This is just the month where we officially take time to celebrate all of the great achievements.

What was the most poignant moment in black history for you?Thats really hard to answer since there are so many moments. I think I would be doing in an injustice if I were to label just one. There are too many pivotal moments to be able to pick just one.

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:The most obvious ones that I looked up to were Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, for their leadership and for being able to unite people and get them focused. Even though both had different ideas fundamentally, they were able to get people to come together for the greater good.

Favorite moment in Black History:I still think we have a lot of history to be made. Our story is never done. Theres always somebody that will make a difference every day.

Follow@marcusstroud99

www.marcusstroudfoundation.org

Profiles


A self-proclaimed country boy from South Georgia, NFL

veteran and philanthropist Marcus Stroud remains humble and

grateful for his experiences during and after the NFL. Marcus

was the 13th overall pick in the 2001 draft and played for 10

years in the NFL for teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars

and the Buffalo Bills.

I started playing football my junior year of high school,

said Marcus. My goal was to go to college and obtain

a degree first, and if I was fortunate enough to make the NFL,

it was a bonus.

His talents and leadership were quickly recognized.

As a high school senior, Marcus was selected to grace

the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1996, when he committed

to play college ball at the University of Georgia, UGA.

Marcus graduated with his bachelors degree and remains

a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma, a predominantly African-

American Fraternity.

After being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Marcus

made a name for himself as a rising Defensive all-star.

He successfully earned a trip to the NFL Pro Bowl for

three consecutive seasons.

When asked the most important lesson he learned during

his tenure in the NFL, Marcus responded Never take anything

for granted. You always think you can bounce back from an

injury or something like that and sometimes thats not the

case, said Marcus. So dont take anything for granted, thats

my number one lesson.

In 2008, Marcus was traded to the Buffalo Bills and became

one of the teams integral defensive talents. He worked hard

to become the starting Defensive Tackle where he became one

of the most dominant and versatile players until 2011 when he

signed with the New England Patriots. In June 2012, Marcus

signed a 1-day contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars to retire

as a Jaguar.

It was a no-brainer. [Jacksonville] is where I played most of my

career and it was where I had most of my success, said Marcus.

Even though I embraced other teams like the Buffalo Bills, Ill

always be a Jaguar for life.

Marcus has not only accomplished great success on the football

field, but he also has a passion for entrepreneurial endeavors

off the field.

I just obtained my graduate degree, and now Im

studying to get my insurance license, Marcus said.

Im still trying to keep my options open, perhaps get

into broadcasting one day.

Given his successful career, Marcus also realizes the

importance of giving back to the community. He has

contributed countless hours to charity and in 2007, he

established the Marcus Stroud Charitable Foundation to

assist under-privileged youth in low-income single parent

homes. The mission of the foundation is to raise support by

improving and enriching the lives of under-privileged children

by offering various academic and athletic programs otherwise

unavailable to them.

A lot of people helped along my journey, and I wanted to pay

it forward and give back, Marcus said. its evolved so much,

its now at the point where [the foundation] is about bringing

awareness to the childhood obesity problem, said Marcus.

Its one of my focus and goals right now.

An elite yet humble athlete, business-savvy yet philanthropic

entrepreneur, Marcus continues to make impacts on and off

the field.

By JD Collins

OUR ATHLETES

Marcus Stroud, Former NFL Pro Bowler


Name: Stefanie Brown James

Occupation:CEO and Founder of Vestige Strategies, Founder of Brown Girls Lead, In charge of the African-American vote for President Obamas 2012 re-election campaign.

Personal Significance of Black History Month:Its important to say that black history is American history and its global history. I was just in Morocco a few weeks ago and to see the influence of American culture which really is intertwined and often times shaped by black culture was amazing. From music, to dress, to slang to a lot of different elements, and so much of that has been influenced by those who helped to shape the culture and made sure that black people had a voice and were able to be unique in how we are. Im particularly tied to the more social justice activists of the past. I think one of our proudest moments as it relates to activism was the young people during the civil rights movement that sacrificed a lot and they were only kids and I think its really important that we continue to let our children know about black history, where we come from, and continue to try to shape history even now.

What was the most poignant moment in black history for you?The founding of the NAACP in 1909, and it was a multicultural group of people who were committed to seeing the advancement of black people in this country. At that time, the biggest things they worked on was anti-lynching laws. Just the bravery that it took for these men and women across the country to form this organization and form chapters across the country was significant. These [people] were in the face of real danger and a lot of people lost their lives, many who we would never know their names or their sacrifices. That bravery element just speaks so much. Almost anything we go through nowadays is nothing compared to what they went through. If they could do, we could do it too. Thats always something very empowering for me to remember as I try to do the work that I do.

Favorite African-American Icon and Why:Not a shock that many of them are women. Juanita Jackson Mitchell was the founder of the youth and college division of NAACP and she was also instrumental in cases like the Scottsboro Boys case and was just a real pioneer as it relates to a woman who was involved in civil rights. Women like Ella Baker who helped to find the student non-violent coordinating committee who also was a field director for NAACP. She really helped to mold generations after her to be involved in civil right.

Present-day, I continue to be enamored with Oprah. My husbands probably so tired of me talking about Oprah. I love Oprah. Im hoping to meet her one day. I like her business-savvy and now as an entrepreneur, she is a person who I look up to for being able to really do things her way.

Favorite moment in Black History:I think one thing thats great with the space that Im involved in now is to literally see my peers who are shaping black history every day. Its very exciting for many unsung heroes who are working very diligently to continue to work towards the advancement of the black community and to work for fairness and justice. I think that there is so many more young people who want to be leaders and they want to make history, American history, world history and our job is to really give back to them. 1) to make sure they know their history and 2) to help them see how they can play a role in shaping what the country is, what we do, and how were viewed in the world.

Follow@StefBrownJames

www.StefanieBrownJames.com

Profiles


Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, Stefanie Brown

James knew that a career in government affairs and civil

rights was the path for her. She started to get involved in civil

rights when she joined the Cleveland Youth Council of National

Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

She then moved on to a prestigious education at Howard

University which led to a job opportunity at the NCAAP.

Ive always been a real history buff, she said. To know where

we come from, and all the people who sacrificed to make it

possible for us to experience the freedom that we have today,

I wanted to be part of that legacy.

As part of the field staff at NAACP, Stefanie became akin to

working long hours and after seeing the dedication of everyday

people, she knew that it was truly an honor to be part of the

NAACP legacy.

If you can work at NAACP, you can work anywhere,

she said. The people I met along the way and who

assisted me, the passion, the dedication, and what

they taught me is probably my biggest takeaway from

my experience at the association.

In 2013, after a long hiring process, Stefanie was then hired to

work for the most powerful man in the world, President Barack

Obama as the National African American Vote Director for the

2012 Obama for America Campaign.

To work for the 1st black president, it was an amazing god-

given opportunity, she said. My experience in working for the

NAACP prepared me for the position.

Her duty was to organize the African Americans for Obama

program and also manage the national strategy to engage

African American leaders and voters to register and re-elect

President Barack Obama.

We worked hard, a lot of effort went into this campaign, she

said. It wasnt a fluke that African-American voters turned out

in the highest rates ever.

President Obamas re-election campaign did not come

without difficulties. Many members of the African-American

community were perhaps skeptical or felt let down by what

they thought the President should have accomplished during

the first term. It was Stephanies job to change that mindset.

At the end of the day, you have a choice black people were

energized because they knew how important voting was to

their lives and that it made a difference, she said.

Building upon her career Stefanie is now the CEO and founding

partner of Vestige Strategies that specializes in grassroots

community engagement, public affairs and government

relations as well as being the Founder of Brown Girls Lead,

leadership development organization focused on building a

strong pipeline of collegiate, black women leaders.

Stefanie founded the program after a speaking engagement

at her alma mater. The female attendees informed her that

a career in government was not ideal because it wasnt

attractive to men.

I was just blown away, this was not our legacy as black women

at Howard, she said. After talking with my husband, we were

able to form Brown Girls Lead to help collegiate women in their

personal, professional, and public lives.

As Stefanies endeavors continue to grow, she certainly

recognizes the impact and importance of Black History Month

to future generations.

By JD Collins

OUR INFLUENCERS

Stefanie Brown James, CEO


Name: Beverly Johnson

Occupation:Super Model, Hair Guru, Businesswoman

What is the significance of Black History Month?Black History Month is our History and if we dont tell it, no one will remember.

Favorite African-American Icons and Why?I had the opportunity to meet these amazing individuals, President Obama before he was the president, Congressmen John Lewis, Coretta Scott King and Ruby Bridges. All these amazing people have actually molded the world that we live in today.

Profiles

Follow@BeverlyJohnson1

www.beverlyjohnson.com

Watch Beverly Johnsons Interview at www.blackhistory2014.com


The first African American supermodel on the cover of

American Vogue was Ms. Beverly Johnson. Beverly was

attending college Northeastern University in Boston, MA when

she tried her hand at modeling. She quickly landed modeling

gigs and began working steadily. Johnson would go on to

appear on magazine covers and fashion runways, including her

groundbreaking Vogue cover in August 1974.

Johnsons appearance on the cover changed the beauty ideal

in fashion, and by 1975, every major American fashion

designer began using African American models. Now Beverly

is a considered a pioneer, entrepreneur, and role model for

women everywhere.

She is the face and name of The Beverly Johnson Wig and

Hair Extension Collection with Amekor Industries. During this

period, her line of wigs, extensions and other hair products was

the top selling brand in the country.

This is a true testament to Beverly Johnsons name

recognition and brand awareness from Multicultural

clients with a deep respect for top quality hair products.

Many national publications have dubbed her the Hair Guru.

As her hair product line continues to flourish, Beverly will

always be known as THE Super Model that paved the way for

those that followed her.

OUR INFLUENCERS Beverley Johnson, Super Model


Profiles

Follow @LouisGossettJr

www.louisgossett.com

www.eracismfoundation.org

Watch Louis Gossett Jr.s Interview at www.blackhistory2014.com

Name: Name: Louis Gossett Jr.

Occupation:Academy Award Winning Actor, Activist, Author

What is the significance of Black History Month?Black History Month is our History and if we dont tell it, no one will remember.

Favorite African-American Icons and Why?Black History Month has been very valuable to me in the past and will be valuable to me this February 7th. Ill be getting a Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Los Angeles.


Born May 27, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY, Lou has a flair for

projecting quiet authority and has scored well personally in

a string of diverse and occasionally challenging roles.

The aspiring actor caught a break at his first Broadway audition

for Take A Giant Step (1953), where, beating out 400 other

candidates, the then 16-year-old landed the lead.

His acting career soon flourished and his work in the

stage and film versions of the groundbreaking drama about

African-American family life in Lorraine Hansberrys

A Raisin in the Sun (1961) proved a watershed. This led

to numerous appearances on network series in the 1960s

and 70s culminating in 1977, when he picked up an Emmy

for his eloquent portrayal of Fiddler in the landmark ABC

miniseries Roots.

Meanwhile, his big screen reputation grew with critically

acclaimed work in such comedies as The Landlord

(1970) The Skin Game(1971) with James Garner, Travels

with My Aunt (1972) and the film adaptation of the Tony

Award-winning drama The River Niger (1975). A riveting

performance as a drug-dealing cutthroat stalking Nick Nolte

and Jacqueline Bisset in The Deep (1977) catapulted him

to wider popularity, but the tough by-the-book drill sergeant

in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) won him a Best

Supporting Oscar that consolidated his place in the

Hollywood hierarchy.

Following his Oscar, he made numerous big screen and

television appearances ,being singled out for his work as

Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in Sadat(1983), the sci-fi

adventure Enemy Mine (1985) where his lizard-like makeup

won kudos, and in the action adventure series Iron Eagle

(1985,1986,1992,1995) which introduced him to a whole new

generation of moviegoers.

Still going strong, Lous trendsetting bald head and imposing

six-foot-four physique served him well in Diggstown (1991)

where he played a down-and-out boxer, a heroic headmaster in

Toy Soldiers (1991).

Lous well thought out and nuanced performances also

managed to give credibility to socially themed projects such

as To Dance with Olivia (1997), and the critically acclaimed

Jasper, Texas (2003)

The recipient of every known acting accolade, including

multiple Golden Globes, Emmys, and Peoples Choice Awards,

Lous performance has connected him with his fans on a

global scale. Organizations such as the NAACP, CARE, and

the United States Armed Forces have used his likeness to add

validity and integrity to their causes.

Recently, Lou was the new lead on the popular science fiction

series Stargate SG-1 introducing him to a new generation

of fans worldwide. Lou has also developed the Eracism

Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed at creating

entertainment that helps bring awareness and education

to issues such as racism, ignorance, and societal apathy.

OUR INFLUENCERS Lou Gossett, Academy Award Winning Actor


Profiles


OUR LEADERS

Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States

Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

His story is the American story values from the heartland,

a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and

education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction

that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others.

With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas,

President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961.

He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served

in Pattons army, and his grandmother, who worked her

way up from the secretarial pool to middle management

at a bank.

After working his way through college with the help of

scholarships and student loans, President Obama moved

to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help

rebuild communities devastated by the closure of

local steel plants.

He went on to attend law school, where he became the first

African-American president of theHarvard Law Review. Upon

graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter

registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of

Chicago, and remain active in his community.

President Obamas years of public service are based around

his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a

politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the

first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working

families, and expanded health care for children and their

parents. As a United States Senator, he reached across the

aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the

worlds most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to

government by putting federal spending online.

He was elected the 44th President of the United States on

November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009.

He and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two

daughters, Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11.


On November 4, 2008, Illinois Senator Barack Obama defeated

Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential

election. On the night of his historic victory, Senator Obama

addressed an audience of 250,000 at Grant Park in Chicago.

The text of his speech appears below.

Hello Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that

America is a place where all things are possible, who still

wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time,

who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight

is your answer.

Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and

churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people

who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time

in their lives, because they believed that this time must be

different, that their voices could be that difference.

Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor,

Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian,

Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.

Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never

been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states

and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

Its the answer that led those whove been told for so long by so

many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can

achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once

more toward the hope of a better day.

President-Elect Barack Obamas Election Night Victory Speech, Nov. 4th, 2008

Profiles


Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we

did on this date in this election at this defining moment change

has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily

gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought

long and hard in this campaign. And hes fought even longer

and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured

sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.

We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and

selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor

Palin for all that theyve achieved. And I look forward to

working with them to renew this nations promise in the

months ahead. I want to thank my partner in this journey, a

man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men

and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton ... and

rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-

elect of the United States, Joe Biden. And I would not be

standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my

best friend for the last 16 years... the rock of our family, the love

of my life, the nations next first lady... Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia... I love you both more than you can imagine.

And you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us... to

the new White House.

And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmothers

watching, along with the family that made me who I am.

I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is

beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and

sisters, thank you so much for all the support that youve given

me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe...

the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best --

the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the

United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod... whos been a partner

with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of

politics... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for

what youve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs

to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.

We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our

campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.

It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms

of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by

working men and women who dug into what little savings they

had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth

of their generations apathy ... who left their homes and their

families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved

the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect

strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered

and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a

government of the people, by the people, and for the people has

not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didnt do this just to win an election.

And I know you didnt do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task

that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the

challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our

lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis

in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave

Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains

of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the

children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage

or pay their doctors bills or save enough for their childs college

education.

Theres new energy to harness, new jobs to be created,

new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep.

We may not get there in one year or even in one term.

But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am

tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!

OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are

many who wont agree with every decision or policy


I make as president. And we know the government cant

solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges

we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking

this nation, the only way its been done in America for 221

years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by

calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end

on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the

chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if

we go back to the way things were.

It cant happen without you, without a new spirit of service,

a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility,

where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look

after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us

anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while

Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.

Lets resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship

and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics

for so long.

Lets remember that it was a man from this state who first

carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House,

a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual

liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic

Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure

of humility and determination to heal the divides that have

held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are

not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained,

it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn,

I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices.

I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores,

from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled

around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories

are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of

American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will

defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support

you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon

still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the

true strength of our nation comes not from the might of

our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring

power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and

unyielding hope.

Profiles


Sources: CNNPolitics.com, http://edition.cnn.com/2008/Politics/11/04/obama.transcript/

Thats the true genius of America: that America can change.

Our union can be perfected. What weve already achieved gives

us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be

told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonights

about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like

the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice

heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper

is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when

there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when

someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons -- because

she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her

century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle

and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the

people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes

dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and

reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across

the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal,

new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny

threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise

to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.


OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses

in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta

who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.


OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came

down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science

and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a

screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America,

through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows

how America can change. Yes we can.


OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen

so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us

ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next

century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as

Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress

will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors

of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote

the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and

reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one;

that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with

cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we cant, we will

respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a

people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States

of America.


HistoricalProfiles


Revered as one of the most influential

people of the twentieth century by

Time Magazine, Rosa Parks is best

known for her role in the Montgomery

Bus Boycott in 1956. Born on February

4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, Parks

moved with an aunt to Montgomery and

attended the Montgomery Industrial

School for girls. Parks worked as a

janitor each evening to support her

private school education. Though she

began Alabama State Teachers College

High School, she dropped out to care for

ill family members.

After marrying barber and local political

activist Raymond Parks, Rosa joined

Montgomerys NAACP. An enthusiastic

Parks served as youth director and

later as the secretary. In addition, she

became an advocate of desegregation

and took pride in being a member of the

organization that helped develop the

Brown v. Board of Education case.

Inspired by African Americans

who tested the effectiveness of the

Brown decision, Parks on December

1, 1955, refused to offer her seat on

a Montgomery city bus to a white

passenger after the white only section

had filled. After being arrested and

receiving a fourteen dollar fine, Parks

called local NAACP president, E.D.

Nixon, and informed him of her arrest.

Within hours, the Womens Political

Council (WPC) printed flyers and

brochures, phoned potential supporters

and created carpools, marking the

beginning of the 381 day Montgomery

Bus Boycott. After a long protest, the

U.S. Supreme Court declared bus

segregation unconstitutional in 1957.

Following the boycott, Parks moved to

Detroit, Michigan, where she worked

as an assistant to Detroit Congressman

John Conyers. In 1987, she founded

the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute

for Self-Development, which teaches

students about the black struggle for

civil rights and encourages students to

strive for success.

Parks received numerous honors,

including over forty honorary degrees,

the Medal of Freedom, the Congressional

Gold Medal of Honor, and two NAACP

image awards. The State of Michigan

honors Parks each February 4 on Rosa

Parks Day. In addition to authoring

several books about her story, in 2002,

Parks teamed up with CBS to produce

a biographical film entitled The Rosa

Parks Story.

On October 5, 2005 Rosa Parks passed

away in Detroit.

OUR ACTIVISTS

Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Advocate

Sources: Edna Chappell McKenzie, Rosa Parks. InBlack Women in America: Social Activism, edited by Darlene Clark Hine (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1997); Lisa Hill, Rosa Parks. InAfrican American Women: a Biographical Dictionary, edited by Dorothy C. Salem. (New York: Garland Publishing, 1993); Rosa and Raymond Parks Institution for Self Development.http://www.rosaparks.org/bio.html(Accessed November 11, 2007).

Contributor:Nichols, CaseyUniversity of Washington

For more information, visit: www.blackpast.org


One of the most visible advocates of nonviolence and direct

action as methods of social change, Martin Luther King, Jr.

was born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929. As the grandson of

the Rev. A.D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and

a founder of AtlantasNAACPchapter, and the son of Martin

Luther King, Sr., who succeeded Williams as Ebenezers pastor,

Kings roots were in the African American Baptist church.

After attendingMorehouse Collegein Atlanta, King went on

to study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and

Boston University, where he deepened his understanding

of theological scholarship and explored Mahatma Gandhis

nonviolent strategy for social change.

King married Coretta Scottin 1953, and the following year

he accepted the pastorate atDexter Avenue Baptist Church in

Montgomery, Alabama. King received his Ph.D. in systematic

theology in 1955.

On December 5, 1955, after civil rights activist Rosa Parks

refused to comply with Montgomerys segregation policy on

buses, black residents launched a bus boycott and elected

King president of the n

Documents

EPMG Black History Month 2014