Often times when we think of Black history we think of MLK, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. DuBois, etc. There are Black history month programs that feature Madam CJ Walker, Sojourner Truth and the Underground Railroad, but people fail to talk about what’s going on now. The truth of the matter is that we’re making Black history every day! I decided to recognize recent Black History Month facts for this last post; and by recent I mean in the past 20 years.
Of course we have the obvious, President Barack Hussein Obama II who was the first Black man elected as president of the USA not once, but twice! I could stop the post right there, like drop the mic and walk away, but I’m not. But that wasn’t the only milestone in the White House over the past 20 years. One of my sorority sisters was the first Black female secretary of state. You guys may know her as Condoleezza Rice! I might not be a big fan of the president she served under, but that doesn’t take away from the great things that were done while she was there. But she wasn’t the first Black person to do so, Colin Powell served in that role in 2001-2005. In fact, he was the first Black person to serve as National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff too. There were honestly so many great things happening for Blacks in politics then. Former Marylan Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele became the chairman of the National Republican Committee (basically the head of the Republican Party) and Eric H. Holder Jr was confirmed as the attorney general of the US in 2009. Oh, and the next year Kamala Harris won the election for California’s attorney general and became the first woman, African American and Indian American in California history to do it! And I can’t talk about that awesome Black woman without mentioning the first Black female US attorney general, Loretta E. Lynch, who was elected in 2015. #BlackGirlsRock
There were also strides made in the entertainment industry. There have been a lot of talk about how white the Oscars have been these past few years, and I feel like part of that has to do with the president of the Academy of Motion Pictures since 2013, Cheryl Boone Issacs, who is the not only the first Black president but the first Black female president. Denzel Washington and Halle Berry made history at the 2002 Academy Awards when he became the second African-American male to win Best Actor and she became the first African-American to win Best Actress. I feel like I don’t even need to tell you guys about the great things Oprah has done, but I can’t do a Black history month post and not mention a great one.
Oh and don’t get me started on sports. Serena Williams might have a 21 Grand Slam Titles now, but it was her sister who became the first Black woman to win the Women’s Singles title at Wimbledon in 2000 in almost 50 years! Althea Gibson won that first in 1957. Tiger Woods’ infidelity issues don’t take away from his achievements, especially since he was the youngest person to win the Masters in 1997, and later be the first person to hold all 4 major championship titles in 2001.
We’re honestly making history every day in various industries and I can’t wait to see what the next 20 years have to hold for us.