Honoring Black History Month - Day by Day
Feb 25, 2021
Since 1976, every U.S. President has designated February as Black History Month. It is a time for Americans to reflect on the significant roles that African-American men and women have played in shaping history and the contributions they have made to our country. It is also time to reflect on the continued struggle for racial justice. Experts say understanding Black history, civil rights activism, and learning more about systemic racism is essential to maintain peace and support democracy.
"Addressing racial inequity is essential to sustaining our nation, and furthering its democratic aspirations." - Ralph Richard Banks, the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and co-founder of the Stanford Center for Racial Justice.
Many know about the work of prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Maya Angelou, but there are countless others who've made a profound impact over the years as well. In honor of Black History Month, Nexant tweeted an “on this day in history” fact to put a spotlight on some of these accomplishments and contributions. We invite you to view our twitter feed or take a look at the timeline below.
Internally, Nexant's Diversity committee also wanted to honor and celebrate the efforts and achievements of those who've impacted history. The committee put together an online trivia hunt designed to help our employees learn more about Black History. The hunt asked questions such as: “Who is the first black female to be CEO of a fortune 500 company?”, “What is the name of the newspaper started by Malcolm X?”, and “What college basketball team, playing all black students, became the first to win a national championship?” If you’d like to expand your knowledge of Black history, you can try the trivia hunt here.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about Black History.
Black History Month Twitter Timeline
February 1
1885 - Johnathan Jasper Wright became South Carolina's first African-America state Supreme Court justice.
February 2
1989 - Evelyn Fields, U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, became the first African-American woman to command a naval ship.
February 3
1939 - The U.S. attorney general established the Civil Rights Division within the Department of Justice.
February 4
1913 - Rosa Louise Parks, "mother of the civil rights movement," was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.
February 5
1884 - Willis Johnson patented an egg beater.
February 8
1944 - Harry S. Alpin of the Atlantic Daily World became the first African-American accredited White House correspondent.
February 9
1960 - One hundred Johnson C. Smith University students staged sit-ins at downtown Charlotte lunch counters.
February 10
1907 - Grace Towns Hamilton, Georgia's first African-American woman state legislator, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
February 11
1990 - Nelson Mandela was released from a South African prison after nearly 27 years.
February 12
1948 - Nancy C. Leftenant, U.S. Army first lieutenant, became the first African-American nurse in the Regular Army Nurse Corps.
February 15
1968 - Henry Lewis of the New Jersey Symphony became the first African-American to lead a symphony orchestra in the U.S.
February 16
1972 - Wilt Chamberlain became the first NBA player to score 30,000 points.
February 17
1963 - Michael Jeffrey Jordan, NBA superstar, was born in Brooklyn, New York.
February 18
1924 - Vel Rogers Phillips, Wisconsin's first African-American secretary of state, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
February 19
1992 - John Singleton became the first African-American director to be nominated for an Academy Award.
February 22
1928 - Conrad Mallett, Michigan State Supreme Court Justice, was born in Ames, Texas.
February 23
1960 - Frederick M. Jones patented a thermostat and temperature control system.
February 24
1864 - Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African-American woman to become a doctor of medicine (MD) in the U.S.
February 25
1964 - Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight boxing championship.
February 26
1928 - Antoine "Fats" Domino, pioneer R&B pianist, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
