2024 Black History Month External

As we commemorate Black History Month, we celebrate the rich tapestry of moments that have shaped the course of history, honoring the contributions and achievements of the African American community. This month serves as a reminder of the resilience, courage and triumphs that have defined generations.

From pivotal milestones in civil rights to groundbreaking cultural achievements, Black History Month is a testament to the indomitable spirit that has left an indelible mark on our world. As we reflect on the past, we also look forward, committed to fostering inclusivity, diversity and equity for a brighter future.

Join us in acknowledging and embracing the profound legacy of Black history that continues to inspire and pave the way for progress.

We’re giving away three $3,000 scholarships in honor of Black History Month. Enter our scholarship opportunity by submitting a short video highlighting your personal connection with a pivotal Black history moment in the last 20 years, how it impacted you, lessons learned and how it inspired you to make a change. For more information about how to enter the scholarship opportunity, contest rules and video specifications, please click below.

Entries must be received by March 15, 2024.

Click on each picture to learn more.

Test your knowledge for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

In celebration of Black History Month, we’ve spotlighted five moments in Black history. What did you learn about these inspiring events and their outcomes? Test your knowledge and take the quiz.

The Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Bus Boycott in 1953 was the first large-scale boycott of a southern segregated bus system. It inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott that took place two years later. The boycott, however, remains controversial because many supporters felt its leader, the Rev. T.J. Jemison, capitulated too quickly to city demands.

The boycott was prompted partly by the 1950 decision by the Baton Rouge City Council to support the financially strapped municipal bus company by revoking the licenses of nearly 40 competing Black-owned companies. African Americans had no choice but to ride segregated buses operated by the city-owned bus company. They made up about 80% of the bus riders on the city bus system but were required to sit in the rear of the bus, or stand, even if the front seats reserved for whites remained empty. In January of 1953, the bus fares rose from 10 to 15 cents.

The Reverend T.J. Jemison, pastor of Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, and president of the newly formed United Defense League (UDL), played a pivotal role. The UDL organized the boycott, held mass meetings and established alternative transportation, marking a pioneering effort in the Civil-Rights movement.

Rev. Jemison made a complaint to the city council. In response, they passed Ordinance 222, which allowed African Americans to sit in “white” seats if the bus was not crowded and those seats were unoccupied. They, however, could not sit next to whites or in front of them.

Facing financial ruin, the bus company and the city met with the Rev. Jemison on June 24. Their compromise became Ordinance 251. The company reduced the number of white-only seats, but they were still required to sit behind whites and would have to stand, even if some white seats remained empty. Jemison claimed the compromise was the best that could be achieved, but many, including some in the UDL leadership, criticized his decision. T

he Baton Rouge Bus Boycott did not end segregation on the buses, but it showed that peaceful, well-organized and supported grassroots protests could be effective in the Deep South. The system of ridesharing provided a model that was used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Improvement Association during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Barack Hussein Obama II, is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. He was the first African American president in U.S. history.

In 2008, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama was nominated by the Democratic Party for president and chose now-President Joe Biden as his running mate. Obama was elected president, defeating Republican Party nominee John McCain in the presidential election and was inaugurated on January 20, 2009.

Crowds of people jammed the National Mall, stretching from the Capitol Building to beyond the Washington Monument. According to the District of Columbia’s official estimate, approximately 1.8 million people witnessed President Obama’s inauguration, surpassing the previous record of 1.2 million, set by the inaugural crowd of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

President Obama referred only briefly to the historic nature of his presidency in his speech, saying that part of America’s greatness was the fact that “a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

Congressman John Conyers, an African American Democrat U.S. representative from Michigan, introduced the first legislation to establish the holiday on April 8, 1968, four days after King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. However, the bill honoring the life and work of the civil and human rights activist and Nobel laureate fell five votes short of the number needed for Congress to move forward. Congressional conservatives argued that it was unheard of to celebrate a private person who had never held public office with such an honor. Others argued that the federal government could not afford another annual paid holiday for federal employees, and a few suggested that King was not worthy of such a national honor because of his affiliation with communist individuals and organizations. Although the legislation to designate King’s birthday a federal holiday was signed into law by President Ronald Regan on Nov. 2, 1983, it was not observed until three years later, on Jan. 20, 1986.

Sept. 11, 2001; a date in American history that will never be forgotten. Everyone remembers where they were when the worst terrorist attack on American soil unfolded. The day terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center, killing 2,996 people. Moments later, a second attack took place on the Pentagon and 189 people died after part of the massive building was also struck by an airplane. The final terrorist act happened in Shanksville, PA, where 44 people died when terrorists crashed United Airlines Flight 93 in a vacant field.

More than 20 years later, not all the victims’ stories have been told. Many Americans do not know that hundreds of African Americans were among those who perished that day. They were accountants, college-educated professionals, high-ranking military officers with Purple Heart medals, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers and even children. They were proud citizens living the American dream, leading productive lives and managing successful careers before they perished.

About 267 African Americans died that late summer morning in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 215 African Americans died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, 49 African Americans died at the Pentagon and three died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In 2002, the New York Times reported that of the 343 firefighters killed that day, about a dozen were African American and a dozen were Hispanic. The story came amid a controversy over a decision to create a memorial statue that was based on three white men.

All three Sept. 11 memorial sites have since erected living memorials dedicated to all the victims. Their names are etched in granite and marble slabs that attract visitors year-round. None have pictures of the victims, which could help educate future generations about the full story of the victims of Sept. 11.

The CROWN Act was created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, in partnership with then-Sen. Holly J. Mitchell of California, to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles in the workplace and public schools.

The CROWN Act prohibits discrimination based on protective hairstyles, which are defined as “hair color or manner of wearing hair that includes, but is not limited to, braids, regardless of whether the braids are created with extensions or styled with adornments, locs and twists.” The law also expands the definition of “race” to include “physical characteristics that are historically associated with race, including but not limited to natural hair, hair texture, hair type and protective hairstyles.”

Twenty-three states have adopted this into law and 27 are still outstanding.

Celebrating Black History Month

And Moments in Black History

Black History Month

Scholarship

Opportunity

Black History Month

Knowledge Quiz

Entrant Information

Moment #1

Baton Rouge Bus Boycott

1953

Moment #4

The Inauguration of the First African American President – Barack Obama

2009

Moment #2

Establishing MLK as a Federal Holiday

1983

Moment #3

African American Victims of Sept. 11, 2001

2001

Moment #5

The CROWN Act

2019-2022