Rosa Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement, best known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott. On December 1, 1955 a bus driver instructed four Black people sitting in the first row to move to the back and make space for the white passengers. Rosa Parks rejected the drivers order to vacate and police boarded the bus and took her into custody. This arrest sparked the Montgomery bus boycott which ultimately led to the Supreme Court's decision to outlaw segregation on public transportation. Her act of defiance became an important symbol of the movement.
Fritz Pollard standing at only 5 feet 9 inches, broke down football’s color barrier multiple times. Pollard was a standout in college, becoming the first Black player to play in the Rose Bowl while attending Brown University. After school, he served a stint in the army before joining the Akron Pros of the American Professional Football League (later the NFL) in 1920. In 1921, he was named coach of the team, while also still playing. The APFA became the NFL in 1922 while Pollard was still a coach at Akron, which makes him the NFL’s first Black head coach. Pollard was posthumously inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
National Black History Month has its origins in 1915, when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Through this organization, Dr. Woodson initiated the first Black History Week in February 1926. In 1975, President Ford issued a Message on the Observance of Black History Week urging all Americans to "recognize the important contributions made to our nation's life and culture by black citizens." In 1976, ASALH expanded this commemoration of Black history in the United States from a week-long observance to Black History Month. In 1986, Congress passed a Law, which designated February as National Black History Month.
Black Connect is a non-profit dedicated to eliminating the racial wealth gap by equipping people of color with the tools they need to be thriving entrepreneurs. Since they were founded in 2019, they have been able to raise over $50,000 for small businesses through their fever pitch competition. They now boast the US's largest pro bono legal services program, working with over 27 national law firms across 37 states to provide services to over 200 black-owned businesses. They have also provided thousands of business owners with mentorship services through their Trailblazers Mentorship program.
The Theme for the 98th annual Black History Month this year is “African Americans and the Arts”. This theme celebrates the varied history and life of African Americans in the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression. Artistic and cultural movements such as Black Arts, Black renaissance, Hip-Hop and Afrofuturism have been led by people of African descent and contribute to popular trends around the world. This year, Black History Month examines the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.