By: Kim Jones

Greetings Sisters and Brothers,

February 2, 2026 was Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means 6 more weeks of winter. That’s all we need. 6 more weeks, really?

February is Black History Month.

The celebration of Black History Month begin as Negro history week, which was created in 1926 by Carter G Woodson, a noted African-American historian scholar, educator and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

African-Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history, from slavery and it’s abolition to the Great Migration, civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements. Make a point to explore key moments, milestones, facts and figures in Black History.

Did you know…..

• Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress and later the first to run for president.
• Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African-American elected to the US senate (1870)
• The three light traffic signal was patterned by Garnet Morgan in 1923.
• Dr. Mae Jamison became the first black woman in space in 1992.
• Roughly one in four Cowboys were black.
• The Safe Bus Company was founded by 13 black men in the 1920s in North Carolina to circumvent segregated transit.
• Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, commemorating the end of slavery in Texas in 1865.
• HARP – Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as the harp, was a plaster sculpture by African-American artist Augusta Savage. It was commissioned for the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and was displayed in the courtyard of the Pavilion of Contemporary Art during the fair at Flushing Meadows.
• The NFL fired every black player in one night! No explanation, no announcement, no paperwork, no press release, just a gentleman’s handshake between millionaire team owners in 1933, causing the League to go all white overnight.
• The Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program helped push the federal government to take school hunger seriously. While the nation’s free lunch program already existed, school breakfast was not permanently authorized until 1975, years after the Panthers proved that feeding children before school improved attendance, focus, and behavior. From 1969 to 1980, local chapters fed thousands of children daily using volunteers, donations, and organizations. No bureaucracy. No pilot studies. Just results.
  • The Panthers also operated free health clinics, sickle cell anemia testing, transportation for elders, and basic medical care. Programs built on the ideal that universal systems work best when the communities are directly involved.
• Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American ever appointed to the US Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and served on the court from 1967 to 1991.
• George Washington Caver developed 300 derivatives products from peanuts; among them cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastic, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.
• James Mercer Langston was the first black man to become a lawyer in Ohio, when he passed the bar in 1854. In 1888, Langston ran for Congress, but widespread voter fraud and intimidation initially denied him the seat. After he contested the results, the U.S. House seated him on September 23, 1890, and he served until March 3, 1891.
• Jack Johnson became the first African-American man to hold the world heavyweight championship boxing title in 1908. He held onto that belt until 1915.
• Jackie Robinson became the first black player to compete in major league baseball in the modern era when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson endured racist abuse to become one of the greatest players in the game. In 1962, he became the first black athlete inducted into the National baseball Hall of Fame.
• Althea Gibson became the first African-American to compete in a pro- world tennis tour and in 1956, the first African-American woman to win a grand slam title. Overall, Gibson garnered 11 grand slam wins, including six singles titles. Next, Gibson turn to professional golf and made more history by becoming the first African-American competitor on the women’s pro golf tour in the 1960s.

I could go on and on with Did you know….

The Black History Committee presents “Passing the Torch” February 22, 2026, 3:00pm, at UAW Local 659. Come out and enjoy the program.

Until next time stay warm, be safe, and God bless.