WEBVTT 00:02.236 --> 00:04.150 - Good morning! 00:04.150 --> 00:07.080 February is dedicated to black history month, 00:07.080 --> 00:10.310 honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans 00:10.310 --> 00:13.817 throughout every aspect on American History, 00:13.817 --> 00:15.940 including the Civil Rights movement, 00:15.940 --> 00:19.460 artistic, cultural, and political achievements. 00:19.460 --> 00:22.640 We're all familiar with well known black history figures. 00:22.640 --> 00:27.100 Dr. Martin Luther King jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman, 00:27.100 --> 00:29.836 however there are less known African Americans 00:29.836 --> 00:32.601 whose contributions helped shape society 00:32.601 --> 00:34.810 as we know it today. 00:34.810 --> 00:39.810 For example, Garret A Morgan, an African American inventor, 00:40.630 --> 00:42.490 businessman, and community leader, 00:42.490 --> 00:45.250 who invented the three light traffic signal. 00:45.250 --> 00:46.660 Marie Van Brittan, 00:46.660 --> 00:49.460 a nurse who invented the home security system. 00:49.460 --> 00:53.411 Mark Dean, who invented the first colored PC monitor. 00:53.411 --> 00:56.760 Fannie Lou Hamer, who grew up in poverty 00:56.760 --> 00:58.920 in my home state of Mississippi, 00:58.920 --> 01:01.670 took upon one of the most important, passionate 01:01.670 --> 01:04.950 and powerful voices of the Civil Rights and voting movement, 01:04.950 --> 01:06.100 and a leader in the efforts 01:06.100 --> 01:09.806 for greater economic opportunities for African Americans. 01:09.806 --> 01:12.320 There were times she was arrested 01:12.320 --> 01:15.040 and brutally beaten during those efforts, 01:15.040 --> 01:19.276 leaving her with life long injuries, yet she persisted. 01:19.276 --> 01:22.390 Medgar Whitley Evers, a World War Two veteran 01:22.390 --> 01:24.807 who became the first state field secretary 01:24.807 --> 01:28.000 of the NAACP in Mississippi. 01:28.000 --> 01:30.400 He fought injustices in many forms, 01:30.400 --> 01:32.826 such as how state and local legal systems 01:32.826 --> 01:35.820 handle crimes against African Americans. 01:35.820 --> 01:37.760 His efforts made him a target 01:37.760 --> 01:41.660 for those who opposed racial equality and desegregation. 01:41.660 --> 01:45.243 He was assassinated on his porch, in 1963. 01:46.330 --> 01:48.700 Those were just a few influential people 01:48.700 --> 01:50.930 who selflessly helped pave the way, 01:50.930 --> 01:52.580 and build the very platform 01:52.580 --> 01:56.240 on which African Americans are able to stand today. 01:56.240 --> 02:00.240 Dr. King, Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, 02:00.240 --> 02:04.310 Jackie Robertson, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, 02:04.310 --> 02:06.700 and Shirley Chisholm were all pioneers 02:06.700 --> 02:08.760 and trailblazers of history. 02:08.760 --> 02:10.840 However, black history 02:10.840 --> 02:14.186 isn't just about the famous people I just named. 02:14.186 --> 02:16.990 No, it's far more than that. 02:16.990 --> 02:20.930 Black history is my mother, who went back to school 02:20.930 --> 02:23.940 after starting a family, while working two jobs, 02:23.940 --> 02:25.860 and still graduated with honors, 02:25.860 --> 02:27.650 becoming the first in the family 02:27.650 --> 02:28.993 to earn a college degree. 02:32.675 --> 02:34.000 (sighing)] 02:34.000 --> 02:38.930 Black history is Sargeant Kaines grandparents, (crying) 02:38.930 --> 02:41.120 Queen and Lewis Yancey, 02:41.120 --> 02:43.690 who successfully opened a furniture store 02:43.690 --> 02:47.143 in Palm Olive Arkansas, in 1945. 02:52.710 --> 02:55.390 A time when Jim Crow laws and segregation 02:55.390 --> 02:56.390 were in full effect. 02:58.040 --> 03:00.380 Also his mother, Cynthia Yancey, 03:00.380 --> 03:03.300 was among the first group of African Americans 03:03.300 --> 03:06.703 to attend a desegregated school, in Little Rock Arkansas. 03:09.240 --> 03:13.110 Black history, is Staff Sergeant Francis Moleeka, 03:13.110 --> 03:16.580 who was the first in his family to immigrate from Kenya, 03:16.580 --> 03:18.083 and join the U.S. army. 03:19.150 --> 03:21.900 Black history is Captain Cheer's cousin 03:21.900 --> 03:23.923 who was a Teskiti airline pilot. 03:25.750 --> 03:28.680 Black history is Captain Tatiyana Greene, 03:28.680 --> 03:32.250 who is the first military officer in her family. 03:32.250 --> 03:35.680 Black history is Sergeant Major Ricky Jackson, 03:35.680 --> 03:38.170 who is currently pursuing a PHD 03:38.170 --> 03:40.070 in behavior health management, 03:40.070 --> 03:42.060 and will be the first in his family 03:42.060 --> 03:44.740 to obtain a degree of such high caliber. 03:44.740 --> 03:47.100 That is black history. 03:47.100 --> 03:50.100 For me, black history is a time of reflection. 03:50.100 --> 03:53.190 A time of rejoicing, a time of pride. 03:53.190 --> 03:56.330 It's a time where I look back throughout history 03:56.330 --> 03:59.410 at the triumphs as well as the hardships 03:59.410 --> 04:02.248 of African Americans and ask myself, 04:02.248 --> 04:06.283 would I have made it through the things that they endured? 04:07.180 --> 04:08.960 What if it were me, 04:08.960 --> 04:12.100 who was limited to a certain neighborhood, 04:12.100 --> 04:15.205 a certain MOS, a certain water fountain, 04:15.205 --> 04:17.428 a certain side of the street. 04:17.428 --> 04:19.961 I ask, what if it were me 04:19.961 --> 04:23.220 whose son had to walk home from school 04:23.220 --> 04:26.830 without being able to say so much as good afternoon, 04:26.830 --> 04:28.683 to someone of the opposite race. 04:29.870 --> 04:33.930 What if it were me, who was made to feel inferior 04:33.930 --> 04:37.130 or subhuman, because of the color of my skin, 04:37.130 --> 04:39.063 Something I have no control of, 04:40.640 --> 04:43.800 or made to feel bad because of the unique features 04:43.800 --> 04:48.140 that make me who I am, like my full nose and lips, 04:48.140 --> 04:51.330 or hair that defies gravity. 04:51.330 --> 04:55.640 I also ask, what is it that I, Danielle, 04:55.640 --> 04:57.470 can do to help carry out the plans 04:57.470 --> 05:00.740 those before me laid the groundwork for. 05:00.740 --> 05:04.860 How can we ensure that our legacies live on? 05:04.860 --> 05:07.580 The answer to the last question is simple. 05:07.580 --> 05:09.900 Be the change you want to see, 05:09.900 --> 05:12.500 and encourage others to do the same. 05:12.500 --> 05:16.640 Set goals, and make plans to accomplish those goals, 05:16.640 --> 05:18.860 and then carry out those plans. 05:18.860 --> 05:20.993 Don't give up and don't settle. 05:22.600 --> 05:24.380 As I prepare to close, 05:24.380 --> 05:27.960 I would like to take the time to express my gratitude 05:27.960 --> 05:30.518 for those African Americans who are on the forefront 05:30.518 --> 05:32.680 of the fight for equality. 05:32.680 --> 05:36.093 Those who not so long ago, put their lives in danger 05:36.093 --> 05:38.900 so that I can stand in this very room 05:38.900 --> 05:43.250 at this very podium, on 27 February, 2020, 05:43.250 --> 05:46.110 proud and embracing the skin that I am in, 05:46.110 --> 05:48.660 and share with all of you black history. 05:48.660 --> 05:52.370 I don't take it for granted, and I do not take it lightly. 05:52.370 --> 05:54.500 Because we are knowledgeable of the past, 05:54.500 --> 05:57.720 we can make a difference now, and in the future. 05:57.720 --> 05:59.730 I would also like to thank each of you 05:59.730 --> 06:02.642 for taking time out of your day to listen. 06:02.642 --> 06:05.790 I encourage you to dream like Dr. King, 06:05.790 --> 06:09.850 lead like Harriet Tubman, think like Marcus Garvey, 06:09.850 --> 06:14.190 write like Maya Angelou, feel like Madame CJ Walker, 06:14.190 --> 06:19.190 speak like Fredrick Douglas, educate like W.E.B. Du Bois, 06:19.320 --> 06:21.430 believe like Thurgood Marshall, 06:21.430 --> 06:24.130 and challenge like Rosa Parks. 06:24.130 --> 06:26.710 Black history, bright future. 06:26.710 --> 06:28.044 Thank you. 06:28.044 --> 06:30.294 (clapping)