How Black History Month reminds us to find our courage

When I read Muhammad Ali’s words, I think about all the people in my life who found the courage to step outside their comfort zone and take calculated risks to try and achieve their dreams.

I think of my mother who was the only sibling of the twelve brothers and sisters in her family to go to college because she knew that higher education would mean a better life—not just for her, but for her own children. Just like my mother, my father was the first in his family to go to college. He and his brother were the only two out of ten siblings to go to college. Today, going to college might not seem like such a risky endeavor, but only decades ago it was risky for African Americans to seek out a college education, if even possible—long before the civil rights movement in America was born.

Mary McLeod Bethune knew this and that is why she founded a college for African American students in 1904. What began as a school for Black girls in a rented house with five students is known today as Bethune Cookman University in Daytona, Florida with a student body of over 3,000. Starting that school was incredibly risky, but Dr. Bethune’s courage to start her school was like dropping a pebble in a pond—the ripple effect of her actions has had an immeasurable positive impact on the lives of countless African Americans. ?

There are a lot of noteworthy “firsts” among African Americans that I marvel at every time I read about them, like Myra Adele Logan who was the first African American woman to perform open-heart surgery back in 1943—the ninth of its kind to be performed in the world. Her research also included developing more accurate tests to detect differences in breast tissue density.

Daniel Hale Williams III was another “first” to perform open heart surgery back in 1893 on a man who had been stabbed. He was also one of the people who helped establish the National Medical Association—an organization for African Americans in medicine. I’d like to think we are beyond the “firsts” in professional achievements for African Americans, but I know we still have a long way to go.

These are the sorts of stories we hear about and read about during Black History Month. But the month is not only about recognizing the accomplishments of African Americans in the years since slavery was abolished. It is also very much about recognizing the strength and bravery it took for every day African Americans like my parents to challenge the norms and conventions of a society that sought to oppress them for so long.

It was only through the courage of others like my mother and father that I believe I have been able to achieve my professional goals. There is inherent risk in everything we do and yet the prospect of the pay-off—whether you’re the first in your family to go to college, the first African American woman to start a school, or Muhammad Ali going toe to toe with George Foreman—is so compelling, so overwhelming that it’s impossible to resist.

And so we take that risk, we find the courage, and we continue to fulfill Dr. King’s dream of a future where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.