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Director, Trotter Institute
In the African American community, it's a running joke that the month set aside to recognize and honor the achievements of this significant population is February&emdash;the shortest month of the year. However, this bit of humor in no way denigrates the importance of Black History Month, first conceived by historian Carter G. Woodson. Over the years, February has taken hold as the month to celebrate black achievement throughout the nation&emdash;thus we have seen all manner of individuals and events recognized during this period. The names range from Charles Drew to Booker T. Washington to W.E.B. DuBois to Mary McCloud Bethune to Chappy James to Benjamin O. Davis to Bessie Smith to Colin Powell to Bessie Coleman to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Malcolm X to Thomas Bradley to Reggie Lewis to Jackie Robinson, and on and on. Some names are nationally recognized, while others are more regional in nature. Given our place at the University, I purposely did not spell out the specific contribution of each individual named above. Your job is to fill in the blanks. A bit of library research or on-line investigation should do the trick.
The William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture is concerned with the accomplishments of African-Americans throughout the year, and has been of such a mind for nearly twenty years. Incidentally, if you do not know who William Monroe Trotter is, I again suggest some library research. Over the years the Trotter Institute has conducted research, published papers and a quarterly journal and generally presented the African-American community in all its facets to a local, regional, national and international audience. This work ranges from a published report on the status of blacks in Boston to an evaluation of one of the largest housing rehab projects in the nation to a report on media images of AfricanAmericans to a critique of Michael Porter's work on the competitive advantage of the inner-city to several reports on the status of black business in Massachusetts to work with local design professionals on a master plan for Roxbury. This list goes on and on. If you are interested in this important work, then plan on visiting the Trotter Institute and picking up one or more of our publications on these topics.
On a personal black history note, the Spring issue of American Legacy Magazine which hits the newsstands in February has a cover story on Bessie Coleman. This cover story features my work on the contributions of Bessie Coleman to American aviation history. In the past this same magazine has featured cover stories on Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Duke Ellington, among others. So as you can see black history can be seen from a personal perspective as well. February has become an important month for not only the African American community, but all communities interested in the significant contributions of this group to the nation and the world. Let us all enjoy the learning that can take place during February.