Black History Month

As we roll into the second week of February, Black History Month kicks into full gear with many organizations and schools planning event in and around the city. That being said let reflect about the many black civil leaders who have done so much for this country...

Anybody in Tuscaloosa that has had to deal with the justice system in Tuscaloosa has heard of Judge England. But what many don't know is that Judge John England was the first black circuit judge in Tuscaloosa and one of the first (along with Charles Steele, Jr.) to serve on the Tuscaloosa's first elected city council.

In the last two decades or so, he was known as Senator Charles Steele and then the National President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. But Charles Steele, Jr.'s name was made great in Tuscaloosa long before either of these titles when in 1985, he became one of the first blacks elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council (along with John England, Jr.).

Since being in office, Congresswoman Terri Sewell has held numerous "town hall" meetings to gain perspectives from the constituents of her district. That's important for any politician, but did you know that Congresswoman Sewell is the first black woman elected to Congress from Alabama?

We all know him for his long-time service on the Tuscaloosa City Council, but Harrison Taylor was also the first black postal carrier in Tuscaloosa.

February 3 1903 John Arthur “Jack” Johnson won the Negro Heavyweight Title. Johnson whose nickname was the Galveston Giant became the first African American world Heavyweight boxing champion at the height of the Jim Crow era. He was champion from 1908 - 1915 Johnson was faced with controversy in 1912 when he was charged with violating the Mann Act...

On February 2, 2009 Eric Holder became the first Black man to be confirmed as United States Attorney General.

You know when you think about comic books you think about Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman and the flash to name a few. Very seldom do you hear a conversation about black characters in comic books. During Black History Month you will hear about inventors, great scholars, and African American first...

In March 2015, Elliot Spillers became the University of Alabama's first black Student Government Association president in four decades!

With this month being what it is to so many of us I must ask, 'What is your part in our story' not 'his'story?