Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of the achievements of African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.

Today, many children and adults lack knowledge of black history. Black history is the missing part of history that is sometimes intentionally or ignorantly left out of our textbooks.

How do we make up for this missing education? We teach it in schools during Black History month. Even beyond the classic examples, there are many  African-American inventors, artists, and political leaders who are making differences today, but are not recognized for their contributions.

Black History Month is an opportunity to study role models who inspire others. Those who aren’t aware of these people or movements are missing out on an important part of history.

There are many African Americans who are well known, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and Harriet Tubman. They are all African Americans who made a difference in the world, and there are plenty of monuments, websites, and lessons about them.

We all know that Martin Luther King won a Nobel prize and gave his “I Have A Dream Speech.”  We know that Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person, and that Maya Angelou is a poet and author. Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom in secrecy.

What about the people who are making differences today, but aren’t recognized, including Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, and Ben Carson?

I predict that, some day soon, they will have their own historic landmarks, and teachers will recognize them for their achievements.

Oprah Winfrey inspires many people and has accomplished so much as an African American woman. Winfrey was born into poverty in Alabama. She is a philanthropist, a talk show host, an actress, a producer, and much more. She was also ranked the richest African American of the 20th century. After ending her 25-year talk show, she has expanded her empire even further.  She is the greatest black philanthropist in American history. Winfrey invests her time in helping people in many different ways through her foundation and through the Angel Network she established in 1998.

Michelle Obama is the first African American First Lady of the United States. Along with being the first lady, she is also an American lawyer and writer.  Obama is a very strong African American woman and is a big inspiration to all women. She is very highly educated and graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.  She is displayed on many magazines for her fashion and is featured on many commercials showing her love for children. 

Serena Williams is an African American tennis player who is ranked number 1 in women’s singles. She is known as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. Williams is the reigning champion of the Olympics, French Open, and Wimbledon in women’s tennis singles and doubles. Williams holds the most major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles combined against active players, male or female. She works hard on and off of the court. Williams even has a signature line of clothing.

Last is Ben Carson, a retired African American neurosurgeon. Carson is also a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in the
2016 election. Carson has saved many lives as a neurosurgeon, as he has separated many conjoined twins and developed the hemispherectomy technique for controlling seizures. He is admired by many, as a result of his achievements and the impact he has made on people’s lives.

These are only a few of the African Americans in today’s society who are making a difference. They are not always known or taught about in schools, but Black History month gives theses African Americans of today an opportunity to be acknowledged. Everyone is aware of the famous African Americans of the past who have influenced history, but not always the ones of today.