Let’s celebrate them and their accomplishments.
February is Black History Month, a time to honor African-American change agents, like Martin Luther King, Jr., who changed the course of America’s history. It’s also a time to honor Black athletes who changed the landscape of America’s sports. Those athletes include:
—Jackie Robinson, the first black MLB star
—Althea Gibson, the first black tennis star to win The Wimbledon and The U.S. National Tennis Championship
—Tiger Woods, the first black golfer to win the Masters Open Tournament
—Jesse Owens, the most decorated athlete in the 1936 Olympics, with four gold medals
—Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion
—Fritz Pollard, one of the first black athletes to play in the NFL
—Charlie Sifford, the first black golfer in the PGA
—Jesse Owens, Olympic track and field star wh0 made headlines for his accomplishments at a very important time and place
—Bill Russell, the first black coach in the NBA
—Juan Carlos and Tommie Smith, whose platform protest at the Olympics shed light on racial intolerance, abuse, and inequality
—Wilma Rudolph, the first African-American woman to win three gold medals in The Olympics
—Arthur Ashe, the first black tennis player to win three Grand Slams
—Gabby Douglas, the first black gymnast to win the individual All-Around championship title
—Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all-time
—Hank Aaron, the record-breaking baseball legend
—Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, legendary athletes in football and basketball, respectively, who have spoken out for decades about the need for racial justice and the importance of fair play in all aspects of life
—Colin Kaepernick, who had the courage to kneel in a public protest about police treatment of African-Americans and lost his NFL career as a result
It’s especially important to remember their contributions at a time like this. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks, among others, are no longer with us because of their skin color.
February is a time to reflect and remember when, as children, we didn’t see color. I have four young siblings, and the last thing I want is for them to grow up in a world where people see ‘Black as bad.’
All people are equal and need to be treated as equals.
