Monthly Milestone -­‐ Celebrating February The month of February is famous for many things. We start the month out with the biggest game
of the year – Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend, February 7, and Super Bowl 50 will hit the
field in sunny California as the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers battle it out for the NFL
Championship. On Super Bowl Sunday, some of our larger and faster Union brothers—members
of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) will make us all Union Proud. We follow the Super Bowl
with recognizing President’s Day as we commemorate the two greatest presidents in American
history. The first president George Washington, who was instrumental in the founding of this
wonderful country, and the sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln, who understood the true
meaning of Unity so that we could celebrate a truly United States as we know it and love it
today.
A house divided against itself cannot stand. Abraham Lincoln
Next, February touches our hearts as we celebrate love and romance on February 14,
Valentine’s Day. Let’s remember our sweethearts this year by celebrating the day with some of
our great Union discounts. From Flowers to Candy and even a night out to dinner and a movie,
Union Plus has the perfect gift to say, “I love and appreciate you.”
What a perfect thought to bring us into February’s biggest celebration of all – The entire month
of February we will be celebrating African-Americans' achievements and contributions to the
country, as we take time to honor Black History Month. Below are some interesting facts
surrounding Black History month and some of the famous African Americans that we should take
time to honor.
Black History Month 2016: 15 Interesting Facts About Famous African-Americans And
The February Celebration
BY JULIA GLUM Are you ready to learn? We began celebrating Black History Month in the U.S. on Monday,
February 1ST. The observance, celebrating African-Americans’ achievements and contributions
to the country, runs throughout February. Although some chapters of the national story are
famous — such as the one centered on Jackie Robinson’s debut as the first black Major League
Baseball player — others are less well-known.
Here are 15 bits of information you should know about Black History Month.
1. Black History Month started in 1926. The observance was proposed by Carter Godwin
Woodson, an author and historian, as Negro History Week. It expanded in the 1970s.
2. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909. It’s
now considered “the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civilrights organization,” according to its website.
3. The U.S. isn’t the only country to celebrate Black History Month. Canada also observes it in
February, while the U.K. recognizes it in October.
4. There are more than 45 million African-Americans living in the U.S., according to Census
Bureau data. That’s about 15 percent of the nation's population.
5. In 2013, New York had the most African-American residents, with 3.7 million.
6. There are more than 2 million black veterans.
7. By 2060, the black population is forecast to make up almost 18 percent of the U.S. population.
8. In 2005, actor Morgan Freeman said Black History Month was “ridiculous” because “black
history is American history.” More than 10 years later, actress Stacey Dash expressed a similar
opinion.
9. The first black birth on record in what would become the U.S. happened in St. Augustine,
Florida, in 1606. And the first African-American birth occurred in 1624, according to the African
American Registry.
10. The first black NBA player was Earl Lloyd in 1950. He played for the Washington Capitols
and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame more than half a century
later, in 2003.
11. African-Americans were responsible for the invention of 3D graphics, blood banks, gas
masks, potato chips and Super Soaker water guns, according to HowStuffWorks and the Atlanta
Black Star.
12. One out of every four cowboys in the 1800s was black, CNN reported.
13. The 114th Congress, the current one, is the most diverse ever. Forty-six House and Senate
members are black, according to the Pew Research Center.
14. The first black U.S. senator was Hiram Revels in 1870. The day he officially joined
Congress, “visitors in the Senate galleries burst into applause as ... [he] entered the chamber to
take his oath of office,” according to the Senate website.
15. President Barack Obama proclaimed February to be Black History Month Friday, writing that
as the nation observes it, “we recognize these champions of justice and the sacrifices they made
to bring us to this point, we honor the contributions of African-Americans since our country’s
beginning, and we recommit to reaching for a day when no person is judged by anything but the
content of their character.”
Have a great February everyone - enjoy the Super Bowl, tell someone special you love them on
Valentine’s Day, and honor our past Presidents at a great President’s Day sale of Union made
products. Then make the entire month special by recognizing and honoring some of our greatest
icons in Black history.
That’s it for February’s Monthly Milestones,
CAL MEC Communications Chair
Association of Flight Attendants - CWA
Robyn Varner