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Every year since its inception, Black History Month has a theme that serves to focus on one aspect of Black history, culture, and experience. For 2022, Black History Month's theme is Black Health and Wellness. Check in next week for more!

ASALH: “Black Health and Wellness,” will focus on: “...the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birth workers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well.”

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Gulf War U.S. Army veteran Glenn Ross, President of the Marin County United Veterans Council, is one of the featured speakers during the library's Black History

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This week we are diving into and celebrating Marin's Black History. Check out the stories below, and browse the events and resources provided by our public library.

“Black History Month is a reminder that Black history is not separate from our collective American history – nor does it boil down to highlighting a few celebrities, historical events, or sports heroes,” said Stephanie Hartwell-Mandella, MCFL’s Black History program manager. “The Black experience in the United States is rich and complex. It is reflected in every aspect of our society and culture. By sharing stories, our lived experiences, we grow together. We hope our patrons will join us year-round to explore the library’s resources for celebrating Black history and current leadership in the Black American community.” source

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At TMS we strive to recognize, acknowledge, and honor the history and contributions of Black Americans beyond the month of February through our curriculum, our actions, and our community.

The Story Behind Black History Month

In 1915, in response to the lack of information on the accomplishments of Black people available to the public, historian Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

In 1926, the group declared the second week of February as “Negro History Week” to recognize the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history.

This week was chosen because it includes the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist, and former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.

The week-long event officially became Black History Month in 1976 by President Gerald Ford

Dig into the resources below to learn more about the history and evolution of this month

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Veronica Chambers and Jamiel LawFeb. 24, 2021

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How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now

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Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States for close to 100 years but what is it exactly and how did it begin?

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Carter G. Woodson: The Man Behind Black History Month | HISTORY

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Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) dedicated his life to educating African Americans about the achievements and contributions of their ancestors. He founded what would become Black History Month.

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As the national president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, it is my honor to bring greetings on behalf of ASALH during Black History Month. Each year the question is asked: Why does Black History Month occur in February? The relevance of February goes back to 1926, when ASALH's founder Dr. Carter G. Woodson first established "Negro History Week" during the second week of February. And why that week? Because it encompasses the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass-both men being great American symbols of freedom. However, Woodson never confined Negro History to a week. His life's work and the mission of ASALH since its founding in 1915 represent a living testimony to the year-round and year-after-year study of African American history .

The genius of Dr. Woodson could be seen in his prolific scholarship and in his mentorship of younger scholars. His genius could also be seen in innovative popular programming, such as Negro History Week, for African Americans of all ages and all walks of life. The week provided a special time for us to collectively celebrate our racial pride as well as collectively assess white America's commitment to its professed ideals of freedom. Black teachers in segregated public elementary and secondary schools engaged their students in an array of festivities-plays, pageants, reciting of speeches, essay contests, concerts, and other events. At the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, in 2016, the late Congressman John Lewis shared fond memories of his boyhood school experiences during Negro History Week in rural Alabama. Negro History Week included yet another tradition-an annual fundraising banquet attended by ASALH's adult members, who listened to inspiring speeches on the role of knowledge in the ongoing struggle for racial equality. It is no wonder that the NAACP conferred its highest medal, the Spingarn Medal, on Carter G. Woodson in 1926 after he launched Negro History Week that very same year. Today in the twenty-first century, ASALH remains faithful to Woodson's legacy of excellent scholarship and innovative programming.

We also recognize that d uring the mid-1960s, and especially when college students demanded courses on African Americans and led protests demanding Black Studies Departments, there were calls for extending Negro History week into a monthlong celebration from such groups as the Pan-American/Pan-African Association in Washington DC and students at Kent State University in Ohio, and from local communities throughout America. ASALH, however, sought recognition from the federal government, in the belief that it was important for our nation to set aside the month of February in official observance of African Americans' contributions to the history of the United States and world. The first official observance came in February 1976, from President Gerald Ford whose words established Black History Month in eloquent homage to Woodson and ASALH. He proclaimed: "IN THE Bicentennial year of our Independence, we can review with admiration the impressive contributions of black Americans to our national life....[T]o help highlight these achievements, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. We are grateful to him today for his initiative, and we are richer for the work of his organization."

Ten years later in 1986, which was also the first year of the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday, the U.S. Congress, in a joint resolution of the House and Senate, designated the month of February as "National Black History Month." The resolution authorized and requested President Ronald Reagan to issue a proclamation in observance. In 1986, the Presidential Proclamation 5443 noted that "the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity."

Thus, let us think of Black History Month the way our nation honors its greatest moments and greatest people. Let us appreciate Black History Month in a similar way-as when our government sets aside a month or day, thereby giving it a special meaning for all Americans. No one should think that Black History is confined to the month of February, when evidence to the contrary appears everywhere and in every month. Thanks to the pioneering work of Woodson and ASALH, information on the contributions of persons of African descent to our nation and world is currently taught in universities and in many K-12 schools. Black History is featured in television documentaries and in local and national museums. It is conveyed through literature, the visual arts, and music. The great lives and material culture of Black History can be seen in national park sites and in the preservation of historic homes, buildings, and even cemeteries. Black History Month is not a token. It is a special tribute-a time of acknowledgement, of reflection, and inspiration-that comes to life in real and ongoing activities throughout the year, just as the work of ASALH has for 106 years steadily asserted both racial pride and the centrality of race and the black experience to the American narrative and heritage.

The history of the United States is certainly taught and conveyed all year long, but its greatest symbolic celebration occurs on one-day, the Fourth of July. Black History Month, too, is a powerful symbolic celebration. And symbols always stand for something bigger-in our case, the important role of Black History in pursuit of racial justice and equality. We invite you to partake of ASALH's virtual Black History Month Festival. For information, see https://asalh.org/festival/schedule-of-events/ . We'll be talking a lot about the Black History Theme for 2021-The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. See my announcement of the 2021 theme on asalh.org. ASALH will explore The Black Family from a multiplicity of perspectives, HBCU vocal performances, and enlightening discussions during the festival and, to be sure, All Year Long!
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
2021 ASALH National President

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As the national president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, it is my honor to bring greetings on behalf of ASALH during Black History Month. Each year the question is asked: Why does Black History Month occur in February?

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Celebrate Black History Month with the Marin County Free Library

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Celebrate Black History Month with the Marin County Free Library

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https://marinlibrary.org/

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More Than a Month 2022 | San Francisco Public Library

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Feeling ready to take anti-racist action and unsure where to start? You can take action via the Action Hour Agenda or sign up for our Newsletter for weekly updates!

Join SURJ Marin every Monday, at 12pm for a weekly Hour of Action. We meet over Zoom and provide concrete steps you can take - calling elected officials, signing petitions, etc. - to combat racism against Black & Indigenous and communities of color here in Marin County & across the Nation.

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Feeling ready to take anti-racist action and unsure where to start? You can take action via the Action Hour Agenda or sign up for our Newsletter for weekly updates! Join SURJ Marin every Monday, at 12pm for a weekly Hour of Action.

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Here's the story behind Black History Month - and why it's celebrated in February

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Here's the story behind Black History Month - and why it's celebrated in February

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Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history.

This year's theme, Black Health and Wellness, pays homage to medical scholars and health care providers. The theme is especially timely as we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected minority communities and placed unique burdens on Black health care professionals.

"There is no American history without African American history," said Sara Clarke Kaplan, executive director of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C. The Black experience, she said, is embedded in "everything we think of as 'American history.' "

First, there was Negro History Week

Critics have long argued that Black history should be taught and celebrated year-round, not just during one month each year.

It was Carter G. Woodson, the "father of Black history," who first set out in 1926 to designate a time to promote and educate people about Black history and culture, according to W. Marvin Dulaney. He is a historian and the president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History ( ASALH).

Woodson envisioned a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black history in public schools. He designated the second week of February as Negro History Week and galvanized fellow historians through the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which he founded in 1915. (ASNLH later became ASALH.)

The idea wasn't to place limitations but really to focus and broaden the nation's consciousness.

"Woodson's goal from the very beginning was to make the celebration of Black history in the field of history a 'serious area of study,' " said Albert Broussard, a professor of Afro-American history at Texas A&M University.

The idea eventually grew in acceptance, and by the late 1960s, Negro History Week had evolved into what is now known as Black History Month. Protests around racial injustice, inequality and anti-imperialism that were occurring in many parts of the U.S. were pivotal to the change.

Colleges and universities also began to hold commemorations, with Kent State University being one of the first, according to Kaplan.

Fifty years after the first celebrations, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the country's 1976 bicentennial. Ford called upon Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history," History.com reports.

Why February was chosen as Black History Month

February was chosen primarily because the second week of the month coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Lincoln was influential in the emancipation of slaves, and Douglass, a former slave, was a prominent leader in the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery.

Lincoln and Douglass were each born in the second week of February, so it was traditionally a time when African Americans would hold celebrations in honor of emancipation, Kaplan said. (Douglass' exact date of birth wasn't recorded, but he came to celebrate it on Feb. 14.)

Thus, Woodson created Negro History Week around the two birthdays as a way of "commemorating the black past," according to ASALH.

Forty years after Ford formally recognized Black History Month, it was Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, who delivered a message of his own from the White House, a place built by slaves.

"Black History Month shouldn't be treated as though it is somehow separate from our collective American history or somehow just boiled down to a compilation of greatest hits from the March on Washington or from some of our sports heroes," Obama said.

"It's about the lived, shared experience of all African Americans, high and low, famous and obscure, and how those experiences have shaped and challenged and ultimately strengthened America," he continued.

(Canada also commemorates Black History Month in February, while the U.K. and Ireland celebrate it in October.)

There's a new theme every year

ASALH designates a new theme for Black History Month each year, in keeping with the practice Woodson established for Negro History Week.

This year's Black Health and Wellness theme is particularly appropriate, Dulaney said, as the U.S. continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"As [Black people], we have terrible health outcomes, and even the coronavirus has been affecting us disproportionately in terms of those of us who are catching it," Dulaney said.

"There's never been a time where Black people and others should not celebrate Black history," Broussard said. "Given the current racial climate, the racial reckoning that began in wake of George Floyd's murder ... this is an opportunity to learn."

NPR has compiled a list of stories, performances and other content that chronicles the Black American experience for Black History Month. See the whole collection here.

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Here's the story behind Black History Month - and why it's celebrated in February

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Black History Month grew from a weeklong celebration that started nearly 100 years ago - and it's not random that it's in February.

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Over the next few weeks we will be collecting stories, photos, and reflections from TMS faculty on the ways they study and celebrate black history this month and beyond

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Students can learn a lot about the Black experience in America when teachers seek out a variety of resources to supplement their curriculum.

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Marin County shipyard was built in a hurry after Pearl Harbor. It helped win World War II

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Marin County shipyard was built in a hurry after Pearl Harbor. It helped win World War II

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With the coronavirus crisis causing a national upheaval and citizens being asked to do their part to fight it, it's worth recalling another time Americans came together to face a common enemy.

When Japanese aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S. ramped up a war machine the likes of which the world had never seen. The Bay Area's main contribution to the home front was shipyards. From the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond to the San Francisco Naval Shipyard to Mare Island Naval Shipyard and more, the Bay Area turned out an astonishing 1,400 vessels in 1,365 days - the greatest feat of shipbuilding in history.

One of those shipyards has vanished almost without a trace.

For more than three years, Sausalito's Marinship was a key part of what President Franklin Roosevelt called "the great arsenal of democracy." It was created with astonishing speed.

On March 2, 1942, Adm. Emory Land, chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission, asked Bechtel Corp. to submit a proposal to build a shipyard on the West Coast. Within 24 hours, Bechtel responded with a tentative plan for a yard in Sausalito. On March 12, Bechtel signed a contract to build it and deliver 34 vessels by the end of 1943.

As Charles Wollenberg writes in "Marinship at War: Shipbuilding and Social Change in Wartime Sausalito," by April, earthmoving equipment was tearing down a hill overlooking the northern Sausalito waterfront, dredgers were creating a deep-water channel in Richardson Bay, and work had begun on 21 buildings and six shipways.

Shipbuilding began while the yard was still under construction. The first keel was laid on June 27, and Marinship's first ship was launched in September - just six months after Land's initial telegram to Bechtel.

Marinship was by far the largest industrial installation ever built in Marin County. During its three-plus years of existence, it delivered 93 ships - 15 Liberty Ships and 78 tankers. By June 1945, when the shipyard had perfected its construction techniques, its workers produced the tanker Huntington Hills in just 33 days - a world record for tanker construction.

As Wayne Bonnett notes in "Build Ships! San Francisco Bay Wartime Shipbuilding Photographs," the remarkable efficiency of wartime U.S. shipyards was primarily the result of welding (the old method, riveting, took much longer) and preassembly of parts. Most of the 250,000 parts that went into a Liberty ship or tanker were assembled before they were shipped to the yard. Only about 100 units, some as large as a deckhouse, were assembled on site, and 200 more were added after the ship was launched.

Prefabrication and preassembly allowed management to break the work down into roughly 200 skills, allowing inexperienced workers to specialize in one or two rather than mastering many tasks, as traditional shipbuiders did. Ships were put together on a mile-long line, on which massive components were carried from spot to spot by 10-ton cranes.

Launchings of the ships were festive occasions, in which each vessel was given a female "sponsor" who would swing a bottle of champagne across its bow. This time-honored ritual was preceded by speeches and entertainment, which on several occasions was provided by an African American worker named Joseph James, a welder who was also a professional singer - and who was to play a key role in a home-front civil rights battle with national consequences.

After they were launched, the ships were outfitted. This final stage involved installing lifeboats, guns and more than 50,000 other items. Only then were the ships ready to go on a trial run to the Farallon Islands.

Roosevelt and the U.S. Maritime Commission kept constant pressure on Marinship, and all wartime shipyards across the Bay Area and the country, to meet their production deadlines. The toll taken on Allied shipping by German submarines required a constant supply of new ships. In 1941, the total ship tonnage produced by British and U.S. yards fell short of the losses inflicted by U-boats. Accordingly, Roosevelt asked for 8 million tons to be produced in 1942 and 16 million tons in 1943 - more than the entire U.S. merchant marine fleet in 1941.

Marinship and the other shipyards proved equal to the task. They met the 8 million goal for 1942, and exceeded the 1943 goal by 3 million tons. By the end of 1942, the U.S. was building ships faster than German subs could sink them. As Wollenberg notes, "In effect, the Liberty Ship had defeated the U-boat." The "great arsenal of democracy" had helped to turn the tide of war.

This feat was achieved by a workforce unlike any other assembled in the United States. For the first time, thousands of workers of all races and ethnicities rubbed shoulders on the job, and at the end of their shifts many went home to the same communities. Racism and sexism were not absent, but for those three-plus years, the unifying goal of winning the war mostly prevailed over bigotry and prejudice. The story of the Marinship workers, and their struggle for civil rights, will be the subject of the next Portals.

Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book "Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco," awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. To read earlier Portals of the Past, go to sfchronicle.com/portals. For more features from 150 years of The Chronicle's archives, go to sfchronicle.com/vault. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com

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Marin County shipyard was built in a hurry after Pearl Harbor. It helped win World War II

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With the coronavirus crisis causing a national upheaval and citizens being asked to do their part to fight it, it's worth recalling another time Americans came together to face a common enemy. When Japanese aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S.

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Little-known Stories of Marin's Early Black Settlers

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Little-known Stories of Marin's Early Black Settlers

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Little-known Stories of Marin’s Early Black Settlers

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Celebrate Black History Month with the Marin County Free Library

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Celebrate Black History Month with the Marin County Free Library

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https://marinlibrary.org/

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7 Healthcare Contributions Made by Black Medical Innovators

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7 Healthcare Contributions Made by Black Medical Innovators

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Pacemakers, blood transfusions, neurosurgery on conjoined twins, open heart surgery  — these are just a few of the areas in which Black medical experts have advanced the healthcare you know today.

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Pacemakers, blood transfusions, neurosurgery on conjoined twins, open heart surgery - these are just a few of the areas in which Black medical experts have advanced the healthcare you know today.

The healthcare contributions made by Black physicians, researchers, and other medical professionals are vast. Even in a country where healthcare is stained with racial injustices - such as unequal access, segregation , and a history of deeply unethical testing - we owe immense gratitude to these innovators who have helped advance medical knowledge and save countless lives.

Still, despite their integral role in medicine, the number of Black physicians is not proportionate to the American population.

While there is much progress to be made in terms of representation in medicine, we greatly benefit from the knowledge, dedication, and commitment of Black medical experts - both those in history and those practicing today.

February is Black History Month, a month to pay tribute to the many generations of Black Americans who have not only faced adversity, but also have contributed to society in monumental ways. This year's theme is Black Health and Wellness, highlighting how Black Americans have promoted the health of our country - all while navigating ongoing health inequities themselves.

Here are 7 of the many healthcare contributions made by Black medical innovators:

1. James McCune Smith, MD: Paved the Way for Future Black Physicians

Like many spaces in American history, practicing medicine has long been an unequal playing field for Black physicians. Dr. James McCune Smith, however, was determined to right this wrong.

Dr. Smith was a physician, author, and abolitionist. In 1837, he earned his medical degree from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Later, he went to New York, where he paved the way for future Black physicians by becoming the first Black man to practice medicine with a medical degree in the United States.

Using his training in medicine and statistics, Dr. Smith was committed to refuting misconceptions around race, intelligence, and medicine.

2. Charles Drew, MD: Changed Blood Transfusion Storage

Each year, roughly 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion - when whole blood or parts of blood are given to a patient through their bloodstream. However, there are plenty of logistics to consider when it comes to blood transfusions, including how to safely store blood for as long as possible.

Dr. Charles Drew developed new ways to store blood plasma for transfusion. During World War II, he also organized the first large-scale blood bank. He continued his work after the war by designing a blood storage program with the American Red Cross. However, he resigned once officials unjustly began separating the blood of Black donors from white donors.

Dr. Drew eventually became Chief Surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C. (now Howard University Hospital) and the first Black examiner for the American Board of Surgery.

3. Daniel Hale Williams, MD: Performed One of the First Open Heart Surgeries - And Founded the First Black-Owned Hospital

Open heart surgery - which involves connecting you to a machine that does the work of the heart and lung while the heart is stopped for surgery - is a complex but life-saving procedure.

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams was one of the first physicians to perform this surgery successfully, paving the way for countless future surgeons. In 1891, he opened Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first Black-owned hospital and first non-segregated hospital in the US. He was also the first Black member of the American College of Surgeons.

4. Otis Boykin: Improved the Pacemaker

The pacemaker - a small, battery-powered device that detects when your heartbeat is irregular or too slow - is a life-saving device that up to 3 million Americans rely on to stay healthy.

Otis Boykin, who was born in 1920, was an avid inventor. One of his inventions was a control unit that improved the pacemaker. Throughout his career, Mr. Boykin patented nearly 30 electronic devices.

5. Ben Carson, MD: Performed the First Successful Separation of Conjoined Twins Joined at the Back of the Head

The separation of conjoined twins (twins whose bodies are connected to each other) is a complicated surgical procedure that requires careful planning and plenty of expertise. When twins were attached at the back of the head, Dr. Carson was up to the challenge.

After becoming one of the youngest physicians to direct Johns Hopkins University Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dr. Carson performed the first successful separation of twins attached at the back of the head in 1987.

6. Miles Vandarhurst Lynk, MD: Co-Founded the First Professional Organization for Black Physicians

In 1891, Dr. Miles Vandarhurst Lynk began breaking barriers by becoming the first Black physician in Jackson, Tennessee. Not long after, he founded the first medical journal published by a Black physician, called The Medical and Surgical Observer.

Possibly one of Dr. Lynk's most notable achievements was co-founding the National Medical Association for African American Physicians in 1985. The NMA is the oldest and largest organization representing Black healthcare professionals in the United States.

7. Kizzmekia S. Corbett , PhD: Was One of the Leading Scientists to Develop the Moderna COVID- 19 Vaccine

From the appearance of the first symptoms of what is now known as COVID-19 in December 2019 to the first human trial of the COVID-19 vaccine just months later in March 2020, the COVID-19 vaccine was the fastest development of a vaccine to date.

Thanks to increased funding, unprecedented collaboration, thousands of volunteers, advancements in science and countless hardworking medical experts, COVID-19 became much less of a threat than prior to availability of the vaccine.

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett played an integral role in all of this. Since 2014, Dr. Corbett has worked with the Vaccine Research Center (VCR) to develop novel coronavirus vaccines. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, her team's work became key to developing the vaccine in record time. Dr. Corbett is also working on a universal influenza vaccine.

Celebrating Black Medical Innovators During Black History Month - And Every Month

Some of the most impressive and notable advancements in medicine have been made by Black physicians, scientists, inventors, and researchers. While our list barely scratches the surface, all of these contributions have made and continue to make healthcare what it is today.

This Black History Month - and every month - we celebrate and honor Black medical innovators, who all play an essential role in caring for the well-being of our community and our nation.

This Black History Month's theme is Black Health and Wellness. If you have questions about how you or your loved ones can improve their health and well-being, contact a CCH Primary Care Provider.

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7 Healthcare Contributions Made by Black Medical Innovators to Celebrate This Black History Month - Chester County Hospital | Penn Medicine

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Pacemakers, blood transfusions, neurosurgery on conjoined twins, open heart surgery - these are just a few of the areas in which Black medical experts have advanced the healthcare you know today. The healthcare contributions made by Black physicians, researchers, and other medical professionals are vast.

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Celebrate Black History Month: Through the Lens of Black Health & Wellness

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National Museum of African American History & Culture

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National Museum of African American History & Culture

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"Black History Month is a time to celebrate the fullness of African American history and culture, but that cannot be contained in one month alone. As the world's largest African American museum, we have a responsibility to humanize history and objects through the lives, tragedies, and triumphs of everyday people. This February, we celebrate the theme of Black health and wellness by creating a space that highlights Black pioneers' trailblazing contributions to Western medicine, addresses health disparities facing our communities, and encourages healing through education."

Kevin Young

Andrew W. Mellon Director, National Museum of African American History & Culture.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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The national theme for Black History Month is "Black Health and Wellness." In celebration of Black History Month, the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) will examine the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birth workers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.)

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Black Men Run Charlotte is running to change the visible and invisible trends in Black men’s health one step at a time.

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Black Men Run Charlotte is running to change the visible and invisible trends in Black men’s health one step at a time.

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Black Men Run Charlotte started with just four people running on trails and greenways throughout Charlotte.

“Every Monday and every Saturday, except for the fourth Saturday of the month,” Black Men Charlotte Founder Gregory Washington said.

As of Jan. 26, the organization has more than 200 members with just under 30 participating every week.

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Black Men Run Charlotte started with just four people running on trails and greenways throughout Charlotte.

"Every Monday and every Saturday, except for the fourth Saturday of the month," Black Men Charlotte Founder Gregory Washington said.

As of Jan. 26, the organization has more than 200 members with just under 30 participating every week.

"We got everything from lawyers to dentists to lawyers to IT guys we have them all," Washington said.

Their slogan is no man left behind.
RELATED: Charlotte 'Men in Bras' runway show supports breast cancer patients For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app.
"It's your distance, it's your pace," Washington said.

Black Men Run has organizations in the 30 states across the country and even Europe and Japan. The Charlotte organization was founded in 2013.

Gregory Washington, the head captain, said he was inspired to start the chapter for men of all ages after attending a race in Atlanta.

"Matter fact we need to get a little younger because I'm getting up there in age we're going to need someone to take the torch soon," Washington said.
RELATED: Run together, grow together: Here's how Mad Miles Run Club is making a difference
Washington said their mission is greater than just a running club. The men are creating a culture of health and wellness by using jogging to stay fit.

"At one time 44% of African American men had some sort of cardiovascular disease," Washington said. "We say the road is our golf course we go out and run and talk about life because running also helps with your mental health."

To push the needle even further Black Men Charlotte also has town hall meetings every quarter where they promote health and wellness.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, just download the free app.

"We had three renown doctors come on and tell us how to prevent or how to control hypertension," Washington said.

Black Men Run Charlotte is focusing on changing the visible and invisible trends in Black Men's Health one step at a time.

The only fee they want you to pay is a promise.

"Come out and promise your body you'll take care of it," Washington said.
Click here to learn more.
WCNC Charlotte has teamed up with Pride Magazine to feature stories just like this one. Click here to read more.

WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions producing I Can't Afford to Live Here, a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org .

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Black Men Run Charlotte is running to change the visible and invisible trends in Black men's health one step at a time

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Black Men Run Charlotte started with just four people running on trails and greenways throughout Charlotte. "Every Monday and every Saturday, except for the fourth Saturday of the month," Black Men Charlotte Founder Gregory Washington said. As of Jan. 26, the organization has more than 200 members with just under 30 participating every week.

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Black Health & Wellness in Space (NASA Virtual Event)

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The Historical Significance of Doulas and Midwives

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The Historical Significance of Doulas and Midwives

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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In 2019, 98.6% of women in the United States gave birth to children in hospitals according to the CDC. We may overlook the benefits of having a prepared maternity ward staffed with licensed doctors and nurses today, but these vital tools and personnel were not (and in many remote rural locations still aren't) available to everyone. Before the 1930's women typically gave birth at home surrounded by relatives, female friends, and midwives.

These attendants were responsible not only for supporting the mother emotionally through the pain of labor, but also for preparing necessary tools and supplies, ensuring general hygiene, administering medicine, and monitoring both the woman and child long before and after birth. In more recent instances, midwives can also be accompanied by Doulas, who focused on the needs of the mother by offering mental, physical, and emotional support. These birth workers traditionally occupied a prominent position in African American communities, serving as healers and spiritual leaders, and maintaining extensive social networks.

This Black History Month, the National Museum of African American History and Culture recognizes the importance of Black Health and Wellness. In this blog, we celebrate the unsung work of birth workers like midwives and doulas by exploring their historical and cultural legacy. In our follow-up blog, we'll explore the challenges faced today by contemporary Doulas and Midwives.

Granny Midwives

Today, Midwives are trained healthcare providers who operate both at birthing centers, hospitals, and private residences to care for and support healthy mothers and newborns before, after, and during childbirth. However, midwifery has existed for centuries prior to its earliest recorded practice in the United States. Experienced midwives were among the many enslaved individuals who survived the middle passage and continued to practice and train others as the primary source of birth care throughout the country.

Early African American midwives were important members of their community, even among enslaved individuals. Slave owners used these medical practitioners to ensure the health of their reproducing enslaved women and their newborn infants to expand their labor force. It was also common for midwives to attend to the slave master's wives during birth as well. A good midwife might receive pay for their labor and be allowed to journey long distances to work, granting them a level of mobility that was rare for most enslaved individuals. As a result, these medical practitioners could maintain community connections and ancestry records even when households disbanded and members of the family were sold off.

After Emancipation, African-American midwives, often known as "Granny Midwives," continued to work with both black and white women in rural and remote parts of the South. Often hospitals were rarely accessible and there were few willing or trained doctors available to serve these populations, making midwives the only viable option for expectant mothers. However, the role of the midwife would change in the latter half of the twentieth century as the practice of delivering babies became a medical specialty.

Midwives as Medical Professionals

Traditionally, midwifery operated as a female-dominated family profession or an apprenticeship, with knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Obstetrics, the medical science that deals with pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, was initially shunned by predominantly male medical practitioners. Culturally, it was considered taboo for a man to be present at a birth.

However, as privatized medicine grew in popularity in the United States, out-of-hospital births fell from nearly 100% to 44% by 1940. Unfortunately, this change was mostly fueled by general medical practitioners whose inadequate obstetric education, general lack of hygiene, and unsafe delivery practices created high maternal mortality rates. The rise in mostly preventable deaths compelled the government to intervene, subjecting midwives and physicians alike to state health regulations.

Many midwives adapted to this change, embracing the opportunity to care for their patients with the benefit of formalized training programs. This was the case with Amanda Carey Carter, a fourth-generation midwife who delivered both black and white babies in the rural Piedmont region of Virginia from the 1950s to the 1980s. To obtain a midwifery permit in Virginia, Carter was required to register with the local registrar, attend classes in safety and hygiene, provide one or more letters of recommendation from local physicians, report all births, and adhere to safety rules outlined in the Midwife Manual provided by the Department of Health. In a speech delivered at Longwood University in the early 1980s, Carter remarked proudly at maintaining the license she acquired in 1952.

I had [the] experience of delivering one set of twins and approximately 500 babies, in fact my license will not expire until June 1985. Midwife, Amanda Carey Carter

Midwives often faced competition and exclusion from their practice by physicians who sought to exclude them from the profession. However, many midwives like Mary Francis Hill Coley, a midwife in Albany, Georgia, who had delivered over 3,000 babies, utilized the tools and training of the mostly white medical establishment to care for her most at-risk patients. In the 1953 documentary, " All My Babies," Coley demonstrated how a well-trained lay midwife could deliver healthy babies even in the poorest conditions while acting as an intermediary between patients, nurses, physicians, and members of the local community.

Doulas

Increased regulation and medical advances (including the use of antibiotics, oxytocin, and safe blood transfusions) helped decrease the maternal mortality rate by 71% from 1939-1948. However, the move to hospital births also accompanied a shifting perspective from a natural, if risky, event to an illness. Medical professionals began to rely heavily on intervention methods (including cesarean deliveries, induction, epidural, artificially rupturing membranes, and the episiotomy), that may not have been medically necessary in otherwise low-risk pregnancies.

In response to fears stoked by the home birth movement of the 1970s and the need for dedicated emotional support, many expectant mothers turned to Doulas, leading to their popularization in the 1980s. Women began to invite dedicated female friends, their childbirth instructors, or obstetrical nurses to help them during labor. In 1992, the non-profit organization Doulas of North America (later renamed DONA International) was founded and became the first organization to train and certify doulas.

A doula is not considered a healthcare professional and cannot provide medical care or advice, but acts mainly as a coach and companion. In contrast to medically trained birthing staff, who may by necessity split their attention between multiple patients, Doulas provide constant communication and encouragement during labor. This focused attention can often empower expectant mothers to increase their self-efficacy and result in more satisfying experiences during labor, birth, and postpartum. According to the CDC, Doula-assisted mothers were four times less likely to have a low birth weight baby, two times less likely to experience a birth complication involving themselves or their baby, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding.

Modern Birth Workers

Today the landscape of medicine for expectant mothers is very different from decades past. Increased access to medical care in the last century has made it easier to have a hospital birth surrounded by medical professionals, which could reduce the necessity of a Midwife or Doula. According to the CDC, in 2019, 9.8% of births in the United States were performed with the help of a Certified Nurse Midwife. However, many women still continue to seek out the help of a registered Midwife or Doula regardless of the location of their planned birth.

In the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. These disparities are often due to variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Such was the case with professional tennis player, Serena Williams, who nearly died the day after giving birth to her daughter when hospital staff dismissed her concerns that she was suffering from a pulmonary embolism.

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The Historical Significance of Doulas and Midwives

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Today, Midwives are trained healthcare providers who operate both at birthing centers, hospitals, and private residences to care for and support healthy mothers and newborns before, after, and during childbirth. However, midwifery has existed for centuries prior to its earliest recorded practice in the United States.

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Image courtesy WaterproofPaper.com

In 1940, Marin City did not exist. During World War II, however, the W.A. Bechtel Company of San Francisco was given the contract to construct transport vessels for the U.S. Navy. It created Marinship, which during World War II built nearly 100 liberty ships and tankers. The Bechtel Company was also given permission to develop a community to house some of its workers. That community, Marin City, would eventually be hailed as a model city for the company's workers and a bold social experiment in race relations.

Marin City was located along the western shore of San Francisco Bay, about two miles northwest of downtown Sausalito. Its first buildings were constructed in 1942 to house workers at the Marinship facility in neighboring Sausalito. Marin City, re-designed by Aaron Green, a prominent architect affiliated with Frank Lloyd Wright, initially had no mayor, no city council, nor a city hall. Besides housing for shipyard workers, it had in 1942 a mercantile building with a drug store, department store, beauty salon, a soft drink and candy shop. A public school was built for worker's children. One year after its founding it had a population of 5,500 with African Americans comprising 10% of that total.

Single men were housed in dormitories that rented for $5.50 a month which included 24-hour housekeeping service, medical service, game rooms, a gymnasium, coffee shop and cafeteria. Redwood homes for single people and families were built into the hillside with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and rolling hills of Marin County. Rentals for these homes ranged from $29.00 per month for a furnished one-room apartment with bathroom and kitchen to an average $40.00 per month for a six-room unfurnished house.

By summer 1942, the demand for workers at Marinship generated recruitment efforts which extended beyond California into the Midwest and the South. At its peak in 1944, Marinship employed 22,000 workers from every state in the Union with many of them living in Marin City. During an era when segregation was widely practiced in California as well as across the South, Marin City was a surprisingly diverse, racially integrated community.

By 1945, when the shipyards closed, Marin City survived as Marin County's largest housing project. In 1958 local residents, to initiate revitalization and urban renewal efforts, established the Marin City Community Services District (MCCSD). In 1964, the community was awarded the first HUD award for Design Excellence.

Most of the original housing has been razed and the community has been rebuilt over four decades between 1960 and 2000. In 2010, Marin City's population was 2,666 and 37% African American. This small community's most famous resident was the actor and musician Tupac Shakur.

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In 1940, Marin City did not exist. During World War II, however, the W.A. Bechtel Company of San Francisco was given the contract to construct transport vessels for the U.S. Navy. It created Marinship, which during World War II built nearly 100 liberty ships and ...

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New historical exhibits to mark the 80th anniversary of Marin City will explore the complex racial dynamics of the community's roots.

The focus of the project is housing, discrimination, self-determination and racism of the Black residents from 1942 to 1962.

Delving into housing, redlining and restrictive covenants, one exhibit will be on display in the Board of Supervisors lobby at the Marin County Civic Center. Another examining Marin City's legacy through memorabilia from Black shipyard workers, contemporary art, artifacts, a virtual reality experience and soundtrack listening stations is planned at the Marin Center's Bartolini Gallery. The installations are set to be available to the public starting Aug. 20.

Felicia Gaston, executive director of the nonprofit Performing Stars of Marin, said a collection of newspaper articles, documents and archival information forms the core of the project's historical architecture.

"What we are going to reveal is that the Blacks in Marin City have been fighting to stay here and they are still fighting," Gaston said. "I feel honored by the ancestors to tell the true story. It's a California story. It's a good story."

A team of activist students from Dominican University of California in San Rafael is investigating the expansive archives.

"We're very intentional about making sure that this isn't just about serving the community by handing out knowledge or service, but rather us learning from the community and how we can genuinely partner in solving issues related to equity," said Nicola Pitchford, the university president.

This week, 22-year-old senior history major Cece Trifoso and 32-year-old humanities graduate student Suzanne Blunk sifted through three-ring binders stuffed with newspaper clippings, letters and photographs at the Performing Stars office in Marin City. Louis Knecht, a Dominican University archivist, typed on a little laptop perched on a box. Rows of papers, binders and boxes towered on the walls around them.

"It feels like opening up a time capsule," Blunk said. "I didn't realize there was so much Black history that pertained to Marin County."

Their work is a preliminary step -- what Knecht called "historical appraisal" -- to catalog eligible pieces for the exhibit, which will be further refined by Gaston and her collaborator in the project, Jahi Torman. As of Thursday, they had identified about 70 individual pieces. They still have about 50 binders to go.

Torman, who owns the multimedia company Microphone Mechanics, said the exhibit would allow Black people in Marin City to tell their story "through our own eyes."

"It's historical in that we are preserving a story that has largely went untold in Marin County, let alone Marin City," Torman said. "So selecting what we present to the community allows us to show Black people's strength and resilience in the face of some incredible odds."

Students involved in the project said the effort has opened their eyes to stories of persistent housing discrimination that were previously unknown to them.

Abbie Gould, a 20-year-old communications and media studies major at Dominican, has worked in Marin City since 2019 on various community projects, but transitioned to archival work during the pandemic. She said she has been focused on advertisements of the era that display small-town community life in Marin City during and after World War II.

"Being in Marin City for so long, I've noticed it's really a family community. From these advertisements I've seen more of that family community come together," she said.

Julia van der Ryn, executive director for the Center of University Partnerships and Community Engagement at Dominican, said the student archivists were guided by a philosophy known as "service learning."

"It's an honor to be able to work with them on this. They get to experience being in a community where everybody shows up for each other. We all get to learn so much," she said.

"This is about inequitable and racist structures that have withheld opportunities from people. All of the stories that have not been told, the knowledge, and strength and persistence and resistance in Marin City. It just reveals so much."

The 80th anniversary celebration will also feature a play, titled "The Joseph James Experience & 3 Man Play," at the Showcase Theater at the Marin Center. It is being produced by Torman.

Gaston said the exhibitions were the first step in the establishment of a Marin City Historical and Preservation Society. Her goal is to establish a museum in Marin City.

"What a perfect time to launch it," she said.

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Marin City 80th anniversary exhibition explores racism, history

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New historical exhibits to mark the 80th anniversary of Marin City will explore the complex racial dynamics of the community's roots. The focus of the project is housing, discrimination, self-determination and racism of the Black residents from 1942 to 1962.

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Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide

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Marin County entrepreneur elevates local black artists with community efforts

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Oshalla D. Marcus founded MC Arts and Culture, the first arts collective made up of black artists from Marin County.

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Black Arts Gallery, Art of the African Diaspora, Black Arts Collective

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Black, Native, POC, and POC-immigrant Owned Restaurants and Businesses in Marin

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Black, Native, POC, and POC-immigrant Owned Restaurants and Businesses in Marin

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Black, Native, POC, and POC-immigrant Owned Restaurants and Businesses in Marin

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Scientist of the Moment in TMS Bio/ES/Zoo

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Scientist of the Moment in TMS Bio/ES/Zoo

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Heather's science classes uses the organization I AM A SCIENTIST to bring the stories of real world scientists into the classroom. This week they learned about Dr. Yamicia Connor, a physician with expertise in women's cancer research. Follow the link to learn more about Dr. Connor's story, or ask one Heather's students!

https://www.iamascientist.info/yamicia-connor

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Bringing Black and African American heritage to life in a virtual museum

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Bringing Black and African American heritage to life in a virtual museum

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The Legacy Museum is a virtual museum experience from Microsoft Stores featuring over 200 Black and African American change-makers, including Stacey Abrams, John Legend, Dwyane Wade, John Lewis, and Trevor Noah. In its second year of development, the museum has expanded throughout the industries of Business, Technology, Entertainment, Justice, Sports, and Education to highlight innovators and pioneers from past and present.