Equality is a major keystone of MYKA in which we aspire for just work standards. This month, MYKA is honoring Black History Month by taking a look back in history at how we’ve achieved equality and diversity throughout the years. National African American History Month is celebrated in February and commemorates the contributions that African Americans have made to American history in their struggles for equality and freedom. The celebration is celebrated all month long observed by many, including academia and cultural institutions as well as pop culture through literature, music, and film.
National African American History Month originated in 1915 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, historian and author, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Through this organization, Dr. Woodson initiated the first Negro History Week in 1926, which was selected because the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two key figures in the history of African Americans, celebrate their birthdays that month.
In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford issued the first Message on the Observance of Black History Month in which Negro History Week became Black History Month. According to President Ford it was important to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”. Since then, each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History continues to promote the study of Black history all year.
Today, Black History Month is a time when the United States, as well as Canada, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands take the time to celebrate influential historical figures as well as the current and next generation of leaders throughout the African-American community. We are proud of our company’s commitment to diversity and will continue to strive and push for equality in the workplace.
