02/20/2026
As we enter the last week of Black History Month, here is a message from our very own Mary T:
Black History Month began with an alum at the University of Chicago, in Chicago, Illinois. Carter G. Woodson, along with friends and alumni, traveled to Washington, D.C., to be a part of the national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation. Because of this success, Woodson, who earned a PhD from Harvard, joined with others in 1915 to form the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1916, The Journal of Negro History was published. In 1924, Negro History and Literature Week was renamed Negro Achievement Week, which had been formally established in 1915.
The month of February was chosen as it is the birthday month of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, who both worked for the freedom of people who were enslaved. In 1937, Mary McLeod Bethune established the Negro History Bulletin. In the 1930s and 1940s, there was increased teaching of Black history in schools. Cities recognized and celebrated Black history in the 1960s, and by the late 1960s, the movement shifted to a month rather than a week; the name was changed to Black History Month, replacing Negro History Week. From the 1970s to the present, every President has issued proclamations for the celebration of Black History Month.
“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” — Carter G. Woodson.
I would like to share some personal history regarding my cousin, George Walker Jr., who made a difference in the lives of Black people who wanted to vote and for people who could not afford lawyers. George was born to my eldest aunt on my father’s side. The family consisted of Helen, the firstborn, seven younger brothers, and George’s father, who was a train steward. In*******al marriages were not accepted in 1920s St. Paul, MN, so they moved to California. While they were deserted by many, my father stayed true to his sister, and thus we spent time with our older cousins.
During the outbreak of World War II, George served in the Army Air Corps, piloting a B-26 Marauder on 63 missions in the European theater. His bravery earned him the honor of the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor’s Chevalier medal for his participation in the liberation of France. Troops were segregated at this time. George became a star basketball player for UC Berkeley and later an All-American. He eventually graduated from Hastings College of the Law.
As an attorney, George defended hundreds of clients. Rich Americans who were in jail in other countries paid for the people with little or no money. He defended the Hells Angels accused of murder during the Rolling Stones concert, the local Gypsy King, a Nicaraguan Bishop during the Iran-Contra affair, and many poor people who entered his office.
What George and I talked most about was his time in the South registering people in Black communities and how he and his fellow lawyers put their lives on the line traveling through white communities. They hid in the backs of pickup trucks and under beds because of their commitment to the vote. In our last conversation ten years ago, while celebrating his 90th birthday, he talked about the sadness of the voter suppression happening in this country during the early 2000s. How sad he must be to see what is happening in the USA now, with the restriction of voting rather than the celebration of people having a voice.
I hope to continue my cousin George’s legacy and work to make a difference.
