In 1926, the noted Negro scholar, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founded the Center for The Study of Negro Life in America.

Out of this body grew the founding of Negro History Week. Woodson and his associates felt that the week should celebrate the accomplishments of Negroes who were able to achieve success in spite of the impediments and barrier created against them.

Later the week was expanded to a month, and at various times the name, consistent with changes in society, changed to reflect the consciousness of a freed African people. From Negro History Month to Colored-Black-Afro-American to African American History Month, people of color continually celebrated their achievement and successes during the month of February, each year since 1926. These 74 years have been marked by laws guaranteeing citizens of all colors, races, and creeds their inalienable rights.

The civil rights activism of the 60s produced fair housing laws, voter rights acts, affirmative action programs in education; education opportunities in historically segregated colleges and universities; abolishment of separate public facilities, non-discriminatory hiring practices, and integration at every level in corporate America.

Yet, there are some lingering problems, which necessitated President Bill Clinton to create a commission on race during his tenure.

President George W. Bush in his first speech before the Congress addressed the issues of "the stubborn vestiges of racism."

It is obvious that America has come a long way in the last seventy-four years, but there is still much ground to cover. One of the most telling areas of racial disparities is in the area of public education. A recent court ruling in Texas and New York indicated disproportionate funding for inner cities — predominately African American and Hispanic schools. This results in a lack of resources to fulfill the mandates of the Brown vs. Kansas Board of Education - Supreme Court decision in 1954. Furthermore, the lack of resources contributes significantly to the education, cultural, and class gap that separates the economics of minorities and whites. The gap is the crack into which these uneducated youth fall with no real hope of retrieval because of a lack of competitive skills.

America’s future is rooted in its ability to overcome past prejudices and consider the worth of every child. This essentially means having the same level of expectations for African, Latino and other Americans as for whites. Sub-standard schools produce sub-standard students who cannot compete in an environment where the paradigm is constantly shifting and a premium on excellence is required for success. The fair, equitable, and just application of educational resources is needed to fix one of America’s longest standing problems — racism. It may also help to alleviate some of the racial tensions that continue to exist. America cannot afford racial profiling whether it be in community policing, education, politics, religion or my other arena of life. It sends the wrong message to the nations that we encourage to replicate this great democratic model. Hypocrisy will destroy the basic principle on which this nation is founded — ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ for all people.

In unprecedented numbers, African Americans have burst through the profile to which they were regulated and have landed in political offices, corporate board rooms, deanships, and relationships with the most powerful leaders of the world. They have said to America and the world, "look at me, respect me, get to know me and you will discover that I am you, and you are me and we are one as Americans. It is not I and me, but us and we. United we stand, divided we fall."