Celebrating Juneteenth and your personal black history moments

 

As we celebrate Juneteenth, it’s important to take the time to recognize our own personal contibrutions to history.

For instance, when you look at my college graduation picture, you probably just see a skinny 21 y/o young man who is just happy to be graduating from college. 

What you don’t see is the litany of historical moments.  

Here are the things you don’t realize or don’t see:

1. the only Black cadet in his Army ROTC class to be commissioned as a army officer. 

2. the only black male student to graduate with a biology degree in his graduating class.

3. the first member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to graduate from the  University of Tampa. 

4. the only University of Tampa Spartan Spirit award winner to be unanimously selected for his class.

Now I don’t anticipate that there’s gonna be a Netflix, Hulu or Amazon prime documentary chronicling the life and Times of Anthony Reeves. And to some people, these historical first or historical moments may not be significant. 

However, these historical moments are significant because they are now a part of history. They should be shared often with people who are looking for benchmarks to let them know what they are trying to do as possible. For every woman who starts her own business successfully. For every minority that does something personally groundbreaking. For every person who does something that no one else is done before them, they are creating a path I wish someone else could follow and build upon. 

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you’re doing something that no one else is doing or you’re doing something that is very unique, don’t hide that piece of historical fact. We need to celebrate every historical accomplishment and milestones so the future generations will know that it’s possible, and not only possible but also doable, and not only doable but also achievable.