Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress.

Barack Obama was the first Black man to serve as President of the United States.

Althea Gibson was the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam Tournament.

Bayard Rustin organized and strategized alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., more notably leading the efforts to structure the March on Washington.

The above facts are just a tiny drop in the bucket of history related to Black people and their contributions to America and the world. From the halls of academia to the entertainment industry, tech and business, and any other sector in between – no space exists without the imprint of Black people.

For some, the range of excellence is held tightly in the short month of February. According to the NAACP, the month started as Negro History Week in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson. The week would eventually develop into Black History Month and be federally recognized in 1976 by President Gerald Ford.

And while the world pauses to celebrate each year, and rightfully so, some wholeheartedly believe that Black History cannot and should not be bound to a single month. Ryan Wilson, the co-founder of The Gathering Spot (TGS), agrees with this sentiment.

Ryan Wilson

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