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Unique Stories of Black History

Each February, the nation observes Black History Month, a celebration of African-American history, culture and accomplishment in the United States. We invited some of our colleagues to share what Black History Month means to them and talk about the people who inspired them.

Easha Canada

Assistant Vice President,
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Early on, Easha took something her grandmother told her to heart: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

Easha explains, "She believed that dress was one of the ways to overcome stereotypes about Black people – that they were uneducated, not smart, not strategic, and so on." So, even as a high school freshman in Connecticut, she wore heels, skirts, and blouses – a habit she continues to this day.

Her parents, who grew up in the South, instilled in her the belief that she could do anything she wanted and encouraged her to explore activities that interested her. She appreciates that Black History Month provides "dedicated time" for reflection and learning about Black heroes and emerging leaders.

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But we should also talk about Black heroes and emerging leaders throughout the year. I take pride in talking about Black people who have influenced me."

Katrice Groce

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Katrice's New Jersey roots run deep. In the 1800s, her paternal great-grandmother's uncle, Dr. James Still, practiced medicine in the same area where she lives today. And the church where he is buried, which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad, is the same church that Katrice and her family attend: Jacob's Chapel AME Church in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

"Dr. Still was known as 'the Black Doctor of the Pines,'" says Katrice. "Back then, he couldn't go to college, so he taught himself medicine. His brother was William Still, an abolitionist who helped document the Underground Railroad."

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In addition to the iconic leaders that we honor, we also need to learn about African-Americans who are doing great things in all walks of life, and bring their stories to a larger audience."

Katrice believes black history should be celebrated all year long, beyond the month of February.

John Hall III

Underwriting Trainee

When John reflects on Black History Month, he thinks about how past leaders had empathy and an ability to see problems from different perspectives. "Lately, though, it seems like we're losing the ability to respect different opinions," he says.

Being biracial, he saw the different views his parents' respective families had on their marriage. "Initially, the two sides didn't get along," he says. "I've felt hostility from society and within my family, but being biracial is unique because you quickly learn how to communicate to more than one culture or ethnicity and that in return helps find common ground."

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The whole point of Black History Month is to honor the accomplishments and sacrifices that were made to allow future generations to be respected regardless of their differences."

Growing up, he had several role models, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President Barack Obama and his father. "My father grew up in a rough part of Chicago and expectations were that he'd fail, but he created his own path to provide his family with an opportunity to succeed. In every generation, my family's goal is to push our limits and do better than the previous generation," he says.

Kyle Reaves

Underwriter

Kyle feels a touch of pride that his family participated in a significant moment in history – his grandmother had taken his mother, aunts and uncles to see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, DC in 1963.

"My mother said she wished she had been older then so she could have appreciated it more," he says.

Kyle grew up in Trenton, NJ, where he had "lots of extended family around." When he was in the sixth grade, his family moved to Levittown, PA, a town that, as recently as the 2000 census, was 94% white. He was often the only person of color in his classroom.

"It was difficult at first," he recalls. "For example, whenever we learned about difficult parts of history, I often felt that my classmates were looking at the African-American kids to see how we were reacting. But, I also had a lot of close friends who supported me. I appreciated that."

It's those darker parts of history, he says, that lead him to appreciate Black History Month even more.

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It makes me reflect on the parts of history you can be proud of, like the achievements of Black inventors of the past and leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. That's the purpose of Black History Month."

Anticia Robinson

Senior Underwriter

Anticia's fondest memories of childhood include family dinners after church in her grandmother's house in Spartanburg, SC, with a dozen or so relatives sitting around the table talking, cousins playing under the large pecan tree in the yard.

But it wasn't long before she discovered that growing up Black "is beautiful, but can sometimes be tough." At school, she recognized that "I didn't fit in with everybody equally." The inequality extended to white classmates and some Black ones too.

"Sometimes, people from your own community make you feel inadequate because of the darker pigment of your skin," she says. "But I take pride in myself and I always have – there's nothing about my skin I'd like to change."

She tries to pass along that pride to her son. "My husband and I ingrain in him stories about the accolades given to Black people and people of color because of their innovations and accomplishments. It is a blessing to be able to teach him these things."

Black History Month helps further spread that awareness, she believes.

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Selective has taken us to a position where we can start to facilitate true equality, diversity, and inclusion among our workforce."

As a co-leader of her regional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee, she and her team are helping to drive Selective’s diversity initiatives by "changing how we recruit, how we construct development plans, and how we keep diverse candidates in our pipeline."

Aseelah Bonner

Senior Personal Lines Underwriter

When Aseelah was a child, she was primarily raised by her grandparents. “My grandfather was a true example of what we all should strive to be,” she says.

“He was determined not to become a victim of his circumstances – a Black male growing up in Virginia in the 1930s and 40s. He faced racism throughout his life but taught his children and grandchildren to treat all people well, shoot for the stars, and be the best at whatever they decided to do.”

As a schoolgirl, she would get excited when Black History Month approached – here were stories of people with whom she could relate. Now, she has mixed feelings about the observance.

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On the one hand, it’s important to reflect on the accomplishments of famous African-Americans like Shirley Chisholm, Bessie Coleman and Frederick McKinley Jones. But at the same time, it’s a reminder that we have two sets of histories in America. I’d like Black history to be written into all history and not talked about only in February. All children need to learn about people who not only look like them, but also those that do not – the inventors, doctors, and educators who have done, and are currently doing, great things. It helps motivate them to higher achievement and also allows a more positive perception of people of all races and cultures.”