Black History Month: A Time for Remembrance
Katherine Pigaga
Ernest Everett Just; a noted
biologist, zoologist, physiologist and research scientist, he was also a leading
figure in the path to investigating the human fertilization process and
understanding the biology of the cell. He was also the great-great uncle of
senior Renee Just, and one of many African-Americans to be recognized during
Black History Month.
"It's really amazing
knowing that someone related to you was a real landmark in history like
him," said senior Renee Just. "He was really a stand-out kind of guy
in his time. I'm proud of that."
This year marks the 78th
year with a recognized and celebrated Black History Month. Dr. Carter G.
Woodson, who earned his PhD at Harvard, began this tradition after he found
that the black population of America was largely ignored in the history texts
he studied.
Signs of this special
occasion can be seen in all forms of the media, including billboards, radio and
television commercials, and newspaper and magazine features.
From well-known greats such
as George Washington Carver, pioneer in the peanut industry or Harriet Tubman,
a leading conductor on the underground railroad, all the way to the people who
never made it into the history books, but still affect our lives today; It is
for these people that Black History Month exists.