Black History Month 2009 is now history itself, but new Black history is made every day by African-Americans who are willing to share their time, talent and resources with the larger Black community. Everyone gets the opportunity sooner or later, sometime
Black History Month 2009 is now history itself, but new Black history is made every day by African-Americans who are willing to share their time, talent and resources with the larger Black community. Everyone gets the opportunity sooner or later, sometimes in surprising ways.
I was fortunate to come of age during a dramatic period in the history of both African-Americans and the United States. My high school years in the small, segregated North Carolina town where I grew up coincided with the climactic years of the Civil Rights movement.
I’ll never forget marching with my classmates down our main street–past the local branches of retail store chains where I wouldn’t have been allowed to sit at the lunch counter or use the restroom.
Fast forward through the decades, and today I, an African-American woman, work as an executive with Wal-Mart, a retailer with a commitment to promoting diversity and a philosophy of giving back to the communities it serves. Wal-Mart exemplifies this philosophy through its support of endeavors that highlight the legacy of African Americans.
Wal-Mart is the presenting sponsor of Tavis Smiley’s America I AM: The African-American Imprint, a mobile museum and exhibit that celebrates the impact African-Americans’ actions, innovations and teachings have had on nearly 400 years of American history.
We were also able to provide a $12.5 million letter of credit through the Wal-Mart Foundation to start construction on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. We are proud to be a part of a project that will help future generations uphold the legacy Dr. King stood for by studying his work, ideals and vision for America.
It’s personally gratifying to be part of efforts that help make a corporate investment in the continuing history of Black America. I’m constantly aware, though, that whatever I’ve achieved in my own life is the result of investments others have made in me.
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