Celebrating Black History Month at VNSNY

Every February, the United States celebrates Black History Month to acknowledge and honor the contributions and accomplishments of the Black and African American community and its role in American history. The theme of this year’s celebration is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” Here at VNSNY, serving Black and African American families at every stage of life is central to our mission, and we are proud to celebrate the Black family and community during Black History Month.

The movement to recognize African American history began in 1915 when Carter G. Woodson, an African American and Harvard-educated historian, traveled with thousands of African Americans to participate in a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation sponsored by the state of Illinois. The event was held to reflect on the progress Black Americans had made since the destruction of slavery.  As Woodson told an audience of Hampton Institute students, “We are going back to that beautiful history and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements.” In 1926, together with his Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Carter Woodson started the annual February celebration of Black History, a tradition that has continued for 95 years.

We are looking forward to celebrating the many contributions of the Black and African American community in the country and at VNSNY in a variety of ways this month. On Frontline, we will be posting profiles of three Black VNSNY nurses who led the way in bringing health care services to New York’s African American community in the early 20th century—Elizabeth Tyler, Edith Carter, and Jessie Sleet Scales.

An “Ask VNSNY” video on Black History Month will also be posted on Frontline during February, and posters celebrating the month are on display at all of our regional offices. In addition, a number of virtual events will be taking place throughout the month that everyone at VNSNY can participate in—starting with a raffle to win tickets to an exciting February 20th online discussion with Henry Louis Gates on “Finding Our Roots in African American History.” Details on how to enter the raffle will be shared in the next few days, and the winners will be announced on February 10th.

An online jazz performance by Etienne Charles and a virtual panel on Mental Health and Wellness in the Black Community are also planned for later in the month. So please stay tuned for additional announcements about these events as well as other Black History Month communications, including messages from the VNSNY Anti-Racism Employee Advisory Group (AREAG).

In the meantime, Happy Black History Month—and thank you, everyone, for helping us observe this special time here at VNSNY!Dan Savitt

President and Chief Executive Officer