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761st Tank Battalion Today we decided to take a slightly different approach, and instead of highlighting an individual, we decided to highlight a group of men. For day 16 of Black History Month, we highlight the 761st Tank Battalion a group of American soldiers and the first African American tank squad that saw combat during World War 2. They were known as the “Black Panthers” and their motto was “Come Out Fighting.” The “Black Panthers” were commanded by Lt. Colonel Paul L. Bates, who understood the racist attitudes towards African American soldiers at the time, and pushed the battalion to be better...

Selma Burke (December 31, 1900 – August 29, 1995) For day 15 of Black History Month, we’d like to highlight Selma Burke, an American artist, sculptor and educator, who was a part of the Harlem Renaissance movement. She is self-described as “a people’s sculptor” and created many public pieces of art that focused on prominent African American figures such as, Duke Ellington, Mary McLeod Bethune and Booker T. Washington (pictured). One of the works she is best known for, is her portrait in bronze of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which she competed in a national competition, for an opportunity to do the sculpture....

Dr. Alexa Canady (November 1950 – present) For day nine of Black History Month, we’d like to highlight Dr. Alexa Canady, an American medical doctor and educator, who specialized in pediatric neurosurgery and was the first African-American woman to become a neurosurgeon. Her career initially got off to a rough start, as she almost dropped out of college due to what she describes as, “a crisis of confidence.” She first attended the University of Michigan and it was there, that she got an opportunity to work in a genetics lab and found her love for medicine. After graduating with her Bachelor of...