In 1926, Carter Godwin Woodson started the first ever week dedicated to African-Americans. He called it Negro History Week. The week celebrated the accomplishments and entrepreneurship of the population of the African-American race living in America. Later in Woodson’s life, he extended the week into the month of February to honor the birth months of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Forty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the March on Washington to stop racial segregation against African-Americans. Because of his leadership, MLK is one of the most renowned and influential citizens to make a major difference in America.

Martin Luther King’s influence on America paid off eventually with equal rights for blacks. Black History Month remembers the African Americans who impacted our society for the better, and created equal rights for everyone. The lasting effects have started movements all around the world. Great Britain and Canada also have months dedicated to African-Canadians and African-British who have changed the rights for blacks all around the world.

The reality is that blacks are still making a name for their race. Robert L. Johnson became the first African American billionaire in 2001. Johnson is the founder of Black Entertainment Television. In 2002, Johnson became the first African American to be a majority owner of a NBA team, the Charlotte Bobcats. Robert L. Johnson not only broke barriers in the financial sector, but also in entertainment. Being the founder of Black Entertainment Television gave the population of blacks living in America the kind of entertainment and television they enjoyed. However, America has plenty of frontiers that African Americans have still yet to conquer.

So far, this century has been the most successful for African Americans involved in politics. President Obama was elected in 2008, and then reelected in 2012 for a second term. No matter what your political views are, President Obama made American history in 2008, becoming the first African American president. Much earlier in the legislative branch, Mississippi senator Hiram Revels was elected to sit on the floor of the senate in 1870. Hiram Revels was the first African American to sit on the senate. Revels was an example to many people of the time, facing racial discrimination and segregation in Washington. Revels’ term lasted one year and six days before he returned to Mississippi to serve as the president of Alcorn College.

America wouldn’t be America without sports like football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. In 2014, most professional leagues are dominated by minorities, including African Americans. In 2007, the first two black NFL coaches to make it to the Super Bowl, Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy, met on the field and resulted in  Tony Dungy to become the first black head coach in the NFL to win the Super Bowl. In 2004, Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons (NBA) became the first African American to win the NBA finals as general manager. As for the MLB, everyone knows the story of Jackie Robinson. Before the African Americans were able to play in the MLB, there was the Negro Leagues Baseball. Predominately comprised of African Americans, the leagues were also open to other minorities of the time, like the Latinos. In 2010, Dustin Byfuglien of the Chicago Blackhawks became the first African American member of a team to win the Stanley cup in history.

Two hundred and twenty eight years after the founding fathers of this country declared that all men are created equal, we are finally on our way to achieving equal rights for everyone. The population of African Americans in this society today has become one of the strongest and most influential forces driving our country forward in entrepreneurship, entertainment, political and global affairs, and most importantly, culture.