by Bobby Brown

Created on: February 06, 2010   Last Updated: February 10, 2010

I've been asked several times over the years about the necessity of Black History Month. At times the line of questioning was more like an interrogation, as if somehow I spoke  for the entire African American community and Black History month needed to be justified.
 
    February is Black History Month, of course. I remember a few years ago that I was on the very funny, sometimes irreverent, non-sequitur website The Onion  (

www.theonion.com). I don't remember the exact headline but it was something like "Celebrations for White History Year Continue After a Month Long Break for Black History Month". Of course the statement was meant to be humorous, but the concept of it confirms (at least in part) the legitimacy and need for Black History month.
 
 
 
   When most people think of African American history they get this myopic tunnel vision of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson-all important to Black History though by themselves they create a very one-dimensional portrait of the Black experience in America. It's almost as if the only things worth mentioning about Black people in America is that they were once slaves, couldn't vote and couldn't play Major League Baseball!
 
    Vivien Thomas was a pioneer in open heart surgery (techniques, tools and procedures). Many of his techniques, tools and procedures are still being used today. Vivien was essentially, technically, a lab assistant to Dr. Alfred Blalock (Vivien never attended college) at Johns Hopkins University where they worked together on ground breaking surgeries of the heart. Vivien also made huge contributions to the development of the Internal Automatic Defibrillator (ICD) a device which has saved thousands of lives. Vivien did this despite the blatant racism of the times and despite the fact that he wasn't a doctor.
 
 
    Before Microsoft and Bill Gates and before Warren Buffet became a household name (well, if you're into investing in the stock market, Warren Buffet is household name, to be sure!) there was a man by the name of Reginald Lewis. Reginald Lewis was the first African American to run a billion dollar enterprise. He was at that time the richest African American. Reginald Lewis was a master at negotiations and arguably the greatest deal maker in business history. He was so good at negotiations that he talked

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