TIDA Celebrates Black History Month
By: Noelle Noelle Natoli, Clark Hill PLC
February 11, 2021
“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”—Carter G. Woodsen
Black History is American History, and American History is integrally tied to both the achievements and adversity of African-Americans. Black History Month is an annual celebration of our nation’s rich cultural heritage and the impactful role of African Americans in U.S. history. It pays tribute to the immense contributions of African Americans to art, education, entertainment, law, science, sports, technology, theater, and numerous other areas of society. By choosing to celebrate Black History Month, we choose to celebrate the significant social, political, economic, and cultural contributions of those of African descent.
Black History Month originated as “Negro History Week” by Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans, including the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, to raise awareness. The first celebration was in February 1926, a month that includes the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and it was expanded by Gerald Ford in 1976 to observe the entire month of February as Black History Month in the United States.
At TIDA, we celebrate the achievements of African-Americans and on behalf of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee we embrace the challenge of working alongside our brothers and sisters in the trucking industry to overcome the very real prevalence of racism that persists.
To be clear, the trucking industry is not immune to racism. 17% of all truck drivers are African-American. In a recent survey by Freightwaves of 154 motor carriers, 44% responded that they encounter racism daily. In the days following George Floyd’s murder, Bob Biesterfeld, President and CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide said-- “As I’ve watched these events unfold, I am even more committed to ensuring that I, as a leader, and C.H. Robinson as a company, stand firmly in our values. It should go without saying that racism and violence are not tolerated.”
Black History Month recognizes that the true promise of our country cannot be fully appreciated, indeed fully realized, without a deeper examination of all the contributions to her success. American history is teeming with lessons of triumph, examples of great moral fortitude, and demonstrations of dogged determination, and many of those stories are exemplified by Black Americans. During Black History Month, we celebrate their stories as part of the narrative of our country, and we celebrate that the diversity of America is a unique strength.
We hope you will join us in seeking to learn more about Black History Month from one of the following resources:
 The TIDA Diversity and Inclusion Committee has curated a list of articles to provide our members with information on diversity and inclusion. The information and links to other information on the TIDA Diversity and Inclusion Article Page has been prepared by TIDA for the general information of TIDA members. The committee encourages members to submit an article relating to diversity and inclusion to further promote the mission of the committee.
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