To the UMB Community,
 
February is Black History Month, a time when we highlight outstanding achievements, celebrate Black legacy and strength, and remember impactful leaders and trailblazers, such as:
 
Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore native and first African American Supreme Court Justice; Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights activist who fought for voting rights for African Americans; Frederick Douglass, abolitionist leader and orator; Maya Angelou, civil rights activist and author; and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights activist and preacher.
 
During Black History Month and every month, we are invited to learn more about and celebrate the fullness of Black experiences — our humanity, achievements, struggles, and triumphs. And we are reminded daily of the struggle we still face with racial injustice, violence, economic and social challenges, and structural oppression. Throughout the pages of history, we see the strength of many who have fought for liberation and justice to fuel our hopes for a more racially just and inclusive society.
 
Late U.S. Rep. John Lewis once said, “Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”
 
Black History Month provides us again with the opportunity to reflect on and be reminded of Black history, and to commit to doing our part, as we continue to work toward a more just and anti-racist future.
 
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) celebrates Black History Month — and we invite you to join us at our Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Celebration at noon on Feb. 7 at MSTF Leadership Hall, as well as other events at UMB.

Sincerely,

Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD MA
Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer and Vice President, UMB
Professor, Graduate School