I am Black History

I was asked the question, what does Black History Month Mean to You! What follows is my answer! As I reflect on what Black History Month means to me, I think about a few months ago when I received a hint from Ancestry. I clicked on the link, and there was the name George Washington Allston. Next, there was a picture of a plantation. The next thing I saw was the will of George Washington Alston. Next came the names of the enslaved people he had left to his relatives. As I was still trying to figure out how this person was related to me, I came across the name of Patient Alston, and my heart stopped. That was the name of my paternal great-grandmother. I knew slavery existed in my lineage, but no direct evidence until this moment.



I thought about great grandmother Patient daring to dream that her great-granddaughter would become the first daring to dream that her great-granddaughter would become the first college graduate on both sides of the family, receiving a BA degree from HBCU, Norfolk State University, in 1967 and 1971, a MA degree from another HBCU, Hampton University.  In 1982 became the first black Education Specialist at the U. S. Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, VA. In 1987 became the first black Education Specialist and the first black professional female at the United States Coast Guard training center in Yorktown, VA. In 1994 became the first black Education Specialist for the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center at Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, VA., on the Marine Corps side of the house.

In 1999, the only black female, out of five new employees from a pool of 136 applicants, became an instructional Systems Design specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Washington DC. When I arrived for my first day of employment, I was assigned to a division where I was the only black professional. The other person was the secretary. As I reflect on these events in my life, I can imagine great grandmother Patient looking back to the ancestors and smiling and saying, yes, she belongs to us, and because of this, I stand on the shoulders of my great grandmother, Patient Alston, an enslaved person, and all my ancestors that have come before and after her. Yes, I am Black History!

Hampton Roads ASALH Branch President, Audrey Perry Williams