Denella Ri'chard has been the host of the TV show "Traveling with Denella Ri'chard" since 2020. She is a former executive of Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Hilton, and is also a consultant and industry speaker.
The month of February was first recognized as Black History Month by President Gerald Ford in 1976 as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration. He called upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans."
Growing up, I had always looked forward to Black History Month in school. We learned about Black doctors, inventors, scientists, educators, nonviolent activists, change-makers, history makers and many other accomplished Black Americans. As a little Black girl in a majority white Catholic school, I felt a sense of pride seeing people "who look like me" who had done amazing things in this world.
This year, I produced a new one-hour television special focused on Black History Month as part of my "Traveling with Denella Ri'chard" television series. As I embarked upon this television journey and we visited various destinations, one thing quickly became obvious: Black people's contributions have left an indelible mark on the United States and the world at large. What we found were destinations that have transformed historical moments into experiences that not only educate, but celebrate how far we've come.
The journey moves from the South to the North and echoes the not-so-distant past of America. We visit cities like Montgomery, Ala., where in 1955 a petite Black woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, and in doing so, launched the Montgomery bus boycott, a defining moment in civil rights history. After the city desegregated its buses on Dec. 20, 1956, the success of the boycott propelled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into a prominent leadership role within the Civil Rights Movement.
Then, on to Little Rock, Ark., a place where the bravery of the Little Rock Nine is forever etched in history. In 1957 -- less than 70 years ago -- nine Black teenagers, driven by their desire for education and equality, faced a torrent of harassment, threats and physical assault as they courageously integrated Little Rock Central High School. It was their bravery that underscored the challenges of implementing the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
When people hear terms like school segregation, civil rights, separate but equal, Montgomery bus boycott, the Woolworth sit-ins, they may think that this occurred in the distant past; younger generations may even be unfamiliar with these events. But these moments in American history took place within living memory.
It does not seem so long ago that my daddy returned home from the Vietnam War, in the 1960s. On his drive from the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina to Opelousas, La., he could not get a hotel room along the way to rest for the night because he was a Black man. No hotel would rent a room to a Black person. However, my mother is a light-skinned Black woman who could "pass" for white. So, my mother would have to check-in to the hotel while my dad hid in the back seat of the car.
Perhaps now you may better understand why Black History Month is so important to me. It serves as a time of reflection to educate all people about the often-overlooked history of Black people in America. It helps in raising awareness about the struggles, challenges and triumphs of Blacks in America. It is important to me because "when we know better, we do better."
I hope my one-hour television special, "Traveling With Denella Ri'chard: Black History Month," inspires you to visit the destinations featured with your family or friends to reflect on the past and celebrate how far we have come in curating and building diverse, welcoming communities and preparing the path forward to an equitable future for generations to come.
To quote President Ford, "I urge my fellow citizens to join me in tribute to Black History Month and the message of courage and perseverance it brings to all of us."
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