The First

I’m especially excited to be launching my blog during Black History month.

I am trained as a Financial Advisor and generally when I write, it’s solely on the topic of Personal Finance so the idea of combining that topic with history (always a favorite subject) is exciting and interesting to me.

African-American history can be traced back nearly 400 years to a time when we were chattel; a commodity, property.

We’ve heard countless stories of that time and of far more recent times; stories of struggle and oppression. But there are other stories, stories that we’ve also heard over and over but that many of us, including me, have dismissed as exceptions to the norm.

Our history is deep and diverse. But there are certain constants. One is that as a people, we persevere. In the midst of bondage we were visionaries and in the midst of oppression there was always greatness.

In the midst of bondage, we were poets. In 1773 Phillis Wheatly published the first known book of poetry by an African American.

In the midst of bondage, we were physicians. In 1837 Dr. James McCune Smith became the first African-American to earn a medical degree.

In the midst of bondage, we were attorneys. In 1845 Macon Allen, became the first African-American admitted to practice law in the United States.

In the midst of bondage we were novelists. In 1853 William Wells Brown published the first novel written by an African-American.

After emancipation and still living in the midst of oppression, we were scholars.

In 1895, W.E.B. DuBois became the first African-American to earn a doctorate degree from Harvard.

In the midst of oppression, we were diplomats. In 1901 Booker T. Washington became the first African- American invited to dine at the White House.

In the midst of oppression we were millionaires. In 1910 Madame C.J. Walker became the first African-American millionaire.

In the midst of oppression we were Aviators. In 1921 Bessie Coleman became the first African-American hold an international pilot’s license.

In the midst of oppression we were revolutionaries. In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King became the first African-American named Time magazine’s Man of the Year.

In the modern era we are members of presidential cabinets.

In 1977 Patricia Roberts Harris became the first African-American woman in the U.S. Cabinet.

In the modern era we are astronauts. In 1983 Guy Bluford, became the first African-American in space.

In the modern era we are captains of industry. In 1997 Don Peebles officially began what is now The Peebles Corporation a multi-billion dollar real estate development corporation.

In the modern era, an African-American family is The First Family. In January 2009 Barack Obama became the First African-American President.

The struggle and the oppression are a part of our history and if you’d asked me last year if African- Americans were second class citizens in the United States, I would have reluctantly said yes. Ask me today and I will say maybe I was wrong.

There will always be racism, sexism and countless other “isms” that we can focus but from now on from this year forward, my focus will be on the possibilities rather than the negativity of past.
Americans, our brothers and sisters of all races religions, creeds, and colors have spoken. We have spoken. We believed in the dream and now it is the reality and the question is what we will do with it?

In light of how far we’ve come and all the potential that we have talking about Personal Financial Management is even more exciting because there is truly no limit to our possibilities.

Those possibilities are about far more than money but as we know, there is and in escapable link between Personal Finance and many of the hopes and dreams that we have for ourselves and our loved ones.

I look forward to exploring that link with you in the months to come.