For our campus community, Black History Month offers an opportunity to highlight the historical contributions of Black people at the UO, in the Eugene community and throughout Oregon. It is an annual celebration that takes place each February in the United States and Canada, and every October in the United Kingdom. In the US, the observation was started in 1926 by distinguished author, editor, publisher, and historian Carter G. Woodson who founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (AASLH). It was a week-long celebration until 1976 before it became the 28-day celebration we know today. Each year, AALSH identifies a theme for Black History Month. The official theme for Black History Month 2025 is "African Americans and Labor.” It highlights the myriad ways that Black people have contributed to our country’s infrastructure and economy over the past 400 years. 

Work — whether compensated or uncompensated — has long been a central part of the African American experience. After the emancipation of slavery, America continued to rely on Black people to further develop and sustain the economy. African Americans had limited choices beyond sharecropping and received substandard compensation for their efforts. Often, menial positions such as domestic workers, waiters, hairdressers and railroad porters were the only occupations available to support themselves and their families. Some railroad porters and restaurant staff weren’t paid at all but were dependent solely on tips from the patrons of these establishments. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the creation of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, founded by labor organizer and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph. It was the first Black union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor, and they worked to enhance the rights, wages and treatment of Black railroad workers and domestics. In addition to labor, Black men and women have innovated in ways that made light work for themselves and others.  
 
 Higher Education has played an important role in broadening access to a diverse range of occupations in STEM, education, law, and medicine, demonstrating significant strides in representation across higher-status professions. For example, in STEM, the percentage of Black scientists and engineers has been steadily increasing, with African Americans making up about 9% of the science and engineering workforce in the U.S., according to the National Science Foundation. In education, Black teachers represent roughly 7% of the total U.S. educator workforce, and the number of Black doctors has risen, with Black physicians accounting for about 5% of the U.S. medical workforce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2021, 30.8 percent of African American women over age 25 had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. These increases have resulted in improvements for society and the world at large.  
 
Higher education’s focus on ensuring access for all students, while also working specifically to remove structural barriers that hinder specific groups of students plays an important role in access to a wide variety of professions. Programs like Lundquist Flight School supports first-year and transfer business students with a mentorship program designed to set them up for success. Moreover, internships, like the Leadership Enrichment Internship Program and the Portland Internship Experience are particularly designed to attract candidates from all backgrounds. Program like these open doors by offering hands-on experience, professional mentoring, and direct pathways into full-time employment. Our Black Alumni Network and the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center provide opportunities that reduce isolation and provide pathways for multicultural sophistication that raise the profile for all UO Ducks. Such programs create a fortified workforce by creating bridges to opportunity and reducing barriers that prevented talented Americans from entering fields that historically excluded them. 
 
“Sankofa” is a word from the Akan people of Ghana that means "to go back and get it". Its symbol represents the concept of acknowledging the past to inform the future. By focusing on "African Americans and Labor" in 2025, we look to the past to acknowledge the people who helped build America. For centuries, they worked against their will and without compensation, but with a love for America and for its promise of equality for all. Black people have demonstrated their love by refusing to accept tyranny, and by insisting that America live up to the promises of freedom for all, as enshrined in our Constitution. As we look to the future, we honor individuals of all backgrounds who have worked to ensure that every American is treated fairly and given the unfettered opportunity to thrive, achieve and succeed.