Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Ferrero | 190227-N-BD319-0045 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Feb. 27, 2019) Capt. Glenn Jameson,...... read more read more
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Black History Month is observed annually every February in the United States. From Harriet Tubman to Barack Obama, history is brimming with individuals who have contributed great things that helped build the nation we live in today.
The heritage committee of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) commemorated Black History Month by hosting a CVN 73 Heritage Show on the floating accommodation facility (FAF), Feb. 27.
The show involved members of the heritage committee as well as volunteers from the crew, who took on the roles of African-American figures from history. They answered interview questions in a talk show-style format, beginning with Mary Mahoney. Portrayed by Yeoman 3rd Class Kenyatta Gadson from Miami, a member of the heritage committee, Mahoney was the first African-American licensed nurse.
"At the age of 15, I decided that I wanted to become a nurse," said Gadson. "I worked at the New England Hospital [for Women and Children] for 15 years. I was a cook, a janitor, and a washer woman. I co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, who founded the Mary Mahoney award. It's for nurses or groups of nurses who go for integration in the nursing community."
Another figure represented in the show was Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Carl Brashear. Portrayed by Chief Boatswain's Mate Myren Fripp from Charlotte, North Carolina, the leading chief petty officer of George Washington's deck department, Brashear was the first African American master diver in U.S. Navy history.
"I joined the Navy in 1948 at the age of 17," said Fripp. "One day, I was watching a dive exercise, and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, that's the job I want to have. That's what I want to do.’ At that time, there were not many minorities involved in the diving program. I applied over 100 times.
I kept trying, I never gave up, and I got accepted."
In 1966, an accident almost spelled the end of Brashear's career.
"I was involved in an accident that resulted in my right knee getting amputated," said Fripp. "The Navy wanted to discharge me at that time, but thanks to sweat, tears, hard work, and a little bit of honor, courage, and commitment, I became the first black master diver."
Other historical figures included in the show were Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States, and Henrietta Lacks, who made a profound contribution to modern medicine.
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, in 1951 at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. A sample of her cancer cells retrieved during her treatments revealed that, while cells from other patients would die overnight, hers doubled every 20-24 hours. To this day, these cells are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without requiring human experimentation.
Following the interviews, the show concluded with a video listing a number of African-Americans who have made great contributions throughout our nation’s history.
"These are outstanding examples of the pain, beauty, and strength of African American culture, ranging from before most of us were born to within the last decade,” said Operations Specialist 1st class Rita Shell from Kernersville, North Carolina, a member of the heritage committee and the moderator for the interview session. “Our prayer in the heritage committee is that all of us are able to walk around and look at each other through unbiased eyes, that we the people walk away from this event just a little bit closer to understanding each other. We chose to put on the uniform, not the color of our skin, and we're all brothers and sisters that believe in red, white and blue, so we must behave accordingly."
Many Sailors from the crew were in attendance, including Command Master Chief Maurice Coffey, George Washington’s CMC.
"Our Sailors were able to portray historical figures and send a message out,” said Coffey. “It's better than just looking at a video. They're out there giving out information in a way that everyone can easily understand. To see our Sailors, officers, chiefs and enlisted come up here and recite their parts was outstanding. It was also very powerful. I like doing education in this form because it's so much better than PowerPoint.”
Many, including Coffey, acknowledge that Black History Month is about so much more than the month itself.
“Black History Month is the month that we use to acknowledge the history of what African-Americans have provided to the United States, but really and truly, that's every day,” said Coffey. “We chose the month of February to emphasize it, as we do with women's history or Asian-American heritage. Each month is valuable and encourages us to learn something different about all the different cultures that make up the Navy. The military itself is very diverse. Some folks may live in a small town where they never experienced that level of diversity in their neighborhood. The military has to be able to make sure everybody understands everybody's different culture."
Differences are an inherent part of the very concept of diversity. African Americans are one part of a large tapestry of culture that makes up this country, and it certainly wouldn’t be the same without all they have contributed. We may have differing opinions on many things as Sailors and American citizens, but one thing we can agree on is this: black history is American history.
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2019 12:40 |
| Story ID: | 312510 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Proud History: CVN 73’s Heritage Show, by PO2 Adam Ferrero, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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