This is part of a series of first-person accounts from Temple Athletics coaches and administrators on what Black History Month means to them.
While I get to live and celebrate black history every day, I believe that Black History Month is an open invitation for everyone to take a more purposeful look back at our colorful, tragically beautiful story. In doing so, we allow ourselves to gain a more thorough appreciation for the contributions that people of the African Diaspora have made to the world and how we all benefit tremendously from them.
It is also an opportunity for people like me to specifically identify and pay homage to individuals who have come before us, who may have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can continue to build on the foundations that they established.