Assemblywoman Fiona Ma: February is Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a celebration of the accomplishments and advancements of the African-American community. From musicians to writers, and historians to politicians, the success of this people resonates throughout the history of the United States.

The idea of Black History Month began with Carter Woodson, the second African-American individual to graduate from Harvard University, and founder of Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the month of February to honor the Black plight due to its significance as the month which welcomed the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the birth of Frederick Douglass, a prominent abolitionist. Since 1976, the month of February has been recognized by every U.S. president as the time to acknowledge and honor the Black community and its rich history.

Black History Month facts:

• John Mercer Langston became the first African American lawyer in 1854;

• Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to be appointed as a Supreme Court justice in 1967;

• Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman to serve in Congress in 1968 for the 12th district in New York.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
I am happy to say that 2011 is the first year that Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention is being honored with a full month of support, rather than just the first week of February. It is imperative in this day and age to raise people's awareness in every high school, college and community we can. Here are a few simple ways to heighten the cognizance of those in your area:

Wear a purple ribbon (the official color of domestic violence awareness) or a heart on your sleeve (print out free designs at the Have a Heart Campaign website) and when people ask you about it, let them know why dating abuse awareness is important to you.

Urge your school to establish a Dating Violence Policy if there isn't one already in place and create or print out posters about dating abuse to display at school or around your community.

As the chair of the Select Committee on Domestic Violence, this issue is very important to me. I plan on having a committee hearing on teen dating violence prevention this month. For more information, please contact my Capitol office at (916) 319-2012.

Disease Awareness
I strongly believe that a major part of my job is to bring awareness to different diseases that might not always capture the attention of the media, but have a profound impact on constituents living with the disease or those who may be unaware of available treatment.

For more information on Lupus, visit the website at www.lupus.org/newsite.

For more information on Crohn's Disease, visit the website at www.ccfa.org.

California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma represents the Richmond and Sunset districts.