FLORIDA — This Black History Month, we recognize the contributions of African Americans in the workforce.
U.S. Census data says that Black or African Americans account for 13 percent of all U.S. workers and 62.2 percent of America’s labor force participation, which is the percentage of Black or African Americans who are either employed or unemployed, but still looking for work.
But in 2023, Pew Research found that Black workers generally earn less than those in other groups, even among workers with a Bachelor’s or advanced degrees.
Black workers are the most likely to say they’ve experienced discrimination at work because of their race or ethnicity, with a quarter of U.S. workers saying being Black makes it harder to succeed where they work.
When the Trump administration’s new term began, the president signed an executive order to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in the federal government.
He also ordered a review of federal grants to make sure that they’re not being used to finance DEI initiatives.
A foundation of many DEI programs is finding qualified people from diverse backgrounds to fill open positions.
The president said during his inauguration address that he wanted to “forge a society that is color blind and merit based.”
When asked about these moves at the first White House briefing of the administration, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said they would not impact celebrating this Black History Month.
This month, we take a closer look at the contributions of the Black community and an enduring legacy.
Bay area business owner keeps doors open and a piece of Black history alive
Some couldn't wait for policies to change. Despite segregation, they wanted to work and serve the needs to their communities immediately. There was a time when Black business districts were booming in segregated cities across America, but so many didn't survive the test of time.
Gentrification, Jim Crow laws and a number of other issues played a role in many of those businesses disappearing over the years.
One small Black business is still around after several decades, in spite of it all.
St. Cloud residents remember life in a sundown town
After the end of slavery, laws like the Black Codes were passed, restricting Black people’s rights and reinforcing segregation.
So while Black people could now search for jobs, go to and from work, or shop, there would be about 100 years of Jim Crow laws that severely restricted their freedom to be in certain places at certain times.
Like other towns in the segregated south in Florida, St. Cloud was known as a “sundown town” — an unwritten rule in many cases that allowed Black people to pass through town during the day, but if they were caught at night in areas designated for white people, they could be arrested, or worse.
One effort from a city leader heard the community’s pleas to denounce that part of their city’s history once and for all.
During segregation, 'I would not see a white face' for a week, says Tampa Black historian
Going any place you wanted to go back in the day just wasn’t always possible, but one Black historian in Tampa said when he was growing up, he could sometimes go a whole week without seeing a white face. In the 1960s, Tampa was also a city divided in two.
Parramore created for Black entertainers and working class
Orlando also has a Central Avenue, which intersects with what was once called “Division Street."
It’s been described by some as a dividing lane between cultures and also a nod to a painful period in U.S. history.
More than a century after Division “Avenue,” as it’s now called, it remains. And so does the community that was born from Division: Parramore, originally named after Orlando’s 14th mayor.
Tampa's Black history in the University area can be traced to Aarans Pond
Working and raising families in safe neighborhoods was a real challenge in many instances due to discriminatory practices, like redlining — where mortgage lenders denied Black people loans because of where they lived, even when they qualified.
During segregation, those neighborhoods felt like safe spaces for many, but other problems lay under the surface.
Stormwater ponds are found all over Florida, but in Tampa, researchers say most of those ponds are in historically African American communities.
Surviving member of 'Courageous 12' reflects on challenging racial discrimination in 1960s St. Pete
During the early 1960s, a group of Black St. Petersburg police officers signed up to protect and serve the community.
But even after they made it through the academy and were sworn in, they were only allowed to police, investigate, and make arrests in Black neighborhoods.
If a white person committed a crime, the best they could do was call a white officer to do their job — to make the arrest.
The Black officers made the decision to file a defamation lawsuit to help bring equal rights to law enforcement officers. The group became known as the “Courageous 12.”
In 1969, one of those officers became the first Black officer assigned to an all-white neighborhood.
That officer is Leon Jackson, the only survivor remaining from the Courageous 12.
Watch the one-on-one interview with Spectrum News anchor Tammie Fields below:
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