NEW ORLEANS — Black history is America’s history. And, Black History Month is an opportunity to tell the stories that often go untold.
WGNO is doing its part to share those stories with a special report Honoring Black History, hosted by Tamica Lee, LBJ, and Christopher Leach.
The special report profiles members of our community—and around the country—whose contributions make all of our lives better.
LBJ tells the story of Jade Colin, one of the youngest McDonald’s franchise owners in the country, who manages a company with 250 employees.
“When you’re in business, you are over people’s livelihoods,” says Colin. “People are looking up to you for really everything—changing mindsets, being able to provide for their families.”
Christopher Leach speaks with Leona Tate, one of the young students who integrated New Orleans schools in the 1960s. Now, Tate’s organization owns the school she integrated and is turning into a centerpiece of the community.
“We didn’t realize at that time how confined we were,” says Tate. “Under the staircase, right outside of the classroom there, was our play area.”
Honoring Black history also means confronting historical events that show the worst aspects of our communities, like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when white rioters burned down a prosperous Black neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“It was the first time airplanes were used to terrorize Americans,” says Reverend Dr. Robert Turner, Pastor of Vernon Chapel AME Church in Tulsa. “Not 9-11, not Pearl Harbor, but right here.”
Watch the WGNO special report Honoring Black History on WGNO.com.