Blog
Celebrating 100 Years of Black History
As we commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the formal recognition of Black history, we are reminded that progress is not inevitable; it is built. At Raben, our work is grounded in that same truth: supporting leaders, movements, and institutions as they navigate power, shape policy, and drive lasting change. The work of democracy continues, and so does the responsibility to protect it, strengthen it, and move it forward together.
Black civic leadership has been shaped by individuals who challenged power, expanded democracy, and reimagined who gets to lead. Figures such as Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and Ella Baker advanced the fight for freedom and justice across different eras through advocacy, organizing, policymaking, and moral leadership.
From Douglass’s relentless pursuit of abolition and political inclusion to King’s leadership in the movement for civil and voting rights, to Chisholm’s barrier-breaking role in Congress, and Baker’s belief in grassroots, people-powered change, these leaders demonstrate that lasting progress comes from both vision and action.
The legacy of civic leadership continues through figures such as Harriet Tubman, Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris, who expanded the boundaries of freedom, representation, and possibility in their own time. From Tubman’s fearless fight for liberation, to Obama’s historic presidency, to Harris’s barrier-breaking leadership at the highest levels of government, each reflects how civic power evolves while remaining rooted in courage, strategy, and service.
Their legacies remind us that civic leadership is not singular. It is collective, strategic, and rooted in community.
As we commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the formal recognition of Black history, we are reminded that progress is not inevitable; it is built. At Raben, our work is grounded in that same truth: supporting leaders, movements, and institutions as they navigate power, shape policy, and drive lasting change. The work of democracy continues, and so does the responsibility to protect it, strengthen it, and move it forward together.
