Good Afternoon Everyone,
I am dedicating the blog today to two black legends in honor of Black History Month. The first individual I am mentioning is someone we all know and love. Then the other name is someone who is not spoken of often in black history among the youth. So, why not mention the names of these phenomenal individuals whose mission was to create a better life and motivate our black community?
First, I will talk about the legend, Kobe Bryant. He was known for being a beast on the courts and a role model to many black youths who aspire to be professional athletes. His work ethic and drive truly inspired many to believe they can change their lifestyle and progress in their lifetime. Being drafted to the NBA at the age of 17 can put a lot of pressure on anyone, especially being the youngest on the court, but he did not let that stop him. His hard work led to winning five titles of the marquee players in the LA Lakers Franchise and a member of the gold medal-winning US Men’s Basketball Team at the 2008 Bejing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. Aside from his work ethic, he was a humanitarian who advocated for homelessness, which led to himself and his wife Vanessa starting the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation to reduce homelessness in LA.
Now that I have your attention. I am changing it up a bit. Now moving onto the second black legend, some of you may or may not know, Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, also known as Dr. Ben. He was a powerful orator and prolific author known to be a vital and radical Afrocentric voice. Dr. Ben spent most of his life uncovering the suppressed history of the African people. He regularly challenged narratives that had African culture written out of World History. Dr. Ben became a prominent figure in New York advocating alongside Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and many more. He later became a self-published author with books such as Africa: Mother of Western Civilization and continued to inspire intellectuals and activists.
Yes, I know. That was a lot to pack in. I hope you all enjoyed and learned something new today. Stay tuned for another blog post honoring some more black legends. In the meantime, we have started our program for the Spring 2021 session, and you still have time to register and join next week’s meeting. You do not want to miss out on the Spring Session. That’s all for this week. Follow us on Instagram (@ProjectHYPE_inc) to stay up to date with us.
See you all next week!
