TOLEDO, Ohio — Leaders within the Toledo community said Black History Month is all about knowing where we come from and where we are headed as a nation.
"We have to talk about the people that have definitely impacted us the most and never leave them out," Toledo City Councilwoman Vanice Williams said.
Williams said you can't tell American history without Black history.
"It's about highlighting the everyday attributes that effect our life that Black people have done, in not only the Toledo community but globally," she said.
These stories are more than inspiration. They help create the next generation of Black excellence.
"Someone in the highest office in the country looked like my uncle, my brother, my daddy. And I saw everything he was fighting for, and fighting against in our government. It made me fight more," said Williams.
Williams now leads within Toledo's city government, but she also owns a childcare center where she takes pride in passing down the stories of African American pioneers to the next generation. But she said she's no unicorn, and Toledo is filled with African Americans who will make history.
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Toledo's own championship boxer Albert Prince Bell said he's working to make sure Black History Month stories in the future pack a mean punch.
"Every day we try to do stuff to make history and keep pushing the envelope, not just for my city of Toledo, but all around the world," he said. "We are leaving a mark and it's coming from right here in Toledo, Ohio. I definitely plan on being a part of Black history. I believe I'm Black history already."
Between Feb. 1 and March 1, the nation regroups to teach our community about those who have made a difference and to add more names to the list of excellence. Bell said it's a tradition that must continue.
"Just learning about all these Black leaders, from the Malcom Xs to Martin Luther Kings and Muhammad Alis, people that look like us; they contributed and they taught us so many things along the way," Bell said.
Williams said Black history in Toledo looks like Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson, Erin Baker and Wilma Brown. And Bell said it looks like Zia Cooke, Jared Anderson and Robert Easter Jr.
The list of people and moments in Black history continues to grow, and these local leaders said it's up to all of us to take them with us 365 days a year.
"It's not just a month or a week or a year," Williams said. "It's every day."
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