Dear Life West Community,
February is Black History Month, when we take a moment to honor the generations of Black Americans who struggled to achieve equal opportunities in the United States. This celebration of leadership dates from February 1926, the same month as the birthdays of Rosa Parks, a civil rights leader, W.E.B. DuBois, a sociologist and acclaimed author, and Langston Hughes, a noted poet. This month we honor people like Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Shirley Chisholm, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Barack Obama, Jessie Owens, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman … and the list goes on of the great Black American leaders, saviors and trailblazers who paved the way for others to walk on and learn from.
As we move through the hallways of Life West this month, recall that the roots of our great profession are founded in the chiropractic adjustment that D.D. Palmer performed on Harvey Lillard, an African-American businessman who owned the janitorial service that cleaned the same building where Palmer had his office. From that day in 1895, an entire profession has sprung, giving us a reason to celebrate our own luminaries during Black History Month.
In this month, Life West celebrates our own Black American students, faculty and staff on campus as well as those in our profession worldwide. Please join with me in giving respect and honor to all those who fought for their rights in the past, and who today represent our humanity in all its glorious diversity!
With Lasting Purpose,
Dr. Ron Oberstein
President
Life Chiropractic Community College
