The month of February is here. It is during this month that the nation celebrates Black History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating those who fought oppression and overcame racial obstacles to succeed.

To begin, the Technician wishes the late Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers star who broke the color barrier by becoming the first African-American to play Major League Baseball, happy birthday. Robinson would have been 94 years old yesterday.

There are many people that helped break the racially oppressive social norms embedded in the minds of the general populous even from when the country was first founded. Even after the 19th century ended and slavery was abolished, racism was still very much alive.

The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now known as North Carolina State University, was no different.  

It was 1953 when N.C. State allowed the first black graduate student:  Robert Clemons. He became the first black graduate in 1957 when he obtained his professional degree in electrical engineering.

The school’s first black undergraduates were admitted to the student body in 1956. Among these firsts was Irwin Holmes, the first black student athlete at N.C. State. He later became 

State’s first black team captain and first black undergraduate to receive a degree when he obtained his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1960.

Since Holmes made his mark, many other African-Americans strove to make their marks in the world through N.C. State, whether they were on the playing field or in the depths of society.

According to the Fall 2012 Enrollment Report, 1,908 black students enrolled at the university as undergraduate and an additional 623 as graduate students.

One undergraduate in this group is gridiron freshman Shadrach Thornton, who began to make his mark this past fall. 

As he continues to improve and progress on the football field as a collegiate athlete and in life as a functioning member of society, Thornton is grateful to those who came from generations past that revolutionized how the country and the world saw race.

“This is a time to give thanks to those who fought for us to stand united as we do today,” Thornton said.

There are many among the multitudes of pioneers that deserve praise that get the recognition that comes with it. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks are two on a national scale that get that notoriety.

“[Parks] wasn’t the only one that refused to move,” Thornton said. “She was just the one that was written about.”

From the very beginning to where the nation and the university are now, racial barriers continue to be broken. The most prominent barrier that has been broken in recent history occurred on Nov. 4, 2008 when the United States voted for Barack Obama to become the 44th president.

In 2006, Sidney Lowe established his own mark and became the first black men’s basketball head coach at N.C. State. Lowe played a crucial role in clinching the 1983 national championship.

Remnants of all of these contributors, aforementioned and otherwise, remain within the American culture, and in the hearts and minds of the people of today. 

May their legacies live forever, and their dreams and aspirations for the advancement of diversity and equality never die.