This Black History Month, YMCA of Long Island celebrates the achievements, resilience, and lasting contributions of Black leaders and communities who have shaped our past and continue to inspire our future.

At the Y, we honor Black history by reaffirming our commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging. We invite our members and community to reflect, learn, and celebrate as we work together to build a stronger, more connected future for all. 

DID YOU KNOW? 

• Carter G. Woodson. He organized the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which researched and celebrated the achievements of Black/African Americans.
• Anthony Bowen was the first Black American to become a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office. Bowen founded the first YMCA for the Black/African American community in Washington, D.C., in 1853, eight years before the Civil War. Additional Ys and college chapters were established in the following decades, with membership reaching 28,000 nationwide by the mid-1920s.
• An entrepreneur, philanthropist and social activist, Madam C.J. Walker was one of the first self-made female American millionaires. She escaped poverty and built a company selling hair care products, which also gave her sales agents an income of their own. Walker was a philanthropic supporter of the YMCA and participated in and financially supported the NAACP’s anti-lynching movement.
• In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first Black major league baseball player. This same year, he also became a volunteer boys coach at the Harlem YMCA with fellow coach and teammate, Roy Campanella.
• In 1954, Dr. Leo B. Marsh became the first Black president of the Association of YMCA Secretaries. In 1971, Marsh brought the Black Achievers program (created by Quentin R. Mease at the South Central YMCA of Houston) to the Harlem YMCA. With the help of volunteer adult mentors, the Achievers program helps youth of color succeed in school and develop a positive sense of self.