CHIEVRES AIR BASE, Belgium – Members of the 424th Air Base Squadron and U.S. Army Garrison Benelux held an observance honoring Black History Month at Chièvres Air Base, Feb. 21, 2023.
Senior Airman Gianna Suber-Green, airfield management shift lead for the 424 ABS, began the ceremony by telling the story of Ezell Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond, four Black college students from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Known as the “Greensboro Four,” the students protested racial segregation by sitting at a local store’s lunch counter where only white people were allowed. Their protest, first held on Feb. 1, 1960, quickly expanded to over 1,400 local students and led to further demonstrations throughout North Carolina and other states.
“This aforementioned event inspired other African Americans to take a stand against unfair practices,” Suber-Green said.
In the end, she explained, the store’s staff gave in to the pressure and the lunch counter was finally opened to Black patrons in July 1960.
“Without the ‘Greensboro Four,’ we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said. “I’m grateful that those things happened when they did, because…the way things are today would not have been possible without the struggles of those before us."
Master Sgt. Jason Palmer-Janvier, joint property book noncommissioned officer for the NATO Special Operations Headquarters and the event's guest speaker, also shared his experiences as a Black American serving in the Air Force.
“After serving 14 years, one of the most common questions I still hear to this day is ‘why [do] we celebrate Black History Month?'” he said. “Well, as an enlisted Airman – as an enlisted African American – I can tell you it holds major significance for representation.”
During his speech, Palmer-Janvier highlighted the stories of several important Black figures in U.S. history. These included 2nd Lt. Henry Flipper, a former slave who became the first Black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and Mae Jamison, an astronaut with NASA who was the first Black woman to travel into space.
Both Suber-Green and Palmer-Janvier emphasized the importance of remembering the accomplishments and sacrifices made by Black Americans in the struggle for racial equality.
“As Airmen, we proudly recite the Airman’s Creed…one line that stood out to me, is ‘I am faithful to a proud heritage,’” Palmer-Janvier said. “As we walk away, let us remember that Black history is our history. Black history is our proud heritage, and Black history is our Stars and Stripes.”
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