CHICAGO โ€” Youโ€™ll never know where youโ€™re going, unless you first know where youโ€™ve been. So, make 2017 your year of self-pride and timeless knowledge with The Educational Networkโ€™s โ€œOur History Today! An African-American Journeyโ€ Black history calendar and resource guide. In addition to featuring hundreds of key facts highlighting the contributions and accomplishments of notable history-makers, this collectorโ€™s edition features full-page profiles of 13 prominent African-American trailblazers in politics, education, sports, business, media and film/television; as well as a farewell pictorial tribute to President Barack Obama.

The calendar serves as a national fundraising vehicle for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), showcases 12 such institutions, and lists nearly $1 million in available scholarships. Since its inception in 2006, the calendar has raised more than $400,000 for HBCUs.

โ€œAcross the nation, thereโ€™s been a decline in high school graduation rates โ€” especially, among African-American males โ€” which may correlate to the lack of positive, accomplished role models and knowledge of black history,โ€ said Tracey Alston, founder of The Educational Network. โ€œUnderstanding that our youth will never know where theyโ€™re going until they first know where theyโ€™ve been, our 2017 black history calendar celebrates the amazing contributions โ€” past and present โ€” that our people have made to numerous industries beyond sports and music, the nation and the world.โ€

In conjunction with the calendar, The Educational Network has also developed an online lesson plan system for teaching Black History and Multicultural Studies to students, grades K-12. The Common Core-aligned program is currently being used by teachers in several school districts across the nation.

The โ€œOur History, Today! An African-American Journeyโ€ calendar is available for purchase at select Walgreens stores nationwide and www.BlackHistoryHBCU.com. For more information, please contact The Educational Network at 312-470-0270.

This correspondent is a guest contributor to The Washington Informer.

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