Washington Gas is honored to celebrate Black History Month and each week during February 2024 we will profile one of our employees and what Black History means to them.
Black History Month Profile #2 – Walter Pinkney, Senior Gas Controller
To me, Black History Month is similar to viewing history through a filtered microscope. Like any focused lens, this perspective helps shed light on an area to highlight and magnify items that normal eyesight may not have gleaned.
Black history enhances the common lore of humanity and reveals that all races have contributed to the story of mankind. I celebrate by attending various local exhibits and concerts that show how diversity and inclusion have contributed to growth and development in America.
As a person of color, I have faced the usual challenges in my career. When I first applied for a job as a janitor, I was reminded that I needed a car to get to work. When I pointed out to the interviewer that I did not need a car without the job, he hired me anyway. I became the first Black person to go beyond the trial period and become a gas dispatcher.
In my career, I’ve seen many firsts for Blacks as they achieved positions such as supervisors, engineers and electricians—not to mention James H. DeGraffenreidt, Jr., who served as chairman and CEO of Washington Gas. But all of these “firsts” were only the beginning, and companies must continue to invest in ongoing efforts to build diversity and inclusion.
