As we commence celebrations of Black History this month, I want to say what a wonderful thing that we have time for formal observances of the great contributions black people have made to world civilization in general and to America in particular. We are a great people who have literally and spiritually come a long, long way. We have built the pyramids and originated the mathematical, medical, and physical sciences. We invented the first alphabet and gave to humanity its first language and systems of civil and political government. We have made our mark in literature and letters. Our writers range from Socrates and Aesop to William Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas, and Alexander Pushkin;from Ralph Ellison to Toni Morrison; from Cheikh Anta Diop to W.E.B. DuBois and Carter G. Woodson. We are a …