Black History Month | February 2026

This month, we continue that recognition by reflecting on the legacy, leadership, and resilience that have shaped our shared history and continue to inspire our future.

Did you know… Macon Bolling Allen is recognized as the first African American licensed to practice law in the United States?

• In 1844, he passed the bar exam in Maine, becoming the nation’s first Black lawyer.
• A year later, he moved to Massachusetts, where he became the first African American to argue before a jury.
• Later, during Reconstruction, Allen continued breaking barriers – in South Carolina, he was appointed as a judge, making him one of the first Black men to hold a judicial position in the U.S.