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    "title" : "TTS Reflects: Black Histories to Celebrate Year-Round |Digital.gov",
    "description": "TTS Reflects: Black Histories to Celebrate Year-Round",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/2021/03/23/tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round/index.json","item" : [
    {"kicker" : "Innovation","title" :"TTS Reflects: Black Histories to Celebrate Year-Round","deck" : "TTS employees share how Black history makers can inspire our work and innovation year-round.","summary" : "Black history is American history. In this blog, TTS employees share how Black history makers can inspire our work and innovation year-round.","date" : "2021-03-23T11:22:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-24T09:38:50-06:00","authors" : {"jessyka-castillo" : "Jessyka Castillo","dahianna-salazar-foreman" : "Dahianna Salazar Foreman"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "digital-service-delivery" : "Digital service delivery",
            "innovation" : "Innovation",
            "professional-development" : "Professional development"
            },"primary_image" : { "uid" : "director-brittney-chappell-bhm-tts-office-of-acquisitions", "alt" :
  "Screencapture of a tweet card with a dark blue background. On the left, the top line of light blue text asks: What impact have you had as a Black innovator in government? Below that is her answer in white text: I am grateful to have the opportunity to simply be in a position of black representation in leadership, to show young black government employees they can be in my position. A blue horizontal line separates the question and answer. On the right, it has a photo of Brittney Chappell, with a thin, light blue border around it. Her title, Director, TTS Office of Acquisition, is in small white text below her photo.", "width" :
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      "filename" :"2021-03-23-tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2021/03/2021-03-23-tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/mh-content-updates/content/news/2021/03/2021-03-23-tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/mh-content-updates/content/news/2021/03/2021-03-23-tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round.md","slug" : "tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/2021/03/23/tts-reflects-black-histories-to-celebrate-year-round/","weight" : "1","content" :"\u003cp\u003eBlack History is American history, and Black and African American technologists shape every definition of innovation. This past February at the Technology Transformation Services (TTS), we celebrated Black and African American innovators in our program and our country. But Black History Month can’t be contained to a single month. The histories and the peoples that Black History Month recognizes are with us always. Every day, we have the opportunity and responsibility to lift up Black voices and Black achievement that has been made despite the pressures, violence, and traumas that Blacks communities have faced—and continue to face. Much work remains to be done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this blog, we share lessons learned through our Black History Month storytelling that can be used year-round.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe TTS Diversity guild and the TTS’ Working While Black (WWB) affinity group worked together to launch an internal campaign. During the month of February, one person from the WWB “took over”our internal chat room and highlighted a person, tradition, or moment from American Black History.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe TTS Outreach team also created social media campaigns focused on highlighting what Black History Month meant for our Black colleagues. We reached out to them and gathered content and feedback to create a social media campaign that not only provided our Black employees an opportunity to share their voice, but also showcase their outstanding work and expertise.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"\u003e\u003cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackHistoryMonth?src=hash\u0026amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e#BlackHistoryMonth\u003c/a\u003e TTS is celebrating Black and African American Innovators in government. Brittney Chappell is the Director of the TTS Office of Acquisition.  She\u0026#39;s passionate about her job and helping to modernize the federal government. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/RepresentationMatters?src=hash\u0026amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e#RepresentationMatters\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://t.co/28pnGfXbzQ\"\u003epic.twitter.com/28pnGfXbzQ\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u0026mdash; Technology Transformation Services (@GSA_TTS) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GSA_TTS/status/1359893539526746117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\"\u003eFebruary 11, 2021\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c/script\u003e\n\n\n\u003chr width=\"75%\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"\u003e\u003cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBlack history is American history, and Black \u0026amp; African American technologists shape every definition of innovation. A PIF \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/DeptVetAffairs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e@DeptVetAffairs\u003c/a\u003e, Sabrina Mohamed is using her expertise in product \u0026amp; inclusive design to expand digital benefits access for all veterans. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackHistoryMonth?src=hash\u0026amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\"\u003e#BlackHistoryMonth\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://t.co/uSPBwAIPov\"\u003epic.twitter.com/uSPBwAIPov\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u0026mdash; Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) (@PIFgov) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PIFgov/status/1358859533154742275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\"\u003eFebruary 8, 2021\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c/script\u003e\n\n\u003c/center\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBelow are snapshots of these campaigns in action. Each vignette below has been shared by a member of TTS\u0026rsquo; Black employee affinity group, Working While Black. We hope you enjoy, and find timeless lessons that inspire more inclusive and equitable workplaces and communities, every month of the year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n  \n\u003carticle\n  class=\"dg-note dg-note--comment\"\n\u003e\n  \u003ch4 class=\"dg-note__heading\"\u003e\n    \u003csvg\n      class=\"dg-note__icon usa-icon dg-icon dg-icon--large\"\n      aria-hidden=\"true\"\n      focusable=\"false\"\n    \u003e\n      \u003cuse xlink:href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/uswds/img/sprite.svg#comment\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\n    \u003c/svg\u003e\n    \n      \n        Comment\n      \n    \n  \u003c/h4\u003e\n  \u003cdiv class=\"image image-right\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/uchenna-moka-solana-300sq_w200.png\"  alt='Black and white photo of Uchenna Moka-Solana. She is smiling and slightly turned to her left, giving a three-quarter profile view.'\n    srcset=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/uchenna-moka-solana-300sq_bu.jpg 48w,https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/uchenna-moka-solana-300sq_w200.png 200w\"\n    sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 40vw, 400px\"\n  /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI used to be a scientist, and I have scientist/engineer parents. I believe in science, and I can’t wait to get vaccinated. As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out throughout our country, the phrase ‘Trust the Science’ has started to pick up. I can’t get down with this phrase, because it rubs me the wrong way. As it pertains to Black communities, \u0026lsquo;Trust the science\u0026rsquo; lacks empathy and contextual understanding of the suffering and sacrifice these communities have been put through to enable us to achieve medical advances over centuries, and the vaccine we have now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some medical ‘advances’ at the cost of Black lives: \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6727302/\"\u003eAntebellum gynecology\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: A group of doctors dedicated four years experimenting on 14 Black enslaved women to develop a treatment for fistulas. To this day, Black women are three times as likely to die giving birth, and are often not believed by medical professionals when they complain of pain.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm\"\u003eThe Tuskegee Study\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis. The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. The study was conducted without the benefit of patients’ informed consent, with some being informed that they were receiving treatment when, in reality, they received no treatment at all.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInstead of saying, \u0026quot;Trust the science,\u0026quot; maybe we should say, \u0026quot;We\u0026rsquo;re sorry we’ve broken your trust, and we thank and honor the people above, and all who have given their life to scientific research, be it voluntary or not. We can and we will do better.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003eUchenna Moka-Solana\u003c/strong\u003e (she/her), Acting Executive Director, 18F\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003chr width=\"75%\"\u003e\n\n\n\n\n  \n\u003carticle\n  class=\"dg-note dg-note--comment\"\n\u003e\n  \u003ch4 class=\"dg-note__heading\"\u003e\n    \u003csvg\n      class=\"dg-note__icon usa-icon dg-icon dg-icon--large\"\n      aria-hidden=\"true\"\n      focusable=\"false\"\n    \u003e\n      \u003cuse xlink:href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/uswds/img/sprite.svg#comment\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\n    \u003c/svg\u003e\n    \n      \n        Comment\n      \n    \n  \u003c/h4\u003e\n  \u003cdiv class=\"image image-right\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/pia-scott-300sq_w200.png\"  alt='Close-up photo of Pia Scott. She is smiling.'\n    srcset=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/pia-scott-300sq_bu.jpg 48w,https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/pia-scott-300sq_w200.png 200w\"\n    sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 40vw, 400px\"\n  /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlack History is such a vast field of study, I decided to focus on the acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and parallel how the acronym can be used in multiple ways to describe the contributions and experiences of Africans (Black Peoples).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, Black Peoples \u003cstrong\u003eS\u003c/strong\u003ehake-Up how the world does things, we create and \u003cstrong\u003eT\u003c/strong\u003eransform how the world \u003cstrong\u003eE\u003c/strong\u003excogitates and develops elegant solutions that \u003cstrong\u003eM\u003c/strong\u003eodernize the world. And, I am sure that you already know this, but since we are celebrating, let’s not forget that Black Peoples are \u003cstrong\u003eS\u003c/strong\u003epiritual, \u003cstrong\u003eT\u003c/strong\u003ealented, \u003cstrong\u003eE\u003c/strong\u003essential, and \u003cstrong\u003eM\u003c/strong\u003eajestic. Please take a few minutes every day in February to learn something new about Black Peoples during America’s Black History Month Celebration.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003ePia Scott\u003c/strong\u003e (she/her), Senior Advisor, TTS Solutions\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003chr width=\"75%\"\u003e\n\n\n\n\n  \n\u003carticle\n  class=\"dg-note dg-note--comment\"\n\u003e\n  \u003ch4 class=\"dg-note__heading\"\u003e\n    \u003csvg\n      class=\"dg-note__icon usa-icon dg-icon dg-icon--large\"\n      aria-hidden=\"true\"\n      focusable=\"false\"\n    \u003e\n      \u003cuse xlink:href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/uswds/img/sprite.svg#comment\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\n    \u003c/svg\u003e\n    \n      \n        Comment\n      \n    \n  \u003c/h4\u003e\n  \u003cdiv class=\"image image-right\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/malaika-carpenter-300sq_w200.png\"  alt='Photo of Malaika Carpenter. She is outdoors, smiling, and wearing white and yellow.'\n    srcset=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/malaika-carpenter-300sq_bu.jpg 48w,https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/malaika-carpenter-300sq_w200.png 200w\"\n    sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 40vw, 400px\"\n  /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet\u0026rsquo;s spotlight three African American playwrights who have shaped American theater and had an enduring legacy on the art form! There are so many incredibly talented Black playwrights, actors/actresses, directors, and producers, past and present, in both the U.S. and worldwide, who have transformed theater into a vehicle for telling empowering, uplifting, and authentic stories about Black people.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s three to know: \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAugust Wilson\u003c/strong\u003e: This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright wrote 10 plays, collectively known as ‘The Pittsburgh Cycle,’ chronicling the dynamic, complex experiences and heritage of African Americans in the 20th century.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLorraine Hansberry\u003c/strong\u003e: This Chicago native was the first African-American female playwright to have a play performed on Broadway. That play, A Raisin in the Sun, is her best known work and debuted when she was only 29 years old! The play highlights the lives of Black Americans living under racial segregation in Chicago.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSuzan Lori-Parks\u003c/strong\u003e: A writer of stage plays, screenplays, teleplays, and a book, Suzan is the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama for her 2001 play Topdog/Underdog.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003eMalaika Carpenter\u003c/strong\u003e (she/her), Content Strategist, 18F\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003chr width=\"75%\"\u003e\n\n\n\n\n  \n\u003carticle\n  class=\"dg-note dg-note--comment\"\n\u003e\n  \u003ch4 class=\"dg-note__heading\"\u003e\n    \u003csvg\n      class=\"dg-note__icon usa-icon dg-icon dg-icon--large\"\n      aria-hidden=\"true\"\n      focusable=\"false\"\n    \u003e\n      \u003cuse xlink:href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/mh-content-updates/uswds/img/sprite.svg#comment\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\n    \u003c/svg\u003e\n    \n      \n        Comment\n      \n    \n  \u003c/h4\u003e\n  \u003cdiv class=\"image image-right\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/patrick-kigongo-300sq_w200.png\"  alt='Photo of Patrick Kigongo. He stands in front of a bookcase wearing glasses, a light-colored shirt, and dark blue suit jacket.'\n    srcset=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/patrick-kigongo-300sq_bu.jpg 48w,https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/patrick-kigongo-300sq_w200.png 200w\"\n    sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 40vw, 400px\"\n  /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet us celebrate Black Ingenuity. I’d like to shout out the work of Mobile, Alabama’s Lonnie Johnson. As an engineer with the Air Force and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lonnie Johnson contributed to the development of countless high-profile projects, including the Stealth Bomber and the nuclear power source for NASA’s 1989 Galileo mission to Jupiter. But the most celebrated of Lonnie Johnson’s 120+ patents? The Super Soaker water gun! The Super Soaker was a runway success and became one of the most popular toys of the 1990s. The man is now a billionaire, and yet he continues to innovate. ‘The Super Soaker is good. But I want to do better.’ He continues to work and innovate on solid state batteries and thermoelectric energy conversion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003ePatrick Kigongo\u003c/strong\u003e (he/him), Product Manager, 18F\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/article\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"improving-how-we-share-our-stories\"\u003eImproving how we share our stories\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollaborating with our staff on this campaign also paved the way for an ongoing cultural communications plan to ensure that we continue campaigns equitably and with adequate support. Here are best practices we’ve learned that are informing our storytelling moving forward:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlan early\u003c/strong\u003e. We’ve created a calendar to recognize heritage, celebration, and remembrance days, weeks, and months. For each, our communications team will connect with TTS affinity groups to ensure every campaign is co-created with and meaningful for those who identify with the cultures and communities being celebrated or commemorated. Searching for a calendar to begin your own planning? \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/eeo/special-observances\"\u003eHere is a list Special Emphasis Observances\u003c/a\u003e implemented by Presidential Proclamation, Executive Orders and/or Public Law.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCommunicate throughout\u003c/strong\u003e. We work with transparency and always welcome feedback. Our communications team will continue to share messaging both internally and externally through our many channels including team meetings, newsletters, blogs, and social media. A few things we’ve found essential to communicate internally, early and often, are: permission (for example,  did this employee express permission to highlight them and their work?), attribution (for example, quotes), and processes (for example, sharing how and on what timeline we are working with our legal counsel to ensure we are following all applicable laws).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLeadership \u0026amp; decision making\u003c/strong\u003e. Power and permission resides with those who identify with the cultures and communities that a campaign celebrates and/or commemorates. Alongside TTS affinity groups, our communications team will also work with the \u003ca href=\"https://handbook.tts.gsa.gov/diversity/\"\u003eTTS Diversity Guild\u003c/a\u003e and senior leadership to ensure content and strategy align with \u003ca href=\"https://www.gsa.gov/tts\"\u003eTTS mission and values\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvide recognition\u003c/strong\u003e. We ensured content not only represents our employees’ diverse backgrounds, but also their work and how it’s improving the lives of the public and public servants. We make campaign performance and metrics available to every colleague involved. This helps ensure that participants can measure and report on their impact. We share credit.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSupport throughout\u003c/strong\u003e. Throughout planning, creation, and implementation, our communications team and the TTS Diversity Guild supported our employees. Support includes content creation, like design, copy, and video editing, where applicable.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"commitment-to-diversity\"\u003eCommitment to Diversity\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe at TTS are committed to giving all voices space to be heard. A diverse organization creates a spectrum of solutions and ideas, and helps us challenge status quo thinking. Inside TTS, the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a collective effort: every employee makes a difference.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"quote-block \"\u003e\n    \u003cblockquote\u003e\n      \u003cspan class=\"quote-block__quotation-mark\"\u003e“\u003c/span\u003e\n      The TTS Handbook states that we \u0026lsquo;actively work to eliminate bigotry and subtle forms of disrespect (e.g. microaggressions, microinvalidations, etc.) from our workplace.\u0026rsquo; It is not enough to simply acknowledge the contributions of Black Americans to our nation, within TTS, and beyond. We need to commit to the active disruption of racism, and to promote racial equity and inclusion.\n      \u003cspan class=\"quote-block__quotation-mark\"\u003e”\u003c/span\u003e\u003ccite\u003e— TTS Executive Director Dave Zvenyach\u003c/cite\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n  \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReference to a corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. General Services Administration.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}