November--the New Black History Month?

Sometimes we, as Americans, forget that historical events are not restricted to within our borders. They can happen anywhere, even if our collective attention isn’t there to bear witness. Before a monumental vote took place in the U.S. on November 4th, another significant moment in Black History took place in Brazil on November 2nd.

That day in Sao Paulo, England’s Lewis Hamilton became not only the youngest, but also the first Black man to ever claim the title of Formula One World Champion.

Many of my fellow Americans do not know who Lewis is. They may only vaguely know what Formula One itself is. But while millions of people in our country love and follow NASCAR racing, billions of people around the world love and follow Formula One. Call it the auto racing equivalent of American-football vs. soccer-football.

Lewis Hamilton—outside of the U.S.—is a star. He’s a 23 year old phenom with blazing speed on the track. His first career victory came last year in Canada, which was only the sixth race of his rookie season. He very nearly won the championship in 2007, losing by one point in the final race of the season. He has quickly become a media magnet, appearing in magazines and newspapers around the world (yes, even here in the United States). His girlfriend is Nicole Scherzinger—lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. He has even walked a fashion show runway. And now he can add “World Champion” to his rapidly-growing resume.

Congratulations, Lewis. Maybe one day next year you’ll be invited to the White House to meet President Obama. It certainly would be an interesting departure from the U.S.-England photo ops that we have become accustomed to seeing in recent years.