Editor’s Note: The theme for Black History Month 2025 is "African Americans and Labor," focusing on the significant contributions and experiences of Black people in the workforce.
For James Richardson, Black History Month is a reason to celebrate.
“To me, it’s important to educate our youth about the importance of what African Americans have contributed to America, what we had to dealt with to try to be equal, and what we still deal with every day to function as a Black person in America,” Richardson said.
Richardson is a case manager at the Bert Nash Center, working with youth and families.
He started at the Center four years ago. During that time, he earned his degree from Washburn University in Topeka. Richardson grew up in Topeka. He graduated from Highland Park High School in 1990 and bounced from job to job.
“I had no motivation,” he said.
Richardson grew up in East Topeka, which was predominately Black, he said. After high school, he was hanging around with people who weren’t a good influence.
“It was always that same rut, you go to work and hang out with your friends. Spend your money and blow it for no reason. I got tired of it,” he said.
Richardson decided he needed to make a change.
“I was at a job I didn’t like. I was stuck,” he said. “I decided I don’t like this. I wanted something different in my life.”
So, he enrolled at Washburn and earned his bachelor’s degree. He was in his 40s. While in college, he started working at the Bert Nash Center.
“I think it’s always been in me to do this work,” he said. “I like helping kids out, which is something I didn’t get when I was a kid.”
Richardson said it is important for youth and families of color to see someone who looks like them.
“A lot of people won’t seek help because they don’t see someone with their own skin color. There’s a trust factor. There’s fear. Do you understand my culture?” Richardson said. “You have to build that trust.”
In the past, Richardson said he had jobs where he wasn’t taken seriously because of his skin color.
“Some places make you feel less than. You don’t get those opportunities for advancement because they expect you to only be at a certain level,” he said.
Black History Month is important because it shows young people that they can be somebody, Richardson said.
“You can be a judge, you can be a mayor, you can be a governor, you can be a president. You can be whatever you want to be,” he said. “Don’t let some system say you can’t be this, because that’s a lie.”
Richardson said when he decided to pursue a career in mental healthcare, he wasn’t aware of many people of color who were in the field.
“But when I started working here, I saw a lot of diversity,” he said. “We have to continue to show that unity, that united front.”