Black History: Governor Patrick

Governor Deval Patrick holds the distinction of serving as the first African-American governor elected in the state of Massachusetts -- and only the second African-American elected governor in the history of the United States.

Governor Patrick's story begins where he grew up on the South Side of Chicago in one of its toughest neighborhoods, where he shared a single bedroom with his mother and sister. After being awarded a scholarship to Milton Academy, Patrick graduated from Harvard and spent a year in Africa as part of a United Nations youth training project in Darfur.

After law school, Gov. Patrick worked as a law clerk for a federal appellate judge, and before long he joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, which has a strong reputation with historical achievements like their work on Brown v. Board of Education and providing counsel for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Patrick became the Attorney General for Civil Rights in 1994 under President Bill Clinton, where he fought for the prosecution of hate crimes, racial profiling, and employment discrimination. He also led the largest federal criminal investigation -- prior to September 11th -- to investigate church burnings throughout the South in the mid-1990s.

In 1997, he served on Texaco's Equality and Fairness Task Force to oversee the implementation of a race discrimination settlement and continued his business career.

As governor of Massachusetts, Gov. Patrick focuses on bringing "transparency and inclusion" into government. While taking office just a month ago, he has already announced the formation of 15 Transition Committee "issues working groups" to help form his new agenda, along with community meetings across the state.

With his administration, there is a chance to witness black history in the making. Patrick's biography is one of personal triumph and an inspirational story of achievement. As we study black history, we also study those who are making American history today.

For more biographies in celebration of black history month, click here.