It’s MEEE, baby – Erykah Badu. And me. Because I am definitely singing out loud as I type. Sorry, not sorry to my co-workers.

Welcome to February! It’s been a VERY long time, but we back! And by “we” I definitely mean me – this remains a one woman show. WHICH IS FINE, because that means I can say what I wanna say (which I was gon’ do anyway). Y’all excited yet? I’m just going to assume the silent eyerolling I heard all the way from here means yes. Can you believe that in 2022 there are still Black history firsts for me to write about on the first day of February we made it to another year?! While still being in a panorama?! Amazing! Congratulations! Glad to see we’re all here being annoyed by the current state of things. Hope you’re doing something to fix it in your corner of the world wherever that is! Yes. I’m starting early on my BS. You’re welcome.

Also! Welcome new people! Hi Erica! [My mama told her I was funny! She did not tell her that when I add you to the list, you run the risk of me dragging you into my foolishness.]

ANYWAY. Today is probably the ONLY day that I have, scheduled (sorta) a fact. I’m sending this from the past! I wrote this yesterday! So that tomorrow I can look for ANOTHER FACT because even though I SAID I was going to do better and stop lollygagging when I know I have facts to write, I. HAVE. NOT. New Year. Same me. Mostly.

I also want to say that somebody needs to do something nice for me for getting this out when I am hungover. WHY AM I HUNGOVER? Glad you asked! Because I make poor decisions while watching football and drinking whiskey. YOU GUYS. I haven’t watched football in I honestly cannot remember, but it was on where I was so I did. I watched the KC snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (FYI: Your team name is racist). AND THEN, drunk me cried watching OBJ comfort Deebo Samuel because OF COURSE I DID. And then I remembered how much I love play off games because now everyone is emotionally invested and how it’s the only place men are really allowed to cry because yannow boys don’t cry. Or so they say. Unless sportsball. Only women are “allowed”* to cry. BUT WHAT IF WOMEN WERE IN FOOTBALL? WOULD WOMEN IN FOOTBALL ALLOWED TO CRY?

Then I thought WOMEN IN FOOTBALL? WHAT?

YES! That is the sound of me getting to the point of this email! Y’all know I love doing firsts for the first day of BHFOTD! [Yes! Imma use allll the exclamation points!! Because I do what I want!!]

Jennifer King (no relation to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther the King – I am assuming this because I’m sure if she was they’d be shouting it from the mountain top…did y’all…see what I did there?) born in Eden, North Carolina became the first Black woman to become a full-time coach in NFL History. In December of 2021. She attended Guilford College, where she played college basketball and softball, before graduating with a degree in sports management in 2006. She went on to play in the Women’s Football Alliance from 2006 – 2019. She was an assistant coach at Greensboro College from 2006 to 2016. AND THEN she was hired as the women’s basketball head coach at Johnson & Wales University in North Carolina, where she turned around a program that had existed for only two years prior into a national champion within two seasons.

King was one of 40 women to attend the NFL’s Women’s Forum in 2018, where she met then-Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and expressed her interest in working with in the NFL. She was hired as an intern by the Panthers later that year, where she assisting in coaching their wide receivers. She got her first full-time coaching gig in 2018 as an assistant wide receivers and special teams coach for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). After the AAF folded in 2019, King was once again brought on as an intern for the Panthers, this time working with the running backs. She interned once more as a coach with the Washington Football Team in 2020, working once again under Rivera who joined Washington that season. She was promoted to assistant running backs coach the following year, making her the first (only) black woman to become a full-time coach in NFL history. In 2021.

As a sidenote, I checked to see how many NFL head coaches have never played in the NFL. The answer is 11 (12, I guess if you count Jenny, yes now that I’ve written about her I can call her that, but also women don’t play in the NFL?). There is exactly ONE person that coached an NFL team AND a major league baseball team. But it’s looking like Ms. King is the only coach that PLAYED basketball, football AND softball and coached Basketball (and won a national championship) and now Football. It’s giving being twice as good to get half as much, but I’m SURE there are other reasons that it took so long to add a Very Qualified Person to their roster that had nothing to do with not having a penis. [comic sans remains the sarcasm font of choice]

And here we are! Fact #1 down for February 1. *cue the soca horns* Hope you enjoyed the only fact is not going to be a last minute scramble because I continue to be a menace to both myself and you. Woo! See you tomorrow with a flashback fact because I’m gonna continue to take Wednesdays off! Happy February everyone! Let’s get ready to learn y’all some sh!t about black folks you may or may not have known because the only time we talk about black folk accomplishments is February ruuuuumbbbllle!

*women are allowed to do whatever TF we want. Including cry. But also know we will cry and still cut you.