Telly W. is a member of the award-winning VSP Customer Service team.

Guest blogger, Telly W., from our award-winning customer service department, shares with us what Black History Month means to her.

Black history to me means inclusiveness. It means we are finally living in a world where our stories are not just told, but recognized as a part of American history. It gives all Americans the opportunity to know more about the African Americans who helped make this country great.

It provides greater exposure to people besides Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X. It shines a light on the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement such as poets, inventors, doctors, lawyers, entertainers, and others who have made useful contributions.

Having a designated month focused on black history helps me to have a daily reflection of my heritage and the people that paved the way for me to be where I am today. I am always filled with a tremendous sense of pride and a yearning to know more about those who came before me. I carry that feeling with me, not just today, or this month, but every day.

Last month VSP Vision Care sponsored the 2011 Martin Luther King Celebration Dinner in Sacramento, CA. The keynote speaker of the event was Carlotta Walls LaNier. Her name may not sound familar to many, but she belongs to a very special group of African Americans in history – the Little Rock Nine.

On September 25, 1957, nine black students (Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray and Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Patillo Beals) risked their lives to integrate into the segregated school system in Little Rock, Arkansas. More than three years had passed since the landmark 1954 passing of Brown vs. the Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court declared state laws which mandated separate schools for black students and white students were unconstitutional.

Ms. LaNier gave a moving account of the days leading up to that first day of school at Central High. She detailed the reaction of encountering angry white students,  the tense atmosphere caused by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus when he called out the state National Guard to block the entrance of the Little Rock Nine; and the action of President Dwight Eisenhower, deploying 1,200 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students inside.

Ms. LaNier is president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, a Congressional Gold Medal Receipient an author of A Mightly Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School.

Watch this award winning video done by 9th grader Shea Higgins as a history project for school, detailing the events leading up to integreation of Central High School.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gail J. and her grand-daughter.

Gail J. works in VSP’s Human Resources department. She shares her experience as an employee volunteer at the recent 2010 Sacramento Black Expo, of which VSP was a major sponsor.

VSP made quite the impression at Black Expo 2010. We’ve participated in the past by having the standard booth and VSP volunteers on hand to share information about our company, more so from a job opportunity perspective. But this year, it felt different. With our VSP Mobile Clinic, SeeLia, as the backdrop of our booth, it was a thrill seeing the eyes of both children and adults as they approached us. Lots of “Wow! Look how big that thing is!” People were definitely drawn to VSP; and whether they wanted information about vision care, job opportunities, or simply to spin the prize wheel, they walked away with a true sense of the VSP experience.

While VSP made quite the impression to others, my volunteer experience left quite the impression on me. A lot of times, events such as these are basically an opportunity for people to walk by and grab the free giveaways. I didn’t get that sense this time at all. I may have chatted with at least a hundred people during my few hours of staffing the booth, but one person in particular stood out for me. I met an elderly gentleman who didn’t know anything about VSP and when I shared what we were doing at Black Expo (e.g. sharing eye health information, the Mobile Eyes program, job opportunities), he said he knew it was important to go to the doctor every year for a check-up, but he just didn’t have the money and he didn’t think the government was going to fix healthcare with all of their partisanship. I told him about our voucher program and to step inside the mobile clinic to learn more about the program. He emerged a few minutes later with a voucher and list of local VSP providers in hand. He had the biggest grin on his face and thanked me for making his day. I honestly believe the reverse was true … he made my day.

I always feel a sense of pride when I have the opportunity to represent VSP. And having the opportunity to volunteer at an event that combines two things that are of importance to me was a plus – my community (in general and specifically the African-American community) and where I work. [Of course, my family is THE most important thing in my life, but that goes without saying! ] But being able to share the VSP experience with the community was awesome! I met people who have VSP as their vision care insurance and asked me questions about their plans. Thank goodness there were volunteers from VSP’s Customer Service division to provide expert answers. I met kids who reminded me of my granddaughter Kayla in the way they asked a million questions about the Mobile Eyes clinic – “Do you drive this bus? Do you work in there? Do you live on it? Can we ride on it? How’d you guys get that thing in here?” and on and on and on. How fun that was! And last but not least, being in Human Resources, I loved hearing time after time as people approached, “VSP! You guys are one of the best companies to work for!” Even though VSP is technically not on the FORTUNE “100 Best” list this year, we remain “best” in the hearts and minds of many.

In 1972, Dr. Marvin Poston was the first African American named "Optometrist of the Year" by the American Optometric Association, the highest professional award from the AOA.

VSP is known for quality service – whether providing eyecare to underprivileged through our number of charitable programs, ensuring patients have access to high-quality vision services or providing doctors with the tools they need to maintain successful private practices. This dedication to service can be directly attributed to the core philosophies of VSP’s founders, one of whom was Dr. Marvin R. Poston.

In 1935, Dr. Poston was the first African American student admitted to the study of optometry at University of California, Berkeley. It took another 23 years for the second African American student to follow in his footsteps and graduate from the Berkeley School of Optometry. Dr. Poston later became the first African American licensed to practice optometry on the West Coast.

Nearly 55 years ago, Dr. Poston, along with several of his fellow optometrists, formed California Vision Services, now known as VSP Vision Care. The company originally was the first to offer a prepaid, vision benefit that provided high quality, cost-effective eyecare. VSP has since grown to become the largest not-for-profit visions benefits provider in the nation, covering 1 in 6 Americans.

Dr. Poston’s optometry practice flourished for four decades in Oakland and Danville, California but his reach extended far beyond those who visited his offices. Befitting one of the founders of a company that prides itself on community support, Dr. Poston began his own tradition of community outreach by establishing vision-screening programs for under-served children and adults. The Children’s Vision Center of the East Bay, the West Oakland Health Group and the East Bay Skill Center are just a few of the organizations that benefited from his efforts.

Dr. Poston received numerous honors during his career, including the Optometric Man of the Year award by the Alameda Contra Costa Optometric Society and Optometrist of the Year by the California Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. He was also appointed to three terms on the California State Board of Optometry by governors Edmund G. “Pat” Brown and Ronald Reagan. In each of these areas, Dr. Poston was the first African American ever to be honored.

“He was a man of great integrity,” says Norm Jacoby, O.D., a former colleague from Encino, California. “He was very soft-spoken and intelligent, and you listened when he spoke. Marvin was conscious of what new graduates needed when getting started in private practice and that they needed all the help they could get.”

This awareness led Dr. Poston to start Optometric Planning Service (OPS), a company that gave young optometric students access to the resources necessary to start their businesses properly. OPS evolved into Professional Health Management & Planning Services, Inc., which provided services for professionals new to a variety of healthcare fields.

After more than 40 years in optometry, Dr. Poston and his wife, Arlene, relocated to Calistoga, California to open Poston Crest Vineyard. As with his practice, Dr. Poston received recognition for his success as a vintner. In 2004, Wine Business Monthly featured him in an article about diversity in the industry titled “The Changing Face of the American Wine Industry.”

Dr. Poston is remembered as a generous individual and contributor to the success of VSP. “Dr. Poston’s passion for people and their vision is still alive in VSP’s corporate mission, values and the efforts of every doctor,” said Gary Brooks, VSP Vision Care’s president. “Through outreach programs such as VSP Mobile Eyes^® and Sight for Students^®, we continue his legacy of commitment to the community.”

After a satisfying life filled with professional and personal accomplishments, Dr. Poston died July 18, 2002 in St. Helena, California. He was 87 years old.