In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series "29 Black Stories in 29 Days." We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the fourth installment of the series.

This series always starts with a question: Is it still needed? The answer, unfortunately, remains yes.

In an alternate timeline, there is no racism. People work together, play sports together, travel to different worlds together, and there is no hate. But today is not that day.

There is progress, of course. NFL teams hired four men of color as head coaches, a record for a single coaching cycle. We're seeing the rise of Black tennis stars not named Serena or Venus. LeBron James remains one of the most influential figures in the history of American sports and still refuses to shy away from issues of race (which is a good thing). The WNBA is still a remarkable force.

Yet there are hardcore problems. Donald Trump is still a viable Presidential candidate despite enabling white nationalism. Extremism and conspiracy theories dot our politics and lives. Antisemitism is on the rise (again). The transgender community is under constant attack. One of the most influential social media platforms is owned by someone who constantly spews vileness.

Race is one of the core things utilized by bad actors to fuel hatred and bigotry.

That's where this series (we're doing 29 days this year instead of 28 because it's a leap year) tries to make a difference. The saying is that history may not repeat but it rhymes and Black History Month is important because we still need reminders of how racist this nation has been, still is, how it's dramatically improved, and how it can be so much better. Sports is one of those lenses to make these observations.

Some of the stories in this series will be shorter, some will take deep dives into Black history, and others will be strongly opinionated. Some will be funny, others serious, all of them informative. It will all happen with 29 Black stories in 29 days.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black History Month and sports: 29 inspirational stories in 29 days