The month of February is celebrated as Black History Month, originating in 1976 after being a week-long event prior. U.S. President Gerald Ford extended the recognition to honor the neglected accomplishments of Black Americans throughout our history and pivotal moments like the Civil Rights Movement, the abolition of slavery and the Great Migration.
These individuals have made significant contributions across various fields, including civil rights, politics, literature, science, and the arts, shaping the landscape of American history and culture.
Barack Obama is the first Black president of the United States, serving from 2009 to 2017.
Benjamin Banneker was an early African American scientist, mathematician and astronomer, known for his work in surveying and his almanacs that included astronomical calculations and weather predictions. In 1791, he worked with Andrew Ellicott and others to survey land that would become Washington, D. C.
Bessie Coleman was the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license when she became a pioneering aviator and an advocate for racial and gender equality in aviation during the 1920s.
Colin Powell was a four-star general in the U.S. Army and the first African American Secretary of State who played a significant role in U.S. foreign policy.
Ella Fitzgerald is known as the “First Lady of Song.” She was a pioneering jazz singer won numerous awards, including 14 Grammy Awards.
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery and became a leading abolitionist, orator and writer. His autobiographies, particularly Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, highlights the brutal realities of slavery and advocates for emancipation.
George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist and inventor, known for his work with peanuts, sweet potatoes and crop rotation that helped to improve the incomes of many farmers.
Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who became a key figure in the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people gain their freedom. Tubman also served as a spy and nurse during the Civil War.
Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first Black senator in U. S. history. On February 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment prohibited states from disenfranchising voters “on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” Twenty-two days later, Revels, a Mississippi politician and minister, put that declaration into practice by taking the oath of office.
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician whose calculations were critical to the success of NASA’s early space missions, including the first American in space and the moon landing. Her story was highlighted in the book and film Hidden Figures.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a renowned civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance to combat racial segregation and discrimination. His leadership in many civil right movements and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech were momentous in advancing civil rights.
Maya Angelou was a notable author, poet and civil rights activist. Her work, including the autobiographical I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, explores themes of identity, racism and resilience.
Rosa Parks is known as the “mother of the civil rights movement,” due to her refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and became a symbol of the struggle against racial injustice.
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress, being a significant advocate for women’s rights and social justice.
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American Supreme Court Justice coming from being a prominent civil rights lawyer who argued several landmark cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, which ended racial segregation in public schools.
These individuals represent just a fraction of the many Black Americans who have made profound impacts on society, culture and history.
Please allow me to share – “My Time with General Colin Powell: Stories of Kindness, Diplomacy, & Protocol.” It’s a memoir of behind the scenes and behind the headlines of this extraordinary man that I know your readers and community would enjoy.
(Www.leslielautenslager.com).
Thank you for sharing.