I am honored to write on behalf of Black History Month since my mother is white and my father is black. The black history heroes have changed my life as well of millions of others. Even before Black History month began, there were strong black heroes, such as Frederick Douglass, who became a leader of the abolitionist movement. (Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery). Douglass stood as a living counter-example to slaveholders’ arguments that slaves did not have the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. He became a major speaker for the cause of abolition.
Douglass wrote several autobiographies, eloquently telling of his life as a slave and his fight to be free. His first autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” was published in 1845 and was his best-known work, influential in gaining support for abolition. He wrote two more autobiographies. His last book was “Life and Times of Frederick Douglas,” published in 1881 and covering events through and after the Civil War.
Douglas was a believer in the equality of all people. He was fond of saying,” “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.” He was just one of the many who fought against slavery and for equality, which was granted in the Thirteenth Amendment.
Many more black heroes and leaders followed after the foundation was established. Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an educator, author, orator, and political leader. Washington played a dominant role in black politics, with wide support in the black community and among liberal whites. He gained access to top national leaders in politics, philanthropy and education. Washington’s efforts included cooperating with white people and enlisting the support of wealthy philanthropists, helping to raise funds to establish and operate thousands of community schools and institutions of higher education for blacks throughout the South. Thanks to these black educators, who were the first, there were others who followed.
Alexander Lucius Twilight (September 26, 1795 – June 19, 1857) was the first black person known to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an American college or university upon graduating Middlebury College in 1823. (Later there was Jane M. Bolin who became the first African American woman to graduate from Yale Law School in 1931. She also was the first African American woman to be appointed a judge in 1939.)
These events happened after the Thirteenth Amendment did away with slavery, so let me not get ahead of myself. Let’s backup a little bit. Half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, Black History month began in 1915. Carter G. Woodson and the minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the study of Negro Life and History. The Association for the study of Negro Life is dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by black Americans and people of African descent. The group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926 choosing the second week of February to coincide with Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays. This inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations. By the late 1960’s, the Civil Rights movement and the large awareness of black identity, Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month.
President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976. Requesting the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Since then every president after has designated February as Black History Month. From the Black Civil Rights Movement to technology today we are constantly evolving toward a better more coexistent environment because of these heroic individuals who sacrificed so much, some even their life, to make sure that our lives are the way they are today, free from slavery. Among those advocates to be honored in the civil rights movement, there is the most dominant black leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. With his public speaking capabilities and education, he was able to shed some light on issues that surrounded the African-American community in the United States of America. Challenging racial segregation Dr. martin Luther King Jr. was beaten and imprisoned on several occasions. Among his speeches was the famous “I Have a Dream ” speech, which is a testament to how he fought for equal rights and opportunities for all.
King was an advocate for non-violent protests. Among them was the “Montgomery Bus Boycott,” which was sparked when Rosa Parks (another pioneer of the civil rights movement) was arrested in 1955 for not giving up her seat on a bus to a white person. Martin Luther King Jr., heard about Parks’ brave defiance and launched a boycott of Montgomery buses. The Supreme Court intervened and declared segregation on buses unconstitutional.
One of the civil rights pioneers that so many fail to mention is Malcolm X (1925-1965). Malcolm X became the most prominent national spokesman for the Black Muslims. At this time there was a thrust for racial integration. However, Malcolm X was calling for a racial separation. He urged black people to reject integration and understand that the high crime rate in black communities was a result of African Americans following the decadent mores of white society.
During the next months Malcolm X made several trips to Africa, Europe, and Mecca. He then wrote that he no longer believed that all white people were evil and that he had found the true meaning of the Islamic religion. He announced plans to internationalize the black struggle by taking black people’s complaints against the United States before the United Nations. He stated that his organizations were willing to work with other black organizations and with progressive white groups in the United States on voter registration, community public institutions such as schools and the police and other civil and political rights for black people. He began holding meetings in Harlem. He was then assassinated on February 21, 1965, as he addressed the beginning of one of his meetings. .
Then there was Thurgood Marshall a civil rights lawyer during a period when racial segregation was law. Between 1938 and 1961, he presented 30 civil rights cases before the Supreme Court. He won 29 of them. The most important case he won was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954). This case ended segregation in public schools. His argument was that if al students were equal, then why was it necessary to separate them? It was obvious that white schools were far more privileged than black schools, which were poor and overcrowded.
Then there were The Little Rock Nine, the first black teenagers to attend all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Although Brown v. Board of Education outlawed segregation in schools, the school systems defied the law by intimidation and threats to black students. These young African-American students challenged segregation in the South and won. Every day on their way to school angry crowds of whites taunted and insulted the Little Rock Nine. They even received death threats. These brave teenagers’ fear did not stop them from graduating from Central High. There were the black leaders who led in education, but let’s not forget the heights that have been gained thanks to our black leaders. Who could forget the all-time great Jackie Robinson who was the very first African American who became a major league baseball player in the year 1947. Later on he worked with the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and also the Student Emergency Fund to advance the civil rights movement. There were entertainers such as, Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897-April 8, 1993). Anderson was an African American operatic and concert singer who was renowned around the world for her extraordinary voice. She was the first African American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. Then there was Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) who was an American-born French dancer, singer, and actress. Nicknamed the “Bronze Venus,” the “Black Pearl,” and even the “Creole Goddess” in other nations.
There are very many black entertainers who broke the ground for our modern music. Another one is James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983), who was a jazz and rhythm and blues musician born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Then there is the famous poet Maya Angelou, who was born on April 4, 1928. She is a poet who was named America’s most visible black female autobiographer by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She was awarded over 30 honorary degrees and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, ‘Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die.’ The mold has been set for others to fall into their leadership positions.
The list continues to go on today. I am proud of the lengths that our people have gone through, the courage that they had to step forward to bring us the scholars, educators, politicians and even entertainers of today. Those such as the first black correspondent to cover the White House, CBS reporter Ed Bradley, (June 22, 1941-November 9, 2006) the American journalist known for twenty-six years of award winning work on the CBS News television program “60 Minutes.” Then let’s not forget the R&B sensation Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958-June 25, 2009) who was an American recording artist, dancer, singer -songwriter, musician and philanthropist referred to as the King of Pop. One of his songs comes to mind that better explains how he brought so many together “We Are The World.” In this song the strong lyrics that hit home to me:
“There comes a time/ When we heed a certain call when the world must come together as one/ There are People dying And it’s time to lend a hand to life the greatest gift of all.”
That is what he and so many of our strong black leaders have done. He is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records.
There is Oprah Winfrey, an American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century and the greatest black philanthropist in American history. One episode that hits home to me when I think of her show is the blue-eyed brown-eyed study that she did with her audience. A schoolteacher by the name of Jane Elliot used to teach her students about racism after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Oprah separated those with blue eyes from those with brown eyes. The blues, who were given a green collar to wear, were sent to a waiting room with no food for two hours; the browns were offered doughnuts and took their seats ahead of all those with blue eyes. Once they were in the studio, Jane Elliott explained what her “study” had proved: blue-eyed people were obviously less intelligent than brown-eyed people. The audience became convinced that Jane Elliott was telling the truth.
The blues began to revolt, trying to persuade Oprah that they were just as intelligent as the browns; the browns sat by smugly, beginning to believe that they’d always been superior. The purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate how easily human beings can be taught to discriminate based on features. Only one hour of this nonsense and 300 audience members were convinced. Thank God we live in a more civilized coexistence. This was only a TV show, but it shows how hard it was to fight the racism that our black leaders have endured to get where we are as a people today.
The most exciting among the many places that our black leaders have taken their well deserving places in history today is in office. Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961 is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold office. Despite the controversy surrounding our President, I can definitely say that no matter how hard the public may scrutinize him, in my eyes this man has beaten the odds and broken the mold so that many more black leaders can follow and just by that alone I am proud to be the American I am today full of opportunity, not because of the color of my skin but because of who I am as a part of the only race that matters, the human race.