20 Black Americans You Can Celebrate This Black History Month Other Than MLK and Malcolm-X
Happy Black History Month!
And Happy "First-Time-Breaking-My-Blogs-On-Sundays-And-Tuesdays" routine!
My first post of February couldn't wait until the first Sunday in February...it had to be posted today, because America? Can I call you America? We are SERIOUSLY LACKING on education in this department. Ask anyone you know to name a Black activist, politician, social justice leader, or the like, and you'll probably be able to count on your fingers how many of them say something other than Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks or Malcolm-X. A few may know Frederick Douglass, or even the lovely ladies Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson behind the movie Hidden Figures--but only because this movie just came out a month ago. Ask anyone to name an influential Black person, and the first person they'll say is Barack H Obama, probably followed by Beyonce.
If you search the most influential Black Americans on Google, virtually all of them outside of Michelle and Barack are celebrities or entertainers. There is nothing wrong with Black Americans being entertainers, but we are so much more than comedians, actors, and athletes. We are inventors, scientists, doctors, engineers, and so much more. But, back to that "man on the street" you were working on. Did you go around and ask about Black activists? After asking maybe six people, you'll realize that we don't really know any Black contributors to our society. We. Don't. Know. Any. Black. Contributors. To. Our. Society. This is a great American tragedy because African American history is American history, and should really be more woven into the stories of how our country came to be, but is not. We are missing out on over half the story because major African American figures are either mentioned in passing or not brought up at all.
History ignored will become a very unfortunate future. So, if you don't know more than this handful of influential Black people, that's all about to change. After today, if you know any of the people on this list, you are one step closer to being a better educated American citizen with a better grasp of our people. For the remainder of the month, I will be posting blog posts related to my experience as a Black American, as well as stories from American History not shared in schools, and busting common race myths
Inventors
1. Madame CJ Walker (born Sarah Breedlove): First Black Millionaire; made significant contributions to Black hair care and beauty products, starting with her homemade scalp conditioner.
2. Percy Julian: Scientist and Pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medical drugs from plants
3. Benjamin Banneker: Invented America's First Clock
4. Dr. Charles Drew: Blood Bank Inventor
5. Marie Van Britton Brown: Invented the Closer Curcuit TV Security which went on to be used for national security
Social Justice and Politics
6. Sojourner Truth: African American abolitionist and woman's rights activist who helped a number of slaves escape to freedom
7. W. E. B. du Bois: First Black Man to graduated from Harvard with PhD, founder of NAACP
8. Charles Hamilton Houston: Former Dean of Howard University Law School, known as "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow" for playing a major role in helping abolish oppressive laws for African Americans.
9. Carter G. Woodson: Founded Black History Month, which began as Negro History Week
10. Mary McLeod Bethune: First Black Woman to Have a Major Role in White House; she was a national advisor for Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Entertainment
11. Matt Baker: First successful Black man in the Comic Industry
12. John H Johnson: Creator of EBONY and JET magazines
13. Mildred Howard: Artist best known for her sculptures and mixed-media assemblages
14. Oscar Micheaux: First Black director of a feature-length film The Homestead in 1919
15. Octavia E Butler: Influential Black Sci-Fi Author
Other
16. Mae Jemison: First Black Female Astronaut
17. Alexander Lucius Twilight: First Black College Graduate. He graduated in YEAR from COLLEGE.
18. Robert Johnson: 1st Black Billionare and creator of Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 2001
19. Explorer, North Pole: Matthew A. Henson, 1909, accompanied Robert E. Peary on the first successful U.S. expedition to the North Pole.
20. Charlie Sifford: Pioneer in Golf
Links to More Info:
http://www.mcjwbeautyculture.com/about-madam-c-j-walker-beauty-culture/#.WIjTdlwVLIU
http://www.greatblackheroes.com
http://thegrio.com/2016/02/29/slideshow-the-top-25-most-influential-black-american-leaders-of-all-time/
http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/03/07/8-black-female-inventors-you-may-not-know/2/
http://thegrio.com/2016/02/29/slideshow-the-top-25-most-influential-black-american-leaders-of-all-time/
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmfirsts.html
Best,
Reina
