Black History Month, formed in 1970 and celebrated everyday in the month of February, was created to bring attention to the contributions of African Americans to the United States. Its aim is to honour Black people from all periods of US history including those who were enslaved from Africa in the 17th century to present day African Americans living in the United States.
In line with this year’s theme, “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity”, throughout February, I will honour African American individuals that made significant contributions that had great impacts in our history by sharing and highlighting interesting facts about them that may not be widely known.
Pauli Murray
Pauli was born in 1910, Baltimore, Maryland and later moved and settled in New York. She graduated in 1928 and worked for the Works Progress Administration and the Workers Defense League and taught for the New York City Remedial Reading project. She was arrested in 1940 for disorderly conduct after challenging the constitutionality of segregating bus passengers. This event inspired her to study law at Howard University. She graduated with honors and hoped to join Harvard University for her post-graduate studies. She was denied entry because of her gender and ended up pursuing her studies at UC Berkeley School of Law. She also went on and published States’ Law on Race and Color,which was regarded as the bible of civil rights work. She further went on and received her J.S.D from Yale University, making her the first African American to receive this degree.
Murray decided to devote her life to christianity and in 1977, she became the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
Phillis Wheatly
Born in 1753, in West Africa, Phillis was kidnapped from her home and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston at the age of seven or eight. She was taught how to read and write and received lessons in English, Latin, Greek and theology. She was also encouraged to write poetry by the Wheatley family. Her first poem was published in 1767, making her the first African American to be published at the age of 13.
Wheatley’s fame and stature increased thereafter as she continued to publish more poems. In 1773, she received patronage from Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon in England after her first book of verse Poems on various Subject, Religious and Morals was published.
Phillis was a strong supporter of America’s fight for independence. She used her talent and wrote several poems in honour of the Continental Army’s Commander, George Washington and in 1775 was invited to visit him in Cambridge Massachusetts, of which she accepted and visited in March 1776.
Benjamin Banneker
Born in 1731 in Baltimore, Maryland, Benjamin Banneker was self educated in astronomy and mathematics. Later, between 1792 and 1797, with his ability to calculate the positions of celestial objects at regular intervals, Banneker became an active writer of almanacs, that depicted his astronomical calculations, weather predictions and tide tables. He even contributed towards medicine, politics, literature and poetry.
In 1791, Banneker was called upon to assist in the surveying of territory for the construction of the nation’s capital. In the same year, he exchanged letters with Thomas Jefferson, by politely challenging him to to do what he could do to ensure racial equality.
Hattie McDaniel
Born in 1893, in Wichita, Kansas, Hattie was one of the only two black students in her class at 24th Street Elementary School in Denver, Colorado. She gained popularity as a result of singing in church school and at home. Her profession started in high school as a singer, dancer and skit performer for The Mighty Minstrels.
In 1939, Hattie became popular in the film industry. She played Mammy, in Gone With the Wind and earned the 1940 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first African American to win an Oscar. Hattie was prohibited from attending the award ceremony because of the Georgia’s Jim Crow Laws that barred Black actors from attending film premiers.