Black History (keeba.org)

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BLACK HISTORY

What Is Black History Month?
Black History Month celebrates the history and contributions of African-Americans. The
origin of this observance goes back to 1915, when historian Carter G. Woodson proposed
Black History Week, although it did not begin until 1926. Woodson chose the second week
in February to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two
important Americans who affected the lives of Blacks. Later, in 1976, this celebration
turned into Black History Month.

Key Lessons in History and Character
Through struggle, perseverance and courage, many African-Americans have made
significant contributions to history, science, government, sports, entertainment, and our
culture. Their stories and backgrounds are varied, but they all provide great lessons in
history and character.

Family Activity
Take the time as a family to learn about the history of African-Americans. While reading
their biographies, discuss how their contributions have impacted our society, what
obstacles they had to face, and what character virtues they display.

Family Activities
Devote a Family Night to enjoying African games and crafts. Use these fun activities as a
way to get your kids thinking about African-American heritage.

BIOGRAPHIES: Black African-American leaders

 Carter G. Woodson
Were it not for this man's efforts, not only would we not have a Black History month, but
we probably would have far less of a cultural identity or knowledge of where we came
from. Carter Woodson, referred to as the "Father of Black History," was much more than
just the founder of Black History Month. He was a scholar with a doctorate from Harvard
and an author of several books documenting the history, culture, and contributions of
African-Americans to this country.

 Focus: Civil Rights
Rosa Parks
(1913--2005)
Born Rosa Louise McCauley, Parks is considered the Mother of the Civil Rights
Revolution. She is best known for her protest of segregation laws through her choice to
not give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955. This incident inspired the African-
American community, who then began a 381-day boycott of public transportation in
Montgomery. Later, on November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court declared the segregation
laws on buses in Alabama to be unconstitutional. Other significant achievements include the
founding of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development; a publication of
her memoir, Quiet Strength; and receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.

 Focus: Literature
Langston Hughes
(1902--67)
Hughes was a great writer as a poet, playwright, novelist and journalist. He was a
significant part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s-1930s. He spoke out against
segregation and other issues. As the History Channel describes him, "By the time of his
death, Hughes was widely recognized as the most representative of African-American
writers and perhaps the most original of black poets. What set him apart was the deliberate
saturation of his work in the primary expressive forms of black mass culture as well as in
the typical life experiences of the mass of African Americans, whom he viewed with near-
total love and devotion."

 Focus: Various
Colin Powell
Powell, born in Harlem in 1937 to Jamaican parents, is a man of many firsts. His parents
instilled in him the importance of education and personal achievement. Not only did he have
numerous achievements in his life, but he would later instill those same values in others.

 Focus: Civil Rights
Elizabeth Jennings
Over 100 years before the events leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott were conceived,
blacks were rallying against unequal treatment on New York City's public transportation
systems.

 Focus: Law
Barbara Jordan
Jordan's political career began in her kitchen. A native of Houston, Jordan returned home in
1959 after receiving her law degree at Boston University, using her kitchen as her law
office to help poor people with their legal troubles. In 1962 and 1964, she unsuccessfully
ran for the Texas House of Representatives before winning a seat in the Texas Senate in
1966. She was the first African-American woman and first African-American since 1883
to be elected to that position.

 Focus: Politics
Condoleezza Rice
(1954-)
Rice currently serves as the U.S. Secretary of State. Although born into the segregated
South, her parents instilled in her the values that she was capable of fulfilling her dreams.
In an interview with Ebony, she stated, “Our parents really did have us convinced that
[even though I] couldn't have a hamburger at Woolworth's, [I] could be president of the
United States.”

 Focus: Aviation
Bessie Coleman
Coleman was a woman with an inextinguishable passion to fly during a time when neither
blacks nor women were allowed to be pilots.

 Focus: Activism
Dick Gregory
Gregory is perhaps equally known for his comedy as he is for his civil rights activism.
Often, both went hand in hand. Gregory often used his comedy to make statements about
race relations in America: "Segregation is not all bad. Have you ever heard of a collision
where the people in the back of the bus got hurt?"

Who was Carter G. Woodson?
Dr. Woodson was a son of former slaves. He worked in the coal mines in Kentucky to put
himself through high school. He graduated from Berea College in Kentucky in 1903, and then
went on to Harvard for his Ph.D.

It bothered him to find that blacks had hardly been written about in American history books,
even though blacks had been part of American history from as far back as colonial times. And
when blacks were mentioned, it was not in ways that reflected the positive contributions that
they had made.

So he wanted to do something about that. In 1915, he established the Association for the Study
of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and
History) and then founded the Journal of Negro History and Negro History Bulletin. Then in
1926 he started promoting the second week of February as Negro History Week.

Woodson chose February because the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick
Douglass (right) were in that month. These were two men who had a great influence on black
Americans.

In addition, several other important events took place in February. For example, the 15th
Amendment, which said that the right to vote could not be denied on account of race, was
ratified on Feb. 3, 1870.

W.E.B. DuBois (right), educator and writer, was born in February 1868. The first black U.S.
senator, Hiram Revels (far right), took his oath of office in February 1870. The founding of the
NAACP in 1909 took place in February, as did the murder of Malcolm X in 1965, and the
Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960.

Why is Black History Month important today?
A. All young people need positive role models to inspire them and spur them on and to help them
know that they, too, have the potential to achieve their dreams and accomplish worthwhile and
important things.

Young blacks need to know about the many positive achievements of black men and women
throughout history in every field of endeavor. Knowing what others have done inspires
confidence in young people to know that they can do worthwhile things too.
Knowing about the achievements of black doctors, scientists, lawyers, economists and
journalists provides encouragement and incentive to black young people to strive for excellence
themselves. Without such knowledge and encouragement, young people can end up wasting
precious time and energy blaming the system and feeling victimized.

Describing the value of Black History Month for nonblacks
Black history is not merely black history, it is American history. By better understanding the positive contributions of another
ethnic group, all Americans benefit. When we understand one another better, we are that much closer to having positive
relationships with one another.

Many nonblacks, even many blacks, have erroneous stereotypes in their minds about blacks and their history in the United
States. These negative ideas and impressions create barriers to good relationships and to the true potential that all Americans
have for working together toward our common goals for freedom, peace and achievement.

Black History Month provides a focus on the positive history, achievements and contributions to American ideals that blacks
have made throughout history. And that helps to dispel the negative ideas and stereotypes that invariably spring up when the
truth is not given the light of day.

The experience of black Americans in our history can be a further inspiration to all Americans that no matter how tough the
struggle, no matter what the odds, when we don’t give up, when we stand together firmly for the right and the truth, great
things can happen. And there’s nothing more truly American than that. It’s our collective legacy and heritage.

Christians benefiting from Black History Month
The civil rights movement was born in Christian faith and values. The early leaders of the movement were Christian ministers,
black and white alike, who saw injustice and worked in nonviolent ways to bring the love of Jesus Christ to bear on a system
that reflected neither the gospel itself nor the deepest values of the U.S. Constitution.

As Christians, when we rehearse that struggle and celebrate the positive achievements of Americans who excelled despite having
been socially marginalized, we affirm the values and responsibilities of our faith.

Characterizing Black History Month
Hope. It is all about promoting hope—hope for a better tomorrow that springs from the lessons, the tears and the joys of what
has gone before. It’s a hope that grows from understanding and from truth—and from the power of love.

Thank Jesus Christ, because He takes all our meager efforts and turns them into a real and true hope that sees past all the
challenges of the present and into a future where His love binds all people together, all people of all backgrounds and races and
histories all bound together as one in Him.

Church History Corner
The Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr.
~1929-1968~
It’s fitting during Black History Month in February that we remember the work and vision of Martin Luther King Jr., a major
leader of the civil rights movement beginning in the mid 1950s. Americans celebrate his birthday as a national holiday each
January, recalling the struggle to end racism and bigotry in America. King was an eloquent Baptist minister who advocated and
participated in nonviolent means to achieve civil right for blacks and equality for all.

King received a bachelor of divinity degree from Crozier Theological Seminary in 1951 and earned a doctor of philosophy degree
from Boston University in 1955. He came from a long line of Baptist ministers. His father was pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer
Baptist Church, and in 1960, King moved to the city to pastor his father’s congregation. King was chosen as the first president
of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957.

In 1963, he was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, after a nonviolent protest that led to a confrontation with Public Safety
Commissioner "Bull" Connor and municipal authorities. While in jail, King was criticized by a group of white clergymen who
blamed him for inciting the violence and who voiced concerns about his civil rights strategy. It was then that he penned his
"Letter From a Birmingham Jail."

King ended his letter with these words: "I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon
make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a
Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of
misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of
love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."

Then in August 1963 came King’s most soaring and hopeful civil rights rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, D.C. Here he delivered his rallying "I Have a Dream" speech."

For his work to end segregation and discrimination, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King was only 35 years
old when he accepted the prize in December of that year on behalf of all who participated in the Civil Rights Movement, making
him the youngest recipient of the award in history.

But the seeds of human hatred and bitterness cut short King’s life less than four years later. On April 4, 1968, while standing on
the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, he was shot to death by James Earl Ray. King was only 39 years old.
Though he never wavered from his position and practice that nonviolence must remain the approach of the civil rights
movement, he died a martyr’s death from an assassin’s bullet.

Black History Quiz

QUESTION:  What city did Jazz emerge from?

A. Memphis
B. New Orleans
C. Chicago
Answer: B. Jazz evolved in New Orleans, which is often considered the most musical city in the U.S. because of its
French, Spanish, West Indian, African, and English influences. However, by the early 1920s Chicago had emerged as
the jazz capital, while Memphis was a major center for blues music. (source: Information Please)

QUESTION:  The most famous jazz nightclub in Harlem was called:

A. The Cotton Club
B. El Morocco
C. Studio 54
Answer: A. Open from 1923 to 1940, the Cotton Club was the leading nightclub in Harlem, featuring elaborate
floor shows and innovative music. Blacks were only allowed to perform. The audience was white. Many
performances were broadcast live over the radio. Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Ethel Waters, and Billie Holiday
performed there. The El Morocco nightclub was located in mid-Manhattan, while the disco Studio 54 was not
established until 1977. (source: Information Please)

QUESTION:  Who was the first African-American to play Major League Baseball?

A. Elston Howard
B. Satchell Paige
C. Jackie Robinson
Answer: C. Jackie Robinson. Jackie became the Dodgers' second baseman in 1948. As the season went on, Jackie's
play on the field helped turn the boos into cheers. He batted .297, led the National League in stolen bases (29), and
was named Rookie of the Year. In 10 major league seasons, Jackie helped the Dodgers win six N.L. pennants and the
1955 World Series. (source: Sports Illustrated Kids)

QUESTION:  Who was the first track-and-field athlete to win four gold medals at one Olympics?

A. Carl Lewis
B. Jesse Owens
C. Maurice Greene
Answer: B. Jesse Owens. The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany, in front of the hateful eyes of dictator
Adolph Hitler. For Hitler, the Berlin Olympics was a stage to prove to the world that his racist views were correct.
Jesse Owens proved him wrong by winning the gold in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump, and the
4x100-meter relay. In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded Jesse the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a U.S.
citizen can receive. (source: Sports Illustrated Kids)

QUESTION:  The 15th Amendment, which granted African Americans the right to vote, was passed on which date?

A. February 3, 1870
B. July 14, 1889
C. November 19, 1910
Answer: A. February 3, 1870 (source: Information Please)

QUESTION:  Who is generally considered the mother of the civil rights movement?

A. Harriet Tubman
B. Susan B. Anthony
C. Rosa Parks
Answer: C. Rosa Parks. Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger triggered the 1955-1956
Montgomery bus boycott. An escaped slave, Tubman became a successful "conductor" on the Underground Railroad.
Anthony is generally considered the mother of the women’s rights movement. (source: Information Please)

QUESTION:  Who was the first African-American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet post?

A. Shirley Chisholm
B. Patricia Roberts Harris
C. Condoleezza Rice
Answer: B. Patricia Roberts Harris served as secretary of housing and urban development under President Jimmy
Carter. Before that, she had been the first African-American woman to hold a U.S. ambassadorship, which was to
Luxembourg under President Lyndon B. Johnson. (source: Information Please)