Black Historical past Month has been acknowledged yearly since 1976. Whereas it’s vital to take this chance to look again and replicate in addition to have fun unimaginable milestones and victories, we don’t have to attend till February! Listed here are some Black Historical past Month info to share with youngsters all yr spherical.
Black Historical past Month Information for Youngsters
1. Carter G. Woodson is the “Father of Black Historical past.”
The historian was the second Black pupil to graduate from Harvard College with a doctorate diploma. His unimaginable analysis led to the institution of Black Historical past Month in 1926. It later turned a nationally acknowledged annual occasion in 1976.
2. Black Historical past Month is in February in recognition of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
Lincoln’s birthday is on February 12, whereas Douglass’ precise birthday is unknown, however he celebrated on February 14. In the course of the Civil Conflict, Lincoln labored tirelessly to develop the rights of Black Individuals. Douglass, a previously enslaved man, turned a frontrunner who fought to finish slavery in the course of the abolitionist motion.
3. William Tucker was the primary Black individual born within the 13 colonies.
William Tucker was born in 1624 to indentured servants in Jamestown, Virginia. They have been among the many first group of Africans dropped at the colonies by Nice Britain.
4. The primary novel revealed by a Black creator was revealed in 1853.
William Wells Brown wrote “Clotel: or, The President’s Daughter.” He was a lecturer and abolitionist.
5. Claudette Colvin was the primary Black lady recognized to refuse to surrender her seat on a bus.
In case you’re on the lookout for Black Historical past Month info to shock your college students, do that one. Whereas Rosa Parks is usually given credit score for being the primary Black lady to refuse to surrender her seat on a bus, Claudette Colvin was truly arrested 9 months earlier for refusing to surrender her seat for white passengers.
6. Lucy Stanton was the primary Black lady to earn a four-year faculty diploma.
Stanton earned a literary diploma from Oberlin Faculty in 1850.
7. Lucy Terry wrote the primary recognized poem by a Black American.
From a younger age, Lucy Terry lived in enslavement in Rhode Island. She was freed at age 26 when she married a free Black man. She penned “Bars Battle” in 1746.
8. Phillis Wheatley revealed the primary e-book of poetry by a Black creator in 1773.
A household in Boston bought Wheatley, who was born in Gambia, when she was simply 7 years previous. She was emancipated shortly after releasing Poems on Numerous Topics, Spiritual and Ethical.
9. Nat King Cole was the primary Black American to host a tv present.
The beloved jazz pianist and singer hosted The Nat King Cole Present on NBC in 1956.
10. Hattie McDaniel was the primary Black individual to win an Oscar.
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel took residence the Academy Award for her supporting function in Gone With the Wind. It took 24 extra years for Sidney Poitier to grow to be the primary Black man to win the Greatest Actor award (for Lilies of the Discipline), and 62 years for Halle Berry to win the Greatest Actress prize (for Monster’s Ball).
11. Within the early 1770s, Quakers created the primary public college for Black kids.
Anthony Benezet based the college. He was a white Quaker, educator, and abolitionist.
12. Thurgood Marshall was the primary Black justice to serve within the U.S. Supreme Court docket.
The longtime lawyer was formally nominated in 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Marshall served till 1991.
13. Barack Obama was the primary Black president of america.
The lawyer and former senator was first elected in 2008.
14. Kamala Harris was the primary Black vp of america.
When she took workplace in 2021, Harris turned the primary lady and first individual of African or Asian descent to step into the function of vp. Her father immigrated from Jamaica and her mom immigrated from India.
15. “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang was the primary commercially profitable rap document.
The groundbreaking tune was produced by “Hip Hop’s First Godmother,” Sylvia Robinson. Alongside along with her husband, Robinson co-owned Sugar Hill Information. It was the primary hip-hop music label.
16. Stevie Surprise was the primary Black artist to win a Grammy Award for Album of the 12 months.
Not solely did he win for his 1973 masterpiece Innervisions, however he went on to grow to be the primary and solely musician to take residence the prize three years in a row!
17. Bryant Gumbel was the primary Black individual to host a morning present.
The printed journalist joined NBC’s At this time present in 1981.
18. John Taylor was the primary Black athlete to win a gold medal on the Olympics.
Taylor gained the 4 x 400-meter relay in 1908. It took 40 years, however Alice Coachman turned the first Black lady to win gold after dominating the excessive leap.
19. Madam C.J. Walker was the primary Black feminine self-made millionaire.
Walker created a line of hair-care merchandise for Black ladies. The Netflix collection Self Made tells her superb story.
20. Robert Johnson was the primary Black billionaire.
He based Black Leisure Tv (BET) and amassed a fortune when he bought it in 2001.
21. Althea Gibson was the primary Black tennis participant to win a Grand Slam.
Gibson gained her first in 1956 and went on to win one other 11 Grand Slam tournaments all through her profession.
22. George Washington Carver’s work led to greater than 500 merchandise created from peanuts and candy potatoes.
The agricultural scientist promoted crops different to cotton and his analysis vastly contributed to the financial development of the agricultural South. He additionally invented strategies to keep away from soil depletion.
23. Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall have been the primary Black athletes to play within the NFL.
The soccer gamers joined in 1920. Later, Pollard would go on to grow to be the NFL’s first Black coach.
24. Sheryl Swoopes was the primary participant to signal with the WNBA.
The star athlete joined in 1996, and the league debuted the next yr.
25. Gabby Douglas made historical past on the 2012 London Olympics.
The gymnast turned the primary Black lady to win the Particular person All-Round title.
26. Septima Poinsette Clark helped discovered practically 1,000 citizenship faculties.
The efforts by the civil rights activist and campaigner helped Blacks register to vote.
27. The primary Black-owned newspaper was revealed in 1827.
Freedom’s Journal, revealed in New York Metropolis, was the primary Black-owned-and-operated newspaper in america. It supplied a platform to counter racist narratives and advocate for abolition and civil rights.
28. Mae Jemison was the primary Black lady to journey to house.
In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison made historical past aboard the House Shuttle Endeavour. She can also be a doctor, engineer, and advocate for STEM schooling.
29. Bass Reeves, the primary Black deputy U.S. marshal, might have been the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.
Whereas it can’t be confirmed conclusively, many imagine Reeves to be the inspiration for the well-known character. Born into slavery, he turned a legendary lawman within the Outdated West, capturing greater than 3,000 fugitives throughout his profession.
30. The primary Black-owned hospital opened in 1891.
Provident Hospital in Chicago was based by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who additionally carried out one of many first profitable open-heart surgical procedures.
31. Oscar Micheaux was the primary Black filmmaker to provide a feature-length movie.
Micheaux launched The Homesteader in 1919, paving the best way for Black voices in cinema.
32. Henrietta Lacks’ cells revolutionized medication.
In 1951, cells taken from Henrietta Lacks with out her data turned the first immortal human cells. Often called HeLa cells, they’ve been instrumental in medical analysis, together with the event of vaccines and most cancers therapies.
33. Marian Anderson was the primary Black singer to carry out a number one function on the Metropolitan Opera.
In 1955, Anderson broke boundaries in classical music by showing on the Met stage, turning into an emblem of progress in the course of the Civil Rights Motion.
34. Early Black inventors held greater than 50,000 patents in america.
Within the interval from 1870 to 1940, “Black individuals accounted for extra innovations throughout this era than immigrants from each nation besides England and Germany.” Improvements just like the site visitors gentle (Garrett Morgan), trendy refrigeration (Frederick McKinley Jones), and automated elevator doorways (Alexander Miles) have been created by Black inventors.
35. Shirley Chisholm was the primary Black lady to run for president.
In 1972, Chisholm campaigned for the Democratic nomination, making historical past as a trailblazer for girls and other people of colour in politics.
36. The Black Lives Matter motion was based by three ladies.
Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi began the worldwide motion in 2013 to fight systemic racism and violence in opposition to Black communities.
37. Frederick Douglass was essentially the most photographed American of the nineteenth century.
Douglass used images to advertise dignity and equality, sitting for extra portraits than every other American of his time.
38. African American surveyor Benjamin Banneker helped design Washington, D.C.
A self-taught mathematician and astronomer, Banneker assisted in surveying the capital and revealed six almanacs stuffed along with his scientific work.
39. Bessie Coleman was the primary Black lady to earn a pilot’s license.
Rejected by U.S. flight faculties, she educated in France in 1921 and have become a pioneering stunt pilot who impressed generations of aviators.
40. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural explosion of Black artwork, music, and literature.
Centered in New York Metropolis largely in the course of the Nineteen Twenties and Nineteen Thirties, legends like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Duke Ellington have been defining figures of the Harlem Renaissance.
41. The Tuskegee Airmen have been the primary Black navy pilots within the U.S. Armed Forces.
Fashioned in 1941, they flew greater than 15,000 missions in World Conflict II and helped desegregate the navy.
42. Katherine Johnson’s math made house journey doable.
Her calculations for NASA ensured the success of John Glenn’s 1962 orbit, incomes her recognition many years later within the e-book and film Hidden Figures.
43. The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted over a yr.
Sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest, the 381-day boycott resulted in 1956 when the Supreme Court docket dominated bus segregation unconstitutional.
44. Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest individual to win the Nobel Peace Prize on the time.
At age 35, he acquired the award in 1964 for his management in nonviolent activism.
45. The “I Have a Dream” speech was partly improvised.
In the course of the 1963 March on Washington, Mahalia Jackson shouted, “Inform them concerning the dream!” prompting Martin Luther King Jr. to ship the historic finale.
46. Toni Morrison was the primary Black lady to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In 1993, she was acknowledged for her lyrical storytelling in novels reminiscent of Beloved and The Bluest Eye.
47. Oprah Winfrey was the primary Black lady billionaire.
Rising from poverty, she constructed a media empire by way of The Oprah Winfrey Present and continues to champion schooling and empowerment.
48. Colin Powell was the primary Black U.S. Secretary of State.
Appointed in 2001, the four-star basic additionally served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, breaking a number of racial boundaries in management.
49. Amanda Gorman turned the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. historical past.
At simply 22, she captivated the world along with her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration.
50. Juneteenth turned a federal vacation in 2021.
Noticed on June 19, Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when enslaved individuals in Texas lastly realized of their freedom, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
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