February packs a lot of notable events into its 28 or 29 days. One of the most noteworthy things about February is that it is Black History Month. Also known as African American History Month, this is a month-long celebration of the achievements of African Americans that recognizes their central role in United States history.
The number of Black Americans who have made contributions to the country and the world are innumerable. Here is just a brief cross-section of some of the trailblazing individuals worthy of recogni-
Although the United States Congress is now diverse, it wasn’t always this way. Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress during the racially contentious era of the late 1960s. She represented New York’s twelfth district from 1969 to 1983 and was the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972.
educator and writer based in Philadelphia. Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was the first independent Black denomination in the U.S. Allen was born into slavery, but bought his freedom in the 1780s. Because of restrictions dictating where Blacks could sit at church, Allen left to form his own.
Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is often credited with the 1963 March on Washington, it actually was Rustin who organized and strategized the event. Ruskin had controversial ties to Communism and was a gay man, so he wasn’t always publicly on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement. Nonetheless, his brilliant mind and innovative ideas helped serve his community.
Many people tirelessly contributed to the Civil Rights movement, and Evers is one of them. Evers was a World War II veteran and later a civil rights leader in Mississippi.
He became the NAACP’s first field officer in that state and helped lead protests against segregation at schools, public parks and more.
Height is known as the “godmother of the women’s movement.” She used her experience in social work and education to advance women’s rights, becoming a strong leader in the Young Women’s Christian Association and the president of the National Council of Negro Women.
Ashe was the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup tennis team and the only Black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Ashe suffered a heart attack during a tennis clinic, so he became a spokesperson for hereditary heart disease. Later, when he contracted HIV from a blood transfusion used during a heart surgery, he founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. Ashe was
posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
The basketball world mourned in 2020 when Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, tragically perished in a helicopter crash. An NBA star who won five championships and a member of the gold-winning U.S. men’s Olympic basketball teams in 2008 and 2012, Bryant also was an advocate for the homeless. His Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation sought to reduce the homeless population in Los Angeles.
Jemison holds the honor of being the first Black woman to orbit space. She was on the shuttle Endeavour, and also is a physician and teacher. After leaving NASA, Jemison founded the Jemison Group, which develops technological advancements.
Trailblazing Black Americans have been influencing the country throughout its history.
