Black history month is the celebration and remembrance of significant individuals and events in African American history. As a result of suppression, white supremacy and lack of information in schools, many only have one thought when thinking about the chronicles of black people - slavery. Though that is a major part of African American history, it's not the ONLY part of it. Throughout the month of February, I will be commemorating the lives of various black people that played an impactful role and opened doors for others. To start off the celebration, below is a list of a few out of many famous African American "firsts."
1. Rebecca Lee Crumpler
On February 8, 1831, Crumpler was born a free child to Absolum and Matilda Davis. In 1852 while living in Massachusetts, she worked as a nurse for eight years and then enrolled at New England Female Medical College in 1860. Her acceptance at the college was a merit of good luck since most medical institutions during that time period didn't accept blacks. She graduated in 1864 and is known as the first African American woman in the US to not only have a medical degree, but the first and only black woman to graduate from her college. Crumpler died on March 9, 1895.
2. James McCune Smith
Smith was born on April 18, 1813 in New York. After being denied admittance to various colleges in America, Smith made the effort of raising money so he could become a student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He did in fact become a student at the university and received his bachelor and master's degree in medicine. When finished completing a medical internship in France, Smith returned to NYC to conquer - he opened a medical school office AND pharmacy. He is known as the first African American man to receive a medical degree. Smith passed on November 17, 1865 at the age of 52 due to heart disease.
3. Deloreese Patricia Early (also known as Della Reese)
Many don't know that before Oprah, Della Reese was actually the first black female talk show host (Della!). Reese was born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit. At a young age, she loved to sing and even partook in her church's choir at the age of six. In 1954, she signed a recording contract with Jubilee and in the future, made many hit songs. Reese suffered a brain aneurysm while recording a song in 1980 but made a full recovery. Along her singing career, she dabbled into some acting and is most known (acting wise) for starring in the television show Touched by an Angel. She is still living.
4. Nathaniel Adams Coles (aka Nat King Cole)
Coles was born on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama. Mostly known for his successful music career, Coles happened to also be the first African American man to host a talk show (The Nat King Cole Show). He, however, had to abandon the role as host when the show couldn't find him a sponsor. Coles will forever be known as a successful, wonderful singer. He died February 15, 1965 at the age of 45 due to lung cancer.
5. John Mercer Langston
Born a free child in Louisa County, Virginia in 1829, Langston is known as the first African American elected official. At the age of five when his parents died, he and his brothers moved to Oberlin, Ohio and resided with family friends. At the age of 14, Langston enrolled at Oberlin College where he earned his bachelor and master's degree. He was very active in the antislavery movement and even aided many slaves in escaping. In 1855, a year after he passed the Ohio bar, Langston became the first black elected official in the country. 13 years later, he moved to Washington DC and became the dean of Howard University's law school. He died on November 15, 1897.
6. William Henry Hastie
Hastie was born on November 17, 1904 in Knoxville, Tennessee. After receiving his law degree, he went on to teach at Howard University Law School. There, he and some friends worked to abort segregation. In 1937, Langston was appointed judge of the Federal District Court in the Virgin Islands by President Franklin Roosevelt. This made him the first African American magistrate. Two years later he left the position as magistrate to become dean of Howard. In 1946, he also become the first black governor of Virgin Islands. Langston was appointed judge of the Third United States Circuit Court of Appeals by President Truman in 1949. He died on April 14, 1976.
7. Constance Baker Motley
Motley was born on September 14, 1921 in New Haven, Connecticut, the ninth of twelve children. Because of her family's lack of financials, she wasn't able to attend college right after high school. She worked as a maid and later on found a job with the National Youth Administration. In 1943, she received her bachelors in economics at New York University. A year later, she was the first black woman who was admitted into Columbia law school. Throughout her career, motley worked on several high profile cases before entering the world of politics in 1964. Motley is not only known for being the first black judge, but for being the first woman to be elected in the NY State Senate, being the first woman to acquire the position as Manhattan Borough President and being the first black woman to become a federal judge. On September 28, 2005, she died of congestive heart failure at the age of 85.
8. Thurgood Marshall
Marshall was born on n July 2, 1908. In 1930, he was denied admission at the University of Maryland Law School because he was a person of color. However not giving up, he applied to Howard and was accepted. Ironically, his first major case was suing the University of Maryland for refusing to admit a black student in 1933; he won the case. President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1954. This new role allowed him to over 150 decisions for the rights of others. Marshall is known for becoming the first black Supreme Court justice and winning the most Supreme Court cases. He died on January 24, 1993.
9. Robert Henry
Lawrence Junior
Born on October 2, 1935 in Illinois, Lawrence graduated from Bradley university with a bachelor's in chemistry. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps while in college and received the commission of Second Lieutenant. He is known for being the first African American chosen to be an astronaut. Just a few months later on December 8, Lawrence died as a result of a plane crash while flying as a backseat passenger.
10. Harriet E. Wilson
Not much of her history is accurately known, but Wilson is considered the first African American woman novelist. She is known for her fictional biography (Our Nig) that was printed in 1859.
11. Hattie McDaniel
Born June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas, McDaniel was an actress, singer and radio performer. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. At the time, it was hard for to get good roles because of the era but as time progressed, so did her roles. She is best known for portraying Mammy in Gone With the Wind and being the first African American woman to receive an Oscar (along with being the first radio performer). Hattie died on October 26, 1952 after losing her battle with cancer.
12. William Henry Cosby Junior (aka Bill Cosby)
Cosby was born on July 12, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While in high school, Cosby dropped out to join the U.S. navy. While in college, he dropped out to become a comedian - a career in which he successfully pursued. In 1965, Cosby became the first African American man to be the star in a television series (I Spy). After a few years, he returned to college and was a student at the University of Massachusetts. Cosby's career reached a new height of success when The Cosby Show debuted in 1984. Sadly after all of his accomplishments, his career was tarnished when he was accused of sexual assault by numerous women in 2014. He is still in the midst of trial.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmfirsts.html
Inspirational quote from a black American:
"Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another's uniqueness."
- Ola Joseph
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