Best Book of Black Biographies!

Transcription

The BESTBook of
Meets National Standards
BLACK
BIOGRAPHIES
by Carole Marsh
The BESTBook of
BLACK
BIOGRAPHIES
by Carole Marsh
Editorial Assistant: Jenny Corsey • Graphic Design: Cecil Anderson
©Carole Marsh/The Best Book of Black Biographies/page 1
©2009, 2004 Carole Marsh/Gallopade International/Peachtree City, GA
Permission is hereby granted to the individual purchaser or classroom teacher to reproduce materials in this book for non-commercial
individual or classroom use only. Reproduction of these materials for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited.
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Gallopade is proud to be a member of these educational organizations and associations:
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
National Alliance of Black School Educators
American Booksellers Association
American Library Association
International Reading Association
National Association for Gifted Children
The National School Supply and Equipment Association
The National Council for the Social Studies
Museum Store Association
Association of Partners for Public Lands
Association of Booksellers for Children
Black Jazz, Pizzazz, & Razzmatazz Books
Our Black Heritage Coloring Book
The Big Book of African American Activities
Black Heritage GameBook: Keep Score! Have Fun!
Find out how much you already know—and learn lots more!
Black Trivia: The African American Experience A-to-Z!
Celebrating Black Heritage:
20 Days of Activities, Reading, Recipes, Parties, Plays, and More!
Mini Timeline of Awesome African American Achievements and Events
“Let’s Quilt Our African American Heritage & Stuff It Topographically!”
The Color Purple & All That Jazz!: African American Achievements in the Arts
“Out of the Mouths of Slaves”: African American Oral History
The Kitchen House: How Yesterday’s Black Women Created Today’s
Most Popular & Famous American Foods!
Black Business: African American Entrepreneurs & Their Amazing Success!
Other Carole Marsh Books
Meet Shirley Franklin: Mayor of Atlanta!
African American Readers—Many to choose from!
Table of Contents
A Word From the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 5
Chief Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 6
Barack Obama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 7
Lorraine Hansberry, Ray Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 8
Matthew Henson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 9
Jesse Owens, Benjamin Banneker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 10
Nat King Cole, Charles Richard Drew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 11
Jean Baptiste Du Sable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 12
Gwendolyn Brooks, W.C. Handy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 13
Jan Ernst Matzeliger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 14
William Henry Hastie, Wilma Rudolph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 15
Harriet Tubman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 16
Dean Dixon, Richard Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 17
Leontyne Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 18
Lawrence Joel, Frederick Douglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 19
Mahalia Jackson, Thurgood Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 20
Ethel Waters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 21
Daniel Hale Williams, Willie Mays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 22
Quotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 24
Black History Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 25
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 27
Noted Black Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 29
Black Servicemen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 34
Black Lifesavers of the Outer Banks/Black Heroes of September 11th! . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 35
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 36
A Word From the Author
What is a biography, anyway? We usually think of it as the life story of
someone famous. When someone has achieved a special goal, accomplished
something significant in history, discovered something that will help mankind,
or created a work of art—we want to know more about that person.
What they were really like. Why—and how—they did what they did.
What it means to them, and to us. Would they do it again? Why or why not?
What can we learn from their life?
I think the best biographies are of the ordinary person. We may not even
know their name, but their life can be fascinating to us. Everyone has a
biography (even a kid!)—a life story of what has happened to them and what
they have done up to this point. While you might think your biography is
boring, it may be very exciting to someone who has lived an entirely different
kind of life in a completely different type of place.
I like a biography that tells the truth. When we only learn the good side
of the person, what they have done right, we don’t learn how they
accomplished in spite of problems and failures. These are part of every life
too. Trial and error. Giving up. Starting over.
What can a kid learn from a biography? How other people have had to
live their lives. And how they have chosen to live their lives. How everything
you learn and do becomes part of the you that can often go on and do great
things in spite of (and often because of!) a hard life, poverty, discrimination,
handicaps, and other negative things that only you can
turn to positive!
You can learn that we’re all pretty much alike. We have the same wants
and hopes and dreams and fears and doubts. Some are smarter. Some have
more money. Others may have more patience. Or determination.
You can learn that we’re all pretty special. We all have something
important to do while we’re here on Earth. We may not know exactly what
that is. We may never even find out. But when we can look and see how
others may also have thought they had little to contribute, but made a great difference,
even in the life of one other person—we can have hope that what we do is important too.
In fact the most important biographies have never (and probably never will) be written.
If they were, they would be the biographies of our grandparents, our mothers, our fathers,
our brothers and sisters, our aunts and uncles, our special friends, the teachers who
helped us, the employer who gave us our first job, even our beloved pets.
After you read this book about some famous and not so famous folks, I hope you will
begin to look for biographies everywhere! In the newspaper, on television, in your
schoolbooks, in letters, in conversations.
After all, biographies are not written all at once. They are written like our lives. One
day at a time.
Carole Marsh
Pilot
You’ve heard the airline slogan, “Fly the friendly skies”? Well as you might imagine,
the first black man who decided he wanted to be an airline pilot found the skies pretty
unfriendly. In fact, he was chased from the airport with a broom!
But, Charles Alfred “Chief” Anderson went on to earn his
commercial license and train America’s first black fighter pilots.
A very important figure in aviation… a darn good pilot… and a
fabulous man is how another pilot describes him—and that pilot is
Chuck Yeager!
What makes any kid want to be an airline pilot? Anderson was
inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. The very
next year, 1928, he took his first plane up.
There was a lot of prejudice against the idea of black pilots. Some
people thought they were not smart enough or brave enough to fly. To discourage
Anderson, someone put sand in his oil tank. Someone even pulled the cotter pins out of
his plane’s controls—which can make you crash. Another time his plane was sabotaged
when he was taking aerobatic training.
None of this kept Anderson from pursuing his high-flying dream.
He’d been interested in flying since he was eight years old. At age 21, he talked his
neighbors into lending him $2,500. He bought an airplane and tried his first takeoffs and
landings all by himself with no instruction or help.
Not all his flights were smooth! Anderson once flew his plane into a tree. He has a
scar for a souvenir. His mother was so upset, she took an ax and tried to chop up
his plane.
Even though Anderson studied all aspects of flying on his own—meteorology,
mechanics, etc.—there was much to learn and no one willing to help him.
The first time he tried a tailspin, no one expected to see him again.
After smashing another airplane, Anderson had to resort to gambling
to get money to rent planes.
At last, Anderson found a man to help him learn all that he needed to
get a commercial pilot’s license. He received the top license and
became a young hero to black boys who thought they’d love to fly too.
In 1933, Anderson made his first transcontinental flight. His
budget was so tight, he had to fly without navigation instruments, a
radio, or even a parachute!
To guide himself, he used a regular, old road map. Until it blew away! His
headlight was a flashlight held out the window.
Two and a half days later he was greeted by the applause of a crowd of 2,000 blacks at
the Los Angeles, California airport.
Next, he flew to the Bahama Islands. Since a plane had never landed on Nassau
before, the people didn’t ever understand they had to get out of the way so the plane could
land. When they figured out what the plane was trying to do, they lined their cars up on
each side of the road and turned their lights on to make a “runway.”
Anderson once flew in rain so hard that it ripped the paint off the plane. He ended his
exciting tour by crashing into a grove of bamboo!
Later, Anderson taught others to fly. The Tuskegee Institute hired him to start a
training program. One day, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt came to visit Tuskegee.
Anderson invited to take her on a spin and off they went. Mrs. Roosevelt confessed to him
that she had always wanted to learn to fly.
Up until that time, blacks were not allowed to fly in the Air Corps.
In spite of continuing prejudice, the black pilots formed the 99th Pursuit Squadron. But
World War II finally required all the fighter pilots the United States could muster. In their
first big opportunity to show what they could do, Anderson’s men shot down an amazing
eight planes in one day.
The 99th joined with other black squadrons to form the 332nd Fighter Group, who
never lost a single one of the bombers they escorted to the enemy.
Even though over half of these pilots received honors and awards,
none could find a job as a pilot after the war. Even today, there are very, very few black
pilots working with America’s major airlines.
Today, Anderson is in his 80s—and still flying. Of course!
President
Barack Obama is the first African American president of the United States. He was
elected to that office in 2008.
Barack was born in Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was a black man from
Kenya who had won a scholarship to attend the University of Hawaii. His mother, Ann
Dunham, was a white woman whose parents had moved to Hawaii from Kansas.
After spending most of his childhood in Hawaii, Barack attended Columbia University
in New York, majoring in political science. He moved to Chicago a few years after
graduation and worked with local programs to help poor people get better jobs. In 1988,
Barack entered Harvard Law School. He became the first African American editor of the
Harvard Law Review, which is an important journal written by
students.
After graduation from Harvard Law School in 1991, Barack
married a fellow lawyer named Michelle Robinson. They settled
in Chicago where Barack worked for a law firm and began
teaching law at the University of Chicago Law School.
Barack’s political career began in 1996 when he was elected
Illinois state senator. In 2000, he ran for a seat in the U.S.
House of Representatives but was defeated. He ran for state
senate again in 2002 and won. In 2004, Illinois voters elected
him to the U.S. Senate. Just a few years later, Barack
announced his candidacy for president of the United States. He
won a long, hard-fought campaign for the Democratic
nomination, where his chief rival was former First Lady and New
York Senator Hillary Clinton.
In 2008, Barack Obama was elected 44th president of the United States, making
history as the first African American to hold that office! In his victory speech, he
proclaimed that “change has come to America.” In 2009, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for
efforts to strengthen cooperation between peoples.
Playwright
Who is Lorraine Hansberry? The famous playwright who wrote A Raisin in the Sun.
The 1959 drama is about a black family struggling to make a new and better life for
themselves. The original Broadway play was praised by the audience and the critics and
won many awards.
In 1961 a movie was made by the same title. In 1989, Public Television presented a
special 3-hour unabridged* premier of the play on American Playhouse.
The play focuses on a short period in the life of the Younger family.
They receive an insurance check for $10,000 and each person in the
family has a special dream about how it should be spent.
Lena, the mother, wants to buy a house. Walter, the son, wants to
start his own business. Daughter Beneatha hopes to go to medical
school and change the world. Walter’s wife, Ruth, is caught between the
dreams.
They struggle to make the right choice. The play touches on racism,
feminism, black identity, pride and liberation. It is very tense and
dramatic. You can’t help but get caught up in their emotional decision.
What does the play really mean? It shows the strength of the human spirit as it tells
the story of one family’s refusal to sacrifice human dignity at any price.
Have you ever seen this play? If not, perhaps you can check it out of your library.
Teachers: could your students read the play aloud in class or get a copy of the PBS
play? Parents: could your family turn off the television one night and read the play, each
person taking a part?
Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at writing your own play… and even performing it!
*What does unabridged mean?
Singer, Pianist
Have you ever turned on your radio and heard the songs, Georgia on My Mind or Born
to Lose? The very special voice singing these songs belongs to Ray Charles.
He used to be Ray Charles Robinson when he was born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia.
And he was not born rich and famous. “Even compared to other blacks we were at the
bottom of the ladder looking up at everyone else,” he once said. When he was seven years
old, an illness left him blind.
It was when he was a charity student at St. Augustine’s School in Florida that he
discovered he had the gift of music. He learned to compose and arrange music in his
head and would speak out each part one at a time. He taught himself to play the piano,
the organ, clarinet and saxophone and learned to write music in braille.
In Seattle, Washington, in 1948, while he was still very young, he organized the McSon
Trio. This was the first black musical group to have their own television show in the
northwest U. S.
That was when he began developing his special style, a sound known as a “gritty”
rhythm and blues. And he called himself Ray Charles.
At first he was best known as a “soul” singer. But his music was
strongly influenced by the sounds of the blues, jazz, and country and
western music.
In the 1950s he had his first hit record, I Got A Woman. He appeared
at the famous Apollo Theater in New York City’s Harlem district. And he
toured the United States playing and singing with a famous band.
After Georgia on My Mind and Born to Lose zoomed to the top of the
record charts, he became popular all around the world. He won 10
Grammy Awards and was honored by the Kennedy Center in
Washington, D. C., the government of France, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and many others.
The State of Georgia named Georgia on My Mind as its official state song. And many
people say his America the Beautiful (which he performed for the 1984 Republican
National Convention) is our “second national anthem.”
His biography, Brother Ray, was published and featured on television’s 20/20 and 60
Minutes shows.
You might think a famous singer like this would only go to the large towns to perform.
But in 1989, Ray Charles went to Wilson, North Carolina to play and sing in honor of the
opening of that town’s new art center.
When you hear that “gritty” voice accompanied by an orchestra—you’ll remember that
it is none other than Ray Charles. Ray Charles died in 2004.
Explorer
During the early 1900s, many people wanted to be the first to discover the North Pole.
Explorer Robert Peary led an Arctic expedition in 1909 to find the Pole. Robert asked
Matthew Henson, a black explorer, to be his partner. The American explorers battled
harsh winds and cold temperatures (as low as 60 degrees below zero!) with the help of
dogs and Eskimos. The group split up to search in different directions. Matthew Henson
discovered the North Pole first! Since Matthew was black, Robert asked him not to speak
publicly about his discovery. They planted the American flag there on April 6, 1909.
Robert was given credit for Matthew’s discovery. The President even made Robert an
admiral. Everyone received medals except for Matthew. After the
discovery, Matthew worked in a parking garage until some black
politicians got him a better job. His accomplishments were not
recognized until several years later.
Riddle: Where do you go from the North Pole?
Answer: South! There is no east, west or north!
(Henson continued)
THE FACTS:
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Born in Charles County, Maryland
Mother and father die when he is a boy
Dreams of being a sailor but works as a dishwasher
Becomes a sailor
Works in a clothing store
Meets Robert Peary and goes to Nicaragua—(where is that?)
Works as a messenger
Goes to Greenland without pay and becomes an explorer and leader
Learns to speak Eskimo, build a sled and igloo, handle a dog team,
hunt seal, bear, and musk ox
● After 7 trips where he did not reach his goal, REACHES HIS GOAL! THE NORTH POLE!
Track Star
Jesse Owens, the grandson of slaves, broke 5 world records in track and field events
during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. He won 4 gold medals!
THE FACTS:
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Born on tenant farm in Alabama; 1 of 7 children
Works in cotton fields
Scrubs floors and does odd jobs to make money
Works in a shoe shop; dreams of having his own shop
In spite of being small, goes out for track
Defeated in trials for 1932 Olympics
Receives scholarship to Ohio State University
Called the “Buckeye Bullet” and “the greatest one-man track team”
Works at service station to help pay expenses
Directs athletic program for U. S. armed forces during World War II
Goodwill ambassador for America
The Peaceful Inventor
Benjamin Banneker became an astronomer, mathematician, poet,
clockmaker, surveyor and crusader for freedom.
THE FACTS:
● Born near Baltimore, Maryland, 1731
● Loves to read
● Has to drop out of school to help his farmer father; continues to teach himself at home
(Banneker continued)
● Builds the first wooden clock (all the parts were made of wood) in America
● Parents die
● Accurately predicts an eclipse of the sun
● Publishes an almanac (what’s that?)
● First black to receive a presidential appointment
● Helps plan the layout of streets and buildings in Washington, D. C. for
President George Washington
● Writes a plan for peace; 100 years later the League of Nations, similar to his plan,
is begun by President Woodrow Wilson
● Works for world peace and freedom for all people
Entertainer
Nat King Cole was a performing genius! He sang and played jazz piano on radio and
television. Nat also starred in movies and even opened his own company. Nat valued his
family so much that he traveled less to be with them. One of his most famous songs is
the “Unforgettable” duet, that he sang with his daughter Natalie.
THE FACTS:
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Born in 1919
Learns to play piano from his mother
At age 4, can play several songs
At age 12, plays piano and sings in church
Professional pianist before finishing high school
Known as honest, down-to-earth person who helps others
Forms a trio which has hard times but becomes a top jazz group
Though he “sounds like a frog”, becomes a popular singer
As a sports lover, has a permanent seat in Dodger Stadium and helps sponsor
Little League teams
● Quits traveling so he can be with his family more + perform for adults and children
● Helps gain respect for hard work and being a gentleman
Scientist
The director of the first American Red Cross Blood Bank was Dr. Charles Drew.
THE FACTS:
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Born in Washington, D. C., 1904
Oldest of five children
Talented athlete all through school
Works as coach and athletic director
(Drew continued)
● Quits work to attend medical school; graduates with honors
● Takes two extra years of special training
● Works as teacher in university medical school + assistant surgeon
● Returns to school to study surgery
● Develops the process of preserving blood plasma for later use
● Directs a project to treat soldiers with blood plasma
● Sets up blood donor stations during World War II; this saves thousands of lives
● American Red Cross uses his system as model for first American Blood Bank
● Dies at age 45
Think of how many, many lives his hard work on the gathering and saving
of blood for later use has saved! Have you every thought of donating
blood? Do you know anyone who has ever had a transfusion?
Settler
Called America’s greatest “black pioneer”, Jean Baptiste Du Sable established a
settlement that became which city?
THE FACTS:
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Born around 1745 in Haiti; father a pirate, mother a slave
Mother dies; he goes to boarding school
Works for father who has become a merchant
Sails to America, but boat wrecks in a hurricane
Rescued and set ashore at New Orleans
Builds a boat and goes up Mississippi River to St. Louis
Learns to speak an Indian language
Travels to Canada
Returns and joins an Indian tribe
Moves to an area of the prairie that even the Indians won’t have
Builds a fort, home, barns, forge, mill, smokehouse, workshops; others join settlement
Arrested during French-Indian war, but set free for lack of evidence
Becomes a guide for missionaries, trappers, hunters and explorers
Friend of the great Indian chief Pontiac and Daniel Boone
Indian tribe wants to make him their chief, but he declines
Moves to St. Charles, Missouri and helps new pioneers trade and bargain with Indians
Yes, Du Sable moved on, but his settlement stayed put and grew
and grew. Into what? Into the city of Chicago!
Poet
Later, a young girl would live in Chicago.
THE FACTS:
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Born 1917 in Topeka, Kansas
Family moves to Chicago
Publishes her first poem at age 13
Completes junior college
Works in offices, for newspaper and on a magazine
Takes poetry classes
Published in national magazines
Published a book of poetry
Named as one of “Ten Women of the Year”
1950, becomes first black to receive Pulitzer Prize for Annie Allen, a book of poems
Gwendolyn Brooks said a writer must watch and see
what is going on around them, then try to describe this
so others can see it too and share the experience. Could
you do this? Why don’t you try it today? Right now!
Father of the Blues
Another talented writer, W. C. Handy, looked around him and wrote about the sad and
happy things he saw.
THE FACTS:
● Born in Florence, Alabama, 1873
● Makes his own musical instruments out
of combs, pots and pans
● At age 12 buys a guitar; his parents make him exchange it for a dictionary
● Takes music lessons secretly since parents are opposed to him becoming a musician
● Joins circus band; gets a whipping
● Teaches school
● Works in a foundry (what’s that?—trade your guitar for a dictionary and look it up!)
● Loses his job; organizes a musical group
● Hitchhikes to sing at World’s Fair, but it is postponed
● Does odd jobs including street paving
● Joins a successful minstrel group and travels all over the United States + Mexico
and Cuba
(Handy continued)
● Begins to write blues songs about the joys, fears, sad and happy times of ordinary,
day-to-day life
● At age 80, loses eyesight
● Continues to perform in night clubs + on radio and tv
● Organizes a guild to help young musicians + a foundation for the blind
His most famous song is the St. Louis Blues. Do you know that
song? It begins, “I hate to see the evening sun go down . . .”
Inventor
Jan Ernst Matzeliger did not live to see the good his invention did.
THE FACTS:
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Born 1852 in South America
At age 10, works in a machine shop
Family moves to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he becomes a shoemaker
Moves to Lynn, Massachusetts and works in a shoe factory
(What is a 7-letter for for a shoemaker? Remember, making shoes at that time was a very
hard job. And very slow, since they were made completely by hand. This meant the shoemaker
had to bend over his workbench all day. It took a lot of hours just to make one shoe.)
● Decides to make a machine to make shoes; has very little money and time to work on
the project. He even has to make the tools he will work with. He makes models of his
plan out of scrap wood and cigar boxes. He uses an old forge to make the moving parts.
After many years, he has a machine that cuts the time to make a shoe in half!
● His invention makes Lynn the shoe capital of the world and a company worth millions
of dollars
Does this invention not seem especially important to you? Well, think about it: Before the creation of this
machine, only a few skilled workers made shoes. Because of this, and the fact that it took so long to make
them, shoes were very expensive. With the new machine, thousands of new jobs were created. Since the
shoes could be made by unskilled workers and made so much faster, the cost of the shoes was cut in half.
Therefore, many more people could afford shoes—and more shoes. The back-breaking work of making
shoes was eliminated. Shoes cost less, but workers made more. Just exactly how did this affect the
production of shoes? In a short time, United States shoe exports zoomed from 1 million to over 11 million
pairs a year! Even today, you can find a Matzeliger-type machine in almost every modern shoe factory.
WHAT MACHINE WOULD YOU LIKE TO INVENT?
Judge
William Hastie was the first black to become a federal judge in America.
THE FACTS:
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Born 1904, Knoxville, Tennessee
Family moves to Washington, D. C.
Graduates from Amherst College with honors
Works as teacher
Graduates from Harvard Law School with honors
Teaches and practices law
Appointed government lawyer; helps protect rights of Indians and Eskimos
Helps organize a company to provide jobs for workers in the Virgin Islands; writes act
that gives Virgin Islanders self-government
● Appointed judge by President Franklin Roosevelt
● Becomes law professor
● Serves as advisor to the U. S. Secretary of War; helps improve training conditions of
black servicemen
● Named head of law school
● Appointed Governor of the Virgin Islands; first black governor of U. S. state or
overseas territory
● Named federal judge
Above all things, Judge Hastie believed in obeying the law. He spent much of his time using his legal talents
to help people who could not help themselves. He believed in freedom and justice for all. To Judge Hastie,
the words on official seals and taken in oaths are not just words to say and not mean—they are words
to live by every day no matter who you are or what you do.
IF YOU WERE A JUDGE, WOULD YOU BE LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE?
Athlete
Wilma Rudolph won 3 gold medals in track
and field events in the 1960 Olympics. She also
won a bronze medal in her first Olympic
competition – at age 16! Wilma, who only
weighed 4 pounds at birth, overcame her
childhood handicap of polio to become an
American Olympic heroine! That’s amazing!
(Rudolph continued)
THE FACTS:
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Born 1940 in Tennessee; not expected to live
Very ill as a child; unable to walk
In spite of a weak leg, participates in all sports
Sets records in basketball in high school
Becomes high school track star
Becomes college track star while making good grades and working half
a day in the school offices
● Wins 3 gold medals in the 1960 Olympics; named Female Athlete of the Year
I think the most important thing you can say about Wilma
Rudolph is that she didn’t give up. Never. Ever!
Champion of Freedom
“ … performed wonders in the cause of freedom” reads a bronze marker about Harriet
Tubman. See if you agree.
THE FACTS:
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Born a slave
At age 26, marries a free man and decides she wants to be free too
Decides to run away from her master; fails
Tries again; travels at night, hides during day; many whites, blacks
and Quakers help her with food, shelter and directions
● Reaches the free soil of Pennsylvania
● Worked in Philadelphia to save money to help free other slaves
● Studies “Underground Railroad” of people who would help slaves on their road
to freedom
● Makes 19 trips in 10 years helping more than 300 slaves escape
● Helps free slaves move on to Canada where they cannot be recaptured
● Volunteers for Union Army during Civil War; serves as nurse, scout and spy
● Organizes freed slaves to serve as scouts and spies
● Buys farm near Auburn, New York
● Receives Diamond Jubilee Medal from Queen of England
● Dies when she is almost 100 years old
Can you see why she was often called “General Tubman” and is
still greatly admired for her work in the cause of freedom?
Conductor
Not train conductor—symphony conductor!
THE FACTS:
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Born 1915, New York City
Father dies
Learns to read books and music
At age 6, takes violin lessons
Plays in high school orchestra + forms own orchestra and is conductor—
anyone can join
● Graduates from the Juilliard School of Music
● Studies conducting at Columbia University
● Performs classical music for schoolchildren
● Age 23, conducts a concert for League of Music Lovers
● Conducts 70-member orchestra (ages 12-72)
● Invited to be guest conductor of NBC-TV Summer Symphony
● Leader of National Youth Administration Orchestra
● Organizes American Youth Orchestra
● Gives concerts for 3-year-olds; even lets them sit on stage beside musicians
● Performs “Symphonies at Midnight” for people who work in the evenings and cannot
attend any other time
● Receives Award of Merit for work with young people
● Invited to serve as musical director of an orchestra in Paris, France
● Receives similar invitations from many countries
● Head conductor (and first American) of Swedish Goteborg Symphony
● Musical director, Sydney, Australia Symphony Orchestra
Being a conductor is one of the hardest jobs in music. Dean Dixon went to work every day at 6 o’clock in
the morning. He conducted for 6-8 hours and planned for 8-10 hours. He lost as much as 7 pounds in each
concert! He has been called “America’s Musical Ambassador.” Can you see why?
Minister
Richard Allen was the first black bishop in America.
THE FACTS:
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Born a slave in 1760, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Separated from mother and younger brothers and sisters at age 7
Learns to read and write
Becomes leader in Methodist Society
(Allen continued)
● Works as a wagon driver to save money to buy his freedom
● Buys freedom for himself and his brother
● Becomes traveling preacher
● Learns to make shoes so he can teach blacks a trade
● Serves as helper at St. George Methodist Church
● Organizes Bethel Church
● Organizes and trains blacks to care for sick and bury dead during yellow fever epidemic
● Organizes many churches in other cities
● Continues to build his shoe business and give jobs to others
● Ordained as deacon
● Organizes African Methodist Episcopal Church; elected and consecrated as a bishop
Today, the denomination Bishop Allen founded has more
than a million members in several hundred churches
which sponsor several colleges.
Singer
She was called “queen of the operatic world.”
THE FACTS:
● Born in Laurel, Mississippi
● Takes first piano lesson, age 4; practices on toy piano; when
can’t afford the $2.00 lessons, her mother does the teacher’s
washing and ironing in exchange for lessons
● Graduates from college with teaching degree
● Wins music scholarship to Juilliard School of Music
● Ira Gershwin gives her leading role in opera, Porgy and Bess
● Introduces many new composers’ works
● Becomes first black, in title role, to appear in television opera, Tosca
● In Vienna, stars in opera, Aida
● Stars in opera Il Trovatore at Metropolitan Opera in New York;
receives 42 minute ovation, longest in the history of the company
● Receives Freedom Medal from President Lyndon Johnson
● Accompanies La Scala Opera Company of Italy to Russia
● Receives Italian Award of Merit
● Helps School of Arts project give affordable lessons to children
● Raises money for United Negro College Fund
“You must like what you are doing if you want to be happy and successful,” she has said.
And Leontyne Price loves opera and helping others.
Medic
Lawrence Joel said he was “just a soldier, and a soldier does
his job.” See what you think:
THE FACTS:
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Born in North Carolina; raised by foster parents
Cares for neighborhood animals
Volunteers for Medical Corp in U. S. Army
Serves in Vietnam; while treating wounded during battle, he
is shot in leg; bandages leg and continues to treat the
wounded soldiers; he is shot again; bandages his wound and
treats more soldiers until and after battle finally ends
● Receives Congressional Medal of Honor, America’s highest
award for valor
Illustration courtesy of U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry
The Medal of Honor is given to soldiers who show “courage above and
beyond the call of duty.” Do you think this man deserved that honor?
Public Speaker & Newspaperman
Can a person rebel against something, yet work with the enemy to help achieve his
goal? See for yourself.
THE FACTS:
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Born a slave in Maryland about 1817; lives with grandmother
At age 7, sent to work on the plantation
Goes to Baltimore to care for his master’s nephew
Learns to read; at 13 buys first book about freedom with money
earned from shining shoes
● Spends year with slave breaker who whips him for each mistake
● Sent to work for a new master; runs away but is caught
Works in a shipyard; runs away
Marries and moves to Massachusetts
Invited to speak on slavery
Flees to England to escape being caught and returned
With money from English friends, returns to America and buys his freedom
Starts his own newspaper, The North Star
Active in Underground Railroad
Advises President Abraham Lincoln to free slaves
(Douglass continued)
● Promotes education for blacks
● Serves as U. S. Marshal for Washington, D. C.
● Appointed Recorder of Deeds for District of Columbia
● Becomes Minister to Haiti
From the time he was a child, Frederick Douglass rebelled against the idea of slavery.
He chose to use his freedom of speech and working with the government he often opposed to bring
about change and freedom for all people.
Gospel Singer
She’s been called the world’s greatest gospel singer.
THE FACTS:
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Born in 1911 in New Orleans
Is an orphan by the age of 6
Does washing and ironing to earn living by age 10
Age 16, goes to Chicago; works in a factory for $1.00 a day +
scrubbing floors and curling hair
● Joins a church and sings in choir; made main soloist of special
group
● Makes record, Move On Up a Little Higher; it sells 1 million+ copies
● Invited to give concert in Carnegie Hall in New York City
● Tours in Denmark, France and England
● Invited to sing at White House
● Refuses to sing in bars and night clubs
Mahalia Jackson never had music lessons. But the lessons she learned at church educated her for
a life as a singer of gospel music that is loved, as she is, the world over.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU ARE AN ADULT?
Supreme Court Justice
Who is responsible for “truth and justice for all?”
Thurgood Marshall was appointed to serve as the first black
Supreme Court Justice. He was also a very smart civil rights
lawyer. Thurgood won many cases that changed the lives of
blacks, women, and the poor. America might not enjoy racial
justice today without Thurgood Marshall!
(Marshall continued)
THE FACTS:
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Born in Baltimore, Maryland
Works his way through college as a waiter
Refused admission to all-white law school
Graduates from another law school
Sets up his own law practice
Appointed chief legal counsel for the N. A. A. C. P.; in 23 years, wins all but 3 of 32
cases before Supreme Court
● Appointed as federal judge by President John Kennedy
● Named U. S. Solicitor General by President Lyndon Johnson
● Served as Associate Justice of Supreme Court until 1991.
Truth and justice for all do not just happen.
People like Thurgood Marshall see that they happen.
Singer/Actress
“No one understood me,” Ethel Waters said of her childhood.
Have you ever felt this way?
THE FACTS:
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Born on Halloween in 1900 in slums of Chester, Pennsylvania
Has unhappy childhood and is leader of a street gang
Moves to quieter life in Philadelphia and attends school
Married at age 13; separated after one year
Becomes hotel maid
Age 17, gets singing job as “Sweet Mama Stringbean”
Becomes overnight success as blues singer
Appears on stage and in movies and on television
Ethel Waters never forget the struggle she had to achieve her goals.
She worked to help others have an easier time sharing their talents.
There are so many awesome
African American achievements and
accomplishments in history.
Yes! We should
celebrate them all!
Surgeon
In 1893 Dr. Daniel Williams made medical history. He became a very respected doctor
after he performed the world’s first successful open-heart operation. Before that
operation, no one had opened a person’s heart before to repair damage directly. His
groundbreaking work led to operations on the brain, lungs, and other major body parts.
Dr. Hale founded the black Provident Hospital in Chicago, Illinois as well as the first black
nursing school in Washington, D.C. His patients called him Dr. Dan because they felt he
was more like a friend than a doctor.
THE FACTS:
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Born, 1858, Pennsylvania; Father dies, family moves to Wisconsin
Enters school with a dictionary as his only book
Age 12, works in barber shop
Studies law, but wants to be doctor
Works with doctor and studies his medical books after work
Works his way through medical school
Teaches
Opens his own practice
Named member of Illinois State Board of Health
Raises money to build hospitals and nursing schools
Saves stabbing victim’s life by sewing up the man’s heart— the first
such successful operation
While he may be remembered as the first doctor to operate on the human heart, his
contributions were many, and not all medical.
Baseball Star
Was he “born to play baseball?”
THE FACTS:
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Practices playing ball from the time he is a baby until he is 16
Gets a job as an extra player for the Birmingham Black Barons
Turns down invitation to join major league team so he can finish high school
Signed by New York Giants
Named “Rookie of the Year” in 1951 at age 19
Drafted into U. S. Army at age 21
Returns to Giants and named Most Valuable Player in National League and
Major League Player of the Year
“Say Hey!”
Who Is Larry Little?
Twenty years ago, he was the leader of the Black Panther Party. You could see him on
television holding a loaded rifle. He was often arrested and was even in the FBI’s files.
Today, Larry Little has a law degree and fights for racial justice in another way.
He grew up in a housing project. His single mother worked in a tobacco factory.
When he was a junior in high school, he volunteered to transfer from a black school to a
white school so he could play basketball. Even when he had failing grades, his teachers
passed him so he could continue to play ball. Until the last semester, that is, when he
flunked out. In his bitterness, he joined the Black Panthers.
As a Black Panther, he was often arrested for disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed
weapon and other charges. But he also helped start a breakfast program for school
children, a free ambulance service and testing for sickle-cell anemia.
After dropping out of the Black Panther Party, he was elected to the Board of Aldermen
and decided to study law, winning honors along the way.
Anna J. Cooper
Born August 10, 1859, the daughter of a slave and her master. By age nine, Anna
served as a “pupil-teacher” at a college. She soon married, but in two years became a
widow. She then entered a college which admitted blacks before the Civil War and
received bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
She wrote many articles and books about the importance of improving the status of
black women and how this would help the black race and society in general. She
especially thought that black women needed to speak up for themselves. She blamed
black men for many of the black women’s problems.
She was most interested in seeing that black women had the chance for higher
education. She believed that both men and women were afraid of this, thinking it would
make black women less feminine. She questioned the value of a society that did not
encourage all women to achieve both in and outside of the home. Cooper said she had
little hope for any civilization which ignored women. She felt that educating a woman
would let her raise her children to be the types of citizens, parents, workers and leaders
that would put an end to the dismal status of women.
What do you think?
Nannie Burroughs…
helped to open the National Training School for Women and Girls in 1909 and served as
its president. At the end of the first year the school had 31 students; 25 years later, more
than 2,000 girls had been train in missionary work, domestic science, clerical and
secretarial skills, and farming and printing. Students came from all over the United
States, Africa and the Caribbean. The school’s attitude was that American Society
demanded that black women work no less than men for survival.
Charlotta A. Bass—ran as a vice-presidential candidate in 1952 for
the Progressive Party. Though she got less than 1% of the vote, many of the platforms
and programs she promoted have become popular in current political times.
Quotes
“We lived on a rich diet of party leftovers—turtle soup, roquefort cheese, lobsters, pies and
cakes.” —Bayard Rustin, orator, whose parents did catering for wealthy families.
“My father taught me and all of his students how to accept the unpleasant and to cope
with it, instead of running away from it.” —Whitney Young, head of the Urban League.
“The problems of racism, poverty, and war can all be summarized with one word,
‘violence,’ which seems to be fashionable in our society. If we do not stop this madness,
we will certainly destroy ourselves and the whole world.” —Coretta Scott King
“Equality is the basic goal of the N. A. A. C. P. and of the entire civil rights movement . . . .
The barriers which set the Negro apart from his fellow Americans must be leveled before
substantial and lasting progress can be made toward real equality.”
—Roy Wilkins, head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Floyd B. McKissick, former head of C. O. R. E. (Congress of Racial
Equality), grew up in Asheville, North Carolina during the Great Depression. He learned
to make wagons out of old lumber from torn-down houses so that he could haul and sell
blocks of ice and newspapers.
Fannie Lou Hamer, the youngest of 20 children in Mississippi said,
“things got so tough I began to wish I was white” of her hard young life as a cotton picker
at the age of six.
“You are the ones who keep denying yourselves decent homes, decent jobs, decent
schools. It ain’t never gonna change until you send some of our own people down there to
represent us at the courthouse.” —Charles Evers, when mayor of Fayette, Mississippi, to
voters. He then ordered the taxi drivers who worked for his cab company to put any black
person out to walk who said they would not vote for a black person. Is that “putting your
money where your mouth is?”
Carl B. Stokes who was the first black to become mayor of a major
American city (Cleveland, Ohio) lived for ten years in one room with his mother, brother,
and the rats and roaches that filled the slum.
As a boy, Richard Gordon Hatcher (a mayor of Gary, Indiana)
was often sent home from school for “expressing his opinions too openly.” Did he get
in trouble? His parents admired him for speaking up when he thought something
was wrong.
In 1965, Edward
United States Senate in 85 years.
W. Brooke became the first black man to sit in the
Kenneth Bancroft Clark’s mother taught him to read before he
even started school. He soon became a regular visitor to the New York Public Library.
One day he decided he would go upstairs and look at the adult books. Was he turned
away? No. What he discovered was a man named Arthur Schomburg. When this man
had been a boy he had wondered why there were not stories about black people in his
schoolbooks. His teacher told him that blacks had not done anything good enough to be
included in a book. The boy could not believe this. So, when he grew up he searched and
found many, many books about blacks and collected them into a large group which the
New York Public Library bought and asked him manage. And this day, he had the chance
to show the collection to a young boy who would grow up and become a psychologist,
author and educator.
“Though I grew up in the Ghetto, I did have people around me who cared. I was next to
the youngest and they cushioned me from the deprivations to the point where I didn’t
even know I was deprived. It’s the not caring that means Ghetto to children today.”
—Ruby Dee, actress.
“I have… Striven faithfully to give a true and just account of my own life in Slavery… to
come to you just as I am a poor Slave Mother—not to tell you what I have heard but what
I have seen—and what I have suffered.” —Harriet A. Jacobs, 1857
Black History Trail
What started as an Eagle Scout project ten years ago is now the first national
recreation trail devoted to black history.
The Washington, D. C. Black History National Recreation Trail is the result of the
efforts of Willard Andre Hutt who was 17 when he first began working on the project.
The trail includes “magnet sites” that illustrate black history from slavery to the New Deal.
Along the trail you can see black cemeteries that date from the early 19th century, the
first African Methodist Episcopal church and the homes of Mary McLeod Bethune and
Frederick Douglass.
Hutt chose the sites and spent years working with local and national officials to get
the trail, one of 800 national recreation trails, approved.
Jackie “Moms” Mabley was a comedienne from Brevard, N.C.
Bill White was president of the National Football League.
1989: Los Angeles city councilman, Nate Holden, decided to try to get
guns off the streets by offering to pay $300 for each AK-47 or Uzi surrendered to police.
An AK-47 had recently fired in a school classroom in the Los Angeles area.
Savion Glover first practiced tap dancing in a graveyard behind his
grandmother’s house. In 1989, at age 15, he appeared with Gregory Hines and Sammy
Davis Jr. in the movie, Tap.
Landon Turner is a basketball player.
He once helped the Indiana
University Hoosiers win the NCAA championship. An automobile accident left him with a
crushed spinal cord and permanent paralysis.
Did he give up basketball? No—now he just plays from his wheelchair!
Michael Jackson’s 16-month Bad World Tour made more money
($125 million) and was seen by more people (4.4 million) than any other popular music
venture in history. The tour’s 123 concerts spanned 15 countries on three continents.
Who is Juan Williams? At age 34, he became one of America’s most
outspoken voices on civil rights issues. He has worked for the Washington Post, serving as
a White House correspondent and columnist. He’s also written a book, Civil Rights in
America, which became a PBS series, Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 19541965.” His current concerns? Racial tensions on college campuses and the outlook for
the future in the areas of crime, poverty, education, drug abuse, homelessness and
political leadership. When he speaks to students across the country, he encourages them
to learn about and speak up for civil rights.
Rosa Parks is known by many as the “Mother of the Civil Rights
Movement.” Her famous refusal to give up her public bus seat led to the Montgomery bus
boycott and helped give birth to rising civil rights activism in America.
Dr. Mae Jemison had a dream and the dedication to follow it.
A
strong student and hard worker, she worked to become a doctor. She helped people get
better in many poor countries. Then Mae was chosen for astronaut training! She became
the first African American woman in space!
Jackie Robinson stepped up to become the first African-American
player in the major leagues of baseball. Though he played professionally for the Brooklyn
Dodgers, Jackie played semi-pro football for the Honolulu Bears in 1941! Jackie’s civil
rights activism helped create new opportunities for African Americans everywhere.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
African Americans suffered under racial prejudice for decades after their emancipation.
As free black citizens, they still could not vote, run for political office, or work in certain
jobs. Their schools, restaurants, neighborhoods, churches, even
drinking fountains were all made separate from white people – by law!
Then some people decided to change things. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., a black minister, worked hard for equal rights for all people. He
spoke for the black community, but he wanted people of all skin colors
to get along with each other. Martin didn’t want blacks or whites to
isolate themselves from their country, but work together for the
common good of America. He encouraged others to help protest unfair
laws through peaceful means. This Nobel Peace Prize recipient helped
bring lasting change for African Americans.
Booker T. Washington was a famous black educator at the
Tuskegee Institute (pronounced tusk-E-gee) in the late 1800s. He taught young black
men and women how to succeed in a world that didn’t want them to succeed. Critics
thought he didn’t spend enough time fighting for civil rights, but Booker maintained his
theory that the black community would only rise while partnered with education.
Colin Powell is the first black U.S. Secretary of State under President
George W. Bush! He advises and supports the president as a member of his cabinet. He
was also the first black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position
in the Department of Defense. Colin was raised in the South Bronyx of New York City by
Jamaican parents. A brave four-star general, Colin also helped lead our country through
the Persian Gulf War.
George Washington Carver may be one of the most famous
African American scientists. This farming wizard figured out how to create more than 300
products from peanuts, not to mention sweet potatoes and pecans! George also directed
the agricultural department at Tuskegee Industrial Institute in Alabama. He advised
farmers to plant different crops each year to help put nutrients back into the soil.
George’s discoveries and ideas made the farming industry grow and grow and grow in
the South!
Condoleezza Rice is the National Security Advisor to President
George W. Bush. As a young girl, Condoleezza trained to be a concert pianist and
competitive ice skater! Condoleezza advises the president on important security issues.
She helps make sure that we can live in peace and safety in our great country! She is an
amazing U.S. government leader!
Barack Obama is only the fifth African American U.S. senator.
One of
his most important goals as senator is to pass laws that would help poor Americans get
help when they are sick. In 2008, he became the first African American to be elected
president of the United States.
Sidney Poitier is a famous African American actor.
After practicing
very hard—and even getting turned down a few times – Sidney broke into the Hollywood
movie industry. He even won an Oscar for Best Actor in one of his several films! Sidney
was also the first black actor to have his hands and feet imprinted in the cement of
Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
Stevie Wonder is arguably the best African American musician of this
century because his musical talent is accompanied by blindness. Stevie has never allowed
his handicap to stop his life goals. At age 11, he started his musical career and gradually
learned to play five instruments!
Arthur Ashe broke the color barrier to become one of the best African
American tennis players of this century. He won the Wimbledon tennis tournament!
Arthur used the prestige of his position to become a self-named “ambassador of what was
right.” He overcame many obstacles in his life and in the lives of others with tireless civil
rights activism.
Maggie Lena Walker became the first female bank president in
1903. She was a very famous businesswoman in her time. She headed the St. Luke
Penny Savings Bank, which was founded by the Grand United Order of St. Luke. This
group taught African Americans how to save money and support each other in business.
Critics say Michael Jordan is the best basketball player in the history
of the game. He attended the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship,
but left to help the Chicago Bulls win five NBA championships. Michael also led the U.S.
Olympic basketball “Dream Team” to win gold medals at two different Olympics!
A famous poet, Langston Hughes was first published while still
attending school. His 8th grade class even voted him as their class poet! Langston read
the works of many talented writers in order to find his own style. His experimentation
with different styles of writing established a reputation of creative genius. Later, Langston
was known as the “Poet Laureate of the Negro Race.”
Billie Holiday belted out songs that told the story of her troubled life.
Her hurts and regrets were given to the audience. Billie always wore white gardenias in
her hair while singing her blues tunes. People called sometimes her “Lady Day.” Billie
Holiday is an African American music legend known around the world for her vocal talent
in the blues .
Serena and Venus Williams are a dynamite pair of tennis
players! These sister pros compete against each other on the court, but still remain close
friends. Serena made history when she won three Grand Slam titles in a row. She won
19 career singles titles! The sisters also do television commercials and modeling.
and Others
The Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, an organizer and president of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Crispus Attucks, agitator who led group that precipitated the “Boston Massacre”,
March 5, 1770.
James Baldwin, author, playwright; The Fire Next Time, Blues for Mister Charlie, Just
Above My Head.
Imamu Amiri Baraka, poet, playwright.
James P. Beckwourth, western fur-trader, scout, after whom Beckwourth Pass in
northern California is named.
Henry Blair, obtained patents (believed the first issued to a black) for a corn-planter,
1834, and a cotton-planter, 1836.
Julian Bond, civil rights leader first elected to the Georgia state legislature, 1965;
helped found Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Edward Bouchet, 1852-1918, first black to earn a Ph.D., Yale, 1876, at a U.S.
university; first black elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Thomas Bradley, elected mayor of Los Angeles, 1973.
Ruby Bridges, became the first black child to desegregate a white school.
She was
six years old when she first attended the elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Andrew F. Brimmer, first black member, 1966, Federal Reserve.
Edward W. Brooke, attorney general, 1962, of Massachusetts;
first black elected to
U.S. Senate, 1967, since 19th century.
William Wells Brown, 1815-1884, novelist, dramatist;
first American black to
publish a novel.
Dr. Ralph Bunche, 1904-1971, first black to win the Nobel Peace Prize, 1950;
undersecretary of the United Nations.
George E. Carruthers, physicist; developed the Apollo 16 lunar surface ultraviolet
camera/spectrograph.
Charles Waddell Chestnut,
author known primarily for his short stores,
including The Conjure Woman.
Shirley Chisholm, first black woman elected to House of Representatives, Brooklyn,
N.Y., 1968.
Rev. Donald C. Christian, minister, economic development planner, first black
on General Motors Board of Directors.
Countee Cullen, 1903-1946, poet;
won many literary prizes.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., West Point, 1936, first black Air Force
general, 1954.
William L. Dawson, 1886-1970, Illinois congressman, first black chairman of a
major House of Representatives committee.
Isaiah Dorman, 19th century, U. S. Army interpreter, killed with Custer, 1876, at
Battle of the Little Big Horn.
Aaron Douglas, 1900-1979, painter;
called father of black American art.
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, 1868-1963, historian, sociologist;
a
founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 1909,
and founder of its magazine The Crisis; author, The Souls of Black Folk.
Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872-1906, poet, novelist;
won fame with Lyrics of Lowly
Life, 1896.
Ralph Ellison, b. 1914, novelist, won 1952 National Book Award, for Invisible Man.
Estevanico, explorer, led Spanish expedition of 1538 into the American Southwest.
James Farmer, a founder of the Congress of Racial Equality, 1942;
assistant
secretary, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1969.
Henry O. Flipper, 1856-1940, first black to graduate, 1877, from West Point.
Shirley Franklin, Atlanta Mayor; first woman African American mayor of a major
Southern U.S. city.
Vonetta Flowers, became the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal
during the Winter Games. Her victory came while competing in the two-man bobsleigh
race at Salt Lake City in the 2002 Games.
Charles Fuller, b. 1939, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; A Soldier’s Play.
Marcus Garvey, 1911, founded Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Kenneth Gibson, Newark, N. J., mayor, 1970-1986.
Charles Gordone, won 1970 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, with No Place to Be Somebody.
Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., first black admiral, 1971, served in
World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; commander Third Fleet.
Jupiter Hammon, c. 1720—1800, poet;
the first black American to have his works
published, 1761.
Patricia Roberts Harris, 1924-1985, U. S. ambassador to Luxemburg, 1965-67,
secretary; Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1977-1979, Department of
Health and Human Services, 1979-1981.
Chester Himes, 1909-1984, novelist, Cotton Comes to Harlem.
Dr. William A. Hinton, 1883-1959, developed the Hinton and Davies-Hinton tests
for detection of syphilis; first black professor, 1949, at Harvard Medical School.
Benjamin L. Hooks, first black member, 1972-1979, Federal Communications
Commission; executive director, 1977, NAACP.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, b. 1941, national director, Operation Bread Basket;
campaigned for Democratic presidential nomination, 1984.
Maynard Jackson, elected Mayor of Atlanta, 1973.
Gen. Daniel James, Jr., first black 4-star general, 1975;
Commander, North
American Air Defense Command.
Pvt. Henry Johnson, 1897-1929, the first American decorated by France in World
War I with the Croix de Guerre.
James Weldon Johnson, 1871-1938, poet, lyricist, novelist;
to Florida bar; U.S. consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua.
first black admitted
Barbara Jordan, b. 1936, former congresswoman from Texas;
member, House
Judiciary Committee.
Vernon E. Jordan, executive director National Urban League, 1972.
Ernest E. Just, 1883-1941, marine biologist, studied egg development; author,
Biology of Cell Surfaces, 1941.
Lewis H. Latimer, 1848-1928, associate of Thomas Edison;
supervised installation
of first electric street lighting in New York City.
Jacob Lawrence, 1917-2000, artist, educator; recognized as one of the most
acclaimed artist of the 20th century for translating African American history through art.
William Alexander Leidesdorff, first African American millionaire; owned
extensive lands, a hotel, and a steamboat in California; first known black diplomat in U.S.
Benjamin Mays, educator, civil rights leader;
headed Morehouse College, 1940-67.
Wade H. McCree, Jr., solicitor general of the U.S., 1977-1981.
Donald E. McHenry, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, 1979-1981.
Dorie Miller, 1919-1943, Navy hero of Pearl Harbor attack;
awarded the Navy Cross.
Ernest N. Morial, elected first black mayor of New Orleans, 1977.
Toni Morrison, novelist; Son of Solomon, Tar Baby.
Willard Motley, 1912-1965, novelist; Knock on Any Door.
Elijah Muhammad, founded Black Muslims, 1931.
Pedro Alonzo Niño, navigator of the Nina, one of Columbus’ three ships on his first
voyage of discovery to the New World, 1492.
Adam Clayton Powell, early civil rights leader, congressman, 1945-1969;
chairman, House Committee on Education and Labor, 1960-1967.
Joseph H. Rainey, first black elected to House of Representatives, 1869, from
South Carolina.
A. Philip Randolph, 1889-1979, organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters, 1925; organizer of 1941 and 1963 March on Washington movements; vice
president, AFL-CIO.
Charles Rangel, congressman from New York City, 1970;
chairman, Congressional
Black Caucus.
Hiram R. Revels, first black U. S. senator, elected in Mississippi, served 1870-1871.
Wilson C. Riles, elected, 1970, California State Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
Norbert Rillieux, invented a vacuum pan evaporator, 1846, revolutionizing the
sugar-refining industry.
Paul Robeson, actor and concert singer, graduated 1st in class at Rutgers University,
1918, Phi Beta Kappa; graduate Columbia University law school, 1923.
Carl T. Rowan, prize-winning journalist;
director of the U. S. Information Agency,
1964, the first black to sit on the National Security Council; U. S. ambassador to
Finland, 1963.
John B. Russwurm, with Samuel E. Cornish founded, 1827, the nation’s first
black newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, in New York City.
Bayard Rustin, organizer of the 1963 March on Washington;
executive director, A.
Phillip Randolph Institute.
Peter Salem, at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, shot and killed British
commander Major John Pitcairn.
Ntozake Shange, b. Paulette Williams, 1948, writer, For Colored Girls Who Have
Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, a hit show on Broadway.
Bishop Stephen Spottswood, board chairman of NAACP, 1961-1974.
Willard Townsend, organized the United Transport Service Employees, 1935
(redcaps, etc.); vice president AFL-CIO
Nat Turner, 1800-1831, leader of the most significant of over 200 slave revolts in U.S.
history, in Southampton, VA; he and 16 others were hanged.
Alice Walker, b. 1944, novelist, author of best-selling and award-winning
The Color Purple.
Dr. Robert C. Weaver, b. 1907, first black member of the U. S. Cabinet, secretary,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1966.
Phillis Wheatley, poet; second American woman and first black woman to have her
works published, 1770.
Walter White, executive secretary, NAACP, 1931-1955.
Roy Wilkins, 1901-1981, executive director, NAACP, 1955-1977.
Granville T. Woods, 1856-1910, invented the third-rail system now used in
subways, a complex railway telegraph device that helped reduce train accidents, and an
automatic air brake.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, historian; founded Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History, 1915, and Journal of Negro History, 1916. First created Black History Month.
Richard Wright, 1908-1960, novelist;
Native Son, Black Boy.
Frank Yerby, b. 1916, first best-selling American black novelist.
Andrew Young, civil rights leader, congressman from Georgia, U. S. ambassador to
the United Nations, 1977-79; mayor of Atlanta, 1982.
Whitney M. Young, Jr., executive director, 1961, National Urban League;
author,
lecturer, newspaper columnist.
Black Servicemen
About 5,000 blacks served in the Continental Army during the
American Revolution, mostly in integrated units, some in all-black
combat units. Some 200,000 blacks served in the Union Army
during the Civil War; 38,000 gave their lives; 22 won the Medal of
Honor, the nation’s highest award. Of 367,000 blacks in the armed
forces during World War I, 100,000 served in France. More than
1,000,000 blacks served in the armed forces during World War II; allblack fighter and bomber AAF units and infantry divisions gave
distinguished service. In 1954 the policy of all-black units was finally
abolished. Of 274,937 blacks who served in the armed forces during
the Vietnam War (1965-1974), 5,681 were killed in combat. Black
soldiers also served during Desert Storm and the War on Terrorism.
Black Lifesavers of the Outer Banks
Before the advent of the U.S. Coast Guard, people who lived along the coast
of North Carolina’s Outer Banks took it upon themselves to try to rescue people
from the area of the Atlantic Ocean known as “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
Their motto was, “You don’t have to come back—you just have to go out.”
Each lifesaving station was equipped with surfboats and with horses and
wagons to haul the boats up and down the beach. In time a system of roundthe-clock patrols was put into effect, by which a surfman from each station
would walk halfway to the next station, check in at a little shack called a
“halfway house” and then walk back to his own station again. In this manner,
for many years, approximately every three and a half miles along the entire
length of this coast there was a surfman on foot or horse patrol, day and
night, 365 days each year. At the same time a constant watch was also
maintained in the lookout tower of each station.
The basic responsibility of the surfman on patrol was to try to spot vessel which had
come too close to shore and warn them off before they were wrecked. For this purpose he
carried a specially designed flare with which to signal vessels in danger, and hundreds of
ships were saved in this manner.
Often, especially during storms, the surfman would discover the vessels already in the
surf or founded on sandbars offshore. At night sometimes his first awareness of trouble
would be the sound of shrill voices crying for help.
Unless the wrecked vessel had already broken up, with crewmen and passengers trying
to swim ashore or drifting in on wreckage, the surfman would normally rush back to his
station for help. Frequently when the vessel was close enough to shore the lifesavers would
fire a line over the wreck and haul the survivors to safety in what was known as a
breeches buoy.
Black Heroes of September 11th!
On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked American soil for the first time. During the
tragic events, many volunteers surfaced from around the country to help repair the awful
damage. The heroes and helpers in New York and Washington, D.C. led the way towards
restoration. Those public service figures helped put our nation back together again.
African Americans have been active in public service roles, such as a firefighter, police
officer, EMT, ambulance driver, or nurse. Americans tend to think of these folks as
neighbors, friends, co-workers, or relatives... as possessing ordinary lives. However, the
lives of our African American heroes and helpers are timeless biographies of extraordinary
heroism and honor.
Index
Abernathy, Ralph David 29
Allen, Richard 11
Anderson, Charles Alfred 6
Ashe, Arthur 28
Attucks, Crispus 29
Baldwin, James 29
Banneker, Benjamin 10
Baraka, Imamu Amiri 29
Bass, Charlotta A. 23
Beckwourth, James P. 29
Blair, Henry 29
Bond, Julian 29
Bouchet, Edward 29
Bradley, Thomas 29
Bridges, Ruby 29
Brimmer, Andrew F. 29
Brooke, Edward W. 29
Brooks, Gwendolyn 13
Brown, William Wells 29
Bunche, Ralph 29
Burroughs, Nannie 23
Carruthers, George E. 30
Carver, George Washington 27
Charles, Ray 8
Chestnut, Charles Waddell 30
Chisholm, Shirley 30
Christian, Donald C. 30
Clark, Kenneth Bancroft 25
Cole, Nat King 11
Cooper, Anna J. 23
Cullen, Countee 30
Davis, Benjamin O. Jr. 30
Dawson, William L. 30
Dee, Ruby 25
Dixon, Dean 17
Dorman, Isaiah 30
Douglas, Aaron 30
Douglass, Frederick 19
Drew, Charles Richard 11
Du Bois, W. E. B. 30
Du Sable, Jean Baptiste 12
Dunbar, Paul Laurence 30
Ellison, Ralph 30
Estevanico 30
Evers, Charles 24
Farmer, James 30
Flipper, Henry O. 30
Flowers, Vonetta 31
Franklin, Shirley 30
Fuller, Charles 31
Garvey, Marcus 31
Gibson, Kenneth 31
Glover, Savion 26
Gordone, Charles 31
Gravely, Samuel L. Jr. 31
Hamer, Fannie Lou 24
Hammon, Jupiter 31
Handy, W.C. 13
Hansberry, Lorraine 8
Harris, Patricia Roberts 31
Hastie, William Henry 15
Hatcher, Richard Gordon 25
Henson, Matthew 8
Himes, Chester 31
Hinton, William A. 31
Holden, Nate 26
Holiday, Billie 28
Hooks, Benjamin L. 31
Hughes, Langston 28
Hutt, Willard Andre 25
Jackson, Jesse 31
Jackson, Mahalia 20
Jackson, Maynard 31
Jackson, Michael 26
Jacobs, Harriet A. 25
James, Daniel Jr. 31
Jemison, Mae 26
Joel, Lawrence 19
Johnson, Henry 31
Johnson, James Weldon 31
Jones, Marion 27
Jordan, Barbara 32
Jordan, Michael 28
Jordan, Vernon E. 32
Just, Ernest E. 32
King, Coretta Scott 24
King, Martin Luther Jr. 27
Latimer, Lewis H. 32
Lawrence, Jacob 32
Leidesdorff, William 32
Little, Larry 23
Mabley, Jackie “Moms” 26
Marshall, Thurgood 20
Matzeliger, Jan Ernst 14
Mays, Benjamin 32
Mays, Willie 22
McCree, Wade H. Jr. 32
McHenry, Donald E. 32
McKissick, Floyd B. 24
Miller, Dorie 32
Morial, Ernest N. 32
Morrison, Toni 32
Motley, Willard 32
Muhammad, Elijah 32
Nino, Pedro Alonzo 32
Obama, Barack 7
Owens, Jesse 10
Parks, Rosa 26
Poitier, Sidney 28
Powell, Adam Clayton 32
Powell, Colin 27
Price, Leontyne 18
Rainey, Joseph H. 32
Randolph, A. Philip 33
Rangel, Charles 33
Revels, Hiram R. 33
Rice, Condoleezza 27
Riles, Wilson C. 33
Rillieux, Norbert 33
Robeson, Paul 33
Robinson, Jackie 26
Rowan, Carl T. 33
Rudolph, Wilma 15
Russwurm, John B. 33
Rustin, Bayard 33
Salem, Peter 33
Shange, Ntozake 33
Spottswood, Stephen 33
Stokes, Carl B. 24
Townsend, Willard 33
Tubman, Harriet 16
Turner, Landon 26
Turner, Nat 33
Walker, Alice 33
Walker, Maggie Lena 28
Washington, Booker T. 27
Waters, Ethel 21
Weaver, Robert C. 34
Wheatley, Phillis 34
White, Bill 26
White, Walter 34
Wilkins, Roy 34
Williams, Juan 26
Williams, Daniel Hale 22
Williams, Serena & Venus 28
Wonder, Stevie 28
Woods, Granville T. 34
Woodson, Carter G. 34
Wright, Richard 34
Yerby, Frank 34
Young, Andrew 34
Young, Whitney M. Jr. 34
“Can do!” lives of the famous and just folks
Inventors, explorers, entrepreneurs. Astronauts, entertainers, sports stars.
Doctors, lawyers, singers of the blues. Champions of freedom. The famous and
just folks. What do these many African Americans have in common?
The dramatic stories of their lives! Overcoming hardship. Using
failures as the stepping stones to success. Lives lived with pizzazz!
Perseverance in spite of all obstacles. Each bio proves to young readers
that you, too, “can do!”
“Inspirational—kudos to Ms. Marsh for celebrating the diversity of
talent in the black community!”
—Mary Pride
“My students were just blown away by these bios! They really began to understand that people
aren’t born successful—they make themselves that way, and it doesn’t happen overnight!”
—4th grade teacher
EDUCATIONAL!
HISTORICAL!
FACTUAL!
The Author
Carole Marsh is a native of Marietta, Georgia. She always knew she wanted to be a writer. In 1972, she
started Marsh Media Methods, a public relations and corporate communications firm in Rocky Mount,
North Carolina. She won many awards for her work including being named Communicator of the Year.
Marsh is the creator of the State Experience, a series of educational books and materials widely used
in schools across the country; this series recently received a Teachers’ Choice award for excellence.
The Artist
Cecil Anderson is a native of Mobile, Alabama. He is a professional visual artist with a diverse artistic
background, including both graphic and fine art experiences. His unique, self-taught style of fine art has
been exhibited throughout the Southeast. Anderson designs layouts for many of Gallopade
International’s appealing kids’ books.
ISBN-13: 978-0-635-01578-5
PRICE: $7.95 US
50795
9 780635 015785
7
10430 01632
www.gallopade.com
7

Best Book of Black Biographies!

Transcription

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