Black Historical Figures

As we step into Black History Month, the Black community takes this time to celebrate as well as appreciate the historical figures that came before them and pushed through many setbacks to get us where we are as a race. However, when you think about Black historical figures, we tend to only celebrate well known people such as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, or Maya Angelou. They are well deserving of their appreciation, but there are many others who also should be appreciated that we may not know. The purpose of this article is to dig deeper into black history and educate yourself about Black historical figures that we aren’t taught about in school.

Dorothy Height (1912 - 2010).

Dorothy Height was an educated Black woman and also had a background in social work, so these tools were used to help participate in the women's rights movements. In the Oprah Daily article, Darrisaw stated that “She was a leader in the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and the president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for more than 40 years.”

He was the creator of the Chicago Defender weekly newspaper in 1905, which gained more popularity as he continued releasing issues. Darrisaw also revealed that “Abbott and his newspaper played an integral part in encouraging African Americans to migrate from the South for better economic opportunities.” This inspired a plethora of Black-inspired newspapers and magazines that we see today.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott (1870 - 1940)

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 - 2000)

Our very own Gwendolyn Brooks was one of the most prominent poets in the 20th century. Darrisaw tells us that “She was the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950 for Annie Allen, and she served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress, becoming the first Black woman to hold that position.” Most people at our school don’t know the history of why our school is named after her, so this is even more motivation to educate ourselves on more historical figures!

Coachman was from Atlanta, Georgia and enjoyed running at an early age, in addition to jumping over objects like they were hurdles. “She became the first African American woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London,” according to Michelle Darrisaw in the Oprah Daily article.

Alice Coachman (1923 - 2014)

Jane Bolin (1908 - 2007)

She not only made one mark but two marks in history with her passion for law. She was the first Black female to attend Yale Law School in 1939 to later become the first Black female judge in the United States. Darrisaw explains that “One of her significant contributions throughout her career was working with private employers to hire people based on their skills, as opposed to discriminating against them because of their race.” She served on prominent boards like NAACP as well.

These are just a few of thousands of amazing historical figures that don’t often get celebrated during this glorious month. Educating ourselves on the entire history of black people is the reason why we call it Black History Month. So let's take the time to appreciate as many black people as we can because they deserve the same appreciation for their achievements as anyone else!