Recognizing Black History Month

By Kiara Alvarez
Reporter

Many people associate February with the notorious Valentine’s Day; however, February can also be associated with Black History Month. Black History Month was created by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a scholar and son of former slaves, in 1926 and originally began as “Negro History Week.” It was later expanded to all of February. The event is celebrated in February because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who both influenced black history, have February birthdays. When people think of Black History Month, they typically think of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks, but there were many other important black Americans who are not as well known that also had an impact on black history.

One important woman who influenced black history was Althea Gibson. She was discriminated against for being a woman and a black woman at that. Gibson was the first black person to be able to play international tennis. She was also the first black person to win a Grand Slam title and then to later win both the Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals multiple times. She was also voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press two years in a row. Gibson was later inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. She also was the first woman to ever win the Theodore Roosevelt Award, which is the highest honor from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Recently in August 2013, she was issued an official U.S. postage stamp commemorating her contributions to sports. She inspired many black women after her including Serena and Venus Williams, who have both ranked number one in the world for professional tennis. Gibson helped inspire athletes to continue fighting against the color line, a battle that was eventually won.

Another person who greatly impacted black history was W.E.B. Du Bois. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard and was a founder in 1909 of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He helped protest against lynching and would not accede to white political rule over blacks. Du Bois influenced blacks to aspire to get an education for themselves and join the fight against white supremacism. He wrote many stories about his beliefs about equality as editor of the NAACP’s journal The Crisis. He was a passionate peace activist and wanted to end the usage of nuclear weapons. Du Bois was also honored with the Spingarn Medal in 1920 by the NAACP and the International Lenin Peace Prize by the USSR in 1959. He, too, was featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 1992.  Du Bois helped African Americans gain rights and battle white supremacy during the Jim Crow era as he ardently fought for equality.

With everyone anticipating the upcoming Academy Awards, the first African American to win one was Hattie McDaniel. She won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as ‘Mammy’ in the famous film Gone with the Wind. Not only was she a phenomenal actress, but also a great singer. She was the first black woman to sing on the radio in the U.S. and was also the first black Oscar winner to be honored with a U.S. postage stamp. She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (one for her contributions to film and one for her contributions to radio) and was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975. When she wasn’t onstage, she served as chairman of the “Negro Division” of the Hollywood Victory Committee in which she provided entertainment for black soldiers.

Although these members of society became known for completely different reasons, all of them were inhibited initially just because of the color of their skin. However, they didn’t let that stop them. Each person thrived in his or her own way and helped impact black history in one way or another. Their contributions to history will forever be remembered in the hearts of many for inspiring others to follow in their footsteps as more and more people contribute to the fight against racism.

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