Know Your History!
While slavery in America hosts the background of Black history, the African American impact on history reaches beyond the country’s early history, as African Americans have made significant contributions to every field of endeavor, including politics, science, culture, social causes, arts, literature, athletics and the economy.
African-American History for Week of: November 1, 2015
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November 1, 1910
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Activist, WEB Dubois, begins publication
Activist, WEB Dubois, begins publication of the NAACP monthly magazine, Crisis, 1910.
November 1, 1946
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Dr. Charles S. Johnson
Dr. Charles S. Johnson became the first Black president of Fisk University.
November 2, 1983
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President Ronald Reagan signs Law
President Ronald Reagan signs law designating the third Monday in January – Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 1983.
November 3, 1896
College Established
South Carolina State College established.
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November 3, 1992
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Carol Mosely Braun
Carol Mosely Braun, a Democrat from Illinois, becomes the 1st African American woman elected to the United States Senate.
November 4, 1981
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Zina Garrison becomes the 1st African American player to win the junior singles
Zina Garrison becomes the 1st African American player to win the junior singles tennis championship at Wimbledon, England.
November 4, 1988
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The Martin L. King, Jr, federal Building is dedicated in Atlanta, Ga. It is the
The Martin L. King, Jr, federal Building is dedicated in Atlanta, Ga. It is the first federal building in the nation to bear the name of the slain civil rights leader.
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November 5, 1836
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Theo Wright becomes the first Black person
Theo Wright becomes the first Black person to get a Theology Degree in the US, 1836.
November 5, 1968
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Shirley Chisholm becomes first Black woman to be elected to Congress
Shirley Chisholm becomes first Black woman to be elected to Congress, representing Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NYC, 1968.
November 6, 1990
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First Black Woman Mayor of Washington, D.C.
Sharon Pratt Dixon (now Kelly) was elected mayor of Washington, D.C., making this a first for a woman of any race. Pratt was the first black woman to serve as mayor of a major American city. She is also to date the only woman to have served as mayor of Washington D.C.
November 7, 1972
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Barbara Jordan: Elected to Congress
When Barbara Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 she became the first African-American woman to represent a previously Confederate state in Congress.
November 7, 1989
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L Douglas Wilder was elected governor of Virgina, becoming the first Black Governer
L Douglas Wilder was elected governor of Virgina, becoming the first Black Governor in the US since Reconstruction, 1989.
Lawrence Douglas Wilder (born January 17, 1931) is an American politician, who served as the first African American to be elected as Governor of Virginia and first African-American governor of any state since Reconstruction.Ā Wilder served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. When earlier elected as Lieutenant Governor, he was the first African American elected to statewide office in Virginia. His most recent political office was Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, which he held from 2005 to 2009.
I think that many black people don’t celebrate their heritage or history in this country enough and conform and assimilate to the euro centric standard. How many black people know what tribe they descended from? How many black people celebrate Kwanzaa? How many black people know of Huey P. Newton, Alex Haley and others?
To me, the omission of any group from history teachings results in a limited understanding of history’s relationship with the present and future. Know your history.
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Twitter: @Annette92J