Welcome to week three! The celebration is (sadly) almost over however it isn't just yet. This week I am honoring a handful (out of a vast majority) of influential men and women who helped shape the black community into what it is now - people with a strong, powerful voice standing up for what they believe in and against what is wrong. Below are a few of said influential individuals who played a big part in black history:
1. Martin Luther King Jr.
Striving for the equality of whites and blacks, MLK greatly raised awareness on the issue of race inequality. His peaceful but strong-willed protests allowed him to have a major platform to get the message of his vision across. MLK is famous for leading the Civil Rights movement and his world renowned "I Have A Dream" speech. On January 15, we celebrate the massive impact his "dream" had and still has today.
"I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
2. Rosa Parks
When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that day in 1955, I don't believe she knew the significance her simple refusal would have. Not only did she inspire the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but essentially initiated the modern Civil Rights movement. Today, she is known as the "mother of the civil rights movement."
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."
-Rosa Parks
3. Nelson Mandela
Like MLK, Nelson Mandela strived to unite people of different races. When South Africa was taken over by whites, Mandela fought for the continent's independence. Mandela helped "bring an end to apartheid and has been a global advocate for human rights." He was the first black president of South Africa and was thrown in prison for trying to "overthrow the apartheid government." Mandela is known for promoting equality and forgiveness.
“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
-Nelson Mandela
4. Fannie Lou Hamer
Born into a life similar to slavery, Fannie Lou suffered
much racism and wasn't silent on her suffering in a "racist society."
She devoted her life to fighting for civil rights even though she faced many
perils doing so such as being "threatened, arrested, beaten, and shot
at," while also losing her job. Hamer fought for desegregation and voter
registration. She is known as the civil rights activist who aided black people
in voting and co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
"Nobody's free until everybody's free."
-Fannie Lou Hamer
5. Frederick Douglass
A talented writer and
public speaker, Frederick Douglas brought to light the devastating and inhumane
issue of slavery after escaping from slavery himself. He worked with leaders of
the Abolitionist Movement and has several autobiographies about his time as a
slave and promoting abolition. Douglass is known as one of "the most
famous intellectuals of all time."
"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."
-Frederick Douglass
6. Ruby Bridges
At the young age of
six years old, Ruby Bridges was already making a change in the world and became
a public figure. She desegregated her all-white elementary school in 1960. The
hate Bridges faced as a young child was heartbreaking but she persevered and
graduated at that same school. She is known as the "first African American
to desegregate a formerly all-white school in New Orleans."
"Don't follow the path. Go where there is no path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you!"
-Ruby Bridges
7. Toussaint Louverture
Called the "black Napoleon," Toussaint Louverture - "a self-educated slave with no military training" fought for and ended slavery in Haiti. Louverture seized control of the entire island of Hispaniola and freed its slaves. Because of Louverture, Haiti is the world's first black-led republic and is also the "first country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery completely." The Haitian Revolution is known as the most successful slave rebellion in history.
Unite; for combination is stronger than witchcraft.
-Toussaint Louverture
8. Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors
(From left to right: Garza, Cullors and Tometi)
When Trayvon Martin died in 2012, these three women - Alicia
Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors - were more than saddened about the
tragic news and decided to speak out on it. Garza went onto twitter and posted
a "love letter" to black people and ended it by saying "black
lives matter." Her friend, Cullors, who she calls her sister, put a
hashtag (#) in front of the saying and it went viral. Tometi, who is also
referred to as a sister, helped "build out" the hashtag. The BLM
movement is now "an international activist movement" that campaigns
"against violence and systematic racism toward black people."
9. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (W.E.B. Du Bois)
Co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP), W.E.B. Du Bois is considered one of the "most
important African-American activists." Du Bois, like many of the
influential leaders, fought for equality. He is known as "the most
important protest leader in the United States during the first half of the 20th
century."
"To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships."
- W.E.B. Du Bois
10. Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman is the
reason why hundreds of runaway slaves escaped slavery and made it to freedom.
She is known as the "famous conductor."
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
-Harriet Tubman
11. Sojourner Truth
Emancipated from slavery in 1827, Soujourner Truth became
one of the most famous black abolitionists and vocally spoke out for the rights
of women. She is known for working against slavery and her famous speech,
"Ain't I A Woman."
If women want any rights more than they's got, why don't they just take them, and not be talking about it."
-Sojourner Truth
Inspirational quote from a black American:
"We should emphasize not Negro history, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."
-Carter Woodson
