James Mccune Smith

Celebrating Black History Month

Teaching Guide/Student Worksheets

This guide supports the use of the profiles Celebrating Black History Month. It offers vocabulary words from the text and several short answer questions based on the content of each profile. In some cases, references to related websites are included with additional materials about the person or their pursuits. Lastly, the guide includes two or three activities per profile called “Newspaper Tie-ins.” These activities suggest how to bring the lessons of these historical figures into the present, to make their lives relevant and apply the lessons to today’s news. These graphic organizers were created for students in grades 4-8 and can be narrowed or expanded to accommodate the needs of each instructor’s class. Feel free to modify these activities or create your own.

Any questions contact Mary at [email protected] or call 518-449-1667

Florida Standards

The Florida Department of Education defines that the Florida Standards provide a robust set of goals for every grade. Emphasizing analytical thinking rather than rote memorization, the Florida Standards will prepare our students for success in college, career and life. The Florida Standards will reflect the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.

Building on the foundation of success that has made Florida a national model, The Florida Standards provide a clear set of goals for every student, parent, and teacher.

For more information on Florida Standards, go to the CPALMS website. CPALMS is the State of Florida’s official source for standards information and course descriptions: http://www.cpalms.org.

The reading material and activities in this packet applies to the following Florida Standards for grades four through twelve.

Social Studies: SS.4.A.1.1; SS.4.A.1.2; SS.4.C.2.2; SS.4.C.2.3; SS.5.C.2.4; SS.5.C.2.5; SS.7.C.2.11; SS.7.C.2.13; SS.7.C.2.14; SS.8.A.1.1; SS.8.A.1.2; SS.8.A.1.3; SS.8.A.1.4; SS.8.A.1.5; SS.8.A.1.6; SS.8.A.1.7; SS.8.FL.1.2; SS.8.FL.1.3; SS.8.FL.1.4; SS.8.FL.1.5; SS.8.FL.1.6; SS.912.A.1.2; SS.912.A.1.5; SS.912.A.1.6; SS.912.A.1.7; SS.912.A.7.6; SS.912.C.2.2; SS.912.C.2.3; SS.912.C.2.4; SS.912.C.2.5; SS.912.C.2.8; SS.912.H.1.6; SS.912.S.1.4 Language Arts: LAFS.412.RI.1.1; LAFS.412.RI.1.2; LAFS.412.RI.1.3; LAFS.412.RI.2.4; LAFS.412.RI.2.5; LAFS.412.RI.2.6; LAFS.412.RI.3.7; LAFS.412.SL.1.1; LAFS.412.SL.1.2; LAFS.412.SL.1.3; LAFS.412.SL.2.4; LAFS.412.SL.2.5; LAFS.412.SL.2.6; LAFS.412.W.1.1; LAFS.412.W.1.2; LAFS.412.W.1.3; LAFS.412.W.2.4; LAFS.412.W.2.5; LAFS.412.W.2.6; LAFS.412.W.3.7; LAFS.412.W.3.8

Newspaper in Education The Newspaper in Education (NIE) program is a cooperative effort between schools and local newspapers to promote the use of newspapers in print and electronic form as educational resources. Our educational resources fall into the category of informational text.

Informational text is a type of nonfiction text. The primary purpose of informational text is to convey information about the natural or social world. Florida NIE programs provide schools with class sets of informational text in the form of the daily newspaper and original curriculum. NIE teaching materials cover a variety of subjects and are consistent with Florida’s education standards.

Florida Press Educational Services, Inc. (FPES) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of newspaper professionals that promotes literacy, particularly for young people. FPES members consist of daily and weekly newspapers throughout the state of Florida. Through its member newspapers, FPES serves educators, students and families in all 67 Florida counties. For more information about FPES, visit fpesnie.org, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/ nie_fpes.

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James McCune Smith Vocabulary – write a brief definition of the following words: apprentice ______assumptions ______debunked ______eloquence ______phrenology ______theoretically ______

Read the profile of James McCune Smith. Then answer the following questions.

1. How did James McCune Smith first earn money? ______2. Why did Smith go to Scotland for medical school? ______

3. Why did a colleague of Smith’s need to present James’ case reports at the New York Medical & Surgical Society? ______4. Besides helping medically, how did James McCune Smith serve the black community? ______5. Find New York City on a map or use an online mapping tool. About how far is it from your school? ______Related Online News Article: The Blade, Published in Toledo, OH – June 29, 1968, Headline: Medical, Scientific History Made Despite Vast Waste Of Human Talent http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19680629&id=fyZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nAEEAAAAIBAJ&p g=7017,816950

Newspaper Tie-ins: • Look through recent editions of the newspaper (print or online) for news about someone who had to overcome obstacles to achieve his or her goal. Compare and contrast their story with James McCune Smith’s life. • James McCune Smith worked to end slavery and for racial equality. Look through the newspaper for examples of people fighting for the equality of others. What group of people are they working for? How and why are they doing it? Compare this modern group with the black Americans during James McCune Smith’s lifetime. Use the following page to organize your writing.

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Black Americans 1800s Group from Today’s News What is the problem? What is the problem?

Who is trying to help? Who is trying to help?

How are they trying to help? How are they trying to help?

Why are they trying to help? Why are they trying to help?

How are these two groups the same?

How are they different?

Assessment question: What was the most interesting thing you learned while doing this lesson?

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Frederick Douglass

Vocabulary – write a brief definition for the following words and phrases: runaway slave ______distinguish ______eloquent ______

Underground Railroad ______

______alienated ______

Read the profile of Frederick Douglass. Then answer the following questions.

1. In what year did Frederick Douglass first come to live in Rochester? ______2. What other rights leader did Douglass associate with? ______3. What was the name of the newspaper Douglass published in Rochester and what was its primary goal? ______4. Give at least two times Douglass left New York State and why he left. ______5. About how old was Frederick Douglass when he died? ______6. Find Rochester on a map or use an online mapping tool. About how far is it from your school? ______Related Websites: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site – Washington D.C. - https://www.nps.gov/frdo/learn/historyculture/frederickdouglass.htm

Newspaper Tie-ins: • Search recent editions of the newspaper for editorial cartoons. Collect several dealing with social injustices. Draw your own editorial cartoon on a social injustice you feel strongly about. Be prepared to share your cartoon with the class and to discuss any symbolism, irony and/or personification used. For help with understanding editorial cartoons visit the Library of Congress website at http://tinyurl.com/loc-cartoons. • Frederick Douglass was someone who helped bring about change. Read through several editions of your local newspaper and look for an issue or topic you feel requires change. As a class, brainstorm some possible solutions to this problem. Write a letter to the editor summarizing the thoughts of your class. • Douglass published a weekly newspaper. As a class, develop your own newspaper reporting on the activities of the past week or two. Have students write about school events or other things that might interest them. Assign each student to a specific task including, photographer, cartoonist, reporter, editor, printer, carrier (distribution), etc.

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Directions: As you read the profile about Frederick Douglass, fill in as much of the chart below as you can. If there is more time available, explore other resources to fill out this character chart thoroughly.

Basic facts and life events (date of Major accomplishments: birth, marriage, children, illnesses, death, other):

Frederick

Douglass

Beliefs: Character Traits:

Newspaper follow up: From your newspaper, choose a story about someone and complete the chart above based on what you learn from the story.

Assessment question: Name something that you learned and inspired you about Frederick Douglass.

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Mary Edmonia Lewis

Vocabulary – write a brief definition of the following words and phrases:

Ojibway ______progressive ______medallion ______patrons ______neo-classical ______realism ______

Read the profile of Mary Edmonia Lewis. Then answer the following questions.

1. What was Mary Edmonia Lewis’s ancestry? ______2. What wrongdoing was Lewis accused of while attending Oberlin College? ______3. What inspired Mary Edmonia Lewis to become a sculptor? ______4. In which European country did Lewis live and work? ______5. Why did President Grant have Lewis sculpt a bust of him? ______6. Find Rensselaer on a map or use an online mapping tool. About how far is it from your school? What is the approximate distance between Rensselaer and Boston? Using a world map, about how far is Rensselaer to Italy? ______

Newspaper Tie-ins: • As a class, discuss kinds of art you have seen in your community, your city, on TV, in newspapers or on the Internet. Discuss which was the most unusual or the one you liked most. • In groups or as a class, go through the print or electronic edition of the newspaper to find a photo of an interesting building or public space, such as a park. Select one and use the graphic organizer on the next page to gather detailed information about what you’ve found.

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Art is everywhere in the world. Paintings, sculptures, statues, buildings, parks or specially designed public spaces are kinds of art. Artists who created them use shapes, colors, textures and special materials to get people to look at these works and respond to them as art. They design their art to get people to take a fresh look at their surroundings, think in new ways or feel certain emotions.

Write down three adjectives to describe the building or space: ______

Write down three emotions you might feel if you were standing near the building or in the space. ______

Write a sentence describing what you think is the most interesting thing about the building or space. Is it the size, shape, colors or something else? ______

Follow up: If you were designing a building or public space, such as a park, what would it look like? What shapes, colors, textures or special materials would you include and why? If you’d like, make a quick drawing of your building or space on another piece of paper.

Assessment question: What one new thing did you learn about sculpture or other art forms during this lesson?

This activity was modified from an original lesson from Power Pack: Lessons in Civics, Math and Fine Arts for NIE Week 2011, created for NAA Foundation by Peter Landry, Hollister Kids. For additional NIE art activities go to www.americanpressinstitute.org

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Shirley Chisholm

Vocabulary – write a brief definition of the following words and phrases: colleagues ______

U.S. House of Representatives ______

______legislation ______prestigious ______prevailed ______reluctant ______

Read the profile of Shirley Chisholm. Then answer the following questions.

1. What island country did Shirley’s parents emigrate from? ______2. Who raised Shirley as a young child? Where? ______3. Why did Shirley turn down a scholarship to attend Vassar College? ______4. What famous first is Shirley Chisholm known for? When did she accomplish it? ______5. Name at least two causes Shirley championed while serving in the New York State Assembly? ______6. What political office did Shirley seek but was not selected? When? ______Newspaper Tie-ins: • Imagine you lived during Shirley Chisholm’s time. Write an editorial on how you feel about her campaigning for President. • Shirley Chisholm was someone who was driven to change social injustices. Read through several editions of your local newspaper (print or online) and look for an issue or topic you think is unfair. As a class, brainstorm some possible solutions to this problem. Write a letter to the editor summarizing the thoughts of your class. • Look through newspapers (print or electronic) for editorial cartoons. Collect several dealing with social injustices. Use the graph on the next page to analyze your favorite.

Assessment question: Write two things you learned about Shirley Chisholm and/or newspapers while doing this activity.

Name______

Analyzing an Editorial/Political Cartoon 1. What is the cartoon’s title or caption? 2. Who drew the cartoon? 3. When and where was it published? 4. What is familiar to you in this cartoon? 5. What questions do you have about this cartoon? 6. Editorial cartoonists combine pictures and words to communicate their opinions. What tools does the cartoonist use to make his or her point?

___ Humor ___ Labels ___ Caricature ___ Analogy to another historical or current event ___ Symbols ___ Stereotypes ___ Speech/idea balloons ___ References to popular culture, art, literature, etc.

7. List the important people or objects shown in the cartoon:

8. Are symbols used? If so, what are they and what do they mean?

9. Are stereotypes used? If so, what group is represented?

10. Is there a caricature of anyone in the cartoon? If so, who?

11. Briefly explain the message of the cartoon:

12. What groups would agree or disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why?

13. Do you think this cartoon is effective in expressing the artist’s message? Why or why not?

Series Exercises:

1. Select any two African Americans and compare and contrast their lives and accomplishments.

2. Create a crossword puzzle using key vocabulary words from each profile. Consider using the crossword puzzle student interactive tool available free online at www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/crossword/

3. Write an obituary notice for each.

4. Write a classified ad for each profile. The classified could be a help wanted ad, an item for sale ad, or perhaps a lost and found notice. Use your imagination and have fun!

5. Write a journal entry from each personality’s perspective regarding the challenge(s) each faced during his/her lifetime.

6. Using various sources, including the Internet, try to find primary documents relating to each individual.

7. Some of these famous people’s homes may now be museums or have been designated historical landmarks. Research these online. What more can you find out about any of these African Americans that you didn’t already know from his/her profile?

8. Check your library for an autobiography or biography about one of these people and read an extensive account of his/her life. Write a book report using appropriate organizational strategies and make an oral presentation to the class.

Answer Key:

James McCune Smith: 1. He worked as an apprentice blacksmith. 2. because schools in the US would not admit him 3. because he was not allowed to attend and present in person 4. He worked for racial equality and the abolition of slavery 5. (Answers will vary by location – a fast way to find an answer is by using www.mapquest.com or Google maps)

Frederick Douglass: 1. 1848 2. Susan B. Anthony 3. The North Star, to inform others about anti-slavery 4. Accept any two: 1838 – passed through NY while escaping slavery, 1859 – to avoid wrongful persecution after John Brown’s slave insurrection, 1872 – his house burned and he moved to Washington, D.C. 5. 77 or 78 years old 6. (Answers will vary by location – a fast way to find an answer is by using www.mapquest.com or Google maps)

Mary Edmonia Lewis: 1. Her father was a free black man and her mother was Native American. 2. She was accused of poisoning two classmates and stealing art supplies. 3. a statue of Benjamin Franklin 4. Italy 5. He was impressed by her sculpture of “The Death of Cleopatra.” 6. (Answers will vary by location – a fast way to find an answer is by using www.mapquest.com or Google maps)

Shirley Chisholm: 1. Barbados 2. her grandmother, Barbados 3. She couldn’t afford the housing costs. 4. She was the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1968 5. Accept any combination of the following: Children’s needs, working people’s needs, accessibility to college for the poor, rights for pregnant teachers, and unemployment rights. 6. President of the United States, 1972

Additional online resources: http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/index.html - African American History Month resources created by government agencies including Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Park Service and more. http://new.civiced.org/resources/curriculum/black-history-month - The Center for Civic Education - The School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program presents educators with lesson plans that explore the use of nonviolence in history, paying particular attention to the civil rights movement and African American history. http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/black-history-month.htm - National Education Association, Black History Month website http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html - Using Primary Resources Teacher’s Guide and Analysis Tool from Library of Congress

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A Study Guide* Working in groups of no more than five, choose and study carefully a newspaper story about someone or a group of people working to make your community a better place for everyone to live. Answer the questions below based on details from the chosen story.

1. Remembering (retrieve) Who committed the action? ______What is the action? ______When did the action take place? ______Where did the action take place? ______2. Understanding (summarize) Retell or give the main idea.______3. Applying (carry out) Why is (the specific event)______significant? ______4. Analyzing (compare) How does (the problem in the story) ______compare with another problem ______? ______5. Evaluating (judge) Do you agree with a viewpoint offered by someone in the story or the opinion expressed by the person writing the opinion ______? What do you think? ______6. Creating (plan) Devise an action plan to solve the problem and present your plan to a group of students, parents, school and/or community officials? ______(*Bloom’s Taxonomy revised)

Name______Levels of Thinking and Reasoning* From your newspaper, choose a story about diversity in your community that interests and/or involves you and is likely to appeal to other students in your class. Ask a question on each level and have a classmate read the story and answer the questions. Also, ask for a critique of the questions.

Headline: ______Author: ______Newspaper: ______Date: ______

Create

Evaluate

Analyze

Apply

Understand

Remember

Follow-up: Did the story appeal to your classmate? Did your classmate offer complete answers to the questions? Did your classmate recommend any changes to the questions?

(*Bloom’s Taxonomy revised)

Name______Venn Diagram

Directions: Compare one person from the Celebrating Black History Month profiles with someone in the news who is working to improve the community.

Follow-Up: What character trait do they share?

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KLW Chart

Directions: Before you read fill out the KNOW column with what you already know about the topic. As you read fill in what you’ve LEARNED in the center column. After you have finished reading fill in the WANT column with what you want to know more about.

KNOW LEARN WANT TO KNOW

Follow-Up: Conduct research to answer your questions.

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Cause and Effect Directions: Select one or more news stories that focus on issues of equality and justice. Identify causes and effects. Story Headline: Cause Effect

Story Headline: Cause Effect

Follow-Up: Which effects represent positive and which, negative results, for the people involved?

Additional Research Activity: Florida Press Education Services

During the last year of his life, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference organized the Poor People’s Campaign, a movement to end poverty and promote economic justice for all Americans regardless of race, ethnicity or gender. In 1968, they drafted a statement given to members of the U.S. government and publicly demanded an economic and social bill of rights to help citizens obtain jobs, income, education and housing, among other items.

How might a lack of education contribute to poverty? How might increased education lead to economic success not only for individuals, but also for an entire community? Did you know that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers with more education have lower unemployment rates and higher incomes than workers with less education? Some studies suggest that people with higher levels of education are also healthier. Other studies suggest that higher education rates correlate to lower crime. Discuss these ideas with your class. In what ways do you think increased education might economically benefit a community?

Dr. King championed education, but he also stressed action. In 1947, he wrote an essay titled “The Purpose of Education.” In this essay, he wrote: “Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.” What does Dr. King mean? To what worthy objectives might he refer? What is the power of your education? How might you be able to use it to help others?

Use your newspaper, the Internet and the school media center to research economic and education statistics for your state and community. Possible topics include median household income, high school graduation rates, college attendance rates and literacy rates. In addition to the newspaper, some other sources could include the State of Florida website, the Florida Department of Education website, the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics, the Department of Education and the National Education Association. How does our state compare to others? Create a graphic organizer to show what you have learned. Share your results with your classmates.

Florida Press Education Services activity: Do the research

Doing research is a great way to learn about a topic or person. The process of doing the research – finding credible websites, reading the information, looking at photos, and understanding the information – will increase your knowledge in a fun way. For this research assignment, you will take on the role of being a detective to learn more about a notable Floridian. The first step is to choose one of the notable Floridians listed and learn more about him or her. You can work by yourself or with a partner.

Cannonball Adderley Wally Amos Mary McLeod Bethune Robert Hayling Zora Neale Hurston Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. James Weldon Johnson Sidney Poitier Philip Randolph Deion Sanders Augusta Savage Wesley Snipes

1. When you are doing research, it is important to use credible websites. Websites such as Wikipedia and personal blogs are not always credible since some of the information presented as fact may be opinion or plagiarized from another source. Be sure to keep a list of your sources.

2. Research the person you chose. Write down the important facts, including: • Who is this person? • What is his or her background? • Where was this person born and where did he or she live? • When did this person live? • Why is this person notable and/or important? • How is this person a role model?

3. Create your own set of lesson plans about the person you chose. Using one of the worksheets from this packet as a model, create your own vocabulary list, reading comprehension questions and newspaper tie-in activities.

4. Next, compare the person you chose to one of the other individuals you have read about: James McCune Smith, Frederick Douglass, Shirley Chisolm or Mary Edmonia Lewis. Create a graphic organizer to show what you have learned (comparison chart, Venn diagram, KWL chart).

5. Create an oral presentation about what you have learned and discovered. Have the other students in the class complete your worksheets.

Celebrating Black History Month  James McCune Smith (1813 — 1865) During his lifetime, James McCune Smith was a colleague of Frederick Douglass in the anti-slavery movement and famous enough to write an introduction to one of Douglass’s books. Nearly forgotten after his death, this pioneering physician has gradually regained his place in American history. James McCune Smith was born in New York City on April 18, 1813. His mother had escaped from slavery and raised James as a free person, although he was theoretically a slave in the eyes of the law. James became a top student at African Free School No. 2, one of the New York City institutions dedicated to racial equality through black education. He also Portrait engraving by Patrick H. Reason became an apprentice blacksmith to help make from The New-York Historical Society ends meet. James really wanted to become a doctor, but American medical colleges wouldn’t admit black students. The international anti-slavery community wanted to prove that blacks could succeed in any profession. They persuaded the University of Glasgow in Scotland to admit James to its medical school in 1832. With support from anti-slavery activists in the United Kingdom, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1835, his Master’s in 1836, and his M.D. in 1837. He was the fi rst black American to earn a medical degree. Dr. James McCune Smith returned to New York in 1837 and began a medical practice. His services for patients of all races ranged from surgery to dentistry, and his offi ce also served as a drugstore. Like many doctors, Smith sought to expand medical knowledge by writing case reports. He published reports in the New York Journal of Medicine but wasn’t allowed to read one in person at the New York Medical & Surgical Society. When the Society rejected his membership application, a white colleague read the report for him. Smith’s education gave him the intellectual tools to disprove many racist assumptions about blacks. He felt a moral responsibility to work for racial equality and the abolition of slavery. His scholarship and eloquence made him a leader of the American anti-slavery movement. He used statistics to disprove the claim that slaves lived longer than free blacks. He debunked the pseudo-science of phrenology, which claimed that the shape of black people’s skulls limited their intelligence. As an all-around intellectual, Smith was accepted into the American Geographical Society in 1854. Throughout his life, James McCune Smith served his local black community and the larger black community nationwide. He treated poor children in New York as the physician to the Colored Orphan Asylum. He joined the American Anti-Slavery Society as soon as he returned from Scotland and helped establish blacks as intellectual leaders of the overall anti-slavery movement. He was one of the founders of the Radical Abolition party and was its candidate for secretary of state of New York in 1857. While he was unsuccessful in politics, Smith’s writings on politics and many more topics made him one of the leading black intellectuals of the 19th century. James McCune Smith lived to see Congress approve the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, but just missed the end of American slavery through its ratifi cation by the states. He died on November 17, 1865, less than one month before the U.S. took the fi rst big step toward realizing his vision of freedom and racial equality.

To see a map of where the James McCune Smith Pharmacy was located and what building stands there today go to http://maap.columbia.edu/place/21. This is one of a series of four Celebrating Black History Month profi les, written by Kevin Gilbert for the NYNPA - Newspaper In Education Program. All rights reserved 2018. Celebrating Black History Month  Frederick Douglass (c. 1817 — 1895) When Frederick Douglass fi rst passed through New York in 1838, he was a runaway slave with a false name. When he moved to Rochester a decade later, he was an international celebrity and a leader in the struggle against slavery. Douglass was born Frederick Bailey in Tuckahoe, Maryland, in 1817 or 1818, to a slave mother and an anonymous white father. Taught to read by a relative of his owner, Frederick acquired books and newspapers whenever possible. Jailed once for trying to escape, he managed to escape with the help of a free black woman whom he later married. Using borrowed identity papers, he fl ed from Baltimore via train and boat to New York City. Frederick changed his last name to Johnson before moving on to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Learning that Johnson was a very common name, he adopted “Douglass” to distinguish himself. Photo caption: Library of Congress, Prints He distinguished himself further as an eloquent and Photographs Division [reproduction spokesman against slavery and the author of a number, LC-USZ62-15887] popular autobiography in 1845. The book made clear that Douglass was really Frederick Bailey. To avoid recapture, Douglass traveled to Great Britain to promote his book. During his tour, wealthy friends raised money so Douglass could buy his freedom when he returned to the U.S. in 1847. Douglass acquired a printing press to publish a weekly anti-slavery newspaper, The North Star. He based it in Rochester to avoid competition with anti-slavery papers in larger cities. His home and offi ce became stations on the “Underground Railroad” that helped runaway slaves fi nd refuge in Canada. Befriending radical thinkers like Susan B. Anthony, Douglass attended the fi rst women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848. He also gradually changed his political views. His original mentors were pacifi sts who wanted to dissolve the Union because the U.S. Constitution allegedly endorsed slavery. Douglass ultimately decided that the Constitution was opposed to slavery in spirit, and that slavery could be abolished by political action, or by force if necessary. His new stance alienated old friends, but won him many new supporters. Douglass struggled to publish his newspaper, which eventually bore his own name, as well as a monthly magazine. Often deep in debt, he spent much of his time on the lecture circuit, while lobbying successfully to have Rochester’s public schools desegregated. He supported anti-slavery political parties, but soon realized that the new Republican Party had a better chance of realizing many of his goals. Douglass fl ed the country again in 1859 after he was falsely implicated in John Brown’s attempted slave insurrection in Virginia. He returned in 1860, but folded his weekly paper soon afterward. Douglass was re-energized by the opportunity to recruit black soldiers, including his three sons, to fi ght during the Civil War. Skeptical at fi rst toward Abraham Lincoln, he ultimately gave the President credit for ending slavery. After his house burned down in 1872, Frederick Douglass left Rochester for Washington D.C., where he held a number of political and diplomatic posts before his death on February 20, 1895. Today, the community of Rochester, New York continues to honor his role in the city and our nation’s history.

For more information about Frederick Douglass go to this resource page at the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/frederick-douglass/. This is one of a series of four Celebrating Black History Month profi les, written by Kevin Gilbert for the NYNPA - Newspaper In Education Program. All rights reserved 2018. Celebrating Black History Month  Mary Edmonia Lewis (c. 1844 — 1907) Many 19th century Americans were surprised to discover that one of their country’s best sculptors was a woman of color. Even in the 21st century, Mary Edmonia Lewis’s success at overcoming obstacles continues to surprise us. Sources disagree over where and when Mary was born. Most say she was born on July 4, in either 1844 or 1845, in Greenbush, the present-day town of Rensselaer, New York. Her father was a free black man while her mother was Native American, either full-blooded Ojibway or of mixed ancestry. Orphaned by age 4, she was raised by her mother’s family. Her older brother Samuel went west and made enough money as a gold prospector to pay for Edmonia’s education at New York Central College in McGrawville and Oberlin College in Ohio. Oberlin was a progressive school for its time, where women studied alongside men of all From the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian races. Despite the tolerant environment, Lewis faced persecution when people blamed her for the poisoning of two white classmates. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence, but Lewis was later accused of stealing art supplies and was forced to leave Oberlin. She moved to Boston, where she claimed that a statue of Benjamin Franklin inspired her to become a sculptor. She studied under a local artist but was largely self-taught. Encouraged by Boston’s anti-slavery community, Lewis began to make money by sculpting subjects popular with her patrons. She created a medallion honoring the anti- slavery fi ghter John Brown and busts of Robert Gould Shaw who commanded the fi rst black combat unit of the Civil War. The earnings from these works enabled her to continue her training in Europe. In Italy, Lewis joined a colony of American women sculptors and other artists. She was still exceptional as a black woman but didn’t feel singled out for her color as she did in the U.S. Europeans were more willing to judge her simply as an artist rather than as a black artist. But as she perfected her craft, her work became popular in both Europe and America. As Edmonia Lewis matured as a sculptor, her interests moved beyond the anti-slavery and patriotic subject matter popular with American patrons. Her later neo-classical style was inspired by the sculpture of ancient Greece and Rome, and she chose ancient subjects for her most ambitious works. She reached the peak of her international fame when she exhibited a massive neo-classical piece, “The Death of Cleopatra,” at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. President Ulysses S. Grant was so impressed by her talent that he commissioned her to sculpt his portrait. In Europe and America, she earned thousands of dollars from commissions ranging from portrait busts to altarpieces and tombstone sculptures. Lewis’ fortunes changed with changing tastes in art. As modern art moved away from realism and classical infl uences, Lewis’ work fell out of fashion. Lewis herself fell into such obscurity that scholars could not verify when she died until more than a century after her passing on September 7, 1907. By the time researchers found her grave in London, Mary Edmonia Lewis had already been rediscovered as a pioneer black female artist. She and her work have been restored to their rightful places in the history of American art.

For more information about Mary Edmonia Lewis and her sculpture go to The Smithsonian American Art Museum online at http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=2914. This is one of a series of four Celebrating Black History Month profi les, written by Kevin Gilbert for the NYNPA - Newspaper In Education Program. All rights reserved 2018. Celebrating Black History Month  Shirley Chisholm (1924 — 2005) In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the fi rst black woman elected to the U. S. House of Representatives. For her, that was just one victory in a lifelong struggle for racial and gender equality. Chisholm’s parents were immigrants from Barbados. She was born Shirley Anita St. Hill in Brooklyn on November 30, 1924. When she was three, her parents sent Shirley and her siblings to her grandmother’s home in Barbados until they could earn enough money to raise their children in America. In Barbados, Shirley received a strict British- style education in a one-room schoolhouse where seven classes met at once. Shirley was a quick learner, but when her parents fi nally brought her home, she was set back three grades because she hadn’t been taught American history or geography. With a tutor’s help she caught up in less than two years. After graduating from Girls’ High School, Shirley turned down a scholarship at Vassar, a prestigious women’s college, because she couldn’t aff ord the housing costs. At Brooklyn College, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction she won prizes for debating, joined the Harriet number, LC-U9-25383-33] Tubman Society for black students, and campaigned unsuccessfully to elect women to the student council. Shirley took graduate classes at Columbia, and married fellow student Conrad Chisholm, while working as a teacher and administrator. Her concern for children’s and working people’s needs led her to become active in local politics. In her neighborhood, the 17th Assembly District, blacks were a majority, but whites dominated the Democratic Party. Chisholm became a dedicated fundraiser for the Democratic Club, but grew convinced that party leaders were more interested in keeping power than in helping the community. In 1953, Chisholm joined other black Democrats in challenging the leadership’s white candidate for judge. Their success led to the formation of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League. Despite Chisholm’s hard work for the League, her male colleagues were reluctant to accept a female leader, and fi nally forced her out. In 1960, Chisholm helped form the Unity Democratic Club in the 17th District. In 1962, their candidate won an Assembly seat. When he became a judge two years later, Chisholm fi nally got a chance to run for offi ce, and won the open seat easily. In Albany, Chisholm’s legislation made college more accessible to poor New Yorkers, expanded unemployment coverage, and ended discrimination against pregnant teachers. Despite her successes, Chisholm believed that changes were necessary at the national level to improve her community. In 1968, Chisholm campaigned to represent the 12th Congressional District, where women voters outnumbered males by a large margin. Despite surgery for a benign tumor, she defeated black rivals in the Democratic primary before beating the Republican candidate, a prominent civil rights leader, by more than 20,000 votes. She prevailed because voters trusted her to remain independent of party bosses and put community interests fi rst. During fourteen years in Congress, and as a Presidential candidate in 1972, Shirley Chisholm continued to defy the establishment. When she died on January 1, 2005, she was remembered for breaking down barriers, and as a role model for challenging any barrier to American achievement.

For more information about Shirley Chisholm go to the History, Art & Archives website of the US House of Representatives at http://history.house.gov/People/Detail/10918. This is one of a series of four Celebrating Black History Month proﬁ les, written by Kevin Gilbert for the NYNPA - Newspaper In Education Program. All rights reserved 2018.