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Black History Month February 2021

What is Black History Month? Black History Month (BHM), is also known as African Do You Know American History Month. Since 1976, every U.S. president the difference between has officially designated the month of February as Black African American History Month. It recognizes the significant achievements and Black? made by the African American community in all aspects There are several terms used to identify of American society. Black . Some of the most common labels tend to be African Other countries around the world, including Canada and American, Black, or . the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating The dictionary definition of African- black history. Activities and events all center around American is "an American of African and cultural, social, educational, and spiritual programs. especially of Black African descent." A Black person is described as "of or The History relating to any of various population The celebration of Black History Month began as “Negro groups having dark pigmentation of the skin" or "of or relating to African History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. American people or their culture." Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. The month of February was A person of color had the broadest explanation as "a person who is not chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick white or of European parentage." Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The term 'African American' is typically used to describe ethnicity Test Your Knowledge while ‘Black’ often describes race. What happened in the 1963 ? For example, Black people who live in Who made these famous quotes? America but are from other parts of the What Black Musician wrote this song or African world other than Africa may not identify American artist painted this picture? as African American. However, those What do you know about the African American factions of people may still consider Race and Society? ‘Black’ to be their identity. Resource: WUSA9 Test your knowledge on any of these topics!

www.satermanconnect.com Timeline: 1600s - 1800s Resource Diversity.UCSC.edu

William Tucker is the first Black child 1621 known to be born in America Phillis Wheatley’s “Poems on Various Subjects Religion and Moral”– first book 1773 published by an African-American author Congress passes Fugitive Slave Act, making it a federal crime to assist a 1793 slave trying to escape Congress bans importation of slaves 1808 Missouri Compromise bans 1820 above the southern border of the state

Nat Turner leads slave uprising 1831 In Dred Scott v. Sanford, U.S. Supreme Court declares all territories escapes to Philly and 1857 open to slavery helps nearly 300 slaves escape via the 1859

Harper Brown leads a slave revolt South secedes from the Union and the 1861 Civil War begins

President Lincoln issues the 1915 Emancipation Proclamation 1863 Civil War ends 1865 Fisk University begins to offer education for Blacks and ex-slaves 1866 of all ages Fourteenth Amendment ratified; Blacks 1867 become citizens The 15th Amendment guarantees that the right to vote cannot be 1868 denied because of race, color or U.S. Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. previous servitude 1896 Ferguson that “” is constitutional

www.satermanconnect.com Timeline: 1900s

NAACP is founded 1909 ’s 1914 agricultural research begins to revive Historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Southern farming Jesse Moorland founded the Association for the Study of African-American Life and 1915 History; their work is the impetus BHM 1924 begins Jesse Owens wins four Olympic gold medals 1936 Jackie Robinson becomes the first 1947 Black Major League Baseball player is the first Black 1924 person to win the Nobel Peace Prize 1950 Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, U.S. Supreme Court rules 1954 racial segregation in public schools refuses to give up her violates the 14th Amendment seat on a bus to a white man in 1955 Montgomer y, Alabama 200,000+ people march on D.C. – 1950 largest civil rights demonstration in 1963 the nation’s history, Martin Luther King President Johnson signs the delivers his "I Have a Dream" Speech 1964 , former1 9Na15tion of Islam minister/civil-rights activist, is 1965 murdered, President Johnson signs Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Voting Rights Act of 1965 is assassinated 1968 (1968 1st Black woman 1972 elected to Congress); first major-party Rev. becomes first Black candidate running president Black man to make serious bid for the 1984 U.S. presidency Civil Rights Act of 1991 adds provisions 1991 to Title VII protections, including the right to a jury trial Mae Jemison, becomes the first African American woman to go into space 1992

www.satermanconnect.com Timeline: 2000s Colin Powell became the first 2001 African American U.S. Secretary be comes first of State African American Female 2003 billionaire Condoleezza Rice becomes first 2005 African American Woman Secretary of State becomes the first Black president of the 2008 Disney officially crowns its first African-American Disney 21090249 Former Maryland Lt. Princess, Tiana Michael Steele is the first African Shooting of Trayvon Martin by George American Chairman of the RNC 2010 Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida Barack Obama is aw arded the Nobel Peace Prize movement b2eg0i0ns8 2012 as a response to the ongoing racial 1950 profiling and against young black men

George Zimmerman acquitted. 2013 Shooting of Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren W1il9so1n5 in Ferguson, MO is followed by including the term "Hands up, don't shoot" 2014 Michael Bruce Curry becomes the first Eric Garner dies in Staten Island, New African American Presiding Bishop of the York City after a police officer put him Episcopal Church (United States), elected in 2015 in a chokehold for 15 seconds June by an overwhelming margin on the first ballot of the 78th General Convention The killing of George Floyd leads to protests with mottos "I can't breathe" and "Defund the police"; shooting of 2020 Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, and Rayshard Brooks, and more Blacks Kamala Harris to be sworn in as the first Black, South Asian American women 2021 Removal of Confederate monuments as VP of the United States The importance of Black history continues in the coming years...

wwww.swatwer.msaatnecrmonanneccot.ncnoemct.com Women and Black History Month Women Suffragists Tensions between abolitionists and women’s suffragists first surfaced in the aftermath of the Civil War. Simultaneously, black disfranchisement laws in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries undermined the guarantees in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments for the great majority of southern blacks until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Black suffragists' important contribution occurred within the larger women’s movement and the larger black voting rights movement. Through voting-rights campaigns and legal suits from the turn of the twentieth century to the mid-1960s, made their voices heard as to the importance of the vote. Indeed the fight for black voting rights continues in the courts today. The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees and protects women's' constitutional right to vote. This centennial offers an unmatched opportunity to commemorate a milestone of democracy. It explores the relevance of the mid-twentieth century suffragists' triumphs to the issues of equal rights today. Resource: Lamar.edu

H e n r i e t t a L a c k s Henrietta Lacks (Aug 1, 1920 - Oct 4, 1951) visited The Johns Hopkins Hospital complaining of vaginal bleeding. Examined by Dr. Howard Jones, he discovered a large, malignant tumor on her cervix at the time. Lacks' cancer cells were biopsied and sent to Dr. George Gey's nearby tissue lab. Dr. Gey, a prominent cancer and virus researcher, collected cells from all patients who came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital with cervical cancer. The sample quickly died in his lab, but he discovered that Mrs. Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. Today a biopsy of this kind would not be permitted without consent from the family. Today, these incredible cells— nicknamed "HeLa" cells, from the first two letters of her first and last names — are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses on cancer cells' growth without experimenting on humans. Unfortunately, Henrietta Lacks died at the age of 31, but the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day. Resources: Hopkins Medicine

www.satermanconnect.com Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, , on January 15th, 1929. He was a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist who was a pivotal advocate of equity and equality for all people including African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. King experienced racism from an early age, and those events stayed with him and eventually brought him to a life of activism. After graduating from college with a doctorate in theology, King became a pastor in Alabama. He began a series of peaceful protests in the south that eventually changed many laws dealing with African Americans' equality. King gave hundreds of moving speeches across the country. He is best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. It was delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., a defining moment of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history. On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through If you can t fly then run, nonviolent resistance. In 1965, he helped organize “ ’ if you can t run then walk, two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. ’ In his final years, he expanded his focus to include if you can’t walk then crawl, opposition towards poverty, capitalism, and the but whatever you do you have Vietnam War. On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed while in Memphis, TN. to keep moving forward.”

www.satermanconnect.com Black Leaders of Today Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors: Black Lives Matter Movement Founders In 2013, #BlackLivesMatter, a Black-centered political will, and movement building project was co-founded by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors, in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman. Resource: Herstory Tarana Burke: Founder of the MeToo Movement A decade after its founding, the slogan became the hashtag #MeToo, which millions of women all over the world have used to share their sexual abuse stories, bringing down several powerful men in the process. Resource: USA Today Wes Moore: Author, Veteran, Social Entrepreneur CEO of Robin Hood, an organization focused on improving the living standards for low- income residents of . Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and gave a TEDTalk on How to Talk to Veterans About the War. Resource: envatotuts+ Esmeralda Simmons: Civil Rights Lawyer For over three decades has been engaged in the fight for equal rights. Simmons currently runs the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College in , providing legal services to people facing voter suppression and discrimination. Resource: USA Today Laverne Cox: Actor, LGBTQ Activist Has actively been involved in the movement. She has been vocal about her struggles as a child in Alabama and her suicide attempt. She has overcome many obstacles to forge a successful acting career. Resource: USA Today Van Jones: CNN Commentator, Co-founder of Color of Change Human rights, green jobs activist, and CNN commentator on racial inequality and police brutality against black Americans. Helped found Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Color of Change, giving a voice to vulnerable communities. Resource: USA Today : American Politician, Lawyer, Voting Rights Activist 2018, became the first black woman and Georgian to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States. Launched Fair Fight 2020 and other organizations devoted to voting rights, training, and hiring young people of color. Resource: Fair Fight Charlene Carruthers: Founding National Director of Black Youth Project 100 Over 15 years of racial justice, feminist, and youth leadership development work. Black Youth Project 100 works with young Black activists to create a national base of Black 18-35-year- olds dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. Resource: envatotuts+

www.satermanconnect.com Famous African Americans With Disabilities Resource: Good Neighbor.com

Harriet Tubman (March 1822 – March 10, 1913) An abolitionist and a political activist. She became a powerful force in the Underground Railroad, where she helped lead enslaved people to freedom. She had epilepsy after a hit to her head.

"Blind Tom" Wiggins (May 25, 1849 – June 14, 1908) A musical prodigy and one of the most well-known pianists during the 19th century. He was born blind and sold into slavery as a child. He learned to play by ear and began composing by age five, and later toured the world. Today he would have been considered autistic.

Harry Belafonte (March 1, 1927 - ) A performer and singer. As an adult, he earned that his trouble with reading was due to dyslexia, but during his time at school, the disorder was widely misunderstood and made him feel like a misfit. He has been a champion for dyslexia awareness and other learning or attention impairments.

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) A writer, poet, singer, and civil rights activist. In her famous autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Angelou illustrates her childhood trauma. She was sexually assaulted at eight by her mother’s boyfriend, and the resulting trauma led to five years of muteness. She overcame her selective mutism and became an international voice for black people and women.

www.satermanconnect.com Famous African Americans

Resources 6 ABC.com PBS Info Please The Undefeated Interactives The Root Wikipedia Oprah Magazine [the links for the images above can be found on this website]

www.satermanconnect.com Meeting Discussion Topics & Question Starters TOPIC: Reframing Black History Month to #BlackFutureMonth One hundred years after the founding of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, black millennials are reframing Woodson’s idea from highlighting black history to highlighting black futures. Black Future Month focuses on black people’s dreams, breaking open how black people are envisioned in the futures we are creating. Discussion Questions: What do you see as the differences between these two perspectives? How do you feel about changing the focus on this important awareness month? What might be the repercussions? Do you agree or disagree with the millennials? Why?

TOPIC: Doing Away with Black History Month BHM was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of and Abraham Lincoln. Discussion Questions: What would happen if Black History Month didn't exist? What would be the implications? repercussions? challenges? objections? How do the dimensions of your diversity connect you with Black History Month? What do you find the most meaningful about Black History Month?

TOPIC: Black History is American History Black history is American history, and it should be discussed and celebrated throughout the year —not confined to a single month. Discussion Question and Activity: Within our organization/team, what are some ways in which we can do this? Break the group into small teams and let them take 15 minutes to brainstorm ideas and share as a group. As a group, discuss the ideas and identify 2-3 that the group agrees and ask for a few volunteers to lead this effort.

www.satermanconnect.com Ideas for Celebrating Black History Month Activities for Adults and ERGs Black History Month Quiz E RG Ideas: C elebrating Black History Month Black History Month at Work Honoring Black History Month at Work

Books to Explore His Truth is Marching On LGBTQ Authors The Warmth of Other Suns Historical Black Non-fiction The Autobiography of Malcolm X Books by Authors

Places to Visit to Commemorate Black Heritage Month International Coalition of the S ites of Conscience Kennedy Arts Center 23 Places to Visit 13 Destination for African-American History and Culture Eight Online Exhibits for Black History Month

Activities for Families, Kids, and Teachers Families and Kids: 20 Black History Month Activities for February and Beyond Children's books about black history 15 great movies for families to watch in honor of Black History Month 28 Recipes to honor Black History Month Teachers and Education: K-12th Grade Educational Information PBS Learning Media Learning Lab

www.satermanconnect.com Black History Month February 2021

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