Black Historical past Month has been acknowledged yearly since 1976. Whereas it’s vital to take this chance to look again and replicate in addition to have fun unimaginable milestones and victories, we don’t have to attend till February! Listed below are some Black Historical past Month info to share with children all yr spherical.
Plus, click on the button under to seize a free copy of our Black Historical past Month Info Google Slideshow to share along with your class.
Black Historical past Month Info for Children
1. Carter G. Woodson is the “Father of Black Historical past.”
The historian was the second Black pupil to graduate from Harvard College with a doctorate diploma. His unimaginable analysis led to the institution of Black Historical past Month in 1926. It later grew to become a nationally acknowledged annual occasion in 1976.
2. Black Historical past Month is in February in recognition of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
The month was chosen in recognition of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Through the Civil Struggle, Lincoln labored tirelessly to broaden the rights of Black Individuals. Douglass, a previously enslaved man, grew to become a pacesetter who fought to finish slavery through the abolitionist motion.
3. William Tucker was the primary Black individual born within the 13 colonies.
William Tucker was born in 1624 to indentured servants in Jamestown, Virginia. They had been among the many first group of Africans delivered to the colonies by Nice Britain.
4. The primary novel printed by a Black writer was printed in 1853.
William Wells Brown wrote “Clotel: or, The President’s Daughter“. He was a lecturer and abolitionist.
5. Claudette Colvin was the primary Black lady recognized to refuse to surrender her seat on a bus.
For those who’re on the lookout for Black Historical past Month info to shock your college students, do this one. Whereas Rosa Parks is usually given credit score for being the primary Black lady to refuse to surrender her seat on a bus, Claudette Colvin was truly arrested 9 months earlier for refusing to surrender her seat for white passengers.
6. Lucy Stanton was the primary Black lady to earn a four-year faculty diploma.
Stanton earned a literary diploma from Oberlin School in 1850.
7. Lucy Terry wrote the primary recognized poem by a Black American.
From a younger age, Lucy Terry lived in enslavement in Rhode Island. She was freed at age 26 when she married a free Black man. She penned “Bars Battle” in 1746.
8. Phillis Wheatley printed the primary ebook of poetry by a Black writer in 1773.
A household in Boston bought Wheatley, who was born in Gambia, when she was simply 7 years previous. She was emancipated shortly after releasing Poems on Numerous Topics, Spiritual and Ethical.
9. Nat King Cole was the primary Black American to host a tv present.
The beloved jazz pianist and singer hosted The Nat King Cole Present on NBC in 1956.
10. Hattie McDaniel was the primary Black individual to win an Oscar.
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel took residence the Academy Award for her supporting function in Gone With the Wind. It took 24 extra years for Sidney Poitier to turn into the primary Black man to win the Greatest Actor award (for Lilies of the Discipline), and 62 years for Halle Berry to win the Greatest Actress prize (for Monster’s Ball).
11. Within the early 1770s, Quakers created the primary public faculty for Black kids.
Anthony Benezet based the college. He was a white Quaker, educator, and abolitionist.
12. Thurgood Marshall was the primary Black justice to serve within the U.S. Supreme Court docket.
The longtime lawyer was formally nominated in 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Marshall served till 1991.
13. Barack Obama was the primary Black president of the US.
The lawyer and former senator was first elected in 2008.
14. Kamala Harris is the primary Black vp of the US.
When she took workplace in 2021, Harris grew to become the primary lady and first individual of African or Asian descent to step into the function of vp. Her father immigrated from Jamaica and her mom immigrated from India.
15. “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang was the primary commercially profitable rap file.
The bottom-breaking tune was produced by “Hip Hop’s First Godmother,” Sylvia Robinson. Alongside together with her husband, Robinson co-owned Sugar Hill Data. It was the primary hip-hop music label.
16. Stevie Surprise was the primary Black artist to win a Grammy Award for Album of the 12 months.
Not solely did he win for his 1973 masterpiece Innervisions, however he went on to turn into the primary and solely musician to take residence the prize three years in a row!
17. Bryant Gumbel was the primary Black individual to host a morning present.
The printed journalist joined NBC’s As we speak present in 1981.
18. John Taylor was the primary Black athlete to win a gold medal on the Olympics.
Taylor received the 4 x 400-meter relay in 1908. It took 40 years, however Alice Coachman grew to become the first Black lady to win gold after dominating the excessive leap.
19. Madam C.J. Walker was the primary Black feminine self-made millionaire.
Walker created a line of hair-care merchandise for Black girls. The Netflix sequence Self Made tells her superb story.
20. Robert Johnson was the primary Black billionaire.
He based Black Leisure Tv (BET) and amassed a fortune when he offered it in 2001.
21. Althea Gibson was the primary Black tennis participant to win a Grand Slam.
Gibson received her first in 1956 and went on to win one other 11 Grand Slam tournaments all through her profession.
22. George Washington Carver’s work led to greater than 500 merchandise created from peanuts and candy potatoes.
The agricultural scientist promoted crops various to cotton and his analysis vastly contributed to the financial development of the agricultural South. He additionally invented strategies to keep away from soil depletion.
23. Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall had been the primary Black athletes to play within the NFL.
The soccer gamers joined in 1920. Later, Pollard would go on to turn into the NFL’s first Black coach.
24. Sheryl Swoopes was the primary participant to signal with the WNBA.
The star athlete joined in 1996, and the league debuted the next yr.
25. Gabby Douglas made historical past on the 2012 London Olympics.
The gymnast grew to become the primary Black lady to win the Particular person All-Round title.
26. Septima Poinsette Clark helped discovered almost 1,000 citizenship faculties.
The efforts by the civil rights activist and campaigner helped Blacks register to vote.
27. The primary Black-owned newspaper was printed in 1827.
Freedom’s Journal, printed in New York Metropolis, was the primary Black-owned and -operated newspaper in the US. It offered a platform to counter racist narratives and advocate for abolition and civil rights.
28. Mae Jemison was the primary Black lady to journey to house.
In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison made historical past aboard the Area Shuttle Endeavour. She can be a doctor, engineer, and advocate for STEM training.
29. Bass Reeves, the primary Black deputy U.S. marshal, might have been the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.
Whereas it can’t be confirmed conclusively, many consider Reeves to be the inspiration for the well-known character. Born into slavery, he grew to become a legendary lawman within the Outdated West, capturing greater than 3,000 fugitives throughout his profession.
30. The primary Black-owned hospital opened in 1891.
Provident Hospital in Chicago was based by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who additionally carried out one of many first profitable open-heart surgical procedures.
31. Oscar Micheaux was the primary Black filmmaker to supply a feature-length movie.
Micheaux launched The Homesteader in 1919, paving the way in which for Black voices in cinema.
32. Henrietta Lacks’ cells revolutionized drugs.
In 1951, cells taken from Henrietta Lacks with out her information grew to become the first immortal human cells. Generally known as HeLa cells, they’ve been instrumental in medical analysis, together with the event of vaccines and most cancers therapies.
33. Marian Anderson was the primary Black singer to carry out a number one function on the Metropolitan Opera.
In 1955, Anderson broke boundaries in classical music by showing on the Met stage, changing into a logo of progress through the Civil Rights Motion.
34. Early Black inventors held greater than 50,000 patents in the US.
Within the interval from 1870 to 1940, “Black folks accounted for extra innovations throughout this era than immigrants from each nation besides England and Germany.” Improvements just like the site visitors mild (Garrett Morgan), fashionable refrigeration (Frederick McKinley Jones), and automated elevator doorways (Alexander Miles) had been created by Black inventors.
35. Shirley Chisholm was the primary Black lady to run for president.
In 1972, Chisholm campaigned for the Democratic nomination, making historical past as a trailblazer for ladies and other people of colour in politics.
36. The Black Lives Matter motion was based by three girls.
Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi began the worldwide motion in 2013 to fight systemic racism and violence in opposition to Black communities.
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