Olivia is an elementary school student at the White River Valley School, Bethel Campus. To celebrate Black History Month, Olivia asked permission to share information during morning announcements. She spent hours researching facts and recruited a group of friends and teachers to join her in reading the facts over the month. Thank you, Olivia, for reminding us about the importance of facts and the history of our country. May we all remember the incredible contribution of African Americans to our history every day, and work towards equity and justice for all.
Olivia’s Black History Month Facts
1. Despite a difficult history, Black people have still managed to overcome and make countless contributions our culture. There are classic books, beauty brands, musicians, athletes, poets and Black Girl Magic (think Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, and Beyonce).
2. Most people think of Rosa Parks as the first person to refuse to give up their seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. There were actually several women who came before her; one of whom was Claudette Colvin. It was March 2, 1955, when the fifteen-year-old schoolgirl refused to move to the back of the bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ stand that launched the Montgomery bus boycott. Claudette Colvin’s stand didn’t stop there. She was arrested and thrown in jail. Later she was one of four women who challenged the segregation law in court that successfully overturned bus segregation laws Alabama.
3. Did you know that the most famous parts of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech were unplanned? As he stood at the podium in front of 250,000 people, he pushed his notes aside. The original speech was more political and it did not include any reference to dreams. His improvised speech given on that hot August day in 1963 was not considered a success immediately. But today it is recognized as one of the greatest speeches in American history.
4. Quakers, also known as “The Society of Friends,” have a long history of standing up against slavery. In 1688 a group of “Friends” protested the slave trade as a grave injustice against their fellow man and used the Golden Rule to argue against such inhumane treatment; regardless of skin color, “we should do unto others as we would have done onto ourselves.”
5. Did you know that one in four cowboys was black, despite the stories told in popular stories and movies? In fact, it's believed that the real “Lone Ranger” was inspired by an African American man named Bass Reeves. Reeves had been born a slave but escaped West during the Civil War where he lived in what was then known as Indian Territory. He eventually became a Deputy U.S. Marshal, was a master of disguise, an expert marksman, had a Native American companion, and rode a silver horse.
6. The cartoon character Betty Boop was inspired by a Black jazz singer in Harlem named Esther Jones. Esther never received any payment for the character made after her. Sadly, she never had mainstream fame and she died unknown. But a piece of her lives on in the iconic character Betty Boop.
7. The first licensed African American Female pilot was named Bessie Coleman. Born in Texas in 1892, Bessie Coleman grew up in a world of harsh poverty, discrimination and segregation. Wild tales of flying adventures from returning WWI soldiers first inspired her to explore flying, but she faced a double stigma in that dream being both African American and a woman.
In America she was not allowed to learn to fly. So she saved all her money and in 1920, she crossed the ocean and got her pilot's license in France. When she came home, Coleman performed at many airshows, performing heart thrilling stunts and encouraging other African Americans to pursue flying. She refused to perform where Black People were not admitted.
8. Interracial marriage in the United States was banned in the United States until 1967. In 1967 the Supreme Court ruled that banning marriage between white and black people was unconstitutional. In 2000, Alabama became the last state to officially legalize interracial marriage.
9. In 1992 when the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on its second mission, it carried the first African American woman into space. But Mae Jemison is more than an astronaut — she's also a physician, a Peace Corps volunteer, a teacher, and founder and president of two technology companies. In addition to English, she speaks Russian, Japanese and Swahili. After retiring from NASA she became a teacher at Dartmouth College, just down the road from us!
10. White families hold 90% of the national wealth and black families hold 2.6%. Not only that, the Great Recession hit minority families particularly hard and the wealth gap has increased. Think about this: for every $100 white families earn in income, black families earn just $57. That’s almost unbelievable—and it’s a huge racial-justice issue.
11. The unemployment rate for black people is twice that of white people. According to the data, black people with college degrees are twice as likely to be unemployed as all other graduates. That may be because job applicants with white-sounding names get called back about 50% more of the time than applicants with black-sounding names, even when they have identical resumes.
12. Even though Black people make up 13% of the population, they represent about 40% of the prison population. Why is that? Perhaps because if a black person and a white person each commit the same crime, the black person has a better chance of being arrested. It’s also true that, once arrested, black people are convicted more often than white people.
13. Black history didn’t begin or end with slavery. Africa is a vast, diverse continent with long, complex history. For example, did you know that the Mali Empire, was one of the world’s most powerful in the 14th century? It’s is said to be the richest person in ALL of history? The Kingdom of Aksum, located in what is now Ethiopia, is considered one of the most powerful in history—a rival to the Greek and Roman empires. In addition to the trade of valuable resources, a number of African empires gave the world unique art, mathematical and technological innovation, and academic scholarship.
14. The media focused on the Black Panthers for their Afros, dark apparel, and willingness for self-defense. What is less known but more important was work for to launch programs that benefited Black communities nationwide, like free dental care, breakfast for low-income children, even drama classes.
15. Before he was a blockbuster actor, Will Smith was a rapper. He and his partner Jazzy Jeff, won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance. They boycotted the awards because the category was barred from television.
16. Architect Paul Williams mastered the art of drawing upside down so that he could sit across from — not next to — white clients who didn’t want to sit side-by-side with a Black person.
17. Athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith made history — and headlines — when they raised their black-gloved fists on the awards stand at the 1968 Olympics. Both also wore Black socks and no shoes on the podium, representing Black poverty in America.
18. After retiring from baseball, Jackie Robinson helped establish the African-American owned and controlled Freedom Bank.