Black History Month is the annual celebration of achievements accomplished by African Americans over the years. In February, many African Americans are celebrated in result of their importance to their race. They may have accomplished anything from a writing or speech, to accomplishing a goal and winning an award. Black History Month started in 1915, after the Thirteenth Amendment was passed, abolishing slavery in the United States. The men and women celebrated on this day, have contributed in change to the United States through politics, law, sports, art, entertainment, science, and many more. The goal of Black History Month is to enlighten the accomplishments made by African Americans, that in result, affected their entire race for the years …show more content…
Smiley group up in Bunker Hill, Indiana, with his single mother. He lived in poverty, and had a troubled childhood. He attended High School in Bunker Hill, where he got involved in debate and student government. Smiley furthered his education at Indiana University to study public affairs. He left the university to work for Tom Bradley, but returned to finish in 2003. Smiley began his career when he appeared on The Tom Joyner Morning Show. After being featured on the show, he then created his own program on Black Entertainment Television. In the following years, he broadcasted on television channels such as ABC, CNN, and spoke on National Public Radio. Smiley won awards such as NAACP Image Award, Fifty Most Promising Young Leaders, List of Fifty Future Leaders, and Best News, Talk or Information Series. Smiley spoke ambition while engaging whites and blacks of issues with their race. He was an influential speaker that represented the African American Race, which as a result, he is celebrated through Black History …show more content…
He was the youngest of five children raised in Dallas, Texas. His parents were school teachers and truck drivers. Johnson began finding interest in running around the age of 10. He attended Skyline High School and later Baylor University. While at Baylor, Johnson won awards for sprints and relays while setting a school record. As a result of his success, he began preparing for the Olympics. He was presented with some trouble when he stress fractured his left fibula. He withdrew from most events, but ranked highly in the ones he completed. Johnson graduated from Baylor in 1990. He earned a business degree. Additionally, he ranked number one in the 200m and the 400m, worldly. In his professional career, he won many World Championships. He was preparing to take on the Olympics when he attained food poisoning. He lost his strength and his body weight. At the Olympic Trials, Johnson failed to win the 200m, but he pushed through and won a gold medal in the 4X400m relay while setting a new world record. In the Olympic Games of 1996, Johnson beat his own personal record in the 200m category in Atlanta. He also set a new Olympic record in the 400m category. He became the first sprinter to ever win both events. He then wrote a motivational book called Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats. This novel told as a result of his achievements. In 2000, Johnson ran the 400m at the Olympics in Sydney. He became the
We saw the Thirteenth Amendment occur to abolish slavery. We also saw the Civil Rights Acts which gave full citizenship, as well as the prohibiting the denial of due process, etc. Having the civil rights laws enabled African Americans to new freedoms which they did not used to have. There was positive change occurring in the lives of African Americans. However, there was still a fight to suppress African Americans and maintain the racial hierarchy by poll taxes and lengthy and expensive court proceedings. Sadly, this is when Jim Crow laws appeared. During this time African Americans were losing their stride, there was an increase in prison populations and convict labor, and the convicts were
Emmett Till Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy visiting Money,Mississippi from Chicago, Illinois in 1955. He whistled, flirted, and touched a white woman who was working at a store where Emmett Till was purchasing bubble gum. A day later Till was abducted at gunpoint from his great uncle’s house. 3 days after that Till’s body was found, unrecognizable other than a ring he had on. He was unprepared for the intense segregation of Mississippi.
Most public schools in the United States kept it simple and straight to the point. They taught, what we know as, “Black History” from the media’s standpoint. This concept neglects the true meaning of black history in the educational system, making it hard for African Americans to be prideful in who they are. Knowing history other than what the school systems tells us African Americans would not only give us more knowledge, but would allow us to stand up against others when try to put down our history. Media gives us mainly negative perspectives with very little positives of our
It is impossible for anyone to survive a horrible event in their life without a relationship to have to keep them alive. The connection and emotional bond between the person suffering and the other is sometimes all they need to survive. On the other hand, not having anyone to believe in can make death appear easier than life allowing the person to give up instead of fighting for survival. In The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Aminata Diallo survives her course through slavery by remembering her family and the friends that she makes. Aminata is taught by her mother, Sira to deliver babies in the villages of her homeland. This skill proves to be very valuable to Aminata as it helps her deliver her friends babies and create a source of income. Aminata’s father taught Aminata to write small words in the dirt when she was small. Throughout the rest of the novel, Aminata carries this love for learning new things to the places that she travels and it inspires her to accept the opportunities given to her to learn how to write, read maps, and perform accounting duties. Early in the novel Aminata meets Chekura and they establish a strong relationship. Eventually they get married but they are separated numerous times after. Aminata continuously remembers and holds onto her times with Chekura amidst all of her troubles. CHILDREN. The only reason why Aminata Diallo does not die during her journey into and out of slavery is because she believes strongly in her parents, husband and children; therefore proving that people survive hardships only when they have relationships in which to believe.
freedom of the slaves as a great new opportunity for the black community and United States.
Kwanzaa is not a religious, political or heroic celebration rather a cultural one. It begins the day after Christmas and runs until January 1st. At the time of it's inception, Blacks were beginning to question the American culture around them and how they were reflected in it. One of the most glaring and incongruous reflections was in the Christmas holiday season. The mass commercialism of the season placed a hardship on poorer Americans, of which Blacks were a high percentage. Also all the trappings of the Christmas season reflected the dominant society, i.e. no Black Barbie dolls, few black or ...
As an African American, I am delighted to see my history acknowledged but when information is not being broaden and explained correctly people are still left ignorant. If Black History Month is going to be celebrated, then present it the right way. It doesn’t have to always be about killing, depression, and what occurred fifty years ago. African Americans should continue to update their presentations on black achievements every year. Something fresh and new needs to be displayed instead of the same people and situations year after year.
...ca in African American college students helped lead to the formation of Black History Month. The increase of younger activists allowed the ASALH to cultivate into a more modern association. Fifty years after the first celebration, the ASALH was able to develop the week long celebration of Negro Achievement Week into Black History Month. Every president since 1976 has made some sort of endorsement of Black History Month.
Black Press Day, otherwise known as Freedom’s Journal, was the anniversary of the founding of the first black newspaper in the US. It was established the same year that slavery was abolished in New York State. It changed African Americans forever or colored people. Black Press day is Freedom's Journal, the paper that serves to counter racist commentary published in the mainstream press. It also provided its readers with regional, national, and international news and with news that could serve to both entertain and educate.
The concept of black liberation theology is a concept that requires us to scratch away at the surface of religion to uncover a new and radical approach to understanding faith and doctrine in the face of a legacy of oppression, persecution and white dominance over the black community; whilst forcing us to look at history, politics and religion all in the same sphere to grasp the fundamental question on what it means to be black and have a relationship with God. It is in itself a growing movement that is attempting to break away from the shackles of white supremacy towards a notion of religious freedom that is both tangible and metaphorical, whilst reinforcing that although we live in a modern age where the law tells us that that we are all
This is because the entire history of the black population is taught to the children in this month implying that all the achievements made by blacks are so little that they can be analyzed in a month. The other reason why the Black History Month shows racism is the idea that it was fixed in the shortest month of the year to further show how few the accomplishments made by blacks are. Since the accomplishments made by the blacks are only taught during this month, it shows that the teachers would not have to bother themselves with it any other time throughout the year making it significantly easy for the students to forget it as well as the accomplishments made by the black people. In addition, racism is also seen in this because there is no white history month. This can be used to show that the whites’ accomplishments are so many that they are celebrated all year round.
Black history month is an observance in the United States that is celebrated in the month of February to remember all of the important African Americans in history. This observance is still celebrated annually and brings forth a debatable question such as is there still a need to celebrate black history month. I strongly believe that Black history month still should be celebrated for several reasons one being that children need to know how African Americans contributed to society. Young African American children need to know their ethnicity background. The legendary icons who fought for whom was considered “colored” people need to be acknowledged. If were not for them the children in today's society would still be faced to deal with segregation. They need to have an understanding of what our ancestors and important African Americans had to go through to get us where we are today. We should celebrate black history month because it represents African Americans as a whole. By celebrating this month it shows that we fought for our rights and never gave up. It shows that we went through ...
Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a scholar known as the Father of Negro History, started the celebration of Black accomplishments and contributions. Negro History Week in the 1920’s was a victory for Black Americans, because we were still suffering from the infringements of slavery and trying to gain a sense of identity as human beings and as a group of people with a history and a culture. Similarly, Black History Month was sensible in the 1960’s, because Black Americans had a sense of nationalistic pride that influence ou...
Of course, we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold, which will take more than a month to learn about. The Fight for Freedom and Rights When Afro-American’s came to America in hopes of having a better and easier way of life, and after they arrived, it was a total opposite of what they expected. The following are a couple events that took place in different locations for the fight for freedom and rights. The first was Bloody Sunday which took place in Selma, Alabama. This particular event was the march of black activists from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
It wasn’t easy being an African American, back then they had to fight in order to achieve where they are today, from slavery and discrimination, there was a very slim chance of hope for freedom or even citizenship. This longing for hope began to shift around the 1950’s. During the Civil Rights Movement, where discrimination still took place, it was the time when African Americans started to defend their rights and honor to become freemen like every other citizen of the United States. African Americans were beginning to gain recognition after the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, which declared all people born natural in the United States and included the slaves that were previously declared free. However, this didn’t prevent the people from disputing against the constitutional law, especially the people in the South who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of integration in white schools....