Black History Month

Hello Everyone,

February is a special month. Valentine’s day is coming up and I am over the moon excited. But February is also Black History Month. Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. There are several African Americans, who have made a great influence in the lives of people and have inspired me. The list is very long but I would like to honor some great heroes, who have fought against slavery and racism.

I want to start with history of slavery. Slavery was widespread in the ancient world found in almost every other ancient civilization such as the Roman Empire. It became less common throughout Europe during the Early Middle Ages, although it continued to be practiced in some areas. In Africa, most slaves were from Sierra Leone, and were brought to America centuries ago. The arrival of the first captives to the Jamestown Colony, in 1619, is often seen as the beginning of slavery in America—but enslaved Africans arrived in North America as early as the 1500s. It was abolished with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in December, 1865. However, segregation was another challenge in america after slavery was abolished. Racial segregation in the United States was the segregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation in the United States along racial lines. on May 17, 1954, the U.S. The Supreme Court declared that segregated schools were unconstitutional.In this war against slavery and segregation, there were many brave Americans who had sacrificed their lives.

Frederick Douglass:

Last week, in English class, when we started our nonfiction unit, I got to learn more about Frederick Douglass by reading, Who Was Frederick Douglass by April Jones Prince. I found his life journey from a slave to activist very inspirational.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, was born on February 14th  1818 in Maryland. He was born as a slave as his parents were slaves. In those days, many black people were enslaved. His whole family had to work very hard for their masters. So he lived with his grandmother until he was ready to work as a slave.  Soon he realized that  life as a slave was unfair. He had no food to eat, he could not get educated and was spanked often.. From one master to another master, he worked finally for Mr and Mrs Auld. Mrs Auld was nice and never had a slave before. She taught him to read, gave him food to eat and a nice bed to sleep.After Mr Auld found out what Mrs Auld was doing, he demanded her to be more meaner to Frederick. Frederick was very obedient to his masters. At times when Frederick had no food to eat, he would snuck outside so he could teach boys his age to read and they would give him bread in exchange . He worked for many masters until he was in his teens,when  he planned to escape with some others of his age. But he got caught and had to work in the farms. He taught himself to read and write during this time. Later, he also taught other enslavers to read and write. After many failed attempts, he finally managed to escape to New York where he met activists who were working against slavery.Frederick later created a team and also started ‘North Star newsletter’.  Soon in New York, he married Anna Murray and had five children. Frederick fought very hard to end slavery with the help of many others.As time passed by,Frederick became very ill and passed away because of heart failure on  February 20, 1895 (aged 77).We cannot forget the life of Frederick Douglass, the father of the civil rights movement. 

Rosa Parks:

 Let’s talk about Rosa Parks,who was born on February 4,1913.if she was alive , she would have been 108 years old this month.So to honor her life I will share a story about this brave African American woman who refused to give up her seat to a white person during the time of segregation. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an american activist in the civil rights movement known as the Montgomery bus boycott. She was jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man, a violation of the city’s racial segregation laws. Parks was in the first row of the black section when the white driver demanded that she give up her seat to a white man. She fought against segregation. She worked with Martin Luther King as well. She died on October 24,2005.

The United States Congress has called her “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”.

Martin Luther King Jr::

  Martin Luther King Jr was born on January 15 1929, in Atlanta. King grew up as a religious and a very smart person. He was a pastor at a black church for a part time job.  Segregation was a serious problem back in those days .When Martin was young, he had a white friend but his friend’s parents said that they can’t be friends as Martin was a bad influence. Public places including schools, parks and restaurants were separated based on the race. Black people were mistreated. King was a good student and graduated high school at the young age of 15. King graduated from Morehouse university.  Growing up, King was extremely disappointed about the differences between blacks and Whites. King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and his non violence activism. King went to peaceful protests to fight for voting rights, desegregation and labor rights. King led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  In 1953, he married Coretta Scott King and had four kids,  Martin Luther King III, Yolanda King, Dexter King, and Bernice King. 

King wished to end the racism and segregation in the country. So he planned to organize a peaceful rally where he gave his famous speech of the “I have a dream” .On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., delivered this speech to a large groups of people around the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC.He spoke about Black kids and White kids and all people to join hands together and make peace. He highlighted that color doesn’t matter. Several people from all over the country came to listen to the speech and King was so happy that his efforts were getting successful . He received many awards including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.People  who disagreed with King were sending him death threats. The world  will never forget what happened on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, as on this  dark day, Martin Luther King was assassinated.

His birthday is celebrated as Martin Luther King Day in January every year.

Harriet Tubman:

 Harriet Tubman ( born Araminta Ross)  was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, it was not fun for Tubman as she worked so hard day and night. Tubman was often beaten by her various masters as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which occurred throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman began experiencing strange visions and vivid dreams, which she saw visions of god. Which led her to being religious. In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after.when the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. Around 1844, she married a free Black man named John Tubman. Harriet then joined the underground railroad trying to escape slavery. Harriet welcomed several people into her home, even raising money for schools for black children. Harriet died in1913 but we will always remember her courageous journey of the Underground Railroad and her contribution to end slavery.

Fun facts:

•  President Joe Biden is trying to accelerate the process of adding abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s face to the $20 bill. In 2016, the U.S. The Treasury Department had announced that Harriet Tubman will appear on a new $20 bill. 

• Known as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet earned the nickname “Moses” after the prophet Moses in the Bible who led his people to freedom.  In all of her journeys she “never lost a single passenger.”
• Harriet Tubman was enslaved, escaped, and helped others gain their freedom as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad

Although slavery and segregation has ended, it is unfortunate that racism still exists. We need to work together to end racism. On this special occasion of Black history month, I dedicate this blog to honor our heroes who have fought against slavery,segregation and racism. I am deeply inspired by their  bravery,sacrifices and the words of wisdom. 

To learn more about the famous  inspirational people,I recommend reading Who was…?’ book series. The small books of this series have everything you need to know, in easy language.

Credit: Wikipedia, google, who was? Book series