To most, February is best known for Valentine’s day. Which I am a major fan of! But another reason Feburaury should be better known for is Black History Month. Some possible well known history makers that come to mind are Dr. MLK, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, or Malcolm X. I would like to highlight the historians that aren’t so well known. Some the following people I was priorly familiar with and others I enjoyed learning about for the first time. Black History Month was founded in 1926 with the purpose of acquiring a proper presence in history books. The movement owes crdit to the founder, Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Huey Newton
Founder of the radical Black Panthers party, they were both respected and feared for their militant inspired force. Newton was a graduate from UC Santa Cruz and also earned his doctorate in social philosophy. He also studied the ideas of Malcolm X and Marx. After meeting Bobby Steale, they founded their group together. Newton was gunned down in 1989 following a dispute with a drug dealer.
Langston Hughes
Best known for his connection to the Harlem Renaissance. A movement known for blossoming the growth of African American literature. Hughes wrote over 36 novels during his lifetime. His work was divided amongst poetry, newspaper columns, plays and books. He also published two personal memoirs in his lifetime. Hughes died in 1967 due to heart failure.
Coretta Scott King
The wife of Dr. MLK made her own impact as well. She studied voice at the New England Conservatory of Music. After her husband’s assassination, she founded the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. She also helped create the national holiday of MLK day in her husband’s honor. There is also an annual award in her honor awarded to children’s book authors of African American descent. Scott King died in 2006 from ovarian cancer.
Mary McLeod Bethune
A very strong believer and activist for education. She served as an unofficial consultant to both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. She founded Florida Dayton Normal School and Industrial Institution for girls. Later merging with Cookman Institute, becoming Bethune Cookman College, an all African American college that is still endures today. She also served as an advisor to the UN. Bethune died in 1955 of a heart attack.