I grew up in a community, which was challenging to survive. My family was on welfare and struggled to pay bills. I often felt like I was an outcast and my appearance was the outsider icing on the cake. We lived in unsafe and unsatisfying homes, and I often witnessed my mother’s sadness and despair. It felt like this state was the norm because my other close family members, and many people in my community, lived in the same manner.
My mother was adamant about me being educated in hopes I would create a different life. Therefore, I went to school and did well with grades, but it was hard to reconcile why we were so challenged in life. My community talked about how hard it was to be black in America, but there was little or no conversation about our history and indeed no understanding of our culture’s history. African-American history was not taught in the schools, and no one had the time nor the energy to research the rich past preceding this moment.
In the 60’s I lived in New York, and like many other African Americans, I donned an afro and spoke up about black power. Today, I can see I really did not comprehend what I was fighting for because I had no sense of the fantastic nature and gifts of my people.
After the movie Roots debuted to much acclaim, my grandmother decided to create a family tree. She mapped us back as far as she could remember and then gave a copy to each family member. I was so grateful to have this document. It made me curious about the stories of African Americans. I started dabbling in learning about influential black people in America. It made me want to know more because until that moment all I knew was slave history and the anger we held at our treatment.
In the early 90s, I was in Seattle performing in a play, where I met a man who was passionate about black history and teaching our children how important we were to the world. He had created a calendar of historical black figures and their contributions. He gave them away as he spoke to schools and community centers in his spare time. He had done incredible research, and I was intrigued as he told me story after story of how our people contributed to this country. What happened next was such a gift.
This man inspired me. Thus, I began to read books and anthologies on our history. I listened to poets and began to attend plays about black history in America. I started to understand the power of knowledge in my growth and appreciation of who I am as a black woman. I became proud of my heritage, the shoulders on which I stand.
Recently, I was talking to the director of my social media team. We discussed the rich history of black women in America, and she shared an article posted by The Huffington Post entitled “35 Queens of Black History.” I am attaching the link here in case you are interested. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/28-queens-of-black-history-who-deserve-much-more-glory_us_56b25c02e4b01d80b244d968
Interesting Facts
Today, I still love learning new things about amazing black people. I am especially in awe of women who accomplished great things. Here are some facts you might not know. I found them very interesting as I was researching our history.
- Phyllis Wheatley was only 12 when she became the first female African American author published.
- Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar, was not allowed to attend Gone With the Wind‘s national premiere.
- Josephine Baker was a spy for the French during WWII.
- The ban on interracial marriage in the U.S. was overturned because of one couple in 1967. Mildred and Richard Loving. A major motion picture was made about their story two years ago entitled Loving.
- Matthew Henson was a vital member of the first successful expedition to the North Pole and made seven separate voyages to the Arctic.
- Madam C.J. Walker was an African American entrepreneur who became America’s first female self-made millionaire.
- Billie Holiday’s famous “Strange Fruit” was originally a poem written by a schoolteacher.
- Benjamin Banneker taught himself astronomy and math to become America’s “First Known African American Man of Science.”
I am telling you this because I want you to know you matter. Whether you are Black, White, Latino, Native American or any other race, your history matters. Your lineage matters! You are the product of ancestors who contributed, struggled, sacrificed and, in some cases, died to create the world we live in today. I know things are challenging in this world, yet I also believe we would feel more connected if we knew our own history and the history of others. Many more things connect us than divide us.
Have a blessed month. I invite you to take opportunities this month to investigate your heritage and maybe even become curious about the backgrounds of others. Learning about each other is a beautiful way to heal the world.
