Meet Gladys West, a mathematician. Her work in satellite geodesy led to our modern GPS systems. She created precise mathematical models of Earth's shape and gravitational field that led to the accuracy of GPS.
Meet Guion "Guy" Bluford. He was the first Black American man to travel into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. He was an Air Force pilot and aerospace engineer. He was an inspiration to future scientists, engineers and astronauts.
Meet Nina Simone, a classically trained pianist, singer and songwriter. Her music was a voice for the Civil Rights Movement that expressed the anger, hope and resilience of African American people. She was known as the High Priestess of Soul.
Happy School Resource Officer Day!! We would like to thank Officer Alexander for keeping our school and our students safe!
Meet Mae Jemison, the first African American woman who orbited into space aboard the Endeavor. She is also a physician, teacher, Peace Corps volunteer and president of tech company The Jemison Group. She continues to work towards the advancement of young women of color.
Meet Ella Baker, a secretary and branch director for the NAACP, and co-founded a organthat raised money to fight Jim Crow laws. She was a key organizer for MLK, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, including the Student Nonviolent Leadership Coordinating Committee.
Meet Alvin Ailey, acclaimed dancer and choreographer of modern dance. He was a student and then director of Lester Horton Dance Theater. Later he started the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, a troupe of dancers traveling the world to perform. His most popular piece was "Revelations."
Meet Annie Turnbo Malone, a chemist and entrepreneur who developed a product to straighten African American hair without damage. She also created a line of haircare and beauty products, which she sold door to door with her assistants, one of whom was Madame CJ Walker.
Meet Gordon Parks, the most prolific photojournalist from the 1940s-1970s, capturing aspects of life like civil rights, poverty, and race relations. He was the first African American on the staff of LIFE magazine, and later co-founded Essence magazine.
Meet Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to desegregate an all-white Elementary School in Louisiana. She was six years old. Despite intimidation, she never missed a day of school. She has written 2 books and set up The Ruby Bridges Foundation. She is still an activist.
Meet Bayard Rustin. He was the organizer of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, working in the background. He also helped King found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Meet Ethel Waters. She began her entertainment business in 1920 as a blues singer. She was the first to integrate Broadway and became the highest-paid performer. The was the first African American to star in her own show, The Ethel Waters Show (1939), and a series, Beulah (1950).
Meet Maria P. Williams, the first Black woman to produce, write, and act in her own silent crime movie in 1923, The Flames of Wrath. She was also a teacher and activist and wrote a book in 1916, My Work and Public Sentiment.
Meet Alice Coachman, the first Black woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics. She set the record for the high jump at 5 ft. 6 1/8 in. In 1952 she became the first Black female athlete to endorse an international product: Coca-Cola.
Meet Don Cornelius, a distinct baritone, who was the creator of Soul Train. The show was picked up for national syndication in 1971 featuring performers like Gladys Knight & the Pips, Eddie Kendricks, Honey Cone & the Soul Train dancer. The show ran until 2006.
Meet Dorothy Height, the matriarch of the Civil Rights Movements. She has two degrees from NYU, worked for the NYC Welfare Dept. She worked with Eleanor Roosevelt, President Eisenhower and Martin Luther King, Jr. on civil rights issues facing men, women and children.
Meet Shirley Chisholm. She paved the way for African American women in government. She started as an educational consultant for NYC Bureau of Child Welfare. In 1968 she was became the first African American Congresswoman and served until 1983. She was "Unbought & Unbossed."
Meet Robert Sengestack Abbott. In 1905, he founded the Chicago Defender, a weekly newspaper. The paper encouraged African Americans to move south for better economic opportunities. The success of his newspaper made him one of the first African American self-made millionaires.
Happy African American History month! Meet Claudette Colvin. At 15 she refused to give up her seat on the bus (9 months before Rosa Parks), was arrested and became the main witness in Browder v. Gayle, ending segregation on public transportation.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Let us remember his fight and his sacrifice for civil rights, non-violence, and equality for all! What can we do today, and every day, to honor his legacy?
