Crowning moments: celebrating our achievements, both past and present."We are a black gold mine, and the key that unlocks the door to these vast riches is the knowledge of who we are--I mean, Who we really are. --Tony Brown What Mama Taught Me: Seven Core Values of Life Every year, when Black History Month swings around, eyes roll all across America. And they're not blue eyes Blue eyes are eyes that have blue irises (see eye color), and may also refer to:
We bemoan be·moan tr.v. be·moaned, be·moan·ing, be·moans 1. To express grief over; lament. 2. To express disapproval of or regret for; deplore: that we've been assigned the shortest month of the year. We carp about how, for four weeks, America acknowledges our contributions while spending the rest of the year trying to keep us down. But if Black History, our history, has shown us anything, it is that we can't be held down--not chained, tied, or pinned. As Maya Angelou  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled until (UTC) due to vandalism. said, we rise again and again and again. In truth, the primary thing keeping us down is our lack of knowledge about ourselves. So let's fix that--starting now. Celebrate this month in the most meaningful way possible, by committing to learning something new about our history. For instance, did you know that Elijah McCoy Elijah J. McCoy(May 2 1843[1] – October 10, 1929) was a Afro-Canadian inventor. McCoy had wanted to work as an engineer but was repeatedly frustrated in this goal due to racial discrimination. patented a mechanical lubricator for steam engines in 1872, vastly improving train safety and reducing the wear and tear of friction on all types of industrial machinery? Railroad workers were so impressed with his invention that they dubbed it "The Real McCoy Real McCoy, the probably originally McKay, a Scotch whisky; the term now alludes to the “first or best of its kind” or “the actual one.” [Pop. Culture: Payton, 409] See : Genuineness ," the standard to which 'all competitors were held. Lewis Latimer, the son of runaway slaves, became an electrical engineer and invented an inexpensive process for making light bulb filaments. He joined Thomas Edison's company, Edison Electric Light Co. in 1884, and became an integral part of its research team, Edison's Pioneers. A.G. Gaston, the 1992 BLACK ENTERPRISE entrepreneur of the century, started the Booker T. Washington Insurance Co. in Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham (pronounced [ˈbɝmɪŋˌhæm]) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County. , in 1932. The company bad been operating under the name Booker T. Washington Burial Society since 1923. Gaston eventually turned or controlled nine corporations, including construction, funeral, real estate, and investment companies. To learn inure To result; to take effect; to be of use, benefit, or advantage to an individual. For example, when a will makes the provision that all Personal Property is to inure to the benefit of a certain individual, such an individual is given the right to receive all the personal about his pursuits, read Black Titan: The Making of a Black American Millionaire (this issue). Garrett Morgan invented the first gas mask in 1912, a s well as the basis for the modern traffic signal in 1923, Marjorie Stewart Joyner became the first black woman to receive a patent--for her permanent hair wave machine--in 1926. So celebrate this month, inspired by the inventions of our people. Let these stories motivate you to higher ground. Black History Guides BOOKS African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. Inventors by Otha Richard Sullivan (John Wiley & Sons; $24.95) African Americans. Their Impact on U.S. History by Doris Hunter Metcalf (Good Apple; $19.99) WEBSITES Smithsonian Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History African American history is the portion of American history that specifically discusses the African American or Black American ethnic group in the United States. Most African Americans are the descendants of African slaves held in the United States from 1619 to 1865. and Culture. www.anacostia.si.edu The Encyclopedia Britannica Guide to Black History. Log on for a comprehensive look at black history. www.search.eb.com/blackhistory |
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