*This article is a 5 minute read
African Americans have made innovative contributions in every field from science, technology, and medicine, to the arts, sports, and so much more. Black History is a part of American History. It's important to teach children lessons about abolitionists like Frederick Douglass along with studying Abraham Lincoln (both men worked together to abolish slavery). Lessons about artists like Romare Bearden along with lessons about Norman Rockwell. I have compiled a list of eleven African Americans who aren't as recognized as Harriet Tubman, or Booker T. Washington, but they are worth knowing.
Let Me Introduce You To 11 Notable African Americans
Leland Melvin NASA Astronaut Born 1964-
Leland Melvin is an incredible human being period. Melvin is an American engineer and a retired NASAastronaut. He served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on STS-122, and as mission specialist 1 on STS-129. Melvin was named the NASA Associate Administrator for Education in October 2010. Melvin is one of the few lucky people to have ventured to space and he also played professional football for the Detroit Lyons and the Dallas Cowboys. Recently my son participated in a Varsity Tutors online class-Exploring Space with Leland Melvin. Melvin was one of the most engaging speakers we had ever heard. We now have a new role model!
Click Here For A Read Aloud About Leland Melvin.
Katherine Johnson NASA Mathematician 1918-2020
Katherine Johnson was an African American mathematician who worked at NASA for thirty years. Her calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. Johnson's work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit, and rendezvous paths for the ApolloLunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a mission to Mars. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Several books have been written about Ms. Johnson. Recently I read a wonderful book with my son, "Counting The Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson Mathematician."
Faith Ringgold Artist/Author Born 1930-
Faith Ringgold is an American artist who uses a variety of mediums to tell the story of African Americans in her artwork. She uses masks, quilts, and dolls, in addition to canvases to paint stories. Her influences are African art, and her own life experiences growing up in Harlem. I discovered Faith Ringgold after seeing a Scholastic DVD- "Faith Ringgold Getting to Know The Worlds Greatest Artists." Ringgold has written several children's books including Tar Beach, and Cassies Word Quilt.
Jesse Owens Olympic Gold Medalist Track & Field 1913-1980
JesseOwens was an American track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist in the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history". He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black man, was credited with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy",
Benjamin Holmes 1846-1875
Benjamin Holmes was born a slave around 1846 in Charleston, South Carolina and bound as an apprentice to a black tailor.As a child, he taught himself how to read and write by studying street signs. As a young boy, Holmes read the newspaper headlines of Emancipation Proclamation while being held in a slave prison as a child. He informed the other slaves that they were finally free. His story was chronicled in the children's book which I highly recommend reading to your child, "Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation" by Pat Sherman. He later became a teacher, journalist, and sang with The Fisk Jubilee Singers performing Negro Spirituals internationally, educating other countries on the plight of African Americans during slavery and reconstruction. Holmes achieved success in his short life, but unfortunately he died of consumption at twenty-eight years of age.
Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Singer 1917-1996
Ella Fitzgerald was one of America's greatest jazz singers. She won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. She worked with every jazz legend in history. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
Bessie Coleman Aviator 1892-1926
Bessie Coleman was the first licensed Black pilot in the world, Coleman wasn’t recognized as a pioneer in aviation until after her death. Since flight schools did not allow black students, Coleman went to flight school in France in 1919. I learned about Bessie Coleman after reading the book, "Bessie Coleman Trailblazing Pilot" with my son. I am astonished to learn about the perseverance of African Americans to pursue their dreams in spite as such obstacles as segregation. Their dedication is truly something to behold.
Alvin Ailey Choreographer 1931-1989
Alvin Ailey founded The American Dance Theater in 1958, a multiracial troupe that provided a platform for talented Black dancers and traveled internationally. His most popular piece, "Revelations," is an ode to the Southern Black Church. Ailey died of an AIDS-related illness at 58, but the company still exists today in New York City.
Charles McGee served in World War Two fighting in 130 combat missions, and had a lengthy military career that spanned from WW2, the Korean war, to the Vietnam war. In a 2020 State of The Union Address, McGee was promoted to Brigadier General by the president. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II. Their impressive performance earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and helped encourage the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces.
Jean Michele Basquiat Artist 1960-1988
Basquiat's art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation. He used poetry, drawing, and painting in his work. Basquiat used social commentary to criticize colonialism and show his support for class struggle. Radiant Child The Story of Young Artist Jean Michele Basquiat is a fantastic book which introduces young audiences to his art through fabulous illustrations, and the story of his life. Try This Fun Craft-Make a Basquiat Crown with Your Kids!
Scott Joplin American Composer 1868-1917
You know his music, but maybe not his name. Teach your kids about composer and pianist Scott Joplin. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions and was dubbed the King of Ragtime. During his brief career, he wrote over 100 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag. I recently discovered a great podcast for families Busy Kids Do Piano. They did a podcast about Joplin and it's a great black history music lesson for kids. Click Here To Listen To This Free Podcast.
This list is just a fraction of the many achievements African Americans have shared with humanity. You know the expression, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade." Well African Americans made soul food out of scraps of food that were handed down to them as slaves, jazz and blues which evolved into rock n roll, and so many other innovations we can't possibly list all of them in one article. This is a start, and hopefully a beginning to engage curious minds.
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