On my social media page, I have been posting photographs and short biographies of African-American men and women who have made significant contributions to the United States.
”Why,” one person asked me, “are you doing this? Because it’s Black History Month?”
Well, yes. That, and the fact that most white Americans, and, I suspect, a fairly large number of black Americans are unaware that so many black men and women have earned a place in history.
If you ask a white person about the subject, the name Martin Luther King, Jr., surfaces rather quickly. Then, naturally, there’s Barack and Michelle Obama. And after that?
Truthfully, there’s some hemming and hawing and, finally, some sports heroes are usually next on the list. Think this is an error? Then, quickly, without pondering, name 10 black men or women, other than athletes, actors, or musicians/singers, who have impacted our society in a positive way.
Not that athletes, actors, or musicians/singers are not important. But these are all entertainers. Their job is to amuse, engage, or thrill their audiences. That’s not the kind of contributions that normally find their way into the history books.
Have you ever heard of Dr. Charles Drew? Charles Richard Drew was an African-American physician, surgeon, and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge to developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II. It is impossible to say how many thousands of lives were saved as a result of his work.
Or how about Dr. Mildred Jefferson — the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and a lifelong pro-life activist. Born to a Methodist minister in east Texas, Jefferson earned degrees from Texas College and Tufts University before graduating from Harvard in 1951. A surgical internship at Boston City Hospital eventually led to another trailblazing accomplishment: becoming the first female doctor at the former Boston University Medical Center.
Jefferson’s involvement in the pro-life movement was prompted in the 1970s by a resolution passed by the American Medical Association allowing members to perform abortions if the procedure was legal in their states. She helped to found the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and served as its president for three years, along with serving in several other pro-life groups.
Robert Smalls was an African-American born into slavery in Beaufort, S.C., but during and after the American Civil War, he became a ship’s pilot, sea captain, and politician.
He freed himself, his crew, and their families from slavery on May 13, 1862, when he led an uprising aboard a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, and sailed it north to freedom. His feat successfully helped persuade President Abraham Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.
Born to sharecroppers on a farm in Nanjemoy, Md., Matthew Alexander Henson became the first African-American Arctic explorer, and is credited by many as the first man to reach the North Pole, in 1909. Henson was an associate of the American explorer Robert Peary on seven voyages over a period of nearly 23 years. Henson served as a navigator and craftsman, traded with Inuit and learned their language. He was known as Peary’s “first man” when it came to tackling the arduous expeditions.
Ever heard of any of the above Americans? But this is only a sampling of the innumerable black Americans who have enhanced and enriched this nation. And, so, I post. For generations, Americans have been unaware of how much African Americans have contributed to this society. It’s long past time that situation was rectified.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Sharpsburg, GA (www.ctkcec.org). He is the bishop of the Mid-South Diocese which consists of Georgia and Tennessee (www.midsouthdiocese.org). The information for this article was gleaned from a number of sources. Epps may contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org.]
