Black History Facts were like the daily news in my household as a child. My minor in African American Studies makes so much sense now… Each year, my mom, Rene’, creates a family group chat to share facts in Feburary.

Here are the remaining black history facts. Digest, enjoy, and a special thanks to my amazing Mother/ featured writer!

2/14/23 – Sylvia Robinson

Billboard has called Sylvia Robinson “Hip-Hop’s First Godmother”, but she deserves much more credit for cultivating the music genre known as Rap. In 1979, she created the concept for the famous , historical song, “Rapper’s Delight” for The Sugarhill Gang.

2/15/23 – Beaumont, Texas Riots

In 1943, my hometown of Beaumont, Texas was placed under Martial Law due to race riots. The cause of the Beaumont Race Riot of 1943 was the alleged rape of a white woman by a black man. By the end of the violence, one black man and one white man were dead, 50 people injured and more than 200 people were arrested.

2/16/23 – Lunsford Richardson

The King that invented Vicks Vapor Rub! We applaud you!

2/17/23 – Jane Bolin

Jane was the first black woman to attend Yale Law School in 1931. In 1939, she became the first black female judge in the United States!

2/18/23 – The First Paramedics

The first paramedics in the U.S. were a team of Black Men who worked for the Freedom House Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh during the 1960s and 1970’s!

2/19/23 – Billie Holiday

Holiday became the first African American woman to work with an all-white band. One of her most famous songs, “Strange Fruit”, was based on horrific accounts of lynchings in the South. Scholars now consider it one of the first protest songs of the Civil Rights Movement.

2/20/23 – Red Fox

Foxx was one of the first black comics to play before white audiences on the Las Vegas Strip, becoming a regular act in Vegas. Read more about his incredible life, here.

2/21/23 – Bass Reeves

Bass Reeves was the first Black U.S Marshal and Cowboy! There is a movie about his incredible life, he had 11 children!

2/22/23 – Free School Lunches & The Black Panther Party

Unfortunately, if the Black Panther Party even makes it into a textbook, it is often demonized. However, most people are unaware that free school lunches are a result of party members preparing meals for free for black students in 1969. Shortly after The Black Panther Party‘s food initiative, the program was adopted nationwide.

2/23/23 – Sydney Barber

At only 21 years old, Sydnye Barber became the first United States Naval academy’s first African American woman brigade commander, leading over 4,000 midshipmen and a staff of 30 people.

2/24/23 – Gloria Richardson

Gloria became famous for the picture below, in which she grabs the barrel of a rifle pointed at her during a civil protest. But there was more to Gloria; she helped and founded the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, attended Howard University and worked with Dr. King and Malcom X.

2/25/23 – Sam Cooke

Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the “King of Soul” for his distinctive vocals, notable contributions to the genre and significance in popular music.

The circumstances of his death have always been questioned, and I find the details to be particularly unsettling. However, if you’d like to dig into the rabbit hole, you can start here…

2/26/23 – Malcom X

American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. This legend needs an entire blog post for himself.

2/27/23 – Dr. Alexa Canady

Alexa Irene Canady had almost dropped out of college as an undergraduate, but after recovering her self-confidence she went on to become the first African American woman neurosurgeon in the United States !

2/28/23 – Maya Angelou

What an honor it was, reciting and dramatizing her poems as a child for audiences. Maya Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female black director, but it was her writing, poetry, playwrights and essays that made her famous. She is one of my biggest inspirations as a writer.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s black history facts. To my Mom, thanks for encouraging me to be a lifelong learner always. I look forward to sharing her facts, next year!

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