When I first decided to write a post a day for Black History Month, I didn’t expect that it would be so time-consuming! I also didn’t expect to have learnt as much as I have. I hope that all of you who have been reading these posts, have not only learnt a lot, but that these posts have caused you to think critically about some of the issues raised. There were many controversial issues discussed this month, for example, the issue of race within the Black community (I don’t rate Rosa Parks), and Human Zoos (Saartjie Baartman).
You may have noticed, that many of the people discussed aren’t the regular people you may find in schools on displays, and talked about in the media at this time every year. People like Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Mary Seacole didn’t make it into this blog precisely because they are so well-known and their stories, though inspirational, get recycled year in and year out. I wanted to acknowledge some people who often aren’t spoken about. Their stories may be well known to some, but to the average person, not so much. After all, Black History Month is a chance to educate those who may not be aware of important men and women who have helped shape the world we all live in today.
This post is a tribute to those who haven’t featured this month, but have played a major part not only in Black history but in the worlds history.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (15 Jan 1929 – 4 April 1968)
Harriet Tubman (c.1822 – 10 March 1913)
Patrice Lumumba (2 July 1925 – 18 Jan 1961)
Hattie McDaniels (10 June 1895 – 26 Oct 1952)
Muhammed Ali (17 Jan 1942 – )
Alek Wek (16 April 1977 – )
Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 Dec 2013)
Wilma Rudolph (23 June 1940 – 12 Nov 1994)
Barack Obama (4 Aug 1961 – )
Diane Abbott (27 September 1953 – )
Sir Trevor McDonald (16 Aug 1939 – )
Mary Seacole (c.1805 – 14 May 1881)
Malcolm X (19 May 1925 – 21 Feb 1965)
