February 1 marks the start of the celebration and recognition of the countless number of contributions African-American people have made in U.S. history. We wish everyone an informed and powerful Black History Month.
Learn More About the Voices That Make Up History
- Frederick Douglas, a symbol of the liberation of slaves in America.
- Garrett Morgan, a trail blazer for African American inventors.
- Madame C.J. Walker, creator of specialized hair products for African American hair and one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire.
- W.E.B. Dubois, an American civil rights activist, leader, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, editor, poet, and scholar.
- Katherine Johnson, an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.
- Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties (1972).
- Fannie Lou Hamer, one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements and a leader in the efforts for greater economic opportunities for African Americans.
- Jackie Robinson, he first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
More Inspiration and Food for Thought
Unity With Purpose: A Michelle Obama interview of Amanda Gorman
Celebrating Black Creativity in STEM
The First Black Rodeo Queen In Arkansas
Stereotypes Drive Students of Color Away from STEM But Many Still Persist
National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Black History Month Resources
Read more about African American History on the CABPES Resources page