#blackhistoryfacts
“How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”
MARSHA P. JOHNSON
yes or yes…
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 7 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
MARSHA P. JOHNSON:
Marsha, born and known as Malcolm Michaels Jr., was an black gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen.
After graduating high school, Johnson enrolled in the U.S. Navy, but realized that wasn’t the place for them.
On a trial of self discovery Marsha found themselves turn to prostitution to survive and soon found a harmonius community within the nightlife of the village.
Throughout their discovery they was referred to as Malcolm, and Black Marsha before settling on Marsha P. Johnson; The “P” stands for “Pay It No Mind.” this was their response to people asking about what they identified as.
Johnson quickly became a prominent figure in the LGBTQ community.
They served as a “drag mother” helping homeless and struggling LGBTQ youth.
During 1969 at the Stonewall inn the police raided the bar with violence.
Many people have said that Marsha was one of the people who stood up to them.
Following the events of Stonewall, Johnson and their friend, Sylvia Rivera, co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), and with this they became fixtures in the community.
STAR provided services including shelter to homeless LGBTQ people.
Unfortunaely on July 6, 1992 Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River. The police named the incident suicide and closed the case, but 25 years later Victoria Cruz has reopened the case.
Marsha lived a life dedicated to helping others and it is certainly not forgotten.
THANK YOU MARSHA P. JOHNSON
“Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.”
SOJOURNER TRUTH
Fight for freedom
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 6 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
SOJOURNER TRUTH:
Truth was born into slaverly, serving several masters throughout New York before escaping to freedom in 1826.
Truth had 5 children and when she escaped she could only take 1 because the others were still legally bounded to her slave owner.
After the New York Anti-Slavery Law was passed Truth filed a lawsuit to get her 5 year old son and won her case regaining custody of her son, making her the first black woman to sue a white man in a United States court.
After Truth became a passionate Christian.
Truth joined an abolitionist organization where she met leading abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass.
This is where she launched her career as an equal rights activist.
Truth gave a speech where she spoke about equal rights for black women. In speech she asked the rhetorical question, “Ain’t I A Woman?”, this speech went on to become her most famous.
Truth helped recruit black soldiers during the Civil War.
Her activism for the abolitionist movement gained attention of President Lincoln, who invited her to the White House in 1864.
Later in life Truth continued to speak out on discrimination.
Truth legacy as a black women fighting for equality lives on.
THANK YOU SOJOURNER TRUTH
“He was killed for man’s freedom.”
JIMMIE LEE JACKSON’S TOMBSTONE
It makes sense
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 5 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
JIMMIE LEE JACKSON:
Born December 16, 1938, became part of the Civil Rights Movement as a young man.
Jimmie fought in the Vietnam War and when he returned home he became a church deacon (the youngest at his church) and had a daughter .
After being inspired by the Civil Rights Movement Jackson tried to vote for the first time in his life.
He made many attempts to register as a voter, but never made it past the hurdles set to keep African Americans away to not vote.
Feburary 16, 1965, Jackson took part in a peaceful night march. It was a protest for the arrest of James Orange.
That night it was dark and the streetlights were off during the peaceful protest. Police and state troopers attacked the protesters with clubs thus sending them away.
Jackson and other demonstrators went into a restaurant called Mack’s Cafe. There, Jackson was shot in the stomach by James Bonard Fowler, a state trooper.
Jackson was seeming to protect his mother and 82 year old grandfather from the troopers.
Jackson’s murder was condemned by leaders of the Civil Rights Movement such as Martin Luther King Jr., who had visited Jackson while he was in the hospital.
Jackson inspired a, supposed to be peaceful, march now named the ‘Bloody Sunday’ after police were waiting with tear gas and batons.
The world seeing this made many people come around to the Civil Rights Movement.
His leagacy will be forever remembered.
THANK YOU JIMMIE LEE JACKSON
“We shall never rest at ease, but will agitate and work, by our means and by our influence, in court and out of court, asking aid of the press, calling upon Christians to vindicate their Christianity, and the members of the law to assert the principles of the profession by granting justice and right, until these invidious and unjust usages shall have ceased.”
OCTAVIUS V. CATTO
WE MATTER
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 3 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
OCTAVIUS V. CATTO:
Catto, born Feburary 22, 1839, was born free, since his family was affluent and reputable.
Catto’s father, William T. Catto, was an outspoken advocate for education for black people, voting suffrage, and the empancipation, so Catto followed in his father’s footsteps.
Catto was a smart and gifted man having graduating as valedictorian of the Institue for Colored Youth in 1858.
With that he went on to become a teacher at the Institue.
Catto did many things one of which is attemtping to help racial barriers in baseball by creating a black baseball team, the Philadelphia Pythians, which he also played on.
Back at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg Catto responded to help by raising 11 regiments of “Colored Troops” in Pennsylvania where they were trained before being sent to help in battle.
After the Civil War Catto started a Philadelphia protest movement that led to passage of the 1867 Pennsylvania law thst prohibited racially segregated punlic transportation.
On October 10, 1871, first election in which African Americans could partake in, Catto was assinated along with many other Black Americans in a riot when they were attempting to vote.
In 2017, Catto was honored a statue in Philadelphia where his legacy lives on.
THANK YOU OCTAVIUS V. CATTO
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
FREDRICK DOUGLASS
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
1 of 7 black activists to celebrate
FREDRICK DOUGLASS:
Fredrick douglass was a slave.
After 7 years he was shipped off to do hard labor.
Attemping to escape in April of 1836 but, did not succeed and was critically punished.
He tried again and was victorious on September 3rd 1838.
After escaping he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement.
With that he wrote keen antislavery writings and people took notice.
Douglas wrote an autobiography titled ‘Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, as an American Slave’ which he wrote about his time as an slave.
Advocated for many things 1 being women’s rights.
His legacy as an activist for black people all around live on.
THANK YOU FREDRICK DOUGLASS
