Inventing Progress: How Activists Educate Using Black History Month
What is Educational Activism?
Education activism is the way in which organizations and individuals work to decrease the achievement gap and opportunity gap within the education system. Educational activists seek to establish programs and organizations that work to provide equal opportunities for all students and young people, so that they may better themselves and their communities. Activists also use education as a way to right systemic societal problems such as poverty, crime, drug addiction, and teenage pregnancy.
A Brief History of Black History Month
Black History Month begins with historian Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). He established Negro History Week in 1925, selecting the month of February because it included the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It was celebrated for the first time in 1926, and was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Schoolteachers clamored for material, and forward-thinking whites (not only activists and philanthropists) also expressed their approval and support. By the 1950s, many mayors nationwide endorsed the week as an official holiday.
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s galvanized large numbers of African-Americans to advance themselves socially and politically, and for many this included learning about, and taking pride in, their shared heritage and culture. By 1970, at the behest of the Black United Students at Kent State University, the week-long celebration expanded into a full month. At the country’s bicentennial in 1976, President Gerald R. Ford formally recognized February as Black History Month. Every year, Black History Month is a regular part of school curriculums.
The popularity of Black History Month has endured over the decades as an invaluable way to promote the many achievements of African-Americans throughout history. Without the designation of ‘Black History’, many of these accomplishments would surely have been forgotten or overlooked. Some notable black inventors and innovators include:
Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) invented the carbon filament found inside light bulbs. He worked with both Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. He was the only black member of Edison’s team of scientists and inventors.
Ruane Sharon Jeter and Sheila Lynn Jeter invented many everyday items, such as the stapler, stapler remover, and medical waste disposal container. In 1987, Ruane Sharon Jeter patented the toaster, an indispensable part of every modern kitchen!
Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877-1963) invented the gas mask, which was used by the US Army during WWI. He also invented the traffic light, a hand-cranked machine that was eventually bought by General Electric.
Daniel Hale Williams (1886-1931) was the first African-American cardiologist, and the first surgeon to successfully perform open-heart surgery. He also founded Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first non-segregated hospital in the country.
These inventors, along with countless others, improved not just their own lives and the lives of those in their communities, but American society as a whole. The positive impact of their accomplishments is undeniable, and Black History Month is a way to ensure that the legacy of these inventors is taught in schools, thereby inspiring the next generation of social do-gooders and innovators.
Black History Month and Educational Activism
However, programs highlighting African-American achievement are only the first step. It is not enough to merely learn about these figures—there must also be tangible resources in place whose sole purpose is to help young people turn their dreams into a reality. This is the purview of educational activism, which seeks to bridge the gap between inspirational figures of the past and social issues (such as truancy, drug abuse, poverty, crime, and teenage pregnancy) currently plaguing underserved communities. Organizations such as Brotherhood/SisterSol, based in Harlem, New York, use mentorships, leader development programs, counseling, and study abroad opportunities to teach its members, aged eight to twenty-two, “self-discipline, how to form order in their lives, and how to develop agency.”
The statistics speak for themselves: the high school graduation rate in Harlem is 42%, while 94% of BHSS alums have graduated from high school or earned a GED. Similarly, 30% of youth (18-25 year olds) in Harlem are either enrolled in college or working full time, compared with 95% of BHSS alums.
Black History Month, which educates on the national level, and organizations like Brotherhood/SisterSol, which focus on specific neighborhoods, are two examples of how educational activism brings positive change to African-American youth. Community-based programming is a powerful way to close the education and opportunity gaps in underserved communities, and educational activists are working on both the macro and micro level to ensure that positive changes are made.
Selina Lee is the Community Ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Foundation.
