This Black History Month, I want to share with you five people who changed the course of history.
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman, a poet, made history by becoming the youngest poet at a presidential inauguration in the United States. At 22 years old, during the swearing of President Biden, Amanda Gorman recited what would soon be her most famous poem, The Hill We Climb.
After seeing the second largest civil rights movement since Martin Luther King Jr brace the streets of the US, Amanda delivered a powerful poem about unity, the problems that Black men and women face in America, and a urge for us to become the light in a bleak time for America.
Amanda Gorman wrote her poem even through the January 6th insurrection that saw many Americans stampede the Capitol in an effort to ‘overthrow democracy’. Amanda’s own bravery as a Black woman standing in front of millions to deliver a speech about the United America became a beacon of hope for many.
Learn More About Amanda Gorman
Toussaint Louverture
Toussaint Louverture was the leader of the Haitian independence movement during the French Revolution of 1789 – 1799.
He is best known for emancipating slaves and negotiating with the French colony on Hispaniola (later Haiti) to be governed by former Black slaves as a French protectorate.
During the time of the French Revolution, Toussaint led many rebellions that would eventually lead to Haiti’s independence of France. Haiti soon became the first country to ban slavery, and later in 1804, became an independent republic.
Learn More About Toussaint Louverture
Ruby Bridges
At six years old, Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to attend an all-white school in 1960 during a time when separation of Black and whites was still prevalent in the U.S.
The US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education ended racial segregation in the education system in the United States. Ruby happened to be the first Black child to be enrolled in an all-white school when this ruling took effect.
On her way to class, she endured a lot of racial discrimination, hateful insults, and name-calling by those who disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling. Yet because of Ruby’s bravery, millions of Black children were able to sit alongside Caucasian students in a learning environment suitable for them.
Today, Ruby is still alive and is an activist who established The Ruby Bridges Foundation to promote tolerance and create change through education. In 2000, she was made an honorary deputy marshal in a ceremony in Washington, DC.
Kizzmekia Corbett
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a scramble to find a vaccine that would help to lower the rising COVID-19 rates.
Most people may know that within a year of the pandemic, the newly-developed mRNA vaccines hit the market with many governments official making the necessary steps to get the vaccine distributed to the masses.
What many don’t know, however, is the face and name behind the key development of this vaccine. Her name is Kizzmekia Corbett. During an interview Dr. Anthony Fauci praised his team of scientists led by Kizzmekia Corbett for the work and effort they put in to developing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Corbett’s expertise on the front lines of a global pandemic is the reason why we can now socialize without fear.
Learn More about Kizzmekia Corbett
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa, King of the Mali Empire during the 14th century is considered the wealthiest man of all times with an estimated net worth of 400 billion (US) dollars.
He gave his wealth to the poor, encouraged learning, scientific discoveries, and technological developments and developed the largest library in the world at the time in Timbuktu. He made a pilgrimage to the Middle East and established universities there and started scholarships to encourage learning.
Mansa Musa valued education and knowledge even more than gold. He was the most influential person of the time and made a large impact on the trade relations that gave birth to the modern westernized era we know today.
Many Europeans enrolled in the universities in the Middle East and North/West Africa, the same universities that were founded by Mansa Musa.
Conclusion
Strengthen your faith and grow with God. Get new bible-study content delivered right to your inbox.
The RAVYN Blog 