February is a month of remembrance and learning about African American history. It is a time when America pays tribute to those who contributed to history and civil rights and acknowledges the people who fought for freedom and equality despite many hardships.
Distinguished individuals like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X are often the go-to references by default. These are the people that society tends to remember, and although their legacies as the greatest demonstrators stand, there are many other important individuals that usually go unnoticed.
Ella Baker was a prominent and intellectual figure during the time of the movement. She was a field Secretary and director at NASA, and co-founded an organization that would raise money in order to fight Jim Crow laws.
She was also an event organizer for Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. What made her stand out from the rest is that she founded a Student Nonviolent Committee to facilitate peaceful protests and proactively worked to register people of color to vote.
A. Philip Randolph was a trade unionist who created one of the first black trade unions. He pushed for equal trade opportunities for people of color. He even went as far as to threaten President Roosevelt that he would lead a protest to D.C. if he didn’t do something about the situation.
Randolph’s demonstrative actions were a major factor in compelling Roosevelt to sign legislation that would outlaw discrimination from trade industries at a federal scale.
Pauli Murray was a pioneer in the movement, the first African American woman to graduate with a doctorate from Yale. Pauli followed on to later become a lawyer and an author. She wrote essays and books, and her stories focused on the struggles of being black in American society.
Pauili also co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Organization for Women, and she was also appointed to JFK’s Committee on Civil and Political Rights. She was a key player and helped others recognize the importance of the movement.
Saddie Tanner Mossell Alexander, Albert Murray, Jane Bolin, and Bessie Coleman are all among many more individuals who have reshaped American society. They are the hidden figures of untaught Black history, each deserving of their own accolades.
It is important to understand the struggles these individuals endured in fighting for their generation and those to come. They are part of the movement that has, and will continue to, inspire and pave greater opportunities for colored people.
