Famous African Americans
Who would you pick as the most famous African American of the last century? There have been so many who have offered hope; talented, brave, people to choose from who have stood out because of their accomplishments. Names that come most often to mind include Martin King Luther Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges and Marcus Garvey. The people stand out for the risks they took, the messages they sent and the hope they offered to the people who looked up to them.
Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica in 1887. He became a businessman, publisher, journalist and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association also known as the UNIA. Garvey believed that those black Americans of African decent should return to Africa to claim their heritage. He believed that the lands should be taken back from the Europeans who had stolen them from the African people. This was a form of discussion that he pursued for many years. His group, The UNIA, is believed to have gathered together the largest group of black Americans of its time. They were one million strong in the 1920s and that was quite a feat to bring that many people together for a common belief during that period of time. The Rastafarians believed, based on the words and beliefs of Marcus Garvey, that he was a prophet. He died in 1940 from a stroke.
Martin Luther King Jr. , born 1929, was truly one the great men of the twentieth century who became a pastor at age twenty four. He was a man with incredible charisma who brought together the black communities across the United States and showed them how to stand up for their rights. He spoke strongly of using peaceful ways to have their voices heard. He believed in non-violent civil disobedience. When he was twenty six Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. The reaction to this was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which King led, that lasted for twelve and a half months. This important stand on equality ended when the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a decision which made racial discrimination illegal on any type of public transportation. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. made his most famous speech. I have a Dream was made during the famous March on Washington that attracted over two hundred and fifty thousand protesters. Those who attended represented all races and social status. They were there to support equality. For his bravery, his fight to make life better, his belief that all people should stand side by side to improve their country he was assassinated the morning of April 4th, 1968. A strong voice was silenced.
Another famous African American, Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in 1925, had different views on how to make a better life for black Americans. Much of his early life was a struggle. After his father passed away his mother had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental institute which meant her children were raised in foster homes. After that he spent several years in prison. He believed that what African Americans really needed was their own state inhabited solely by blacks, with no whites or other minorities allowed. He wanted segregation in the extreme and this is what he preached because this was what his religious leader believed in. After beginning to rethink this as the answer he made a couple of poor judgments when speaking to reporters. First, his reaction to the March on Washington was a disappointment to many who had hoped he would be there to help unite those at the march. But they did not need him to be there to feel the strength of those who walked that day. His statement on the death of President Kennedy showed only his disdain for a man who had begun a strong fight for equality. Shortly after, on February 21, 1965, he was shot fifteen times by masked gunman. Like Martin Luther King Jr. he was only thirty nine.
Rosa Parks, born 1913, was another famous African American who cannot be forgotten. When she was forty two she decided to make a stand when told to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Some people thought that perhaps she had had a long tiring day and that was why she refused to give up her seat. But that was not the reason she gave. When asked she explained that she was tired of giving in. Her refusal, and subsequent arrest began the Montgomery bus boycott that lasted for over one year until the supreme court changed the law that had allowed segregation on public transit.
Little Ruby Bridges is someone else worth remembering. It was her bravery as a six year old that allowed her to be the first African American child to go to a previously all white school in New Orleans. This was neither an easy choice for her family nor an easy time for Ruby, but she was a strong child and able to show the Untied States that desegregation truly was the beginning of changes that needed to be made.
There are many other famous African American people that should be included when talking about those who were first to accomplish something great or who were there to show the way to others. This list should include Jackie Robinson, Toni Morrison, Arthur Ashe, Hattie McDaniels , Muhammad Ali, Matthew A. Henson and Robert Johnson to name just a few.
