Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
In case some people have forgotten, February is Black History Month.
It is a month when Americans should look back on the vast number of contributions the black community has made to the United States. And let me say the contributions outweigh the space I have in this column.
When some people think of contributions by the black community, the usual names that come to mind are Jesse Owens, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Jesse Jackson and Colin Powell. Those men and women gave America much more than I can give them credit for.
However, there is a plethora of African-Americans history hasn't yet given credit to for their contributions. I want to take a little space here and salute them. Of course, there are so many more than space allows and the biographies I give here are simple, so I encourage everyone to go out and learn more.
First, there is John Jones who was born free in North Carolina in 1817. He died in Chicago in 1879 as one of the country's wealthiest men. He was an apprentice tailor in the beginning and taught himself to read and write. He waged a tireless war against slavery. While in Chicago, he was elected Cook County Commissioner twice, and he helped secure the law that abolished local segregated schools.
The first black elected to the House of Representatives was John Willis Menard of Louisiana. He was chosen to fill a vacancy caused by a death. His seat was challenged and he never had the opportunity to begin.
Jefferson P. Long was the first black representative to be seated in Washington, serving from 1869 to 1871. Between then and 1876, 13 other black men were elected to the House from southern states.
The first black woman elected to Congress was Shirley Chisholm. She won her seat in 1968. Four years later, she made an unprecedented run for the Democrat bid for president.
When Carol Moseley-Braun was elected to the Senate in 1992, she was the first African-American woman to win a Senate seat.
The first patent granted to a black man was for a corn harvester, invented in 1834, by Henry Blair of Maryland.
Ira Aldridge was the first internationally famous American black actor. Born in 1807 to non-slave parents, he became a renowned Shakespearian actor. Before the age of 20, he played Othello at the Royalty Theatre in London. He would never return to the United States because it was difficult if not impossible for a black actor to find real acting jobs in the United States.
Bought as a slave in Boston in 1761, Phillis Wheatley became a renowned poet before the age of 20. She became so famous for her poetry that she was given her freedom and a trip to London and became heralded as one of the best poets of New England.
The Virginia state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," was written by James A. Bland. He was a prolific black songwriter who was said to have written almost 700 songs.
Eddie Tolan set the world records for the 100- and 200- meter races in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.
In 1950, Gene Mitchel Gray became the first black student to enter the University of Tennessee. In the same year, Roy Wilson became the first black student to enter the University of Louisiana. George Washington McLaurin was the first black student to attend Oklahoma State University.
And blacks have not only made contributions in politics, the arts and sports. They have also made the United States what it is today by fighting for everyone's freedom.
During the American Revolution, more than 5,000 blacks, both slave and free, served under Gen. George Washington.
The Bucks of America was an all-black company from Massachusetts during the American Revolution, with a black commander.
In the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War, many black sailors served on revolutionary gunboats. A black man by the name of Capt. Mark Starlin of the Virginia Navy was commander of the Patriot.
When drafting began for World War I, more than 2 million blacks registered. About 31 percent of them were accepted, compared to only 26 percent of white men. At the time, blacks comprised only 10 percent of the population but furnished 13 percent of the inductees.
In World War II, Dorie Miller, a Navy messman on the battleship "Arizona" in Pearl Harbor, shot down four Japanese planes over his ship. He became one of the first heroes of World War II.
By the end of the 1980s, blacks made up 20 percent of the U.S. armed forces personnel and 33 percent of the Army.
This was just a sample of the names and people from the African-American community who have contributed to making the United States the great nation it is today. There are enough here to fill a book.
But it's not only the famous or historical black people who continue to make our country great. There are the black teachers, doctors, nurses, farmers and neighbors who day in and day out contribute to society. If I was to make a list of the African-Americans I know who have made my life better, I'd run out of room or forget someone.
And that's one of many reasons why Black History Month is important, to me at least. I hope Kosciusko County residents will take some time and learn more about the many contributions our black neighbors and friends have given the United States.
It is the least we can do.
