Tag: Black History Month

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Black History Month: Josephine Baker

By: Lydia Reagan ~Feature Editor~ Josephine Baker was born as Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1903. Born into a working class family, she grew up cleaning houses and babysitting for wealthy white families. At 13, she began waitressing at a club. In 1919, she toured the U.S. with the Jones Family Band and the Dixie Steppers. She worked as a dresser on Shuffle Along and learned all the choreography, so she was the obvious choice to replace the dancer who left. She had moderate success in New York after that, but she really took off … Continue reading Black History Month: Josephine Baker

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Black History Month: George Washington Carver

By: Lydia Reagan ~Feature Editor~ George Washington Carver was a man of botanical science and invention. His exact date of birth is unknown, but he lived from around the 1860’s to January 5, 1943. He is best known for his efforts in moving the American farmscape from cotton to alternative crops like the peanut and the sweet potato. He wanted poorer farmers to be able to become self-dependent by growing their own food and selling their crops for a profit. George was born into slavery under Moses Carver in Missouri. After the abolishment of slavery, Moses and his wife raised … Continue reading Black History Month: George Washington Carver

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Black History Month: Fannie Lou Hamer

By: Lydia Reagan ~Feature Editor~ Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist who lived from 1917- 1977. She was the daughter of sharecroppers, and therefore worked in the fields since she was very young. In the summer of 1962, she attended a protest meeting where she met civil rights activists who fought for African American suffrage. She worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and helped to found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. She even tried to become the Congressional representative of Mississippi, but her bid was unsuccessful. For her activism, she was threatened, beaten, arrested and shot … Continue reading Black History Month: Fannie Lou Hamer