The Ones Who Are Still Unsung

Every February we focus on the achievements and contributions of African Americans. Black History Month is a time when heroes of color, who are often ignored in American history classes, get the spotlight they deserve.

However, after experiencing many Black History Months, I started to notice something: the same names are highlighted year after year. While the number of people whose names and stories deserve to be told is vast, those who are consistently recognized are still far too few.

So this year, I’d like to bring attention to some African Americans you may not have heard of.

To start, we all know Martin Luther King Jr. But have you ever heard the name Bayard Rustin? While King’s speech at the March on Washington is well known, it was Rustin who organized the march itself. A prominent voice in the Civil Rights Movement, Rustin was sadly relegated to the background because of his sexuality.

Rosa Parks’ stand on a bus in Montgomery is legendary, but many brave women came before her. One of the earliest was Elizabeth Jennings. In 1854, Jennings was forcibly removed from a streetcar in Manhattan because of her race. She took her right to ride—like every other citizen—to court…and won.

Spike Lee, one of the most well-known Black directors in cinema history, was following in the footsteps of Oscar Micheaux. An independent filmmaker, Micheaux wrote and directed more than 40 films between 1919 and 1948, featuring intelligent Black protagonists and interracial relationships.

Authors like James Baldwin and Langston Hughes made a tremendous mark on American literature. However, William Wells Brown is credited as the first African American to publish a novel. His 1853 book, Clotel, told the story of two mixed-race daughters of Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved woman Sally Hemings. The novel was first published in London and did not reach the United States until later.

No one can forget when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. But he was not, in fact, the first Black man to play professional baseball. That honor goes to Moses Fleetwood Walker, who joined the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1883 and remained with the team when it entered the major leagues in 1884. While a few other African Americans had played before him, they were passing as white. Walker was the first to openly acknowledge his identity—and he would be the last Black player until Robinson in 1947.

And while we all know that Olympian Simone Biles has a boatload of medals, her triumphs may not have been possible without the athletes who came before her. Take Alice Coachman. In 1948, she became the first Black female athlete from any country to win an Olympic gold medal when she set a record in the high jump.

While still honoring the famous greats, this Black History Month let’s also dig a little deeper, because the number of important Black figures still living in the shadows is far too great.

Pamela M.
Antioch Branch