Never Doubt What Happens When A Black Woman Masters Math
On Christmas 2016, Hidden Figures brought the stories of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson – three pioneering Black women mathematicians – to the big screen. Their work behind the scenes at NASA formed the calculations responsible for successfully sending John Glenn into orbit around the earth. While history books recorded this feat from the astronaut’s perspective, historians have failed to adequately represent the masterminds behind NASA’s early accomplishments. Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson were “Hidden Figures.” Hidden Figures offers us the accurate history of the events leading up to the launch of the “Friendship 7” in 1962 and restores a sense of humanity to all of the African American women who made it possible.
Although their pure brilliance is impressive enough, what makes the efforts of Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson truly groundbreaking is the way they traversed a tumultuous social climate in order to change the course of history. In a Jim Crow segregated south, these women overcame daily adversity in the workplace quite similar to what’s seen today through the #BlackWomenAtWork movement. While they performed the same work as their white counterparts, African American women were paid less, and relegated to separate bathroom and dining facilities. Further, many of these women were forced to retake courses that they had already passed to meet NASA’s requirements ….and were still skipped over for promotions.
Sound familiar?
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Though African Americans, especially women, were considered second-class citizens, America needed all hands on deck to ensure advancement in the global Space Race on the brink of World War II. With the agitation of A. Philip Randolph, the Black father of the labor movement, as well as the needed for more bodies and brains in the preparation for war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, forbidding “discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin.” This landmark order opened the door for African American women to occupy new positions in the workforce.
Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson were not the only “human computers” to work in the West Area division of the Langley Research Center for NASA. However, they were exemplars who rose through the ranks during a time when women were not typically considered for advanced positions.
Johnson became NASA’s first African American aerospace technologist (eventually winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom), Vaughan became NASA’s first African American manager, and Jackson became the first Black female engineer at NASA. In each instance, these women transcended racial barriers with dignity and class while making it possible for other African Americans to follow in their footsteps.
Hidden Figures is a literal depiction of #BlackGirlMagic. It serves as a timely reminder that we must continue to protect the legacy of unparalleled African American achievement in this country. With the current dearth of African Americans pursuing careers in the STEM fields relative to other racial and ethnic groups, this film motivates us and highlights role models that we (and our children) can strive to become.
The Black women who spearheaded these aerospace efforts are unsung heroes who epitomize the values of resilience, perseverance, and persistence. If you have not seen the film, go get your daily dose of Black history and let us know that you agree!
The post Never Doubt What Happens When A Black Woman Masters Math appeared first on PushBlack.
Abubakari II
The Americas weren’t “discovered” by Europeans; advanced civilizations existed on the continent long before anyone else arrived. But. mM more than one thousand years before Christopher Columbus made his maiden voyage, Abubakari II and his fleet of about 2000 boats left Mali’s thriving empire to explore the Americas, reportedly landing in modern-day Brazil, Mexico, and even making it to Colorado.
The Niño Brothers: Pedro Alonso, Francisco, and Juan
Without the expertise, ships, and influence of three Black men, the Niño brothers, Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas may not have even happened. Their experience on the seas and prominence in Moguer, Spain’s sailing community are how Columbus gained the necessary support from local sailors who initially doubted a safe outcome if they took part in this expedition.
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Juan Garrido
For 30 years, the Kongolese man Juan Garrido - who was formerly enslaved in Portugal - worked as a conquistador, exploring the Americas WITHOUT pay. Despite participating in numerous expeditions discovering land for whites - and even harvesting the first wheat crops in the Americas - he had to beg for land of his own when he settled down in Mexico City. Sound familiar? His testimonial pleas began: “I, Juan Garrido, black in color, resident of this city [Mexico], appear before Your Mercy and state that I am in need.”
Estevanico/Esteban
Not all Black explorers wanted to participate in these harrowing journeys. Many were forced to explore and conquer lands. The enslaved Moor Estevanico, also known as Esteban, was raised Muslim along the Portuguese-ruled Moroccan coast. When purchased by a European explorer, he was forced to convert to Catholicism and participate in expeditions with his master. While on an expedition scouting for the “Seven Cities of Gold,” rumors spread that Esteban was killed by the Zuni tribe. But his remains were never found.
George Washington Carver was known as the young “plant doctor.” From a tender age, folks would bring their ailing plants to him. Once in his garden, they would spring back to life
Believe it or not, George Washington Carver originally studied art in college! But after witnessing his rare ability to hybridize plants, his art teacher encouraged Carver to switch majors.
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Nonetheless, Carver continued painting, even winning an Honorable Mention at Chicago World’s Fair in 1893!
Booker T. Washington was so impressed with Carver’s work, the notable Black leader and educator hired him to run Tuskegee’s agricultural department. There, Carver accomplished some of his most important work.
His work with plants wasn’t solely in the name of science. Carver also used his knowledge to create gifts for friends!
Always crafty and artistic, Carver knit, crocheted, and performed needlework. He often used materials found in nature - like natural dyes he’d make from plants or clay - for his products.
Shortly after Carver’s death, his childhood home became the first national monument that honored a Black person.
What a fitting tribute for a Black educator, scientist, and mentor who opened so many doors for Black people to come.
The American legal system and Black people have had a troubled relationship ever since … well, forever. One of the gravest “miscarriages of justice” occurred in 1931 in Alabama with the “Scottsboro Boys.”
As a group of young Blacks and whites looking for work were traveling on a train through Tennessee, a fight erupted when a group of white boys asserted that it was a whites-only train and insisted that the Black boys be thrown off.
The fight ended in a stalemate, but at the Paint Rock, AL stop the white boys went to the local authorities and claimed to have been jumped resulting in the arrest of 9 Black males to be charged with assault.
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During the arrest, the officers searched the train and also found two white women hiding who accused the Black males of raping them.
In reality, the women had sexual relations with some of the white men on the train and feared persecution for their sexual activity. Thus, they agreed to testify against the Black youths.
The charges were immediately changed to rape, which warranted the death penalty in Alabama.
The trial was held in a nearby town called Scottsboro, which is how the 9 young men got the name “Scottsboro Boys.”
Nothing about the trial was fair. The judge, jury, and audience were all-white.
Additionally, the boys were not provided adequate legal counsel. In fact, the lawyer appointed to represent them was also representing the two white women, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price.
Ultimately, 8 of the 9 boys were sentenced to death by hanging.
The American Communist Party (CP) caught wind of the unfair proceedings and requested for the boys’ parents to let them defend them and take the case to the Supreme Court.
While the NAACP was hesitant to take part in anything dealing with the rape of a white woman, they eventually succumbed, joining forces with the CP to form the Scottsboro Defense Committee.
After three trials and two Supreme court cases, the young men were finally exonerated from the alleged crimes in 1937 but were not immediately released from prison.
Prior to the court proceedings, Ruby Bates came forward in a handwritten statement and admitted that she had fabricated the rape story.
In her own words,“ I was drunk at the time and did not know what i was doing. I know it was wrong to let those Negroes die on account of me. I hope you will believe me. I was jazed but those white boys jazed me. I wish those Negores are not burnt on account of me. It is these white boys’ fault.”
While there has been a museum dedicated to the Scottsboro Boys, a musical made in their honor, and several notable literature and film references to their story, the reality remains that 9 Black men had their lives ruined by false accusations of frightened whites and a biased legal system that was against them from the start.
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This is not just history, it is still going on today. Recently, three black males were falsely accused of kidnapping and raping a white girl in Texas. She later admitted to making up the entire story.
Although the “Scottsboro Boys” Trials did result in changes to legislation about the automatic death penalty for Blacks who rape white women, the American judicial system clearly has long way to go.
If you are interested in learning more about the events directly from two of the men involved, check out Scottsboro Boy and The Last of the Scottsboro Boys.
Being a Black girl means that when you and 75,000 others go missing, there’s rarely any news coverage of the incident. Though 33 percent of missing children cases are Black youth - the majority of which are Black girls - only 20 percent of media attention is dedicated to them.
Being a Black girl means your screams often go unheard.
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Being a Black girl means you are unjustly criminalized for simply being you. Just recently, a school principal slammed a Black middle school girl into lockers for spraying perfume. Routinely, Black girls are punished for laughing, talking, breathing…
Being a Black girl means you’re guilty until proven innocent in the eyes of authority.
Being a Black girl means you should endure years and years of abuse because when you defend yourself, YOU’RE the criminal.
After 14-year-old Bresha Meadows’ father beat her and threatened to kill her mother and siblings, she fought back in self-defense. Traumatized and victimized, Bresha was placed into a juvenile detention center instead of receiving the help she needed.
Being a Black girl means the world believes you deserve the pain you receive.
Black. Girls. Matter. And since law enforcement and other authorities do not care about Black girls and women, we must do so - vigilantly and lovingly.
Listen to Black girls.
Uplift their voices.
And, most importantly, love them. They deserve it.
Althea Gibson and Serena Williams both dominated the sport of tennis decades apart. Yet, they faced many of the same obstacles on their roads to success.
It is easy to focus on their individual greatness. However, when we dig deeper into their trailblazing stories, we uncover the pivotal roles their communities and families played throughout their journeys.
In American society, we are encouraged to be individualistic. On the other hand, Black people have traditionally been communal and recognized the importance of lifting each other up in order for us all to win.
Althea Gibson went from complete exclusion to controlling the tennis world during a time when blatant racism and discrimination were the status quo. After the Great Depression devastated her father’s sharecropping business in South Carolina, Althea and her family were uprooted.
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They moved to Harlem, NY, where she discovered her passion for tennis. She became entrenched in a community where people quickly noticed her talent and generously supported her.
Her neighbors even took up a collection for her to afford membership into the local tennis club. This club served as her first exposure to formal tennis training and gave her access to city-wide tournaments.
Little did Althea know that she would eventually become the No. 1 ranked female tennis player in the world and transcend racial barriers along the way. Lobbying from other players and the American Tennis Association led to Althea integrating whites-only tennis clubs.
At these clubs, she showcased her skills on a much larger platform. Not only did she destroy competitors, but she obliterated the racist narrative that Black women were unfit to compete on a national level.
As the first Black woman to win Wimbledon, U.S. Nationals, and the French Open, the mark Althea left on tennis is undeniable.
There would be no Serena Williams without Althea Gibson. Serena has rightfully credited her as a major inspiration and thanked her for paving the way for her monumental career.
Just like Althea, Serena could not have reached her full potential without a supportive community. It can almost be said that Serena’s success was written in the stars: her father even developed an 85-page plan outlining how he would make both his daughters tennis greats before they were born.
At age 9, Serena’s family moved to Florida, so she could attend a prestigious tennis academy. However, she quickly left the academy due to harsh racism from coaches and players.
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At this moment, her father took over coaching her full-time. Though he had no tennis experience himself, he self-educated with books and videos providing the necessary context for Serena to grow and thrive as a young tennis player.
His actions and vision are significant because they demonstrate that Black people are fully capable of being great outside of the comfort of white institutions. Serena is currently the winningest female tennis player of all time and recently made the Forbes list as the highest-earning female athlete.
None of her success would have been possible without the constant support of her parents, the challenge of sparring with her sister Venus, and the legacy of those pioneers who came before her.
Althea and Serena’s stories show us exactly what is possible when we support ourselves and pool community resources to invest in our youth’s development.
When the FBI charged dozens of celebrity and otherwise-wealthy parents for cheating to get their kids into highly selective colleges, many expected the offenders to be treated like anyone else.
But the media seemed to be breaking from protocol in one infuriating way.
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No mugshots or reputation-ruining background checks were ever released.
The FBI says it’s not their policy to do so - but where was all this caution for Black mothers accused of “stealing an education” for their kids? Like Tanya McDowell, for example...
In 2012, she was sentenced to five years in prison for enrolling her son in a school district in which she did not officially live - all while battling homelessness.
Her harsh punishment and case details (which included a drug-related charge) were broadcast in the media for anyone to critique. And what about Kelley Williams-Bolar?
In 2011, she received two felony convictions, spent nine days in jail, and was ordered to pay five figures in fines for using her father’s address to help her daughters attend a better performing school in another district.
Black families are rightly furious over the inequality of both the education and criminal justice systems.
Our desperation to provide better opportunities for our children is portrayed as a moral failing, punishable to the highest degree.
The media and federal prosecutors ought to keep that same energy with these white and wealthy parents.