2021 Black History Basic Training, Week 4

by ncurrie, posted in Black Power, Black Women, Civil Rights, Schools and Education

We are now at the close of Black History Month 2021! This year, the Say it Loud! Employee Affinity Group is hosting a Black History Basic Training (inspired by GirlTrek campaigns from the past year), where we highlight individuals, organizations and events that made significant contributions to the African American experience. This week, we celebrated Soul City, NC, the Black Women’s Club Movement, Tuskegee University, inventor Sarah Goode, and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

We hope you learned something and continue to celebrate the history of Black people the entire year.

Soul City, North Carolina

Soul City, NCis a town that was planned to be a utopian community, proposed by civil rights activistFloyd McKissickin 1969. He dreamed of a city that would support racial harmony, provide quality employment opportunities, good schools and affordable housing. In 1972, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s model city program granted $14 million to McKissickfor development. Soul City was originally planned to be 5,000 acres of land containing schools, a shopping center, homes, a daycare, and Soul Tech (an industrial park). Due to inexperience, negligence, and a loss of funding, Soul City never reached its full potential. Although only a tennis court, a health clinic, a few shops, and a few homes were built, there are still a few hundred people who currently live and work in the community.

Links in the Soul City card:

Feb 22 – Soul CityDownload

Black Women’s Club Movement

8The Black Women’s Club movementcan be traced back to the 1800’s with the anti-lynching efforts of Ida B. Wells. The movement continued with Mary Church Terrell leading the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Other notable female contributors to the movement include Mary McLeod Bethune, who founded the National Council of Negro Women and Nannie Helen Burroughs, who founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, DC. These organizations helped to improve the lives of many and to address many problems facing African American women such as health, education, women’s suffrage and most importantly battling racism.

Links in the Black Women’s Club Movement card:

Feb 23 – Club WomenDownload

Tuskegee University

Tuskegee Universitywas established on July 4, 1881, as the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers. It was designed by African American architect Robert Robinson Taylor and landscaper David Williston. Led by Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee became a leading institution that trained students in the industrial arts, as well as reinforced moral and religious values. Throughout the 20th century, Tuskegee continued to enhance its curriculum and became a leading producer of African American graduates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In 1974, Tuskegee University was designated as a Historic Site by the National Parks Service. Notable alumni include Amelia Boynton Robinson, Ralph Ellison, Betty Shabazz, and Lionel Richie.

Links in the Tuskegee University card:

Feb 24 – TuskegeeDownload

Sarah Goode

the American Civil War. An entrepreneur and inventor, she is known as the very first African American woman to receive a United States patent. She is credited with the invention of a new folding cabinet bed. She was inspired by the small housing accommodations of the day in growing cities like Chicago, where Goode owned and operated her own furniture store, and in New York City.

Links in the Sarah Goode card:

Feb 25 – Sarah GoodeDownload

Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Anita Chisholmwas an American politician, educator, and author. In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress where she led numerous food and nutrition programs for the poor and rose up the ranks of the Democratic party. She was also the first African Americanand first female candidate for the Democratic party's nomination for President of the United States in 1972. While running for president she faced personal threats and discrimination not only based on her race but also from African American male competitors. Despite not winning the presidential election, her campaign in and of itself paved the way for all African American women after her to be able to run for all levels of government leadership.

Links in the Shirley Chisholm card:

Feb 26 – Shirley ChisholmDownload

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