BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT NOTRE DAME

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February 1, 2022 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Social justice, civil rights and the 'Children's March' are top of mind at NDPMA during Black History Month 2022.

Nearly 60 years ago, more than a thousand schoolchildren marched in Birmingham, Alabama, to protest segregation. The May 1963 event set a huge new spark to the American civil rights movement and became known as the "Children's Crusade." The march was eventually chronicled in 2004 in an Academy Award-winning documentary called "Mighty Times: The Children's March." 

Among other activities going on at NDPMA during Black History Month, including a recollection of that 1963 Children's March, are a series of daily announcements put together by Kala Parker, NDPMA's director of diversity and inclusion, to remind students of key milestones and historical figures along the ongoing journey of African Americans through the civil rights movement. These reminders also help bring Notre Dame's Marist core value for the school year, "Ardent Love of Neighbor," into our daily BHM conversations. 

Please read on. . .

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2/1/22    Starting today and through February 28th, we celebrate Black History Month. During this time, we celebrate the contributions of Black Americans to the United States. Over the next month, we will have a fact of the day to share about Black History. The celebration of Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
        
2/2/22    Spotlight on Black History: On February 12, 2019, the NAACP marked its 110th anniversary. Spurred by growing racial violence in the early 20th century, and particularly by 1908 race riots in Springfield, Illinois, a group of African American leaders joined together to form a new permanent civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). February 12, 1909, was chosen because it was the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

2/3/22    Spotlight on Black History in Law: John Mercer Langston was the first Black man to become a lawyer when he passed the bar in Ohio in 1854. When he was elected to the post of Town Clerk for Brownhelm, Ohio, in 1855 Langston became one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in America. John Mercer Langston was also the great-uncle of Langston Hughes, famed poet of the Harlem Renaissance.

2/4/22    Spotlight on Black History in Sports: Jack Johnson became the first African American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908. He held onto the belt until 1915.

2/7/22    Spotlight on Black History: While Rosa Parks is credited with helping to spark the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her public bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955—inspiring the Montgomery Bus Boycott—the lesser-known Claudette Colvin was arrested nine months prior for not giving up her bus seat to white passengers.

2/8/22    Spotlight on Black History in Law: Thurgood Marshall was the first African American ever appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and served on the court from 1967 to 1991.

2/9/22    Spotlight on Black History in Science: Eminent scientist George Washington Carver developed 300 derivative products from peanuts among them cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.

2/10/22    Spotlight on Black History in Politics: Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American ever elected to the U.S. Senate. He represented the state of Mississippi from February 1870 to March 1871.

2/11/22    Spotlight on Black History in Politics: Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was elected in 1968 and represented the state of New York. She broke ground again four years later in 1972 when she was the first major party African American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States.

2/14/22    Spotlight on Black History in Business: Madam C.J. Walker was born on a cotton plantation in Louisiana and became wealthy after inventing a line of African American hair care products. She established Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories, was also known for her philanthropy, and became the first female self-made millionaire.

2/15/22    Spotlight on Black History in the Arts: In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American performer to win an Academy Award—the film industry’s highest honor—for her portrayal of a loyal slave governess in Gone With the Wind.

2/16/22    Spotlight on Black History in Sports: On April 5, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play Major League Baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. He led the league in stolen bases that season and was named Rookie of the Year.

2/17/22    Spotlight on Black History in Business: Before Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan joined the billionaire’s club, Robert Johnson became the first African American billionaire when he sold the cable station he founded, Black Entertainment Television, or BET, in 2001. 

2/18/22    Spotlight on Black History in Politics: Colin Powell was the first Black American to hold the positions of Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush. After his tenure, he remained a prominent fixture in American politics.

2/28/22    Today closes out Black History Month; however, you can continue to learn more about this culture by visiting the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History, the Motown Museum & Hitsville USA, and the Rosa Parks Bus—which is housed in the Henry Ford Museum. Learning about history and cultures about which you may be unfamiliar is the start of showing Ardent Love of Neighbor. Remember, the history of all Americans is American History, so strive to learn something new every day.

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.