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Martin Luther King, Jr

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"Ain't I a Woman"

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Women's History Month is a celebration of women's contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. Women's History Month 2022 will take place from Tuesday, March 1-Thursday, March 31, 2022.
WATCH: Women's History Documentaries on HISTORY Vault
Why Do We Celebrate Women's History Month?

Women's History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women's history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.

The actual celebration of Women's History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women's contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a "Real Woman" essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.

A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women's History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women's History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.
READ MORE: Women's History Milestones
International Women's Day

International Women's Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women, took place for the first time on March 8, 1911. Many countries around the world celebrate the holiday with demonstrations, educational initiatives and customs such as presenting women with gifts and flowers.

The United Nations has sponsored International Women's Day since 1975. When adopting its resolution on the observance of International Women's Day, the United Nations General Assembly cited the following reasons: "To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security."
READ MORE: The Surprising History of International Women's Day
Women's History Month Theme 2022

The National Women's History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2022 theme is "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." This theme is "both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history."

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Women's History Month is a celebration of women's contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. Women's History Month 2022 will take place from Tuesday, March 1-Thursday, March 31, 2022.

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On This Date in History: Often times, when history becomes part of the popular lexicon, facts get obscurred in a sanitized or abbreviated version. In some cases, the blurring of facts is done intentionally. In other instances, it is a result of lazy or ignorant members of the media or simply from an effort at brevity. Most of the time, the ultimate storyline remains true at the expense of accuracy. The process often concludes with the creation of a mythology that raises some figures to great heights while diminishing the efforts of others that history may otherwise lift to the champion pedestal. The story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 provides an example of a historical events that involve all of the elements mentioned. Many narratives incorrectly mark the start of the 381 day boycott heard round the world.

The general story is that a seamstress, Rosa Parks, got on a public Montgomery bus and sat in a seat toward the front and was arrested for doing so and that sparked the boycott that many people point to be the initiation of the Civil Rights Movement that culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But, there was much more to the story that really had its roots many years before. You see, all the way back in 1943, Rosa Parks had an issue with the bus service when she paid her fare only to see the bus drive away before she could board through the back entrance as the driver had instructed her to do. However, there was another incident in the 1940's that involved a woman who has been lost to history but whom Dr. Martin Luther King described in his 1958 book as "indefatigable" and whom he acknowledged was "perhaps more than any other person, was active on every level of the protest." The person of whom King referred was Alabama State College professor Jo Ann Robinson who in 1949 boarded a sparsely occupied bus and inadvertently sat in the front seat. The driver unmercilessly screamed at her until she fled the vehicle in tears. Her response was to attempt to start a protest boycott. But, when she approached her fellow members of the Woman's Political Council with her story and proposal, she was told that it was "a fact of life in Montgomery." A year later, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church pastor Rev. Vernon Johns, whom is referred by some as the "father of the Civil Rights movement," refused to give up his seat for a white passenger and was subsequently evicted from the bus. He asked other African-American riders on the bus to leave with him in protest. The other passengers rebuffed his urging by telling him that he should have known better. It's worth noting that Jo Ann Robinson was part of Vernon Johns' Dexter Avenue Baptist Church congregation.

So, you see, many historians suggest that the Montgomery Bus Boycott had its origins well before 1955 and it actually involved persons of some prominence. The circumstance also was not just happenstance. After the US Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 that struck down the concept of "separate but equal" in public education, Robinson, who had ascended to the position of president of the Women's Political Council, informed the mayor of Montgomery that some 25 local organizations were considering a bus boycott to protest the city bus system policies. The following year, the same Women's Political Council that told Robinson in 1949 to forget about a bus boycott, decided to listen to the call of their president and determined that such a protest was in order. But, leadership in the African-American community recognized that they needed a catalyst that would outrage Black bus riders enough to the point that they would respond affirmatively. They wanted to find a person who was "above reproach" and who would agree to challenge the segregation laws in court. They thought that they had found their person when 15 year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested in early 1955 for refusing to give up her seat. Miss Colvin was active with the NAACP Youth Council and NAACP Montgomery Chapter President Edgar D. Nixon thought that Ms. Colvin would be the perfect person to get a boycott plan started. His hopes were dashed, however, when it was learned the teenager was pregnant. That brings us back to Rosa Parks.

Miss Parks was not just a simple seamstress. In reality, she was a well-respected, educated woman with an unassailable record who had attended the laboratory school at Alabama State College; the same college for whom Jo Ann Robinson was a professor. Parks was a seamstress but only because she could not find a job that fit her skill set. However, for many years, Miss Parks was also working for the NAACP, serving as the volunteer secretary for President Edgar Nixon since December 1943. She and her husband became members of the Voters League in 1944 and, for a brief time, she held a job at Maxwell Air Force Base where there was prohibited. She often rode a desegregated Trolly on the base and she told her biographer that "Maxwell opened my eyes up." By the end of 1955, she had returned from Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, TN where she completed a workshop on race relations. That trip was encouraged and sponsored by a politically liberal white couple, Clifford and Virginia Durr, for whom Parks worked as a seamstress and housekeeper. When the young Colvert was arrested early in 1955, Parks took a keen interest in her case.

Many narratives suggest that, since it was known (and Parks had experienced first hand) that the bus driver on Park's chosen route had strong racist tendencies and used harsh measures to enforce Montgomery segregation policy, Parks was encouraged to create an incident that would serve as a catalyst for a planned boycott. Other narratives imply it was simply a coincidence that it was Parks who got arrested. In any event, on Thursday, December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks found herself on the 5th row of a crowded bus. The rules were that Blacks and Whites could not share a seat and that Blacks could only sit from the 5th row to the back of the bus. The first 4 rows became crowded with Whites and a white man was left standing in the aisle. The driver instructed the Blacks on the 5th row to move to the back of the bus. The other riders on Parks' row complied but Rosa did not. She was arrested and NAACP President Nixon called to find out on what charge his secretary was being held. After has was told to mind his own business, Nixon called a white lawyer who was sympathetic to the plight of African-Americans in the hope that the Civil Liberties lawyer would help. Nixon probably knew that the lawyer would give his assistance since the lawyer was none other than Clifford Durr, Rosa Parks employer and benefactor.

Professor Jo Ann Robinson that night pushed for a one day bus boycott on the following Monday to protest the arrest of Parks. She persuaded her students to distribute flyers on Friday announcing the boycott all over town. A group of ministers and Civil Rights leaders met to discuss the boycott but the meeting quickly fell apart and many attendees left. Those who remained decided to spread the word of the planned boycott through word of mouth and from the pulpit. Initially, it was thought that the boycott would be a one-day affair but they decided to meet again on Monday night to determine the effectiveness of the protest and to determine what their next move would be. So, on this date in 1955, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. Dr. Martin Luther King, who by that time had succeeded Vernon Johns as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, determined that a 60% participation in the boycott by African-Americans would be considered a success. To his surprise and that of others, the busses on Monday that rolled by his house were nearly empty. King wrote in Stride Toward Freedom that it was a miracle and that "The once dormant and quiescent Negro community was now fully awake." Many leaders wanted to end the boycott and declare victory but Nixon addressed the crowd at the Monday night gathering quite forcefully. The vote was unanimous to continue the strike.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't clean. There was violence and bogus arrests. Edgar Nixon's home was bombed, dozens of Blacks were arrested under on old city ordinance that prohibited boycotts. Blacks who rode the bus suffered threats of violence and violence from other African-Americans. But, on November 13, 1956 the US Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that struck down the desegregation laws of the Montgomery Alabama bus system and on December 21, 1956, African-Americans in Montgomery, Alabama returned to the city busses. While the Supreme Court ruling actually stemmed from Colvin's arrest, the story of Rosa Parks was born and soon hers would be elevated to mythical levels and while the myth perpetrated in popular culture got the end correct, the created perceptions leave the uninitiated to believe the story was something that it was not. The truth is that the story surrounding Rosa Parks revolved around the NAACP, the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Women's Political Council and the Voters League and the principals were all connected through these organizations. It's pretty clear that the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the story of Rosa Parks was largely orchestrated and not a case of a simple woman refusing to give up her seat on a bus. Nevertheless, I suppose the outcome is all that really matters.

Louisville Weather Bottom Line: It would appear that I was pretty prophetic. Over in Frankfort, snow totals ran over 4 inches while around Louisville it was more like 1-2 inches and in Southern Indiana it was more like 1 inch. Now comes the cold, which will be the story for the rest of the week. We may not get above 40 until the end of the week with wind chills wreaking havoc through Sunday. By next weekend, we could be talking snow again because the pattern will be generally the same and another system should be diving down from the northwest.

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The Factual Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott Flowed Like an Orchestra

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On This Date in History: Often times, when history becomes part of the popular lexicon, facts get obscurred in a sanitized or abbreviated version. In some cases, the blurring of facts is done intentionally. In other instances, it is a result of lazy or ignorant members of the media or simply from an effort at...

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The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross

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Afros, Soul Train and Self-Love

"Black is Beautiful" came out of the Black Power movement. But it quickly permeated the American cultural mainstream in the adoption of the Afro hairstyle and Afro-centric fashion. Blackness, or "soul," became the epitome of cool in popular films, music and advertising. By 1969 there were black characters on 21 prime time tv shows.

But more than any other program, the syndicated television show Soul Train, created and hosted by visionary entrepreneur Don Cornelius, helped spread the idea that black was beautiful. Soul Train brought black music, dancing, and fashion into homes across America. For African-American youth, it was a revelation to see kids like themselves on national television.

Musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson watched it as a child. He remembers, " Soul Train was pretty much the obsession in every household in my neighborhood. I guess you could say Soul Train was kind of the first non-minstrel-based black entertainment that America really got."

Soul Train and its sponsors advertised products for black consumers in ways that appealed to their new pride and identity.

"Don Cornelius used the commercials to educate and promote Afrocentricity, which was something that was absolutely not heard of," says Questlove of the time.

Questlove goes on to assert that Don Cornelius' master plan was to change the lives of black youth without them knowing it.

"I don't mean it lightly when I say that self-love was probably the most important lesson that was taught on the show."

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Black is Beautiful | Video | The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross | PBS

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"Black is Beautiful" came out of the Black Power movement. But it quickly permeated the American cultural mainstream in the adoption of the Afro hairstyle and Afro-centric fashion. Blackness, or "soul," became the epitome of cool in popular films, music and advertising. By 1969 there were black characters on 21 prime time tv shows.

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An insight into an important documentary regarding a biased justice system that targets the African American community.

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Laverne Cox

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Every day, people question why we advocate for trans rights. "How many trans people are there, really?" we are asked. Or, "Isn't this just a new niche issue that serves as a distraction from the issues that really matter?"

But trans people have always existed, and our lives have always mattered. And though we have and continue to face rampant discrimination, so too have we built beautiful communities and movements of resistance and love.

Through a collaborative video from the ACLU, Transparent producer and artist Zackary Drucker, Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox and the creative team of Molly Crabapple and Kim Boekbinder, we are telling the story of trans history and resistance.

This video comes on the heels of the President's tweets seeking to ban transgender individuals from military service and in the midst of continued legislative efforts in states like Texas to ban transgender individuals from public restrooms. The consequences of this discrimination from our government are deadly.

In one comprehensive survey of over 27,000 transgender individuals in 2015, almost one in three respondents reported living in poverty, over half reported being denied health care related to their gender transition, one of every four indicated that they did not seek medical attention at all due to fear of discrimination and more than three of every four reported experiencing harassment in school because they were trans, ultimately leading to 17% of respondents dropping out of secondary school altogether.

All of this contributes to a cycle of discrimination and violence that leads to homelessness, incarceration and ultimately, for many - particularly trans women of color - premature death. Indeed, at least 15 trans people, almost all women of color, have been murdered so far this year in the United States. And two of every five American trans people attempt suicide at least once in their life.

Without accurate information about trans people, our lives and our rich histories, the impulse to push us out of public life will continue. But we continue to tell our vivid, vibrant and critical story of trans resistance. Time marches forward, and so do we. -Chase Strangio

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Watch Laverne Cox Tell the Story of the Fight for Transgender Rights

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Every day, people question why we advocate for trans rights. "How many trans people are there, really?" we are asked. Or, "Isn't this just a new niche issue that serves as a distraction from the issues that really matter?" But trans people have always existed, and our lives have always mattered.

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Colin Kaepernick and NFL kneel during anthem as a way of protesting.

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When an American footballer refused to stand for the national anthem before a pre-season warm up game last month few realised his protest would overwhelm the sport and transfix a nation.

Colin Kaepernick, 28, a reserve quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, is mixed race and decided to make a silent personal demonstration against racial injustice and police brutality.

The unexpected impact of his action has shown the reach that politically active sportsmen can have at a time when bubbling tensions, highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement, are dividing the country.

To his most fervent supporters Kaepernick is a modern Muhammad Ali.

His detractors have questioned his patriotism and accused him of insulting those who died for America.

On the opening day of the regular season last week 20 million people watched live on television to see what he would do.

Kaepernick again refused to stand, this time going down on one knee during the pre-game anthem. His team-mate Eric Reid knelt with him.

Two other 49ers, Antoine Bethea and Eli Harold, stood with their gloved fists raised in Black Power salutes. Across the pitch two members of the opposing Los Angeles Rams team, Robert Quinn and Kenny Britt, made the same salute.

After the game, in the dressing room, Kaepernick listed the names of black people who have died in police custody over the past few years.

"I can't see another Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Eric Garner," he said. "At what point do we take a stand and, as a people, say this isn't right? You [the police] have a badge and you're supposed to be protecting us, not murdering us."

'Stand for the anthem or be shot'

At American Football games across the country the reaction has been passionate on both sides.

Before a high-school game in Alabama a Baptist pastor was greeted by wild cheers as he suggested supporters of Kaepernick should be shot.

Allen Joyner reportedly told the crowd: "If you don't want to stand for the national anthem you can line up over there by the fence and let our military personnel take a few shots at you."

Kate Upton, the supermodel, also emerged as an unlikely leading voice in the anti-Kaepernick camp, calling the kneeling protests "horrific".

"This is unacceptable. You should be proud to be an American," she said on social media.

"It's a disgrace to those people who have served and currently serve our country. We live in the most special place in the world and should be thankful."

A handful of players with major teams including the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tennessee Titans have so far copied Kaepernick's protest by kneeling or raising their fists.

By contrast, in the capital, the Washington Redskins made a show of patriotism.

Angry 49ers Fan Torches Kaepernick Jersey 04:21

Ahead of a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers every Redskins player joined soldiers unfurling a 100-yard long Stars and Stripes flag.

In the stands, Jay Curtis, 45, an American football fan, said: "If Kaepernick walked through a military hospital with people, black and white, missing limbs, then he'd soon realise he should stand up for the anthem.

"The whole reason you respect the anthem, and the flag, is because people fought and died for them. They stand for important things."

He added: "If you don't have a lot of talent, like Kaepernick, I guess you have to do something to sell your shirts."

Despite being on the bench Kaepernick's shirts have become the biggest seller of any American football player. He is donating the money to charity.

Cleveland Billy Lucas IV, 37, a black fan at the Redskins game, backed Kaepernick.

He said: "I have military service members in my family. But the last few months have been awful, people being executed by police sworn to protect us. It's an outrage. It's just not right, man."

Eric Olsen, 23, a white Redskins fan, added: "I sympathise with Kaepernick 100 per cent. Of course this is about race. If it was a white quarterback taking a knee then everyone would be doing it."

A racist anthem?

The protests also put the national anthem in the spotlight, reigniting suggestions that the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner are racist.

The words come from a poem, 'The Defence of Fort McHenry', written by Francis Scott Key about a British attack during the War of 1812.

Key's little-known third stanza includes the lines: "No refuge could save the hireling and slave, from the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave."

It refers to former slaves who had joined the British to fight for their freedom.

Jason Johnson, an associate professor at Morgan State University, said: "It's clearly racist."

'Athletes will increasingly be activists'

The protests spell trouble for America's most valuable sport, which has 32 teams valued at $63 billion by Forbes.

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, American football's presiding body, said: "We believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that."

But he can expect the protests to spread. For much of its history American football was a majority white sport. Now, 68 per cent of the players are black and they have perhaps the biggest megaphone in America.

Around 80 million people watch NFL games each week. Even Kaepernick, a back-up player, earns $11 million a season and is a household name.

Robert Boland, a sports administration expert at Ohio University, said: "We're entering an era where athletes are increasingly going to be activists. They have absolutely huge platforms which they are now using through social media.

"The NFL is the most watched entertainment production in the United States. It's the top-rated TV show."

'It's like going back in time'

For decades the fear of losing lucrative sponsorship deals, and a place in the team, had kept a lid on dressing room activism.

The attitude among black sportsmen in America was summed up in a quote attributed to Michael Jordan, the most famous basketball player ever.

Asked why he wasn't more politically active, Jordan reputedly said: "Republicans buy sneakers, too."

Jim Brown, 80, a legendary black American football player and civil rights campaigner in the 1960s, said that was changing.

He said: "In my day we were not allowed to room with a Caucasian player. The young men of my day, like Muhammad Ali, stepped up. Then, for many years they didn't step up.

"But the young men of today are. Fifty years later we have a young man [Kaepernick] saying something. For me, it's like going back in time."

John Carlos, one of the two American athletes who gave the Black Power salute on the medal podium in an iconic protest at the 1968 Olympic Games, also backed Kaepernick.

Carlos, 71, said: "It''s the same way we did it 48 years ago, giving America shock treatment. What you see today is the fruit of our labour. This is a movement, this is not a moment."

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Colin Kaepernick: NFL Black Lives Matter protests recall rebellious spirit of 1960s sporting greats

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When an American footballer refused to stand for the national anthem before a pre-season warm up game last month few realised his protest would overwhelm the sport and transfix a nation. Colin Kaepernick, 28, a reserve quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, is mixed race and decided to make a silent personal demonstration against racial injustice and police brutality.

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List of activists fighting against current national and international inequality.

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A few months ago around 11:00pm, I had just finished hanging out with a friend at a local bar in downtown Oakland, CA. As I was walking out of the bar and on my way to my car, I saw a SWAT team to my right standing around and waiting. If you're familiar with Oakland, you would know that this is nothing all too out of the ordinary. I didn't think very much of it.

Minutes later I was in my car at a red light. Suddenly, a couple of people dressed in all black passed by me as they skateboarded in the middle of one of the busiest streets of Oakland. I still didn't think much of it. Not until I found myself at another red light with a SWAT team to my right and a swarm of protesters to my left did I realise something different was going on. One protester shouts at me to run the red light and essentially get out of their way so they can march in protest against the killings of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers. The situation made me start to think and what I came up with was: why am I in my car and not out there with them?

The large scale protests have slowed down, but the dialogue and movement to re-examine and change the systematic discrimination of black people is still alive and well.

With that in mind I wanted to pay tribute to Black Future Month ...

Wait, what? Don't you mean Black History Month? Actually, no.

At a time when a slew of protests across the US have rallied for the equal treatment of black people, a new light is being shined on the oppression of black lives today. This includes the glaring, but historically unaddressed statistics, on the incarceration, unemployment, and discrimination experienced by black people. And the question being asked is: where do we go from here?

So, in honor of Black "Future" Month let's take a look at modern day black activists, and the communities behind them, who are making black voices heard and demanding open dialogue, progressive change and, most importantly, equality. Some of these people are prestigious academics, lawyers and civil rights activists and others are concerned citizens, who are getting involved and standing up for the equal treatment of black people in the USA.
1. Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors
Flickr: PicturesNew York LG

Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi are the leading women, who you may not have heard their names before, but unless you've been hibernating for the past two years, you are familiar with their work. These three inspirational women are behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

#BlackLivesMatter was started by Cullors, Garza and Tometi following the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012. #BlackLivesMatter is most widely known as a grassroots movement protesting the killing of unarmed black men by police officers. However, Garza is quick to point out that the movement is about all black lives and not just black men. In her own words, Black Lives Matter, "affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, Black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum."

Engage with the movement on twitter or facebook.
2. Michelle Alexander
Flickr: Miller Center

Civil rights lawyer, former director of the Racial Justice Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and author of the book The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander has been spreading awareness about the systemic discrimination evidenced in the mass incarceration rates of African-American men. The inspiration for the book, came from Alexander's work at the ACLU in Oakland, CA.

While working on the campaign "Driving While Black", a young black man approached Alexander with notes on the dates, times, and nature in which he was stopped by the Oakland police. Hearing this man's story, Alexander believed this was the case she had long been awaiting for as an example of bad police behavior-up until the man said he had a drug felony charge. According to Alexander, " I just stopped listening to him when he said he was a felon, and I asked myself, how am I replicating the very form of discrimination that I am supposed to be fighting against?"

I fiercely support Alexander for being vocal about this story. Change is often discussed as something outside of ourselves, our personal circles, and sometimes outside of our communities. But, progressive change cannot be made without willingness for self-reflection and honesty. She talks the talk and walks the walk.
3. The Cast of The Throwaways
If statistics aren't your thing, you can watch The Throwaways, a documentary narrated, co-produced and co-directed by a formerly incarcerated activist and filmmaker, Ira McKinley. The documentary focuses on the difficulties and obstacles formerly incarcerated African-American men face as they try to reintegrate into society and how prevailing racial profiling and police brutality are affecting black communities.

Youtube: Ira Mckinley

The film begins with a personal look at McKinley's experience with discrimination and homelessness after being incarcerated. It then expands its focus to examine how black communities are impacted by mass incarcerations and racially motivated tactics by police. The documentary culminates with a look at the obstacles concerned citizens are facing in challenging the system and promoting change. The film ends on an optimistic note, as opportunities for McKinley's voice (with tenacious effort) are able to shine through. At the end of The Throwaways, McKinley states:
"I never thought I was a throwaway. You thought I was a throwaway. I'm not the person you're trying to make me out to be. I have value."
But The Throwaways is not just about being sentimental. In a recent screening of The Throwaways in Berkeley, CA an outpouring of support and admiration for McKinley's success and ability to overcome obstacles was expressed. However, as co-director and co-producer Bhawin Suchak has pointed out, we should use caution before idolizing the success of one person, as this can detract from the very nature of a systemic problem. One must keep in mind that behind one person's success there is a network and community of supporters. He adds that, most importantly, black communities need our support and participation.

If you would like to watch The Throwaways and/or attend a discussion with McKinley and Suchak you can view the screening schedule here.
4. Benjamin Jealous
Flickr: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Dubbed "one of the nation's most prominent civil rights leaders" by the Washington Post, Benjamin Jealous is someone you should definitely keep your eye on. Jealous served as the youngest president of the NAACP - A 106-year old African-American civil rights organization - where he stabilized the organization's finances, increased its dwindling membership, and expanded its social media presence.

Although Jealous' achievements at the NAACP are, ahem, jealous-worthy, his activism when he was a student is even more inspiring. Jealous' long career in activism started while he was in elementary school, where he protested the lack of books on African-Americans in the school library. Years later, while pursuing his undergraduate degree, he was suspended from Columbia University where he protested against the university's plan to tear down the site of Malcolm X 's assassination.

With credentials such as those, I'm definitely looking forward to what the future holds for him. Currently, Jealous is a partner of Kapor Capital, the venture capitalist arm of the Kapor Center for Social Impact. The group invests in companies that look to provide more opportunities for underserved communities or involve the disruptive democratization of a sector.
5. Jimmie Briggs
LinkedIn profile photo

Jimmie Briggs is a human rights activist most widely known for his investigative journalism on war-affected children, child soldiers and victims of sexual violence in Africa. I first learned about Briggs and his work as a UN Special Rapporteur on Children and Conflict (basically, an expert for the experts), while researching for my thesis on child soldiers. But Briggs' recent and notable work is as the founder and executive director of the Man Up Campaign. The Man Up Campaign, through innovative training, resources and support aims to mobilize young women and men to become today's advocates and defenders in ending violence against women. Through the Man Up Campaign and speaking engagements at middle schools and high schools, Briggs inspires a global army of young people to stop violence against women and girls in their communities.

On March 5th-8th, 2015, the Man Up Campaign is co-sponsoring the International Conference on Masculinities: Engaging Men and Boys for Gender Equality in New York. If you would like more information on the event, go here.
6. Bonus Throwback: Anne Moody
On February 5, the world lost one of the Civil Rights Movement's most endearing activists. Passing away at the age of 74, Anne Moody, was most known for her memoir Coming of Age in Mississippi, which recounts her experience of racism and sexism during the 1960s. The oldest of nine children, Moody felt the pains of racism at an early age. She attended segregated schools and cleaned houses as a child to help her family make ends meet.

She once described herself as "a reluctant writer." But in 1969, the self-proclaimed reluctant writer received the Brotherhood Award from the National Council of Christians and Jews and the Best Book of the Year Award from the National Library Association. Moody shunned public attention and never gave interviews, which is perhaps why, the most captivating image of her in my mind will always be (picture above) of the black student activist sitting at a white customer-only, Woolworth lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi.

Black Future Month should not be misconstrued as an argument against Black History Month, which has been celebrated for the past nine decades. For any community to evolve and grow, it must never forget where it comes from, but its future will always be defined by where it is going. While significant progress has been made since the US Civil Rights Movement, our future depends on the work being done right now. Today there are many inspiring individuals who are fighting for social justice and the equality of black people. And while this list is comprised of impressive individuals, global citizens must keep in mind that behind a great person is a group of supporters. For progressive and sustainable change to happen personal reflection on our own thoughts, actions and interactions with our community are essential in realizing how we can contribute our support and effort for the equality of all black lives.

Francis Bencik

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The 5 black activists you need to know about

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A few months ago around 11:00pm, I had just finished hanging out with a friend at a local bar in downtown Oakland, CA. As I was walking out of the bar and on my way to my car, I saw a SWAT team to my right standing around and waiting.

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She is more than a celebrity, she is also a well known activist and philanthropist.

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NET WORTH: $2.9 billion

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Productions, Oprah Winfrey Network

FUNDING AREAS: Education, Arts & Culture

OVERVIEW: The bulk of Winfrey's giving has gone to educational causes, including charter schools, programs that support African-American students, and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Winfrey was born to a single teenage mother in rural Mississippi, and spent the first six years of her life living there with her grandmother before first moving to Milwaukee to live with her mother, and then Nashville to live with her father. The media mogul overcame a tough childhood, but ended up winning an oratory contest that earned her a scholarship to Tennessee State University. She also won the Miss Black Tennessee Beauty Pageant at 17, and attracted the attention of the local black radio station, WVOL, where she worked her senior year of high school, and her first two years of college. She then got jobs as a news anchor, first in Nashville, then in Baltimore, before moving to Chicago to host a morning talk show. The program was wildly successful, and she landed a syndication deal, quickly becoming the most popular talk show host in America. Running from 1986 to 2011, it made Oprah one of the most influential people in the country, as well as the richest African American. In 2000, she launched O Magazine with the Hearst Corporation, and in 2011, she created the Oprah Winfrey Network.
ISSUES:
OPRAH'S ANGEL NETWORK: Oprah's Angel Network was established in 1998, and started with a plea to her viewers to donate their change, as well as their time. The initial ask raised $3.5 million, which was given away in the form of 150 $25,000 scholarships, and got 15,000 volunteers to build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Before the organization stopped accepting donations in 2010, it had raised more than $80 million, all of which was donated to charitable causes, as Winfrey personally covered the network's administrative costs. At least $11 million of that went to relief efforts for hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and Oprah herself kicked in another $10 million on top. The network also helped build 60 schools in 13 countries, and provided books and uniforms. Much of the work once conducted through the Angel Network is now being handled by the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.

EDUCATION: According to Forbes, Winfrey had given away approximately $400 million to educational causes by 2012, including nearly 400 scholarships to Morehouse College, and more than $40 million in operating support for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa. She's also given at least $10 million to A Better Chance. Its mission is to improve access to quality education for students of color, and has given $1 million or more to at least nine different charter school organizations in a number of different areas throughout the country. Mentoring programs have also received support.

ARTS & CULTURE: Winfrey has donated $12 million to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, and $1 million to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The National Council of Negro Women has received $2.5 million, and Millennium Park in Chicago has received $1 million.

HUMANITARIAN: In addition to her giving in education and support for Habitat for Humanity, Winfrey has made several significant contributions to Save the Children.

ENVIRONMENT: In 2006, Oprah gave $1 million to the Green Belt Movement International for tree planting and community development initiatives in Africa.

HEALTH: Winfrey's health giving via their foundation has recently supported places like International Brain Research Foundation.

LOOKING FORWARD: Winfrey has endowed her charitable foundation with nearly $240 million in assets over the last several years. Though most of the money that has flowed out the door so far has gone to support her Leadership Academy in South Africa, it appears as though she is beginning to build a more robust foundation, so chances are we'll see a more diversified grantmaking portfolio in the next several years.
CONTACT:
Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation
℅ Michele Vaughn
110 N. Carpenter Ave.
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 633-3100

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NET WORTH: $2.9 billion SOURCE OF WEALTH: Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Productions, Oprah Winfrey Network FUNDING AREAS : Education, Arts & Culture OVERVIEW: The bulk of Winfrey's giving has gone to educational causes, including charter schools, programs that support African-American s

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Let Girls Learn: a charity and initiative towards helping girls worldwide receive an education

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Michelle Obama's girl-focused education charity has raised more than $3.5 billion in little over a year since it was launched.

Let Girls Learn, a global initiative which aims to get 62 million girls into school, came about in partnership with activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban four years ago for demonstrating her right to go to school.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly spousal programme, the first lady said that the charity had raised nearly $600 million from countries like Japan, South Korea and Mexico, as well as more than half a billion dollars from the US.

The charity also gathered $2.5 billion from the World Bank, to be paid over the next five years.

Ms Obama added that she has fostered networks with close to 80 companies that were committing money and resources.

"All of this is happening because, time and again, whether it's a head of state, a corporate CEO, or a 15-year-old girl here in the US, when people hear the stories of girls who aren't in school, they want to help," she said.

She added: "More than 62 million girls around the world are counting on us to be their voice. And I intend to keep speaking out on their behalf not just for the rest of my time as first lady, but for the rest of my life."

Ms Obama recently traveled around the world to promote her charity, and returned to the US to speak at the Democratic National Convention in July.

The first lady, who was introduced at the UN summit by comedian Stephen Colbert, has become a champion of women's rights, hosting the White House's first ever summit on the cause in Washington DC this year.

She said at the UN that she was inspired by Malala, who was 15 years old when she was injured by a terrorist network in Pakistan as she rode the bus to school.

She added that although she came from a working-class background, she managed to study law thanks to hard work and financial aid.

"And I can tell you that education was everything for me," she said.

"It opened doors. It gave me the confidence to pursue my ambitions and make my voice heard in the world. For me, education was power."

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Michelle Obama's girl education charity has raised more than $3.5bn

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Michelle Obama's girl-focused education charity has raised more than $3.5 billion in little over a year since it was launched. Let Girls Learn, a global initiative which aims to get 62 million girls into school, came about in partnership with activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban four years ago for demonstrating her right to go to school.

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The beginning to his journey towards presidency as the first African American United States president of the United States.