Black-History-Month

Black History Month

A small act of defiance as the federal government of the US tries to erase the contributions of Black Americans – and so many others.

I’ve been taking this opportunity to learn more about bits of Black history that I knew enough to search up on the web, but not enough to really say much about without some research. So, I’ve been learning some things. Did you know that:

• The ambulances that we take for granted, stocked with life saving equipment and medications and staffed with highly trained paramedics or EMTs had their origins in the Freedom House Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• The WIC program which provides health and nutrition support to women and their children who are living in poverty had it’s roots in the Black Panther Party’s Breakfast for Children and their other Service to the People Programs.

The struggles of Black Americans to uplift their community have lifted us all.

1	Marsha P. Johnson	Drag queen in the vanguard of the Stonewall rebellion
2	Freedom House Ambulance Service	First paramedic staffed ambulance service in the US
3	The 15th Amendment	Guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race
4	Gladys West	Computer scientist & mathematician who helped to develop GPS
5	Breakfast for Children Program	The forerunner of WIC
6	Oliver Law	Premature anti-fascist & Abraham Lincoln Brigade commander
7	Angela Davis	Scholar, agitation, organizer
8	The Greensboro Four & the Sit-In Movement	The beginnings of the non-violent Civil Rights Movement
9	Bernice Johnson Regan	Activist, Smithsonian curator, Musician (but not in that order)