Black History Month 2020-Ryan

Duke Ellington

April 29, 1899 - May 24,
1974

● Ellington began
big-band jazz.

● He was an American
pianist and a band
leader who
composed thousands
of scores over his 50
years career.

● He created one of the
most distinctive
ensemble sounds in
western music

● Ellington’s most
famous jazz tune was
Take The A Train.

By Julia

Willa Brown

January 22, 1965 - July 23,
2003

● She was a pilot, teacher,
and civil rights activist.

● She was a certified flight
instructor and expert
aviation mechanic.

● Brown became the
coordinator for the CPTP.

● She became the first
African American woman
who earned a private pilot
license in the United
States .

● She was the first African
American officer in the Us
civil Air Patrol.

By Jayven

George
Washington Carver

1860s - January 5, 1943

● Carver developed
techniques to
improve soils
depleted by repeated
plantings of cotton .

● Carver alternated
cotton crops with
plantings of sweet
potatoes.

● He was also a leader
in promoting
environmentalism.

● He received lots of
honors for his work.

By Audrey

Oprah Winfrey

January 29,1954 -

● She was the richest
African American of
the 20th century.

● She got ranked the
greatest black
philanthropist in
American history.

● By 2007, she was
sometimes ranked as
the most influential
women in the world

● She had a talk show
called Oprah.

By Haiden

Martin Luther
King Jr,

January 15,1929 - April 4,
1968

● King was a civil
rights leader.

● He fought for civil
rights for all people.

● He was famous for
his I Have A Dream
speech.

● His first job was
when he was 8 years
old as newspaper
boy.

● He became a
minister when he
was older.

By Everett

Jackie
Robinson

Jan 31, 1919 - oct 24, 1972

● Jackie Robinson was
the first African
American to play in
the Major League
Baseball.

● Jackie Robinson is in
the Baseball Hall of
Fame.

● Jackie Robinson won
The Most Valuable
Player Award in
1949.

By Noah

Misty Copeland

September 10, 1982 -

● Copeland was the
first African
American ballet
dancer in the
American Ballet
Theatre.

● She made history in
2007 as the third
African American to
be promoted to the
rank of solist in two
decades.

● In 1997,Copeland
won the Los Angeles
Music in Southern
California .

Jesse Jackson

October 8,1941 _

● Jackson was an
American civil rights
Activist.

● He was a Candidate
to become President
in 1984 and 1988.

● He was a Baptist
minister.

By Aiden

Bessie Smith

April 15, 1894 - 26, 1937

● The most popular
female blues singer of
the 1920s 1930.

● Nicknamed the
Empress of the Blues

● She was often
regarded as one of
the greatest of her
era and was a major
in fluonceon fellow
blues singers,as well
as jazz vocalists.

By Charlotte

Rosa Parks

February 4, 1965- October 24,
2005

● Parks was an
American activist in
the Civil Rights
movement.

● Best known for her
pivotal role in the
Montgomery Bus
Boycott.

● Black people can sit
anywhere they want
on the bus because
she would not move
on the bus.

By Leila

Tiger Woods

December 30, 1975

● Tiger Wood is
famous for tied for
first in PGA tour
wins.

● He Ranks second in
men’s major
championships .

● Woods is widely
regarded as one of
the greatest golfers
and one of the most
famous athletes of all
time.

● Woods turned
professional in 1997
at the age of 20 .

By Brogan

Melvin Carter

1979 -

● Melvin Carter was
the first African
American Mayor of
Saint Paul.

● Melvin Carter served
as a Saint Paul city
council member for
five years.

● Melvin Carter leads
with an unapologetic
agenda.

● His accomplishments
since taking office
include raising the
cities minimum wage
to $15.

By Riley

Harriet Tubman

March 1822-March 10, 1913

● Harriet Tubman
freed slaves by using
the Underground
Railroad.

● Tubman was an
American abolitionist
and political activist.

● Harriet made 13
missions to rescue
approximately 70
enslaved people.

By Dhara

Ruby Bridges

September 8, 1954 -

● She was the first
African-American
child to desegregate
the all white William
Frantz Elementary
School in Louisiana
during the New
Orleans school
desegregation crisis.

● She is an American
civil rights activist.

● She met with
President Barack
Obama in 2011.

By Isabel

Shirley Ann
Jackson

August 5, 1946 -

● The first African
American women to
receive a Ph. D.

● Shirley was named
Professor of Physics
at Rutgers
University in 1991.

● She is a theoretical
Physicist who has
spent her career
researching.

By Elliot

Dr.Guion Bluford
Jr.

November 22, 1942 -

● First African
American NASA
astronaut to go into
space.

● Four space shuttle
flights.

● Born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.

● Hobbies-swimming
scuba diving golf.

● Wife-Linda Tull 2
son-Guion111,James

● Flew 144 combat
mission 65 of which
were over north
Vietnam.

By Jack

Cathay William

September, 1844 - 1893

● Cathay William was
the first African
American woman to
serve in the United
States Army

● She pretended to be a
man to get in the
Army and her name
was William Cathay.

● She has a monument
bench that was
unveiled on the Walk
of Honor at the
National Infantry
Museum.

By Kai

Katherine Dunham

June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006

● Dunham was an
African - American
dancer and
choreographer.

● She had one of the
most successful dance
career in African -
American and
European theater of
the 20th century.

● Dunham has been
called the matriarch
and queen mother of
Black dance.

By Brooklynn

William Carney

April 3, 1928 - February 22,
2015

● Carney was an African
American soldier who
participated in the
American Civil War
from April 12,1816
thru April 9,1865

● Caney died at a hospital
in Boston December 9,
1908 because of a
elevator crash

● Carney was born as a
slave ,he was awarded
with Medal of Honor in
1900 for his gallantry
in saving the regimental
colors during the Battle
of Fort Wagner in 1963

By Stephanie

Earl Lloyd

April 3, 1928 - February 22,
1928

● He was a NBA star.
● He won the CIAA

player of the decade.
● He also won the

Naisaith Basketball Hall
Of Fame.
● He played on the Silver
and Golden Anniversary
Teams.
● He was an American
professional basketball
player and coach.
● He was the first black
player to have played a
game in the NBA.
● He was player of the
decade in the 1940’s.

By Abby

Gabby Douglas

December 31, 1995 -

● Gabby is famous for all
the gymnast
accomplishments.

● On August 23,2016,it
was announced that
Douglas would be one of
the judges at the 2017
Miss America pageant.

● Douglas was the first
African-American and
the first of African
descent of any
nationality in Olympic
history to become the
individual all around
champion.

By Addie

Joe Louis

May 13,1914 - April 12, 23,
1981

● Louis is a
professional boxer.

● He was considered
the best one of
greatest heavyweight
of all time!

- ● He only defeated 3
times!

● He reigned as the
world heavyweight
champion from 1937
to 1949!

By Kevin

Gabby Douglas

December 31, 1995 -

● She won 24 first place medals.
● Gabby Douglas is the first

African American and the first
of African descent of any
nationality in Olympic history to
become the individual all around
champion and the first U.S.
gymnast to win gold in both the
individual all around and team
competitions at the same
Olympics.
● In September 2012,Nintendo
announced that Gabby Douglas
would be part of a new ad
campaign for new super mario
bros 2.
● Gabby Douglas was the only
gymnast on the team to compete
on all four apparatus
( vault,uneven bars,balance
beam, and floor exercise) during
the finals of the team
competition.
● At the age of 14, she moved to
Des Moines, Iowa to train full
time with Coach Liang Chow.
By Keri

Simone Biles

March 14, 1997-

● Simone Biles is the
gymnast with the
most World medals
and the most World
gold medals.

● Simone Biles is the
sixth woman to win
an individual
all-around title at the
Olympics, World
Championships and
the Olympics, and the
first gymnast since
Lilia Podkopayeva in
1996 to hold both
titles simultaneously.

By Jaygan

Thank you for reading
our class book!

Ms. Ryan’s Class