Black History Month for 2026

Eunice Bodie, a 92 years young hairdresser, certainly deserves mention. She worked the cotton fields as a youngster and got herself out of there.

Click on the link to see how cute she still is. - at 92. She can’t weigh more than 100# soaking wet😇😇


“MEMPHIS, Tenn. —At 92 years young, one Memphis woman is proof that greatness never goes out of style.

Eunice Bodie was hired by Sam Gould as the first Black hairstylist at Gould’s and she didn’t just remain booked and busy through the decades—she made history, one appointment at a time.

WREG introduced Bodie on her 92nd birthday as she celebrated with her long-time work family at the Gould’s Salon in Germantown.

Bodie started her career more than 70 years ago, but she tells WREG’s Brayel Brown every day is exciting, like the first day of work.

“At the age of 14, we started going to the cotton patch, chopping cotton,” explained Ms. Bodie. “And I use to always say, ‘If I ever get out of the cotton patch, I’m going to start doing hair.’”

There’s nothing better than waking up each day to do the work you love.”


https://wreg.com/news/long-time-memphis-hairstylist-celebrates-92nd-birthday/
 
Why do we need to single out any portion of society with their month. If the professed concept is to do away with racial bias then don't promote it. It is the same with gay pride, anti-semitism or other so called movements. Celebrate all our history as a whole and the bias will disappear rather than having attention drawn toward it.
 
Rider77 said:
Why do we need to single out any portion of society with their month. If the professed concept is to do away with racial bias then don't promote it. It is the same with gay pride, anti-semitism or other so called movements. Celebrate all our history as a whole and the bias will disappear rather than having attention drawn toward it.
Click to expand...

That might work in a perfect world but we are far from perfect.
 
1619: First black slaves brought to North America.
1865: Official freeing of slaves in the U.S. although Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination (poll tax, etc.) have continued to do their darndest to bring it back
1969: When Black History month started

So let's see: from 1619 to 1969 is 350 years. And one tiny (the shortest!) month of the year set aside for black history since 1969. Wouldn't even begin to call that excessive promotion.
 
Women of color have been contributing to science and medicine for well over a century. From Wikipedia:
"African-American women have been practicing medicine informally in the contexts of midwifery and herbalism for centuries. Those skilled as midwives, like Biddy Mason, worked both as slaves and as free women in their trades. Others, like Susie King Taylor and Ann Bradford Stokes, served as nurses in the Civil War. Formal training and recognition of African-American women began in 1858 when Sarah Mapps Douglass was the first black woman to graduate from a medical course of study at an American university.[1] Later, in 1864

Rebecca Crumpler became the first African-American woman to earn a medical degree. The first nursing graduate was Mary Mahoney in 1879. The first dentist, Ida Gray, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1890. It was not until 1916 that Ella P. Stewart became the first African-American woman to become a licensed pharmacist. Inez Prosser in 1933 became the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate in psychology. Two women, Jane Hinton and Alfreda Johnson Webb, in 1949, were the first to earn a doctor of veterinary medicine degree. Joyce Nichols, in 1970, became the first woman to become a physician's assistant."

Coincidentally, I attended a performance tonight of my Honorary Son #3's play about Biddy Mason. You can read more about this incredibly remarkable woman on page 1 of this thread...my reply #15. This link contains the names and contributions of women in medicine.
List of African-American women in medicine - Wikipedia
 
struth.jpg
This image shows Abraham Lincoln showing Sojourner Truth the bible gifted to him by Black Baltimore community members.

At the 1851 Women's Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, Sojourner Truth delivered what is now recognized as one of the most famous abolitionist and women's rights speeches in American history, “Ain't I a Woman?” She continued to speak out for the rights of African Americans and women during and after the Civil War.

STruth3.png
Sojourner Truth was a prominent Black abolitionist and women’s rights activist best known for her powerful speeches, including "Ain't I a Woman?" which exposed how Black women were excluded from traditional notions of femininity and equality, revealing the unique oppression they faced at the intersection of race and gender.

STrutha.jpg

Born into slavery in New York, she escaped to freedom in 1826 and became a key figure in the fight against slavery during the 19th century in the United States.

In 2009, Truth became the first Black woman to be represented in the U.S. Capitol with a bust.
 

Philly Man Uses Mobile Laundromat To Help City's Unhoused Get Clean Clothes​


A man who has had his own fair share of tragedies in life decided to lend a helping hand to others by cleaning clothes for Philadelphia’s unhoused. NBC10’s Shaira Arias has the story.

The video also shows him praying on the spot for the unhoused.
 
Ian Warnick.jpg

Russellville High Schooler Discovers Location Of Forgotten Home Listed In ***** Motorist Green Book

The word that has been asterisked out twice in my post here is not offensive to me, N*e*g*r*o.



Thanks to the efforts of Russellville High School senior Ian Warnick, a ceremony recognizing the location of the former M. Jackson Tourist Home as an historic site took place yesterday. The ceremony included the installation of a plaque recognizing that the Jackson family operated a tourist home that was listed in the Green Book from 1939 to 1947.

Although the M. Jackson Tourist Home no longer exists, it was one of two local residences in Russellville that was listed in The ***** Motorists Green Book. The site was the only home between Little Rock and Fort Smith that was listed in the Green Book as providing safe accomodation for Black travelers during the Jim Crow era.

Warnick began his research when he was in junior high. After visiting the Friends of the Latimore Tourist Home booth during a Downtown Art Walk, he learned that there was another home in Russellville that was listed in the Green Book. The exact location of the Jackson home was a mystery until Warnick stepped in.

Congratulations, Ian!
 
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