Black Histroy Month

Front 1

Harriet Tubman

Back 1

o Born: 1821 in Bucktown, Dorchester County, Maryland
o Died: March 10th, 1913 in Nelson Davis’ home
o Her parent’s name were Benjamin Ross and Harriet Greene
o Her birth name was Araminta Ross
 She changed her name to Harriet when she was eleven years old
o Harriet was born into slavery
o She married John Tubman in 1844
o At age 13, she tried to defend another slave she got hit in the head
 As a result, she had a scar for life and uncontrollable sleep spells
o Her first husband [John] was a free man
 John and Harriet broke up when Harriet decided to escape. John didn’t see the point of wanting to head north
o Harriet decided to escape when her master died in 1849
 She was afraid all the slaves would be sold again
o Harriet ran away with the help of William Still, a conductor of the Underground Railroad.
o The first people Harriet helped escape was her mother and her sisters.
o Harriet Tubman earned the name “Moses” because of how she freed many slaves.
o Harriet traveled back and forth between the north and the south approximately 20 times.
 She threatened to kill any slave that decided to surrender or turn back.
o A $40,000 reward was offered for Harriet’s captured.
 Harriet almost got caught when she fell asleep under her own “Wanted” poster; she was very illiterate so she didn’t understand.
o During the civil war, Harriet served as a cook, laundress, nurse, scout, and spy with the Union Army
o In 1869, Harriet married her second husband, Nelson Davis.
 He was half her age at the time.
 He died of Tuberculosis in 1888

Front 2

Maya Angelou

Back 2

o Born: April 4th, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri
o Died: [Still Living]
o Birth Name: Marguerite Ann Johnson
o Famous for: writing poems
o Children: Guy
o She raised her son as a single mother
 To support her son, she worked as a waitress and a cook
o Her love for music, dance, and performance made her famous.
o She appeared in many movies such as Roots and Poetic Justice.
o Maya’s brother was named Bailey.
 He could not pronounce her name because of a stuttering problem. He just called her “My” for “my sister”. He then read a book about Maya Indians and began saying “Maya”. The name eventually stuck with her.
o In 1952, she married a Greek sailor named Anastasios Angelopulos. \
 The marriage did not last long before they got divorced.
o Some of Maya’s most famous poems are:
 I know why the caged bird sings
 Still I rise
 Touched by an Angel
 Remembrance
 Phenomenal Woman

Front 3

Benjamin Banneker

Back 3

o Born: November 9th, 1731 in Maryland
o Died: October 9th, 1806
o Parents: Robert and Mary Bannaky
o Invention: America’s first clock
o His father and grandfather were former slaves.
o In 1793, he borrowed a friend’s pocket watch. He took it apart and drew out each piece, the he put it all back carefully and returned it still working.
o Just with that drawing, Benjamin constructed a clock that kept accurate time for over 50 years.

Front 4

Nikki Giovanni

Back 4

o Born: June 7th, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee
o Died: [Still living]
o Full name: Yolande Cornelia Giovanni
o Nikki Giovanni is a famous poet
o Her first book of poetry was Black Feeling Black Talk , which was published in 1968
o She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage award
o Nikki is a Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia

Front 5

Michelle Obama

Back 5

o Born: January 17th, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois
o Died: [Still living]
o Full name: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
o Parents: Fraiser and Mirian Robinson
o She is the first lady of the United States of America
 Her husband his Barack Obama, the President of the USA
 They met at a Chicago law firm
 They got married in 1992
o She attended Princeton University
 She graduated cum laude in 1985
o She first focused on the support of military families

o Michelle did a lot of volunteer work

• Rosa Parks
o Born: February 4th, 1913 in Tuskegee Alabama
o Died: October 4th, 2005
o Full name: Rosa Louise McCauley
o On December 1st, 1955, she refused to give up her seat on the bus after a long hard day of work
 She was then arrested and released on bail
o She dropped out of school in the 11th grade to help support her sick grandmother
o In 1932, she married a barber named Raymond Parks
 With his help she got her high school degree in 1933
o In 1943 she joined the NAACP as the secretary to the president