Black History Month starts at the beginning of February and ends at the end of the month. The month is dedicated to remembering important figures in African American history. It is celebrated by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Martin Luther King Junior was born on January 15, 1929. Martin Luther King Junior was a baptist minister and civil rights activist. He spent his life dedicated to the civil rights movement in the mid-1950’s. He used peaceful methods of protest, such as sit ins and boycotts. He played a vital role in the creation of the Civil Rights Act. Later in life he won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was tragically assassinated in April of 1968. Today King is remembered as one of the most influential African Americans in America.

Rosa Parks was a civil rights leader as well as Dr.King. She led the Montgomery Bus Boycott which was started by her decision to not give up her seat to another white passenger. Parks married to Raymond Parks who was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Upon marrying Mr.Parks she begin to actively support NAACP. She severed as the youth leader to the organization. She was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. award for her heroic work with the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Daniel Hale Williams was an African American doctor born in January of 1856. He worked with the Equal Rights League which was a black civil rights organization during his time. Daniel had worked as a barber before deciding to pursue his dream of being a doctor.  In 1891 he opened the first interracial hospital called Provident Hospital. In 1892 Daniel completed open heart surgery on a man who was severely stabbed, he was the first person to preform open-heart surgery. In 1926 had a stroke and then died in 1931. His medical work contributed to the African-American institutions worldwide.

Mae C. Jemison became the first African American woman accepted into NASA’s astronaut program. In 1992 she flew into space on board the Endeavour, also becoming the first African American woman in space. From a young age she was interested in science and astronomy. As a young adult she went to Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship. After graduating from Stanford with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering she went on to enroll in Cornell University Medical College. In 1981 she had her Masters Degree and decided to intern at University of Southern California Medical Center. In 1985 she applied to NASA’s astronaut training program where she would earn the title science mission specialist. After NASA she established a company to seek, develop, and market advanced technologies.

George Washington Carver born into slavery but still lead many great accomplishments during his lifetime.  He designed hundreds of products just using one simple ingredient, peanuts. While science played a big part of his life he also was interested in music and art. He drew and painted botanical samples. He was the first black student to attend Iowa State where he received a bachelor of science degree. Carver was hired to run the Tuskegee Institutes agricultural department. He was respected by President Theodore Roosevelt and often helped out with agricultural matters in America. He was made a member of the British Royal Society of Arts in 1916.

Jackie Robinson, raised by a single mother in Georgia went on to be the first African American to play major league baseball. In high school Robinson played football, basketball, track, and of course baseball. After dropping out of university due to financial troubles, he moved to Hawaii. He played semi-professional football with the Honolulu Bears. The season was cut short when the United States entered WWII. Robinson then joined the Army, he never saw combat. He was honorably discharged after being tried for refusing to give up his seat on a segregated bus. After the discharge he decided it was time to play baseball professionally. The sport was segregated during this time period much like everything else. Eventually Robinson was able to join the all-white baseball team known as the Montreal Royals. In April of 1947 he played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and thus becoming the first African American to ever play on a major league team.