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A thread of inspirational black people that make me proud of the colour of my skin
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1 - Isaac Wright Jr was wrongfully convicted for running large drug distribution networks throughout New York and New Jersey. Whilst serving a life sentence in prison he studied law, helping oversee his own appeal. Due to his hard work he became a prison paralegal and managed
to win the freedom/ reduce the sentence of over 20 inmates. Furthermore, he contributed to the introduction of new laws that courts now follow. His charges were dismissed after 7 years and he became a licensed attorney in September 2017.
2 - Ruby Bridges became the first African American student to integrate to a white elementary school in the south. Despite crowds screaming vicious slurs at her and a majority of the teachers refusing to educate her, Ruby attended school every single day.
3 - Helen Williams was the 1st black woman to cross over into mainstream advertising, in the 1950s. Despite the ignorant racism in the modelling industry Helen never backed down. She made it clear that no matter how beautiful, talented or skilled you were, darkskin women were
continuously denied and after four years of struggle she finally broke down the colour-barrier and paved the way for many more aspiring black models.
4 - Polly Jackson escaped slavery then after seeing the anti-abolitionists attacks on African Americans she dressed up as an elderly woman and carried a cloth which she used to hide a hot kettle and butcher knife. These kitchen weapons helped her fight off slave captures.
5 - Beulah Mae Donald’s son, Michael Donald, was lynched by 2 K*K members. She managed to win a $7,000,000 settlement from the United Klans of America in Alabama which left the organisation bankrupt.
6 - Madam C.J. Walker was born to slave parents but became the first female self-made millionaire in America. She developed a scalp disorder which led to her losing much of her hair then made a life African American hair products. She is also known for her philanthropic acts.
7 - Warrick Dunn’s mum was a Baton Rouge police officer who was shot & killed whilst he was only a senior in high school. He raised his 5 siblings whilst remaining in college then he later graduated and went to the NFL. He built and paid for over 145 homes for single mothers,
sacrificing millions of dollars to ensure they had better lives.
8 - Phillis Wheatley was a slave seized from Senegal/Gambia when she was around 7 years old. Whilst enslaved, the Wheatley’s learnt of her precociousness and taught her to read and write alongside her domestic duties. She later became the first African-American author of poetry.
9 - Daisy Bates was three years old when her mother was killed. Although she as young and had no recollection of her mother, Daisy dedicated her life to ending racial injustice. She and her husband founder the Arkansas Weekly which was dedicated to the Civil Rights Movements.
She also served as the president of the Arkansas NAACP. In 1557, she selected 9 black students to integrate a white high school. She regularly drove them to school and worked tirelessly to ensure they were protected from violent crowds.
10 - Shirley Chisholm aware of racial and gender inequalities joined the NAACP, the Urban Legend, the Leagure of Women Voters & the Democratic Party Club. In 1964, she ran for and became the second African American in the New York State Legislature.
She also won a seat in Congress in 1968 (becoming the first African American woman to do so) where she introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation and championed racial and gender equality as well as various philanthropic acts.
