Significant Contributions and Milestones to Black History

February is Black History Month, during which the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14) are celebrated. They made significant contributions to Black history.

Here are some other people and events important to Black history:

historic photos of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass

In 1863, Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in some states were free. Douglass, a former slave, also played a crucial role. After secretly learning to read, Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838, using a sailor’s pass and uniform. He eventually reached New York and, in 1845, published his autobiography and became a prominent anti-slavery advocate.

historical photo of the tuskegee airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen

A group of Black pilots who fought in World War II and proved they could excel in combat, which helped bring about desegregation in the military.

historical photo of the Little Rock Nine

The Little Rock Nine

Nine Black students who demonstrated courage by enrolling in a previously all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Their resilience played a significant role in the eventual end of school segregation.

colorized photo of Martin Luther King Jr giving a speech

The March on Washington

A gathering to support equal rights in 1963 in Washington, D.C., where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech about a future with equal treatment for everyone.

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