Celebrating African American Heritage

The story of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal segregation in public schools, is one of hope and courage. When the people agreed to be plaintiffs in the case, they never knew they would change history. The people who make up this story were ordinary people. They were teachers, secretaries, welders, ministers and students who simply wanted to be treated equally.

Before Dr. Carter G. Woodson, there was very little accurate written history about the lives and experiences of Americans of African descent. Today a National Historic Site, Dr. Woodson’s home served as the headquarters for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Dr. Woodson established Negro History Week here in 1926, which we celebrate today as Black History Month.

As part of a daily routine, Frederick Douglass spent up to five hours a day studying and writing in his library at Cedar Hill, Anacostia. Douglass was self-taught and continued to read and learn throughout his life. In addition to reading and writing, Douglass taught himself multiple languages, how to read music, and to play the violin. 

Nancy Davis (1833 - 1908) was born a slave at Cowpens, the Howard family plantation near Hampton. However, she was free by the time this image was taken at a Baltimore photo studio during the Civil War. Davis was then nursemaid for little Eliza Ridgely (1858-1954), the daughter of Charles and Margaretta Howard Ridgely, and her brothers and sisters. Nancy continued to work for the Ridgelys of Hampton for many years, and is the only African American buried in the Ridgely family cemetery at Hampton National Historic Site.

Maggie Lena Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration of pride and progress. Today, Walker’s home is preserved as a tribute to her enduring legacy of vision, courage, and determination.

"Tuskegee Airmen"  refers to the Army Air Corps program to train African Americans during World War II to fly and maintain combat aircraft.  Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air. The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. Their achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.

Booker T. Washington was born a slave in April 1856 on the 207 acre farm of James Burroughs. After the Civil War, Washington became the first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School. Later as an adviser, author and orator, his past would influence his philosophies as the most influential African American of his era. 

George Washington Carver rose from slavery to become a renowned educator, scientist, artist, and humanitarian. An innovator and idealist, he had a remarkable understanding of the natural world.Carver devoted his life to research and finding practical alternatives to improving agriculture and the economic condition of African-Americans in the South.