McMurry University War Whoop (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 10, Ed. 1, Monday, February 8, 1993 Page: 4 of 8
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Dr. EtHeridge's African- American Literature class
provides the following short biographies on impor-
tant African-American's in our culture in recognition
of Black History Month. These are the same biogra-
phies the students wrote andor presented on KTXS
to inform the Big Country.
Harriet Tubman an escaped
slave became"QJ? most successful
worker in the underground railroad.
Despite enormous rewards for her
capture she was able to rescue over
300 people from slavery including
ber own parents. After abolition
Tubman fought for the rights of
school-aged children and elderly African-Americans.
Harriet Tubman
an American hero. -Presented by
Andre Reed
Jazz pianist Edward Kennedy
Ellington better known as "Duke"
declined an art scholarship so he could
dedicate himself to music. His per-
formances at Harlem's legendary
Cotton Club gained him a national
following. A recipient of the Presi-
dential Medal of Freedom Ellington
has been called "America's most
important composer." -Presented by
Starla Westmoreland
Barbara Jordan a Texas law-
yer established many firsts in politics.
She was the first black woman in the
Texas Senate and later became the
first black to preside over it. In 1972
she became the first southern con-
gresswoman in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Concerned with the
oppressed Barbara Jordan is an African-American
helping many
Americans -by Jill Atwood
Actress director and com-
poser Maya Angelou is also one of
the great voices of contemporary
American literature. Directing the
movie based on her best-seller "
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings "
Angelou became the first black
woman ever to direct a Hollywood
film and is today one of the few woman
members of the Director's Guild.
Maya Angelou a contemporary
leaderof African-American voices. -by
Yvette Vasquez
Alice Walker is known for her
novel "The Color Purple "which won
the Pulitzer Prize the American Book
Award for Fiction and was later made
into a movie. She has also worked
with the civil rights movement for
welfare and with the Head Start pro-
gram. Alice Walker's dedication to
her writing and these causes has been
instrumentd in preserving the culture
and traditions of her cherished race. -by
Lara Pope
Sojourner Truth an evangelist and
reformer applied her energies to the abo-
lition and women's rights movements.
She was the first African-American
woman orator to speak out against sla-
very. Despite her humble beginnings as a
slave Sojournerwas received atthe White
House by President Abraham Lincoln.
Sojourner Truth was an example to all
americans who search for truth and equal-
ity throughout life -by Hayle Kendrick
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. was a prominent leader for civil
rights. His leadership in the Alabama bus
boycott led to racial desegregation and
major legislation. He was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of
non-violence but in 1968 he was assas-
sinated. Now in his honor we have
Martin Luther King Jr. Day. -byLaLena
Carpenter
Josephine Baker emerged from a
poor background in the American mid-
west to the world of vaudeville in the
1920s. Realizing her success would be
limited due to segregation she moved to
Paris in 1925 where she was ahit. During
World War H she worked for the French
resistance where she was twice decorated.
After the war she continued her work in
the arts and humanities until her death in
1975. -by Diane LeFevre
General Colin Powell is the first
African-American to be chairman of the
Joint Chiefs-of-Staff. For bis service in
the Persian Gulf War he received the
presidential Medal of Freedom. At the
82nd NAACP convention he was
awarded the 76th Springarn Medal
making him the 2nd military officer to
achieve this award. General Colin
Powell a soldier-statesman whose ser-
vice has made this country proud -by
Tammy Hancock
Phyllis Wheatlcy is known from her
journey from slavery to being the first
African-American woman to be recog-
nized as a poet. At 7 she was kidnapped
from her African home and sold in
America. The Wheatleys educated her
and by age 14 she was writing her own
poetry. Her work was popular because of
its religious influence and focus on free-
dom -by Amy Lynn Hood
Toni Morrison is one of the most
prominent authors in contemporary
i 1 1 1 ' I C hV 1 1 ak 9 1 1 1 H & H 1 1 '
American literature. Although many
of her themes are universal she pre-
fers to write about the African-
American woman's experience. She
has received numerous literary hon-
ors and awards including the Pulitzer
Prize for her 1988 novel "Beloved. "
Toni Morrison a celebrated "black
woman writer." -by Tori Gouge
Malcolm X was a Black Ameri-
can leader whose ideas on U.S. racial
problems were an importantinfluence
on the black nationalist and black
separatist moments of the 1960s. He
dedicated himself to building theBlack
Muslimmovementand later organized
the non-religious organization of Afro-
American Unity. On February 21
1965 he was assassinated. Malcolm
X paved the way for African-Americans
of the future -by Micheal
Woodard
In 1952 Ralph Waldo Ellison
wrote "Invisible Man". This prize
winning novel has since been trans-
lated into 14 languages leading
Ralph Ellison to be considered a world
renowned writer. From his experi-
ence as a black man dealing with
racial turmoil came one of the most
significant novels of the 20th century.
"Invisible Man" a profound ex-
amination of the richness beauty and
heroism of the black experience -by
Steffanie Persefield
The Reverend Jesse Jackson
worked with Dr. Martin Luther King
to find jobs for African-Americans.
He developed a group called People
United to Serve Humanity. This group
encourages students to study more
and increase their sense of self-worth
and responsibility. He ran for presi-
dent in 1984 and '88 when he was
instrumental in registering a large
number of voters. Jesse Jackson an
African-American making a differ-
ence in politics -by Sharon Blazier
Jackie Robinson was the first
black to break the color barrier in
baseball. When he was signed to play
with the Brooklyn Dodgers certain
players said they'd never play with
him and the St. Louis Cardinals
threatened to strike in protest.
Robinson's breakthrough into base-
ball seemed to many blacks as the
realization of promises made in the
emancipation proclamation. Jackie
Robinson was one of baseball's great-
est players -by Kelly Carroll
George Washington Carver a
scientist used the peanut to create
more than 300 different products. Per-
haps Carver's most significant contribu-
tion was the development of greater re-
spect between races. In commemoration
Congress passed a law designating Janu-
ary 5 as George Washington Carver Day
and establishing the George Washington
Carver Monument the 1st U.S. Monu-
ment dedicated to an African-American.
George Washington Carver an inven-
tor an African-American pioneer -by
David Heights
Thurgood Marshall was the first
African-American in United States his-
tory to have been appointed a Supreme
Court justice. He also argued the ground-
breaking 1954 Brown v. Board of Educa-
tion for the NAACP which made segre-
gation in the public schools illegal.
Thurgood Marshall an African-American
pushing for progress -by Claudia
Gravier
Louis Daniel Armstrong's out-
standing ability to play the trumpet and
his unique vocal style established him as
oneofthegreatestfiguresinjazz. He was
one of the first African-Americans to be
featured in films and to have a sponsored
radio show. By the late 1930s he was a
nationwide star. Louie Armstrong an
African-American whose memory plays
on. -by Karen White
Ella Fitzgerald is an internationally
well known jazz singer. During her fifty-
five year career she has performed with
jazz giants and major symphony orches-
tras. She is the recipient of many presti-
gious awards. She has influenced many
american popular singers of the past and
also international performers. -byReiko
Enomoto
Trumpeter Miles Davis pioneered
thecooljazzstylein the 1950s. Heformed
the first major quintet which would influ-
ence other jazz combos. Forced into
retirement in the mid 70s Miles had a
successful comeback album in 1981 en-
titled "The Man with the Horn. " For his
contributions to contemporary music he
received an honorary doctorate of music
degree from the New England Conserva-
tory. Miles Davis a prolific musician
and jazz legend -by Annette VaUadarez
Zora Neale Hurston is honored as
the literary grandmother of black women
writers. Through her works she exempli-
fied the African-American people as
complete complex and undiminished
human beings. Her honesty and power as
a storyteller have earned her a place in
American literary history. Zora Neale
Hurston aBlack American with a story
to tell -by Danette Pope
James Baldwin was born in
Harlem New York in 1924. Disen-
chanted with racism he spent ten years
in exile in Europe. A writer best known
for "Notes of a Native Son " and "Go
Tell it on the Mountain " he was rec-
ognized athome and abroad. In 1956 he
was named a member of the National
Institute of Arts and Letters. His ac-
complishments will not be forgotten. -by
Jerry W. Hollingsworth
Frederick Douglass an escape
slave and self-educated man became
and abolitionist politician author and
editor. He encouraged integrated
schools and equal rights for women
created an underground railroad and
helped enlist African-Americans into
theunion army. Frederick Douglass
was a man taking a stand -by Lynn
Wilson
Trumpeter John JJirks Gillespie
with Charles Parker and Miles Davis
invented be-bop in the fifties. He was a
presidential candidate in '64 and re-
ceived the Kennedy Center Lifetime
Achievement Award in 1990. He was
the catalyst the powered jazz from the
forties while playing with Louis
Armstrong Benny Goodman and Cab
Calloway through the sixties with Max
Roach and John Coltrane to the present
day being the inspiration for the likes
of Freddy Hubbard John Faddis and
Wynton Marsalis. Although his per-
sonal and musical lives were ver bal-
anced the man was and is "Dizzy." -by
Scott Blubaugh
Blllle Holiday was one of the most
influential blues singers of all time.
Overcoming great obstacles in her
childhood she recorded with such jazz
legends as Teddy Wilson.Lester Young
Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong.
Known for her ability to completely
transform a melody into a creation all
her own she influenced not only sing-
ers but jazz instrumentalists as well
Billie Holiday an American jazz leg-
end -by Dianna Le Fevre
Richard Wright's Mississippi
childhood gave him little opportunity
for formal schooling. However this
self-educated author created "Native
Son" considered one of the great
American novels of the twentieth cen-
tury. His work won him a Guggenheim
fellowship and many other prestigious
awards. Richard Wright a native son
whosepen helped shape his
country'sliterature. -Presented by
Quincy Jones
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McMurry University War Whoop (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 10, Ed. 1, Monday, February 8, 1993, newspaper, February 8, 1993; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth104533/m1/4/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.