Raising the Bar in Black History
To raise the bar is to drive change, to be a leading voice, to think differently in your approaches, to carve a new path forward, to be one of, if not the, best at what you do. Throughout the past and present, there have been those who have raised the bar in social issues, sports, industry and so much more. In reflecting on Black History Month, we asked Boathouse employees who, in their minds, are people of color who have raised the bar in what they do/did. See some of our leading inspirations below.
Dorothy Counts-Scoggins
After the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools must end, Dorothy and three other students broke the color barrier at Harry Harding High School in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 4, 1957.
When Dorothy was met with racial slurs, mockery and physical harassment, her parents moved her to Pennsylvania to finish school.
Dorothy went on to work as a consultant for a daycare center in a low-income neighborhood, and still tours the country advocating for better schooling.
“That was my calling—didn't know it then, but I did promise then that what happened to me would not happen to another child. So everything I've ever done has been around making sure that children have equality in their lives.”
Sources: https://bit.ly/3JXZpco, https://bit.ly/3JUrfqa, https://bit.ly/3M7habl, https://n.pr/3M9f4Yi
Ernest G. Green
Ernest volunteered to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in September 1957. Surrounded by paratroopers, he and eight others, later known as the Little Rock Nine, entered the school after Governor Orval Faubus ordered National Guardsmen to keep black students out.
Despite harassment from his peers, Ernest went on to become the first black student to graduate from Central High. Martin Luther King Jr. sat with his family at the graduation.
Ernest went on to have a profound career that saw him as the Assistant Secretary of Labor during the Jimmy Carter administration, and Senior Managing Director at Lehman Brothers. He and the rest of the Little Rock Nine received the Presidential Medal of Honor from Bill Clinton in 1999.
“They used to call Arkansas 'the land of opportunity,' and black people said, 'Opportunity for whom?' ... Today, we can say 'opportunity for all,' and Arkansas can be proud of this moment.”
Sources: https://bit.ly/3IuTv29, https://bit.ly/3hHJyTz, https://bit.ly/3stpZ7z
Simone Biles
Simone took women’s gymnastics by force, becoming the first woman to win three consecutive World Gymnastics Championships all-around titles (2013-2015) and becoming the first black gymnast to be World All-Around Champion in 2013. She also holds the title as the most decorated athlete in the history of the sport, and has been credited with creating four new gymnastics moves.
Simone has become a vocal leader in advocating for better mental health for all. She’s also been an outspoken survivor of sexual assault while on the U.S. gymnastics team.
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps ... I’m the first Simone Biles.”
Sources: https://bit.ly/3M9EDbT, https://bit.ly/36Ra3nh, https://bit.ly/3HtrvuD
Fannie Lou Hamer
Born in 1917 in Mississippi, Fannie Lou grew up poor, working the B.D. Marlowe plantation alongside her family.
After she tried to register to vote in 1962, B.D. Marlowe made her leave his land. Surviving physical abuse, death threats, racial slurs and more, Fannie Lou became known for her beautiful and powerful singing voice that soothed others and brought people together amid the violence. She later released an album called Songs My Mother Taught Me.
In 1964, she helped found the Freedom Summer African American voter registration drive in Mississippi. She was also a vocal leader in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a political group that challenged the legality of Mississippi's all-white, segregated delegation at the Democratic National Convention. It was there, in a televised speech, that Fannie gained national attention. The following year, she had an unsuccessful run for Congress in her home state of Mississippi. Still determined to make a difference, Fannie Lou set up organizations to help provide child care, create business opportunities and help the less fortunate in her community.
“You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.”
Sources: https://bit.ly/3MdWXki, https://bit.ly/3M40YHT, https://to.pbs.org/3teUkG5, https://bit.ly/3vrHaIj
Jackie Robinson
Jackie was a standout all-around athlete, participating in baseball, basketball, football and track. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant. His interest in civil rights began when he refused to sit in the back of a military transport bus. He was court-martialed; however, all charges were dropped and he was given an honorable discharge.
After being a star player in the Negro American League, Jackie became the first black person to play in American Major League Baseball when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He would go on to play from 1947 to 1956.
Despite dealing with teammates who protested playing with him, getting intentionally hit with pitches and dealing with racist fans, Jackie led the Dodgers to six league championships and one World Series. After his baseball career, Jackie was a vocal leader for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was often seen with Martin Luther King Jr.
"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Sources: https://7ny.tv/3Ma1Ydt, https://bit.ly/35B6Pnl