Celebrating Black History Month: Margaret Bailey, first African American Nurse Corps colonel

 

Margaret Bailey, born December 25, 1915 in Selma, Alabama, graduated from nursing school in 1938 and worked at Mercy Hospital in st. Petersburg, Florida, the only primary care facility for the black community. A year later, resigned her position and went to work at Seaview Hospital on Staten Island, New York, which specialized in tuberculosis treatment and was also non-segregated.

She joined the US Army Nurse Corps in June 1944 and was assigned to the "all-Negro unit" in the corps. She completed basic training at Fort Huachuca in Arizona and was commissioned second lieutenant. She was assigned to Florence, Arizona to care for German POWs.

After WWII, Bailey served in domestic and international facilities, such as France, Germany, and Japan.  she faced racism, but she advanced through the ranks.  She was promoted to captain in 1950 after completing a six-month psychiatric nursing course at Brooke Army Medical Center.

In July 1964, she was promoted to lieutenant colonel, becoming the first black nurse to achieve the rank. She was transferred to the 130th General Hospital in Chinon, France.  In 1966, she became the first chief nurse of the unit and the first black nurse to lead a non-segregated unit.

Bailey received the Army Commendation Medal in February 1969 and in January 1970, she became the first African American person to achieve the rank of colonel, the highest military rank possible within the United States Army Nurse Corps.

She retired from the Army in 1971 or 1972, and worked as a Consultant to the Surgeon General with a special responsibility to promote increased participation of minorities in the Army Nurse Corps. Throughout her lifetime, she was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, National Defense Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Legion of Merit, the second hightest non-combat military award.

Bailey passed away in August 2014 in Washington DC, at the age of 98. 

Speech by Col. Margaret Bailey

Celebrating Black History Month: Tidye Pickett, first African American woman to participate in Summer Olympic Games

Tidye Pickett, born November 3, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, was the first African American woman to represent the United States at the Olympic games.  She and Louise Stokes were chosen to participate in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.  

Pickett competed in the 100-m dash and won, placing her third in the semi-finals. She qualified for the final, and placed sixth.  

Pickett and Stokes were selected to be in the 4x100 relay, but were left out of the finals.  It seems racism played a role in the omission from the games, but the ruling remains disputed. 

After the Olympics, Pickett became a school teacher and served as principal at an elementary school in East Chicago Heights, until her retirement in 1980.  She passed away in November 1986.

A brief history of Tidye Pickett

Celebrating Black History Month: James H. Conyers, first African American admitted to the US Naval Academy

James Henry Conyers, born October 24, 1855 in South Carolina, was the first African American admitted to the US Naval Academy.  He was nominated by South Carolina congress Robert B. Elliott, also an African American.  After completing his exams, he was sworn in September 24, 1872 as a cadet-midshipman.  

Life at the academy was particularly harsh and Conyers was the target of brutal hazing, being spit on, and physically attacked.  In one incident, his fellow midshipmen tried to drown him. Nine cadets were dismissed from the academy after one brutal attack, but Conyers resigned in October 1873.

He returned to South Carolina and lived a quiet life until he passed November 29, 1935.  

James H. Conyers 

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Patsy Mink, first Asian American woman elected to Congress

Patsy Takemoto Mink, born December 6, 1927 on Maui in Hawai'ian territory, graduated from Maui High School in 1944 and attended the University of Hawai'i at Manoa for two years before transferring to the University of Nebraska. She experienced racism and worked to eliminate segregation policies, but illness forced her to return to Hawai'i to complete her studies.

She applied to twelve medical schools but was rejected by all of them.  She applied to the University of Chicago Law School in 1948.  Unable to find employment after graduation, Mind returned to Hawai'i with her husband and daughter in 1952. She opened her own law practice in 1953 and became a member of the Democratic Party.  

The next year she was elected to the territorial House of Representatives, making her the first Japanese-American woman to serve in the House.  Two years later, she became the first woman to serve in the territorial Senate.

In 1962, she was elected to the new Hawai'i State Senate and became the first Asian-American woman to serve in a state legislature.  In 1964, she ran for federal office and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mink served until her death in 2002.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Mink

Celebrating Black History Month: Wyatt Outlaw, first black constable in Graham, NC, lynched in 1870

Wyatt Outlaw, born around 1820, was an African American community leader in Alamance County, North Carolina. As a leader of many African American activities, Outlaw was the first African American appointed to the Graham Town Council by Governor Holden, and became one of three black constables of the town.

The whites in the town weren't happy about being policed by African Americans.  In 1869, they held a nighttime ride in Ku Klux Klan garb through the streets of Graham to frighten the constables. Outlaw and another constable opened fire but no injuries were reported.

This incident enraged the racists and on February 26, 1870, the Ku Klux Klan dragged Outlaw from his home and lunched him in the courthouse square in Graham.

In 1873, the Grand Jury of Alamance County brought charges against 63 Klansmen, including 18 counts of murder in connection with the lynching of Outlaw, but the charges were later dropped.  No one has ever been tried for his murder.

Tulsa Race Massacre begins 1921

One of the worst, if not THE worst, race riots began in Tulsa, Oklahoma May 31, 1921. A young black man, Dick Rowland, was accused of assaulting a white woman in an elevator in the city.  The man was arrested, but word got around, mainly due to the white newspaper in Tulsa at the time, spreading rumors of a lynching.  The paper used inflammatory language which stirred up the white population into a murderous frenzy.

The black community rallied around Rowland, by arming themselves and showing up at the jail where he was being held.  The sheriff reassured them that Rowland would not be lynched.  However as the crowd began to disperse, a gunshot was heard and "all hell broke loose".

The riots, arson, and murders took place in the Greenwood area of Tulsa, a wealthy, black neighborhood, which had been dubbed "Black Wall Street". 

Over the course of two days, people were killed, houses were burned, businesses were looted, and scores injured. The exact number of casualties is unknown but estimates range from 36 dead to 300.

For decades, the incident was kept quiet and omitted from local, state, and national histories.  The Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 was formed in 1996. The commission reported that the city had conspired with the racist mob.  Oklahoma passed legislation to establish scholarships for descendants of the survivors, and develop a park in memory of the victims of the massacre.  Schools in Oklahoma have been required to teach students about the massacre since 2002, and the massacre became an official part of the Oklahoma school curriculum.

However, the governor and the state superintendent of schools have declared teachers cannot teach that the massacre was based on race.

To read more about this go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: State of Oklahoma bans "Killers of the Flower Moon" from schools

 

Although Oklahoma's state measure HB 1775 doesn't specifically ban David Grann's award-winning novel Killers of the Flower Moon about how dozens of members of the Osage Nation were killed by white settlers who wanted in on the oil profits, its wording is so vague that teachers are afraid to include it in their school curricula.  The measure prohibits schools from 

"teaching the idea that “an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously” or that “any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.”"

Educators fear that assigning the book will result in them being punished or fired.  Oklahoma school districts are not longer to use terms including 'diversity' and 'white privilege' in classrooms.  To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned and teachers are to teach students that slavery was 'beneficial' to African Americans.  

Oklahoma, where the hate comes sweeping down the plain.

"Sgt. Matlovich Vs. US Air Force" airs 1978

Sergeant Matlovich vs. the US Air Force, first televised August 21, 1978, is the true story of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, who was dismissed from the Air Force for being gay and his fight to be reinstated.  Matlovich worked to combat racism in the Air Force in the early 1970s and realized that gays also face similar discrimination.  He became an outspoken advocate for the gay community and was given and general discharge from the force.  

His fight to be reinstated became a groundbreaking episode that helped rally the LGBT community.  He took a settlement from the Air Force and he became an activist for gay rights. He was the first openly gay person to be featured on the cover of a major newsmagazine Time.  

The movie starred Brad Dourif in the title role.  David Ogden Stiers, Rue McClanahan, Marc Singer, and Mitchell Ryan.  

Matlovich died in 1988 just before his 45th birthday. His tombstone in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC (since he wasn't allowed to be buried in Arlington Cemetery) does not bear his name, but has the inscription:

"When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: James Young Deer, first Native American actor, director, writer, and producer

James Young Deer, born April 1, 1876 in Washington, DC as part of the Nanticoke tribe of Delaware, is the first Native American filmmaker/producer in Hollywood.  He joined the US Navy in 1898 and fought during the Spanish-American War, but was subject to racism.  

He began acting in 1909 in New York in short films such as The Falling Arrow and Young Deer's Bravery. In 1910 he was hired to direct for a French-based studio in Jersey city, whose movies were criticized that their movies were not realistic portrayals of the Old West.  Young Deer went to LA to make "Indian-themed" films.  It has been noted that his films portrayed the Native Americans in a favorable light, opposed to the "cliches of hostile Indian warriors or wagon train attacks".

Over his career, he acted in, wrote, or directed about 150 silent movies at Pathe's West Coast Studio. 

After about a year in England, he returned to the US, but westerns were less popular at that time.  He passed away in New York City in April 1946, and is buried as a veteran of the Spanish-American War.  

In 2008, the Library of Congress added White Fawn's Devotion, a film Young Deer wrote and directed, to the National Film Registry.

The Johnny Bright Incident 1951

The Johnny Bright Incident, October 20, 1951, was a dark day in college sports, when a white player attacked an African-American player so violently, the man was knocked unconscious and his jaw was broken.

Johnny Bright, born June 11, 1930 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was a top college football player while he attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Bright received a track and field scholarship from Drake and lettered in football, track, and basketball during his schooling.

In his sophomore year, he lead the nation in total offense, and the Drake Bulldogs finished the season 6-2-1.  In his junior year, he set an NCAA record for total offense (2,400 yards) in 1950, again leading the Bulldogs to a 6-2-1 record.  He was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate and was leading the national again in rushing and total offense during his senior year.

The Bulldogs had won their five previous games when they traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma to take on Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University).  Apparently, it was no secret that A&M players were targeting Bright claiming that he "would not be around at the end of the game". During the first seven minutes of the game, Bright was knocked unconscious and had his jaw broken by three blows from defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith.  

The incident was captured by Des Moines Register cameramen John Robinson and Don Ultang, and showed clearly the blow that broke Bright's jaw was delivered well after he had handed off the ball. They had been watching him when rumors of his targeting became too much to ignore. The six-frame sequence won Robinson and Ultang the 1952 Pulitzer Prize for Photography.

A&M's president Oliver Willham denied anything had happened even when presented with overwhelming evidence.  Smith was not penalized and NEVER apologized.  HE maintained he was not racist nor was it a racially motivated incident.

Yeah, right.  The incident provoked changes in NCAA rules regarding illegal block and the use of helmets with face guards.  The wikipedia article doesn't mention if there were any changes to rules concerning physical assault on other players.

Of course, Oklahoma A&M was not going to take any action against Smith, because they won the game.

Elaine Massacre, Arkansas 1919

The summer following the end of World War I in 1919 became known as the Red Summer, in which mobs of white men attacked and killed black men in dozens of cities across the United States.  In Arkansas, landowners used the black man's ability to read or write to their advantage and ensured the black population remained mired in debt.  

Robert Hill, a black farmer from Winchester, Arkansas, founded the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of American (PFHUA) to help farmers get fair pay for their crops and negotiate for better conditions.  

Whites saw this as a prelude to insurrection.  On September 30, 1919, the PFHUA met with about 100 black farmers at a church near Elaine to discuss their options.  They placed armed guards outside to protect the meeting.  When two deputized, white men and a black trustee showed up, shots were fired.  One of the white men was killed and the other wounded.  It has never been determined who fired the first shot, but it ignited a powder keg.

The sheriff called for a posse to capture the suspects and prevent a black insurrection.  As many as 1000 men were estimated to have answered the call.  They attacked and killed black people on sight.  Arkansas Governor Charles Brough called it a Negro uprising, saying black people planned to kill white leaders. 

Official records at the time count eleven black men and five white men killed.  Other estimates claim up to 237 black men killed.  An investigation resulted in indictments against 122 blacks for the murders of the white men.  

Twelve defendants, known as the Arkansas Twelve (or Elaine Twelve) were eventually convicted by all-white juries and sentenced to death in the electric chair.  The NAACP appealed to the Supreme Court, who overturned the death sentences since they determined the men's convictions lacked due process.  In 1923, the Arkansas Twelve were released.

Opelousas Massacre, Louisiana 1868

The Opelousas massacre began on September 28, 1868 in the St. Landry Parish of Louisiana.  After the Civil War, the Louisiana Constitution of 1868 gave black men the right to vote, integrated public education, and gave black citizens access to public accommodations.

This did not sit well with the white supremacists. On September 28, Emerson Bentley, a white man from Ohio, was teaching black children at Freemen's Bureau when three white supremacists interrupted him and beat him.  When the attack started, the children ran from the classroom screaming that Mr. Bentley was being killed.  This led to rumors that Bentley had been killed, but he had not, and he went into hiding.

The black community began organizing and threatening vengeance for Bentley's "death".  The white supremacists mobilized against them with superior numbers and weapons.  

Estimates of the death toll vary widely from less than one hundred to up to three hundred killed, most of the dead being blacks.

The Secrets of Isis episode "Dreams of Flight" debuts 1975

The fifteenth episode of the first season of The Secrets of Isis, Dreams of Flight, aired December 13, 1975.  It features the story of a Hispanic girl, who designs model airplanes.  She wants to enter a contest at the school but the favorite to win and her brother both try to discourage her from trying.

It is a good lesson against arrogance, bigotry and racism.   

Joanna Cameron starred as Andrea Thomas and Isis.  Brian Cutler as Rick Mason and Joanna Pang as Cindy Lee were the rest of the regular cast.  Cynthia Avila appeared as Chela Montoya.

The Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter" airs 1961

One of the best Twilight Zone episodes, The Shelter, aired September 29, 1961.  The episode followed a dinner party with a group of friends that is interrupted by a news bulletin that the country is under a nuclear attack.  One family has installed a bomb shelter under their house.  Their friends helped them build it, but when the crisis occurs, the friends turn against them.

Actor Joseph Bernard, who played Marty Weiss, also appeared in the Star Trek episode Wolf in the Fold.  It was kinda gutsy at the time, but that was usual for the Twilight Zone, for its depiction of racism and paranoia.

Arkansas Gov. Faubus sends Nat'l Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering high school 1957

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of schools was unconstitutional, but integration did not come easily. 

In 1957, nine black students attempted to enroll at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas.  On September 4, 1957, Governor Faubus mobilized the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the students from entering, preventing integration.  To "preserve the peace". 

The nine students were physically and mentally abused by the white students, but they persevered.  President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army, then later, federalized the Arkansas National Guard and ordered them to support the integration and protect the black students.

Martin Luther King delivers his "I Have A Dream Speech" 1963

Civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  He started his speech saying that although the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves, "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.". 

One of the most quoted lines from his (or any) speech:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"

Celebrating Black History Month: O.W Gurley, Founding Father Of Black Wall Street

O. W. Gurley, a wealthy black landowner from Arkansas, traveled to Indian Territory to participate in the 1889 Oklahoma Land Run.  He had just resigned from a presidential appointment under President Grover Cleveland.

In 1906, he moved to Tulsa and purchased 40 acres of land which he declared was only to be sold to other black people.  He opened a rooming hosue on Greenwood Avenue, and it became very popular for blacks fleeing oppression in Mississippi.  In Gurley's building they could escape the racial persecution.

Gurley, J. B. Stradford, and several other prominent black people pooled resources and created a self-sustaining exclusive black enclave, which later became known as "Black Wall Street".  Unfortunately, Gurley lost everything in the Tulsa Race Riots in 1921. 

His fate is not know because he vanishes from history after that. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Edward Boyd, African-American advertising executive for Pepsi

Edward Boyd, born June 27, 1914, was an advertising executive for Pepsi-Cola and responsible for marketing products specifically to African-Americans.  This was a time when Jim Crow laws were still in effect and blacks were discriminated, mocked or ignored in advertising.  Businesses could be attacked if it was discovered they sold products to the African-American community.

His efforts allowed Pepsi to substantially increase market share to the detriment of Coca-Cola.  He assembled a sales team of African-Americans to travel around the country to promote Pepsi.  Racial discrimination and hatred were rampant and the salesmen faced racial barriers constantly.  They attacked Coke's reluctance to hire blacks and Coke chairman's support of segregationist Herman Talmadge (Georgia Governor at the time).

After the sales team visited Chicago, Pepsi's share overtook Coke for the first time.

South Dakota jury sentences man to death because he is gay

I have no words for this, but the closest ones I can come up with are 'disgusting' 'horrific' and 'evil'.  The jurists in this case convicted a gay man of murder, but when it came to deciding on his punishment, they opted for the death penalty, because...get this...they thought he would enjoy being in prison.  The jurists had "a lot of disgust" for Charles Rhines because it was known he was gay.  So they thought prison is just where he wanted to be.

They asked questions such as:

Would he “be allowed to mix with the general inmate population?” Would he be permitted “to discuss, describe or brag about his crime to other inmates?” Would he “have a cellmate?”

The hatred, stupidity and bigotry is clear. 

The Supreme Court has ruled that jury deliberations aren't necessarily sacrosanct if there is evidence of racial bias in the jury room.  The reporter Ms. Tabacco Mar cited a case  where evidence existed that the jury decided to convict an accused man of unlawful sexual contact and harassment because “he’s Mexican, and Mexican men take whatever they want,” in the words of one juror.

Although the Supreme Court has said states should prevent the harms of discrimination against LGBT people, they have decided not to step in.

Do straight people really think this is what we want? 

If that was the case, why aren't gay men committing heinous crimes to be sent to prison every day?


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/opinion/charles-rhines-gay-jury-death-row.html

Celebrating Black History Month - Ed Dwight, first black astronaut

Ed Dwight, born September 9, 1933 in Kansas City, is the first African-American to be trained as an astronaut.  The Kennedy Administration hand-picked Dwight for astronaut training, to make the field of astronauts more diverse, and less white-washed.  Although he completed the training, he experienced rampant racism but held on until JFK was assassinated.  Then the environment became unbearable.

He resigned from the Air Force in 1966 and since then, has become a famous scupltor noted for his many works, such as sculptures of Martin Luther King, Jr. all across the country.