After an extensive education, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He never ceased working for civil rights and was instrumental in many nonviolent demonstrations, including the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. He was the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he helped found. He was well known for his eloquent and inspiring speeches, perhaps the most famous of which was the "I Have a Dream" speech delivered in Washington, D.C. to approximately 250,000 people. He received many honors over the course of his life including five honorary degrees and Time magazine's Man of the Year (1963). At the age of thirty-five, he became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968
SCRIPTURE: John 8:32
Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Black History Bulletin - Wilma Rudolph
SKU: U7816
TEXT:
Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994)
Born the twentieth of 22 children, Wilma Rudolph was a sickly child. She had polio at an early age, which left her crippled, but with faith, determination and the help of her family, she overcame it. A track coach discovered Wilma when she was on her high school basketball team, which led to a college scholarship. She participated in the Olympic games in 1956, but her real triumph came in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Running on a sprained ankle, she became the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in track and field in the Olympics. Among many other honors and awards, she was invited by Billy Graham to join the Baptist Christian Athletes in Japan in 1963. After retiring from competition she became a teacher and track coach. To this day, she is remembered as one of the fastest women in track. She died at age 54 of brain cancer.
SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 12:1
Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Black History Bulletin - Booker T. Washington
SKU: U7817
TEXT:
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)
Booker T. Washington was born a slave in Virginia. After the Civil War and emancipation, he began work at the age of 9 in salt furnaces and coal mines. Because of his great desire for a good education, he eventually went to Hampton Institute, working his way through, and later went on to Wayland Seminary. He became a teacher, and in 1881 he became the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a position he held until his death. Washington was first noticed as a political spokesman for his Atlanta Address of 1895. As time went on, Washington became a recognized leader in the African American community, as well as an educator, public speaker and author. He spent the majority of his life working to improve educational opportunities for African Americans and promoting friendship between the races.
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 25:5
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation.
Black History Bulletin - Clara Hale
SKU: U7818
TEXT:
Clara Hale (1905-1992)
Clara Hale's father died when she was a baby, leaving her mother to raise her and four siblings. Clara was greatly influenced by the love and support of her mother and the importance she placed on being a good parent. She was also motivated by her strong moral upbringing in the Baptist church and her education. When Clara's own husband died, leaving her with two children to support during the Great Depression, she began a home daycare and later became a foster parent. Ultimately, this decision led to the creation of Hale House, a home for unwanted children and for children who were born addicted to drugs. In 1984 President Ronald Reagan called her an "American Hero." During her lifetime, Clara helped over 1,000 babies and children.
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 19:14
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Black History Bulletin - Henry Ossawa Tanner
SKU: U7819
TEXT:
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)
Henry Ossawa Tanner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of a well-educated minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Although his parents did not favor his artistic pursuits at first, they eventually supported him. Tanner began his formal training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied human anatomy and learned how to transfer that knowledge to canvas. Tanner favored a realistic style and especially wanted to treat his African American subjects with dignity. Unable to support himself with his artwork in the United States, Tanner moved to Paris, where he studied with many well-known artists, and his work grew in popularity. He is best known for his painting, The Banjo Lesson, as well as for his many biblical subjects. His Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City was the first work by an African American painter to be acquired for the art collection of the White House in Washington, D.C.
SCRIPTURE:
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.
