#RandomThoughts For the Week In Honor of Black History Month In the United States

On this Black History Month in the United States, we remember and honor all who have contributed to America as we present a curation of thoughts:  

“I’m a revolutionary at heart now, and I’ve got to run, even though it might be the downfall of my career,” Shirley Chisholm declared in 1972. The first woman to mount a serious, nationwide campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, Chisholm is still revered today for her fearlessness, tenacity, and progressive platform. Below, you’ll find five pieces that honor Chisholm and other important figures in Black history and contemporary life, including Greg Tate, Martin Luther King Jr., and the African and Caribbean immigrants who risk their lives in search of safer and brighter futures.

Honoring Shirley Chisholm and the History She Made 50 Years Ago “It was because of Shirley Chisholm, I am, and because of Shirley Chisholm, Kamala Harris is,” said Representative Barbara Lee in a tribute to the trailblazing visionary. JOHN NICHOLS It’s Time for Black Experts to Be Heard Over a decade after the Great Recession, key institutions are still not listening to warnings from Black scholars on a range of issues. The time for excuses is over. ANNA GIFTY OPOKU-AGYEMAN The Black Migrant Trail of Tragedies Immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean who make the dangerous trek across the Americas to the US face racist policies and practices everywhere they go. KOVIE BIAKOLO The Immortal Influence of Greg Tate His writing will be a touchstone for generations of critics to come. STEPHEN KEARSE The Root Cause of Voter Suppression How SCOTUS’s brazen decision subverts democracy for all. REV. DR. WILLIAM J. BARBER II

In honor of Black History Month, Historynet Now! is celebrating and commemorating the history, ongoing contributions, and achievements of Black people. 

 

This week, we want to tell you about the extraordinary life of Alexander Augusta, the U.S. Army's first Black surgeon. Born in an age of slavery in 1825, the ever-inquisitive Augusta was denied entry at the University of Pennsylvania due to being “inadequately” prepared for the curriculum. Undeterred, Augusta enrolled as a medical student at the University of Toronto’s Trinity College, where he graduated in 1856.

 

Over the next few years, Augusta remained in Toronto, reading from afar the terrible headlines that detailed the spiraling path towards civil war in his home nation.

 

But in 1863, with the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, August saw his chance to return home. He immediately drafted a letter to President Abraham Lincoln and the Army Medical Board in Washington, D.C., offering his services.

 

The Medical Board rejected him. But he still was undeterred and headed for D.C. to petition the board in person.

 

“I have come near a thousand miles at great expense and sacrifice,” he told them, “hoping to be of some use to the country and to my race at this eventful period.”

 

He passed the qualifying exams with flying colors—making him the U.S. Army's first Black surgeon and, with a commission as a major, the highest ranking African American officer in the U.S. military.  

 

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Email us at news@historynet.com.

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