Black History Month is a perfect time to reflect on the great and expansive history of Black people across the diaspora. But, it also is a time to learn more about figures who are not as well known.
Routinely, the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Madame C.J. Walker and Jackie Robinson are trotted out every February as if they are the only historical figures Black people have. Though they are amazing and made valuable contributions to the progress of Black people, it just goes to show that Black history is often streamlined into easily digestible chunks instead of served up as a full-course meal.
In the latest Atlanta Black Star original, we look at pioneers like writer, journalist and physician Martin Delany, who is considered by most to be the grandfather of Black nationalism in the United States and was one of the first to start the Back to Africa movement. Delany is one of nine other figures highlighted, including explorer Matthew Henson, politician Robert Smalls and freedom fighter Madam Efunroye Tinubu, who have quietly been swept under the rug.
