“One Step Ahead” for Black history on campus

By Emmett Roman
Staff Reporter

Lansing Community College has artwork all over campus, and many feature prominent Black historical figures. For Black History Month, it is important to remember and honor those Black figures and their footprint on LCC’s campus.

 

Aretha Franklin was an American singer-songwriter nicknamed the “Queen of Soul.” Born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, Franklin won many awards during her 50-year career as a singer. Out of 44 nominations, she won 18 Grammys. Franklin made history as the first woman to be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She was also inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005, Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2020. The photo above can be found in the Arts and Sciences Building on the second floor. All information was found on All Music.

 

Booker T. Washington was an American educator, author and orator (a public speaker). Washington was born into slavery on April 5, 1856, in Hale’s Ford, Virginia, and was freed at the end of the Civil War. Washington became the first president of Tuskegee University in Alabama. This photo of Washington is located in the Arts and Sciences Building on the second floor. All information was found on the National Park Service site.

 

Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and salesman. Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 and escaped on Sept. 3, 1838. Once Douglass escaped, he became known for his antislavery writings. His most famous work, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” was published in 1845. He was a leading force in the women’s suffrage movement and is sometimes referred to as the “father of the civil rights movement.” This picture of Douglass is located on the third floor of the Arts and Sciences Building. All information was found on the National Park Service site.

 

George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist and inventor who was known for his developments using peanuts, sweet potatoes and soybeans, resulting in being nicknamed “The Peanut Man.” Carver was born into slavery; following his emancipation, he pursued higher education. Becoming the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science, Carver created the Tuskegee Institute’s agricultural school and taught there for the rest of his life. Carver’s picture is located in the east hallway of the fourth floor in the Arts and Sciences Building. All information was found at History.com.

 

Jackie Robinson was the first African American baseball player to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. He was born in on Jan. 31, 1919, and was raised by a single mother of five. After returning home from the military, he decided he wanted to play baseball. While playing in the Negro Leagues, Robinson was invited by the Brooklyn Dodgers manager to join the Montreal Royals, a farm team for the Dodgers. Robinson accepted, and he played his first game with the Dodgers in April 1947. Some of Robinson’s achievements are winning the 1947 Rookie of the Year Award and 1949 Most Valuable Player Award. Robinson’s picture is located in the Arts and Sciences Building’s fourth floor in the east hallway. All information was found on the Jackie Robinson Museum site.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American civil rights activist and the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King used nonviolent methods and drew from his Christian faith, organizing protests, grassroots movements and civil disobedience. King made progress towards civil rights for African Americans before his assassination on April 4, 1968. King’s most prominent works include his “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” He worked to achieve the ending of Jim Crow. This photo of King is located in the Arts and Sciences Building’s third floor in the west hallway. King is also honored through the Martin Luther King Jr. Equity Center in the Office of Empowerment. This information was found on The King Center website.

 

There are several photos around campus taken by Thomas Askew. Thomas Askew was an African American photographer who wanted to revolutionize photography. His photos mainly captured African Americans and their lives. The photo above depicts African American students at the Roger Williams University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Roger Williams University was an historically black college and became the largest Baptist college to educate African Americans during its time. This photo is located on Downtown Campus in the Arts and Sciences building on the second floor. All information found from the university’s historical marker and on the ArtsATL site.

 

Malcolm X was a prominent civil rights activist and African American leader. He was known for taking a different approach than King did during the Jim Crow era. Instead of protests and speeches, he called out the government directly and publicly. Malcolm X’s photo is located in the Gannon Highway. All information was found on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture website. Photo by Emmett Roman. 

 

Cornel West is an African American philosopher, scholar of African American studies and political activist. He has written several books tracing the history of philosophy or exploring race, class and justice. His most known work is “Race Matters,” which is a collection of essays and was published one year after the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. West’s portrait is found in the Arts and Sciences building on the second floor. All information was found on Britannica.

 

W.E.B. Dubois was an African American sociologist, historian, author, editor and activist. Dubois is mainly known for founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He also became the association’s director of research and editor of its magazine, The Crisis. Dubois’ photo is located on the second floor in the Arts and Sciences building. All information was found on Britannica.

 

Thurgood Marshall was an African American civil rights lawyer who fought against Jim Crow and focused on dismantling segregation. Marshall was the first Black United States Supreme Court justice. He is perhaps best remembered for representing the plaintiffs in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. Marshall’s picture is located on the third floor of the Arts and Sciences building. All information was found on the NAACP website.

 

Ella Fitzgerald was a top female singer in jazz for years. She had many hit songs and was the first African American woman to win a Grammy. Fitzgerald accumulated over 13 Grammys during her career. Fitzgerald’s photo is located on the first floor in the Arts and Sciences building.All information was found on Biography.com.

 

Maya Angelou was an American poet, singer, memoirist and civil rights activist. Angelou published seven autobiographies, three books of essays and several books of poetry. Angelou was active in the civil rights movement and worked alongside King. Angelou is honored at LCC through the Maya Angelou Training Center. This center serves to empower and inspire individuals, groups and communities and create equity, inclusion and belonging. All information was found on the Maya Angelou Training Center webpage and the National Women's History Museum website. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.