Women’s History Month, which starts this coming Tuesday, March 1st, highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women in history, society, and culture. Women’s History Month traces its beginnings to the first International Women’s Day in 1911. The Sonoma, California school district organized a Women’s History Week in 1978, coinciding with March 8th—International Women’s Day. Hundreds of…

For the past three weeks, I have shared the names and accomplishments of Black writers, photographers, military heroes, and civil rights activists to honor their legacies during Black History Month. The study of Black history has become a politicized subject since I began my newsletters in June 2020. Rather than being segregated from American history, I consider it the…

This week I am highlighting three Black Americans who inspired others and whose names have never become household words. Edward Bouchet (1852–1918) Edward Bouchet was the son of a formerly enslaved person who had moved to New Haven, Connecticut. His parents were active in their local abolitionist movement and encouraged their son and his three…

To continue to honor lesser-known Black Americans, this week I am focusing on several civil rights activists whose names may be unfamiliar. Octavius V. Catto (1839-1871) Octavius V. Catto was born in Charleston, South Carolina in February 1839. His father was a Presbyterian minister who moved his family to Philadelphia when Octavius was a child. Catto…