Sarah Birnbach

95 WEEKS That’s the number of weeks that I have been writing a blog post and sending a weekly newsletter devoted to combating racism. My goals have been: to educate myself and others to much of America’s history of racism, to learn about and try to understand the Black experience in America, to learn how…

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, But if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” Maya Angelou NOTE: As “Negroes” was the term used to refer to African Americans and Black Americans during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, I have included this word in this newsletter, intending no disrespect or…

This week I wrap up my Women’s History Month newsletters with the stories of four contemporary Black women whose achievements are remarkable and who have paved the way for others to follow in their footsteps. KIZZMEKIA CORBETT (1986 –   ) Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Shanta Corbett was born in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina in January,1986 and grew up in Hillsborough, North…

This week’s newsletter honors four more noteworthy Black women—civil rights activists, a lawyer, and a labor leader—whose contributions to our society and our culture deserve being honored, especially during Women’s History Month. MARY ELLEN PLEASANT ( ? – 1904) Mary Ellen Pleasant’s exact origins are fuzzy as she gave contradictory stories about her early life. In…

This week’s newsletter is devoted to the first Black woman aviator and lesser known civil rights activists. These women’s names are part of my tribute to 2022’s Women’s History Month. I know this newsletter is long, but I had to honor each of these amazing women and tell their stories. BESSIE COLEMAN (1892-1926) Bessie Coleman was born…

In this week’s newsletter, I continue to honor Women’s History Month by highlighting the accomplishments of four little-known Black women—a writer, an educator, a lawyer, and an activist. GWENDOLYN BROOKS (1917-2000) Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was born on June 7, 1917, in Topeka, Kansas. Her father, a janitor for a music company, had hoped to pursue a…

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…