Born on the Caribbean island of Guadaloupe to a wealthy French father and slave mother Nanon, he was sent to the French court at age 7. He became one of the most accomplished swordsmen in Europe, and gained international renown as a composer, violinist, and conductor. He was named music director of the Paris Opera, but his appointment was blocked due to his race. He later served as a colonel in the first all-black regiment in Europe during the French Revolution. Sometimes referred to as “Le Mozart noir” (the Black Mozart), John Adams declared him “the most accomplished man in Europe.”
Listen to a sample of one of his compositions, the “Allegro” from the Symphonie Concertante in G Major, performed by the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRBUA5rgaLs
A film about his incredible life will be released this year. Check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LtCIImfSCk
If you can’t wait for the movie (or want to be able to fact-check it), find out more here: https://www.laopera.org/about-us/artists-2/creative-team/joseph-bologne/
The Clarks were influential to the Civil Rights movement and their expertise allowed them to testify as expert witnesses in several school desegregation cases, including Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, KS in 1954. Before his time on the Supreme Court, the Clarks worked with Thurgood Marshall on their famous doll experiment, which investigated children’s attitudes towards race. Their work influenced national public policy and, through the use of empirical research, contributed to the end of segregation.
To learn more about their amazing lives, check out the American Psychological Association’s biography: https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/ethnicity-health/psychologists/clark
You can listen to or read a 1964 interview with Kenneth Clark here: https://whospeaks.library.vanderbilt.edu/interview/kenneth-bancroft-clark
Brown vs. Board
Civil rights leaders chose to pursue this particular case to end segregation because it offered them the best chance to prove that “separate but equal” was not possible. The school in question (now a historic site in Topeka) was a high-quality institution, so no one could argue that the only problem was that the school itself was inferior. Instead, the law team sought to prove that “separate” was inherently unequal, creating lasting divisions and negatively impacting children of all races.
To learn more about the doll test and its significance, check out this article: https://www.naacpldf.org/brown-vs-board/significance-doll-test/ or this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loqzXCvazOI
Huerta is an American labor leader and civil rights activist. In 1962, she founded The United Farm Workers Association with César E. Chávez, a fellow activist. Huerta is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was the first Latina inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame.
Huerta is an American labor leader and civil rights activist. In 1962, she founded The United Farm Workers Association with César Chávez, a fellow activist. Huerta is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was the first Latina inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame.
At the Medal of Freedom ceremony in 2012, President Barack Obama explained his choice of Dolores Huerta for this award:
When César Chávez sat Dolores Huerta down at his kitchen table and told her they should start a union, she thought he was joking. She was a single mother of seven children, so she obviously didn’t have a lot of free time. But Dolores had been an elementary school teacher and remembered seeing children come to school hungry and without shoes. So in the end she agreed, and workers everywhere are glad that she did. Without any negotiating experience, Dolores helped lead a worldwide grape boycott that forced growers to agree to some of the country’s first farmworker contracts. And ever since she has fought to give more people a seat at the table. “Don’t wait to be invited,” she says, “Step in there.” And on a personal note, Dolores was very gracious when I told her I had stolen her slogan: “Sí se puede” (“Yes we can”). Knowing her, I’m pleased that she let me off easy, because Dolores does not play!
Video: https://youtu.be/MCAwRkZQM2E?t=554
Learn more about her outstanding life and achievements here: https://doloreshuerta.org/doloreshuerta/
PBS made a documentary about her life and impact, which you can rent here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVe7DZ6RLzo