"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE": MARTHA E. L. HAYNES

Come, listen all you gals and boys, Ise just from Tuckyhoe ; I'm goin' to sing a little song, My name's Jim Crow." Those words are part of a song called,"Jump Jim Crow" made famous by a White minstrel performer named Thomas D Rice, aka "Daddy Pops Jim Crow," aka Daddy Rice. The song sprang up in America around the late 1820s. Additionally, the song and Rice became so popular with the White folk in America, he ended up performing it all over the United States! By the way, he always performed his song and dance routine painted in Black face.Therefore, without A doubt, he was saying to White People that Negroes was Jim Crow! It was a way of mimicking and making fun of Negroes.You see, before 2017, c I never even knew that the song "Jump Jim Crow" existed. Before then, all I ever knew about Jim Crow was them dirty dam Jim Crow laws that White People used to enforce racial segregation. Even though the laws were called Jim Crow Laws, they could of just as well been called "Negro Laws," because they only applied to the Negro, not to Whites. Well, the reason I brought this up is because there seems to be a revival of Jim Crow Laws in America. Some new Laws have popped up in Georgia, some new ones in Mississippi, and it looks like some new Laws are about to pop up in Louisiana too! With all that being said, I feel that we as Black People and as African-Americans need to start paying attention to all these new bills and ordinances that are being presented and passed by School Boards, City Councils, Governors, and especially the President of the United States! If we don't, then we are the ones at fault. Well, let's get to this week's Black Pioneer.Martha E. L. Haynes Was born in Washington D.C. on September 11, 1890 to William S. Lofton, a Colored dentist and financier and Lavinia Lifton, a Colored kindergarten teacher. While in high school, Martha attended the national famed M Street High School in Washington D.C., where she graduated as Class Valedictorian in 1907. From there, she attended and graduated from Normal School for Colored Girls, now known as The University of the District of Columbia, with a degree in education. Later in 1914, Martha attended and graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, earning a mathematics degree. Next, she gained her master's degree in education from the University of Chicago in 1930. Finally, Martha received her doctorate degree from The Catholic University of America in 1943, becoming the first Colored Woman in America to earn a PhD in mathematics! It was reported that Martha's dedication to the educational system of the District of Columbia went far and beyond the normal call of duty for a teacher and educator.Interesting enough, her overall contributions covered a span of almost 5 whole decades! Additionally, Martha was an outspoken critic of the American educational "track system," a system of separating students by "academic ability" into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. She felt and argued that by assigning Colored students to tracks, it left them unprepared for college.In the end, Martha's efforts against the "track system" culminated in the 1967 court case of "Hobson vs Hansen" which led to the end of the "track system" in American public schools. On July 25, 1980, at the ripe old age of 89, Martha E. L. Haynes died in Washington D.C. where she spent nearly 5 decades paving a way for current Black Educators and Black Teachers! Before she died, Martha setup a trust fund of $700,000 dollars to support a student-loan fund for the Catholic University School of Education. Also, her papers are housed in the Catholic University archives.In 2024, one of her Alma Maters, Smith College renamed the residential house formerly known as Wilder House to Haynes House to honor Martha.

"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE": REV. RALPH D ABERNATHY

One of the things I like about this week's Black Pioneer is that he was born on th e same date as me, March 11. Besides that, he worked with Martin Luther King Jr in the Civil Rights Movement! Our story begins in Linden, Alabama, where Ralph D Abernathy was born on March 11, 1926, at his family's home. From there we travel to The Linden Academy Baptist School in Linden, where Ralph led his first public demonstrations to improve the conditions of the school and the lives of his fellow students.Next, we travel to World War ll , where we find young Ralph, other Blacks, and White members of the U.S. Military battling the forces of Fascism abroad! Next, we travel back to Alabama , where Ralph is enrolled at Alabama State University, partially due to benefit of the military G.I. Bill. During his sophomore year, he was elected president of the student council. As student council president, Ralph led a successful hunger strike to improve the quality of the food being served to students on campus. Additionally, while he was still attending Alabama State University, he became an ordained minister. In 1950, Ralph graduated with a degree in mathematics. Also in 1950, he became the first Black disc jockey in Montgomery, Alabama to host a show on a White radio station. Next, we travel all the way to Atlanta University, in Atlanta, Georgia, where Ralph earned Master of Arts degree in Sociology. Finally, we travel back to Alabama State University, where Ralph began his professional career as the dean of men at the University. Furthermore, later that year, he became the Senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, which was the largest Black Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Well, some of the interesting things about him were ; he was a member of the brotherhood of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, he was a close friend and mentored Rev Martin Luther King Jr, he help create the Montgomery Improvement Association to defend the civil rights of Black People, he was President of the SCLC, and Ralph led the Poor People's Campaign in Washington D.C., in May of 1968. On April 17, 1990, Ralph D Abernathy died at Emory Crawford Long Memorial Hospital. Following his death, officials at Alabama State University dedicated Ralph D. Abernathy Hall in his honor. Also, officials in Atlanta, Georgia named Ralph David Abernathy Freeway, Abernathy Road, and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in his honor.