L.Y.F.E. is………
Blessings and greetings L.Y.F.E. family!
Welcome to another edition of “L.Y.F.E. is…”!
We hope and pray that your hearts are encouraged and that you are blessed by this devotional!
Title: The Unsung Sheroes/Heroes of Black History Month
Scripture: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Can you believe it’s already February and Black History Month?! Black History Month, formerly Negro History Week thanks to the “Father of Black History Month” Dr. Carter G. Woodson is a time in which we celebrate and lift up the achievements of African Americans. It is also a time in which we remain consistent and persistent in our fight and struggle against historical inequalities that still exist today.
When it comes to Black History Month, pioneers in African American history such as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Madam CJ Walker, James Baldwin, and Mohammad Ali, and many others often come to mind-and rightfully so. But there are several, in fact too many to name here; that deserve the spotlight in Black History.
This month’s “LYFE is….” devotional focuses its efforts on recognizing the “hidden figures” of Black History month who deserve to be celebrated for their contributions as well their impact outside Black History.
~Shirley Chisolm-became the first Black woman elected to Congress during the racially contentious period of the late 1960s.
~Bayard Rustin-Dr. King is usually credited for the March on Washington in 1963 but it was Bayard Rustin who organized and strategized in the shadows.
~Claudette Colvin-before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, there was a brave 15 year old who refused to sit at the back of the bus. She was the first young lady to be detained for her resistance. Colvin’s story isn’t nearly as well-known as Rosa Parks.
~Annie Lee Cooper-this Selma, Alabama native played a crucial role in the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement. She is lauded for punching Alabama Sheriff Jim Clark in the face but she deserves credit and to be celebrated for fighting to protect and restore voting rights.
~Bessie Coleman-was the first licensed Black pilot in the world and paved the way for a new generation of new fliers such as the Tuskegee Airman, the Blackbirds, and the Flying Hobos.
~Ethel Waters-was the first African American to star in her own T.V. show in 1939, The Ethel Waters Show. She was nominated for her first Emmy in 1962.
~Bill Russell-was the first Black player to achieve superstar status in the NBA. Bill Russell was also the first Black coach in North American professional sports and the first to win a championship. He has paved and trail blazed the way for other African Americans to not only become coaches but team owners as well.
~Reverend Drs J. Alfred Smith, Sr. and J. Alfred Smith, Jr.-this father and son Pastoral “tag team” has served as the 5th and 6th Senior Pastors of the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, CA. Dr. Smith, Sr. and Dr. Smith, Jr. have combined for over 40 years of unbroken, pastoral ministry at Allen Temple Baptist Church. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr. retired as Senior Pastor of Allen Temple in 2009 and was voted to serve as Pastor Emeritus. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr. retired from pastoral ministry on January 31, 2019.
~Barack H. Obama-was the 44th President of the United States and made history as the first African American President of the United States. He served two terms, 2008 and 2012.
~Reverend Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson-made history in March 2010 as the first woman to be installed as the Assistant Pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, CA. On April 7th, 2019, Dr. Jacqueline Thompson was elected to be the first woman Senior Pastor of the historic Allen Temple Baptist Church by a resounding majority. “Pastor Jackie” as she is known, is the 7th and current Pastor of the historic Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, CA.
~Kamala D. Harris-made history in November 2020 when she was elected as the first female, first African American female of Asian descent Vice President. She is the 49th and current Vice President of the United States. Madam Vice President Kamala Harris is also the first female Vice President and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history.
While the contributions, achievements, and continued struggle for human rights remain the focus of Black History Month; none is more important than the role of God in it. We must never forget that God, Our Liberator brings freedom to the oppressed and enslaved; it is God, Our Liberator who sent His Son Jesus Christ to deliver us from all forms of injustice and inequalities. And it was God, Our Liberator who called these and many others to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God so that they could be used as an instrument of change.
These Black pioneering figures and so many more deserve to be celebrated.
Thus, we honor Black History past, Black History in the making, and Black History future!
Let us reverence Our Black History Sheroes/Heroes with a Prayer for Black History.
