We Honor & Celebrate Black Leaders
Whose Contributions
Improved Our Lives and Changed the World
Wouldn’t it be hard to have a strong interest to learn a new skill and you are constantly being told no because of your ethnic background? The answer no did not stop Bessie Coleman from becoming the first African American woman and first Native American woman to get a pilot’s license in 1921 at the age of 29. In her time, African Americans, Native Americans, and women were not allowed to learn to fly. So Besse worked hard and worked many jobs to earn money that she would save to sail to France to learn flying there. When she came back to the US, Besse was still not allowed to fly planes even though she was a pilot. But that didn't stop her. She took jobs to do dangerous flying demonstrations, or exhibition flying, for paying audiences when pilots frequently died crashing planes doing such stunts. As she became popular, she earned the title of “Queen Bess” for her exceptional talent. She used her fame to advance racial equality. It was due to her early efforts that today anyone can be a pilot if they want to. Thank you Bessie Coleman!

Aren’t lunch boxes a helpful way to bring all of the parts of a lunch to school? In 1887, John Robinson designed a dinner pail, or lunch box, which could be carried to work by workers on farms or in construction. The pail had a top part to hold food and a bottom part to hold liquids. Since then, the lunch box has become a very important tool that many adults and children use when transporting their lunch from home. Think of John the next time you open your lunchbox. Thank you John Robinson!

Did you know that peanuts are used in hundreds of items we use every day? Beyond eating them roasted, boiled, or in peanut butter, peanuts are found in soap, paste, skin lotion, antiseptic medicine, inside the walls of our homes, and more – thanks to George Washington Carver. In the 1890s, Carver was a professor at Tuskegee University and did a lot of research on farming and agriculture. He identified many applications of peanuts during this time and also taught farmers how to grow lots of peanuts efficiently. He had such excellent ideas on farming that President Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi sought his advice. Thank you George Washington Carver!

Have you ever felt like words were just gushing out of you? Gwendolyn Brooks was a child who loved writing so much that she grew into a person considered to be one of the most revered poets of the 20th century. She was the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize (a really big prize for writers) in 1950 for Annie Allen, and she served as the poetry consultant to the Library of Congress (our country's big library), becoming the first Black woman to hold that position. She was also the poet laureate of the State of Illinois. Poets bring so much color and emotion to our lives. Thank you Gwendolyn Brooks!


What would our lives be like if couldn’t sharpen our pencils? We would have to get a new pencil every time our pencil point became dull. And what if we could only use a pencil sharpener in a certain place because it was too heavy to move? In 1889, John Lee Love, a carpenter and inventor in Massachusetts, created a portable pencil sharpener, often called the “Love Sharpener”. Before John’s design, pencil sharpeners were hard to carry because they were so heavy and hard to carry. Now, there are so many variations that can fit in the palm of your hand or are electronic and sit on our desk. Thank you John Lee!


For those of us that brush our hair, can we imagine life without a hairbrush? The durable modern-day hairbrush was developed by Lyda Newman, an inventor. Her hairbrush design used synthetic bristles, which are most common today. Her hairbrush design allowed users to take the brush apart to clean it. She is also known for her involvement in fighting for women’s suffrage, or a women’s right to legally vote in an election. Later, she opened up the first women's suffrage office for African American women. Thank you Lyda Newman!

Reference: Patrice McLaurin, “Have You Thanked an Inventor Today?”
Black History Moments  
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States and his wife, Michelle Obama, became the first African American First Lady of the United States. President Obama was elected President again in 2012. The U.S. President’s family is called the First Family. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama are America’s one and only African American First Family so far. We celebrate and thank President Obama and his family for being trailblazers in their leadership and service.  
On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first African American and Asian American Vice President of the United States. As the first female Vice President, she is the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States. She was born in Oakland, which is just 35 miles away from us in Palo Alto. We celebrate and thank Vice President Harris and her family for being trailblazers in their leadership and service. 
Black History Celebration Events
Black History Celebration Bedtime Story Night on Wednesday, 2/24 at 6:30pm
We’re delighted to host children’s author Patrice McLaurin for a district-wide elementary school focused virtual author evening visit. Patrice will read from her wonderful picture book Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? At the end of the presentation, there will be a 12-book giveaway with a signed book going to a student participant from each of the 12 PAUSD elementary schools. Patrice McLaurin’s presentation will take place on Wednesday, February 24th, from 6:30pm - 7:30pm for all elementary school students in PAUSD.
Zoom link for this event: https://pausd.zoom.us/j/91455422038

Black History Celebration Family Fun Night on Friday, 2/26 at 6:30pm
Join us for a high-energy, district-wide, professionally led celebratory online event where our elementary students will keep the learning and fun going beyond the Black History Celebration Newsletters and Bedtime Story Night with Black History-focused Bingo, Kahoot, Scavenger Hunt, and more with prizes! All PAUSD Elementary School families are welcome. You don’t want to miss this! Zoom details to come!

Sign Up for Ruby Bridges Walk 'n' Roll Month
More than 60 years ago, Ruby Bridges' mother courageously supported her six year old daughter in becoming the first Black student to walk to an all-white school. Sign up for Ruby Bridges Walk 'n' Roll Month and learn about how supporting transportation equity can reduce those impacts of traffic congestion, transportation-related injury and chronic disease, air pollution exposure and access to jobs, health care and education that disproportionately affect people in historically under-represented communities. 

PAUSD and the City of Palo Alto Launch a 21-Day Equity Challenge 
This is a powerful opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how inequity and racism affect our lives, our community and our student's education. For 21 days during Black History Month, Palo Alto students, parents, staff and the community at large are encouraged to do one action each day beginning on February 1.  The #PAEquityChallenge will provide online daily activities (brief readings, videos, etc.) that can be done in 15 minutes or less.  Each daily topic will provide an opportunity to deepen our connections and further our understanding of power, privilege, oppression, and equity. Please sign up and encourage others to do so as well! https://tinyurl.com/PAEquityChallenge 

Thanks for celebrating Black History with us!
Questions, Comments, or Clarifications? Email ptabhc2021@gmail.com
Questions, Comments, or Clarifications? Email ptabhc2021@gmail.com