Black History Month February 2022: Mae C. Jemison

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

By Kerri Lee Alexander, NWHM Fellow | 2018-2019

As a doctor, engineer, and NASA astronaut, Mae Jemison has always reached for the stars. In 1992, Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space. She has also written several books and appeared on many television programs including an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In addition to her many awards, Jemison has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame.

Mae Carol Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. The youngest of three children, her mother was an elementary school teacher and her father was a maintenance supervisor. A few years after she was born, Jemison and her family moved to Chicago, Illinois. In addition to her love for dance, Jemison knew that she wanted to study science at a very young age. Jemison grew up watching the Apollo airings on TV, but she was often upset that there were no female astronauts. However, Jemison was inspired by African American actress Nichelle Nichols who played Lieutenant Uhura on the Star Trek television show. Jemison was determined to one day travel in space. In 1973, she graduated from Morgan Park High School when she was 16 years old. Once she graduated, Jemison left Chicago to attend Stanford University in California.

As one of the only African American students in her class, Jemison experienced racial discrimination in school. She later served as president of the Black Student Union and choreographed a performing arts production called Out of the Shadows about the African American experience. Jemison graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and African-American studies. After graduating from Stanford University, Jemison attended Cornell Medical School. While in medical school, she traveled to Cuba to lead a study for the American Medical Student Association. She also worked at a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand. Jemison graduated from Cornell with a Doctorate in Medicine in 1981. Shortly after her graduation, she became an intern at the Los Angeles County Medical Center, and then went on to practice general medicine. Fluent in Russian, Japanese and Swahili, Jemison joined the Peace Corps in 1983 and served as a medical officer for two years in Africa.

After working with the Peace Corps, Jemison opened a private practice as a doctor. However, once Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, Jemison decided to apply to the astronaut program at NASA. She applied in 1985, but after the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986, NASA took a break from accepting new people. However, Jemison applied again in 1987 and was one of the 15 people chosen out of over 2,000 applications. She was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 12, which was the first group chosen after the Challenger explosion. After being selected, Jemison trained with NASA and worked on projects at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory. She received her first mission on September 28, 1989 when she was selected to join the STS-47 crew as a Mission Specialist. On September 12, 1992 Jemison and six other astronauts went into space on the space shuttle Endeavor. This voyage made Jemison the first African American woman in space. The team made 127 orbits around the Earth and returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 20, 1992.

Jemison left NASA in 1993 after serving as an astronaut for six years in total. She started The Jemison Group, a consulting company that encourages science, technology, and social change. She also began teaching environmental studies at Dartmouth College and directed the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries. After hearing that she was a fan of the Star Trek television show, actor LeVar Burton asked Jemison to appear in an episode. Jemison agreed and became the first real astronaut to be on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She played Lieutenant Palmer in the episode, “Second Chances.” In 1994, Jemison created an international space camp for students 12-16 years old called The Earth We Share (TEWS). She also created a nonprofit organization called the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence. Jemison later accepted a position as the Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University in 1999. She went on to write her first book in 2001, Find Where the Wind Goes, which was a children’s book about her life.

Currently, Jemison is leading the 100 Year Starship project through the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This project works to make sure human space travel to another star is possible within the next 100 years. She also serves on the Board of Directors for many organizations including; the Kimberly-Clark Corp., Scholastic, Inc., Valspar Corp., Morehouse College, Texas Medical Center, Texas State Product Development and Small Business Incubator, Greater Houston Partnership Disaster Planning and Recovery Task Force, and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. Jemison is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, and has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, National Medical Association Hall of Fame and Texas Science Hall of Fame. She has received multiple awards and honorary degrees including the National Organization for Women’s Intrepid Award and the Kilby Science Award. She currently lives in Houston, Texas.

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison

Black History Month February 2022: Lisa Markland

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

Lisa Markland is a graduate of Northeastern University, where she achieved a BS in Human Services. A former collegiate athlete at Northeastern, she competed in track and field and is a two time American East Champion, former New England Champion, and was a national ranked competitor.

Markland used her bachelor’s degree to work at the state level for the Department of Social Services as a social worker for several years. She then spent time as program coordinator for Roca’s Youth Star program, which helps disenfranchised young adults achieve their GED, enroll in community college, and gain life skills to function as productive citizens of society.

Lisa has spent 15 years working in the social justice arena as a facilitator for the Center for the Study of Sports in Society’s nationally accredited program Mentor’s in Violence Prevention (MVP). In June of 2016, Lisa came on the CSSS team full time as an Assistant Director of Training.

https://www.northeastern.edu/sportinsociety/author/lisa-markland/

Black History Month February 2022: D. Sean Dukes

June 2, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

D. Sean Dukes

Phoenixville, PA — Delmar Sean Dukes lived with reckless abandon and sucked all the juice out of life until his departure from this world on January 10, 2022. Born October 13, 1966 at Walson Army Hospital on Fort Dix, NJ, he was the competitive and over-achieving athlete-scholar in his warrior military (Air Force) family.

He is predeceased by his father, Paul E. Dukes. At his father’s memorial service he told the mourners, “Hey Dad, when I grow up, I want to be just like you. In a world where people say, ‘I don’t want to be anyone’s role model and would I still be your hero, if I never played sports?’ he told us all, “Don’t worry Charles [Barkley] and Mike [Michael Jordan], you never were, my Dad is.”

True to his word, Sean grew up to be like his Dad, his role model and hero, guided by his father’s philosophy:

Make no promises you can’t keep.

If you believe in something; live it.

Never do anything you’ll regret.

Apologize when you mess up.

Death walked with Sean through the course of his young adult life and Death was a constant companion who beat in his chest. Sean received his first heart transplant in 1986 and was able to live his first person singular, active voice, action verb life – well beyond age 19. He found his true love, had children, and he shared his life because someone had given him the gift of a heart. He was the Tin Man rooted with courage through his heart; Sean cherished life through his manner and BEing.

We are forever grateful to the family who gifted their son’s heart that beat steadfastly on until 2009, when Sean received his second heart transplant – another gift of life. The donors have lived on through Sean’s life, works, and deeds.

He continued to live his full life and he leaves behind his devoted wife of 26 years, Allison Barnett Dukes, and the lights of his life: his son, Cameron P. Dukes (25) and daughter, Avery L. Dukes (23). He also leaves behind his dear mother, Valerie J. Brooks, also known in her community as “Miss Val” and the “Flower Lady” (Shelburne, MA) and his Persistent, Charming, and Trickster sister, Cheryl L. Dukes, (Buckland, MA).

Sean lived for his family. Although his career kept him on the road quite often, he was happiest on the couch in his Dad jeans, watching a movie with his family. He put his family first and performed small acts of love each and every day. He was known to leave sweet notes for Allison in her car and on her bathroom mirror; he spent 2 summers with blue toenails, as Avery loved to polish them when she was a little girl. He loved to talk sports, cars, stocks, and work with Cameron. Sean was proud to coach Cameron’s various soccer teams over the years and loved being a “horse dad” for Avery. He delighted in traveling around the country to cheer her on at horse shows. He also supported Allison in all new endeavors she took on, but by far his proudest moments were watching Cameron graduate from the University of Oregon in 2018 and Avery graduate from the University of Southern California in 2021.

Sean received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and was a proud MIT Sloan Fellow, Class of 2005, where he received his MBA. Sean dedicated 25 years of his career working for Lockheed Martin, where he was a respected colleague and leader. Until 2014, he served as Director – A2100 Spacecraft Modernization Effort, Commercial Ventures, in Newtown, Pennsylvania and then finished his time with LM as Director of Quality & Mission Success, Integrated Fighter Group, in Fort Worth, Texas. He took such pride in building satellites and fighter jets throughout those years and loved pointing to a satellite, jet or tank and telling the kids “I made that.”

Upon his return to Pennsylvania, Sean served as Vice President of Performance Excellence for The Triumph Group in Berwyn, and worked most recently as the Vice President of Operational Excellence for the Platforms and Services sector at BAE Systems. Each of these roles were more than jobs for him; his work was his true passion and he made so many wonderful friends over the years. His hard work and talent were rewarded often; in 1999 he was awarded a Black Engineer of the Year STEM award (1 of 27 professionals recognized nationally for outstanding technical achievement), as well as many Lockheed Martin awards throughout the years. Upon learning of his passing, Sean’s colleagues described him as a “quiet, insightful leader”; “a true leader, manager and friend”; a leader who “made us better.”

Sean’s other passion in life was organ and tissue donation. Affectionately known as the “Tin Man”, Sean received the gift of life in the form of two heart transplants. He received his first in 1986, while a college student, and his second came in 2009. He was strong and stubborn, returning to work afterwards without missing a beat. He was a medal-winning athlete at the National Transplant Olympics in 1991, 1992 and 1994, but was a superstar in all aspects of life. He took great pride in being a part of the Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia, serving as the Vice Chair of the Gift of Life Governing and Medical Advisory Board and the Chair of the Investment Committee on the Board of Directors. Upon his death, he gave the ultimate gift of his corneas, giving 2 people the gift of sight.

Sean was a friend to anyone he met. You could be sure he was the smartest person in any room, but he was humble and unassuming. Usually so calm and serious that when he laughed, it just lit up the room. Sean would stop to help anyone at any time and was a particularly proud supporter of our military. He once gave up his seat in an airplane’s first class so an active Marine could have it in his place; that man gave Sean his Purple heart as a token of gratitude, and Sean cherished it. He was a proud donor to the Bob Woodruff Foundation and other non-profit organizations supporting the military.

There are simply too many stories of kindness and generosity to list. His friends have described him as “a gentle man with a kind heart”; “a true gentleman”; “a genuine person who cared about everyone”; “a legend”; and simply, “The Man.”

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations may be made in Sean’s memory to Gift of Life Family House, 401 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, PA 19123 or online at www.GiftofLifeFamilyHouse.org

All arrangements are being handled by the R. Strunk Funeral Home. Condolences to his mother, Valerie J. Brooks can be sent to POB 173 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370. Online condolences to his family and a link to Gift of Life can be found at www.rstrunkfuneralhome.com.

It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death — ought to decide, indeed, to earn one’s death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life. One is responsible to life: It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we shall return. One must negotiate this passage as nobly as possible, for the sake of those who are coming after us. (James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time)
Published by Daily Hampshire Gazette on Jan. 26, 2022.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/gazettenet/name/d-dukes-obituary?id=32405056

Black History Month February 2022: bell hooks

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

The prolific and trailblazing author, poet, feminist, cultural critic and professor bell hooks died Wednesday December 15 at age 69. Her death was first announced by her niece, Ebony Motley, who said that she had died at home surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death was reported, but Berea College in Kentucky, where hooks had taught since 2004, said in a news release that she had died after an extended illness.

Preferring to spell her name with no capital letters as a way of de-emphasizing her individual identity, bell hooks was born Gloria Jean Watkins as the fourth of seven children in Hopkinsville, Ky., on Sept. 25, 1952. Her pen name was a tribute to her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks.

She attended segregated schools in her native Christian County, Ky., before earning her undergraduate degree at Stanford University in California, a master’s degree in English at the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate in literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

She taught at Stanford University, Yale University, Oberlin College in Ohio and the City College of New York before returning to Kentucky to teach at Berea College, which now houses the bell hooks center.

The author of more than three dozen wide-ranging books, hooks published her first title, the poetry collection And There We Wept, in 1978. Her influential book Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism followed in 1981. Three years later, her Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center explored and criticized the feminist movement’s propensity to center and privilege white women’s experiences.

Frequently, hooks’ work addressed the deep intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality and geographic place. She wrote about her native Appalachia and growing up there as a Black girl in the critical-essay collection Belonging: A Culture of Place and in the poetry collection Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place.

In a 2000 interview with All Things Considered, hooks spoke about the life-changing power of love — that is, the act of loving and how love is far broader than romantic sentiment. “I’m talking about a love that is transformative, that challenges us in both our private and our civic lives,” she said. “I’m so moved often when I think of the civil rights movement, because I see it as a great movement for social justice that was rooted in love and that politicized the notion of love, that said: Real love will change you.”

She went on: “Everywhere I go, people want to feel more connected. They want to feel more connected to their neighbors. They want to feel more connected to the world. And when we learn that through love we can have that connection, we can see the stranger as ourselves. And I think that it would be absolutely fantastic to have that sense of ‘Let’s return to kind of a utopian focus on love, not unlike the sort of hippie focus on love.’ Because I always say to people, you know, the ’60s’ focus on love had its stupid sentimental dimensions, but then it had these life-transforming dimensions. When I think of the love of justice that led three young people, two Jews and one African American Christian, to go to the South and fight for justice and give their lives — Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner — I think that’s a quality of love that’s awesome. … I tell this to young people, you know, that we can love in a deep and profound way that transforms the political world in which we live in.”

Additional reporting contributed by Steve Smith.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/15/1064509418/bell-hooks-feminist-author-critic-activist-died

Black History Month February 2022: Richie Richardson

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

Richie Richardson is a fashion designer and owner of FAB in Turners Falls, MA.

Designer Fashion for Women and Men

We are committed to bringing you, trendy-high quality fashion at fair trade prices. Our limited collections and one of a kind originals are curated from small-established and emerging designers of ethnic chic. All made by designers and artist from the US and the global village.

https://richierichardsonfab.com/#summary

Read more about Richie Richardson in the Greenfield Recorder:

https://www.recorder.com/Turners-Falls-Richie-Richardson-FAB-Feature-42285225

Black History Month February 2022: Donald Whitehead, Jr.

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

Donald is a founding member of Racial Equity Partners and a person in long term recovery. What that means is that he has been completely free from the use of all substances for over 22 years. Due to the disease of addiction he found himself trapped in the terrible realities of homelessness. In 1995, he completed a six-month treatment program. Since that time Whitehead has become one of the country’s leading advocates for recovery and homelessness. 

In addition to his work as a Founding Member of Racial Equity Partners, Donald is Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, and previously served as Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Assistant Director at St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, Program Director at Ohio Valley Goodwill, Grant Manager at Goodwill of Greater Washington and Director of Communications at Greenpeace Ohio. Donald served two terms as President of the board and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for the Homeless, two terms on the Board of Directors for Faces and Voices of Recovery and two terms on the Georgetown Center for Cultural Competency.

Donald served two terms on the state Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio, State of Maryland Drug and Alcohol Policy Council, Baltimore Ten Year Planning Committee to End Homelessness, and the Cincinnati Continuum of Care Board. Donald was one of only 100 advocates nationally to be invited to the first National Symposium on Homeless Research. Donald testified before committees in the 107th and 108th Congress, and, along with members of the staff of the offices of Representatives John Conyers, Julie Carson, Barbara Lee and the staff of the National Coalition, directed the creation of the “Bringing America Home Act,” the most comprehensive legislation to date to address homelessness in America. Donald has served on advisory committees for Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush II and Obama. In 2005, He received a distinguished service award for his work on homelessness from the Congressional Black Caucus and an award of Special Recognition from Congress in 2008. In 2011, Donald completed the prestigious American Express Leadership Academy.

The book Most Unlikely to Succeed chronicles Donald’s journey from the streets of Cincinnati to speaking before Congress, speaking at the United Nations and dinners with the former President. Donald is based in Laurel, MD. 

Black History Month February 2022: Earlene Brown, Michelle Carter, Raven Saunders

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

Michelle Carter https://www.facebook.com/ShotPutDiva

You know what the three of us have in common? We all are women. We are black. We throw the shot put. And, we are the only Americans that have an Olympic medal in Women’s shot put. Earlene Brown 1960 Bronze. Michelle Carter 2016 Gold. Raven Saunders 2020 Silver. We have trained hard to represent our country. We have reached the top. We have represented the USA very well. When people think about us, they say that we were the first Black Americans to win medals. I have to correct them and say we are the only Americans that have Olympic medals in Women’s shot put. People assume that a white American did it first and then somebody black. But the reality is that we are Americans. The adjective of our skin color doesn’t make us less than or second. We are Americas best. We are the first Americans to win Olympic medals for Team USA. We too are America. Black History is American History. This Black History moment was bought to you by your favorite Olympian, Michelle Carter. #ShotDiva#BlackHistory#AmericanHistory#TeamUSA#TeamUSATF#Black#WomenAthletes#PlusSizeAthlete#BlackWomen

Black History Month February 2022: Carlton Hall

November 22, 2022

We are highlighting examples of Black excellence every day this February….and beyond! Feel free to send us suggestions!

Carlton Hall was the Communities That Care trainer for the Communities That Care Coalition of Franklin County/North Quabbin in 2003/2004!!!

Carlton Hall is the President and CEO of Carlton Hall Consulting LLC, a multi-faceted, full-service consulting firm designed to provide customized solutions and enable measurable change for communities, organizations, families and individuals. Carlton spent twelve years with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) serving in several leadership positions and including most recently, Acting Vice President, Training Operations, and Acting Director for CADCA’s National Coalition Institute, responsible for the day to day operational oversight, design, and implementation of its premiere national training delivery system. Carlton also supported CADCA’s International Programs in partnership with the US State Department’s International Narcotics Law Enforcement division (INL), managing training programs in Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana. Carlton is one of the primary architects of CADCA’s National Coalition Academy. The Academy, a year-long coalition development program, is designed to increase the effectiveness of communities in drug demand reduction producing population level outcomes.

With more than 25 years experience in the fields of government relations, social services and prevention science, Carlton first gained national prominence as a Communities That Care® Project Manager, for the Channing Bete Company. He was a Communities That Care® trainer/senior consultant with Channing Bete Company for four years. He received his Master’s in Human Services from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He was appointed as the Project Director for the Communities That Care® process in Philadelphia as well as the Crime and Public Safety manager for the Philadelphia Empowerment Zone, a division of the Mayor’s Office of Community Services. During that time he managed a small planning grant to over three million dollars for science-based prevention programming in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

Carlton also was responsible for the design and implementation of the award-winning “Operation Makeover”, an effective community-wide intervention addressing blatant open-air drug trafficking and increasing levels of juvenile violence and substance abuse offences. Operation Makeover was recognized by Vice President Al Gore and featured in “Programs That Work” a publication by the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After years of volunteering with many youth organizations Carlton founded The STRONG Foundation in 1993, which created opportunities to reduce service duplication while increasing partnerships with existing youth organizations.

Carlton’s responsibilities, unique set of skills and experience has made him one of the most highly sought after instructors and guides for community problem solving in every state and territory in the nation as well as internationally, with successful achievements in South Africa, Ghana, Bermuda, Kenya and others. (http://carltonhallconsulting.com/about.html)