During Black History Month (2021), we launched a Social Media Campaign entitled 28 Days of Black History, which consisted of 28 Unsung Black Heroes. Each day of February, one hero was shared via a Photo Post to VPM’s Facebook. Each post had an average People Reach of approximately 3,000, and also received an average of 130 Engagements per post. VPM Digital Producer, Victoria York designed all 28 graphics, and worked with Historical Consultant Elvatrice Belsches to provide accurate resources about unsung Black heroes, both local and national. This campaign was featured in Richmond Family Magazine and through out Richmond Public Schools. Special thanks to VPM Early Education Manager, Karen Wells for her work in collaborating with additional school districts and bringing this campaign to Virtual Classrooms all over Virginia, during COVID-19. Be sure to check out vpm.org/black excellence for more content to educate, entertain, and inspire through the lens of Black excellence.
February 28
- Watch Carter G. Woodson - African American Trailblazers by Library of Virginia (YouTube)
- Read Woodson, Carter G. (1875–1950) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Read NAACP History: Carter G. Woodson by NAACP
- Read Carter G. Woodson by National Park Service
Image(s) Courtesy: Encyclopedia Virginia | Library of Congress
February 27
- Read Vivian W. Pinn (1941 - ) by Library of Virginia
- Watch An Interview with Dr. Vivian Pinn - Beyond Bias and Barriers by Ross University School of Medicine (YouTube)
- Watch An Interview with Dr. Vivian Pinn - Tragedy to Triumph by Ross University School of Medicine (YouTube)
Image Courtesy: Library of Virginia
February 26
- Read William Ferguson Reid by Library of Virginia
- Read The Lasting Legacy of the Richmond Crusade for Voters by Catherine Komp (VPM News)
Image Courtesy: Dr. William Ferguson Reid, Sr.
February 25
- Read Roger A. Young, a groundbreaking zoologist by the African American Registry
- WatchDr. Roger Arliner Young - African American Trailblazers by Library of Virginia (YouTube)
Image Courtesy: Marine Biological Laboratory Archives
February 24
- Read Langston, John Mercer by United States House of Representatives
- Read Langston, John Mercer (1829–1897) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Watch John Mercer Langston - African American Trailblazers by Library of Virginia (YouTube)
Image Courtesy: Library of Congress
February 23
- Read ‘This is God’s journey,’ says woman known as ‘Mother of Sickle Cell’ by Greg McQuade (WTVR CBS 6)
- Read/Watch Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professorship by MCV Foundation
Image(s) Courtesy: Medical College of Virginia Foundation, Inc. ( mcvfoundation.org) | Ed Uthman - Flickr Stock
February 22
- Read John Jasper (1812 - 1901) by Library of Virginia
- Read “The Sun Do Move” by John Jasper (1878) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Watch When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasperin His Bicentennial Year by Virginia Museum of History and Culture
Image(s) Courtesy: Library of Virginia | Virginia Department of Historic Resources
February 21
- Read Sarah Garland Boyd Jones (1866 - 1905) by Library of Virginia
- Read Sarah Garland Boyd Jones (1866–1905) by Encyclopedia Virginia
Image Courtesy: Library of Virginia
February 20
- Read Freedom Marker: Courage and Creativity by Dr. Bryan Walls (PBS)
- Read Henry "Box" Brown (Circa 1815-1816 - 1897) by Library of Virginia
- Read Henry 'Box' Brown by National Park Service
Image Courtesy: Library of Virginia | Library of Congress
February 19
- Read Field Notes: The View From Here and Field Notes: A Council First by Harry Kollatz Jr. (Richmond Magazine)
- Read Legacy of a Legend Luncheon honors Willie Dell, Allix James and Wyatt Walker by Mark Robinson (Richmond Times Dispatch)
- Read Making a Difference: Willie Dell has 'stood up for right all her life' by Karin Kapsidelis (Richmond Times Dispatch)
Image Courtesy: V.2015.75.03. Willie Jones Dell. Circa 1978. Credit: The Valentine
February 18
- Listen Douglas Wilder On Race, Politics And America by Talk of the Nation (NPR)
- Watch Wilder: An American First by VPM Documentaries
- Read L. Douglas Wilder (1931– ) by Encyclopedia Virginia
Image Courtesy: Encyclopedia Virginia | Virginia Dept. of Historical Resources
February 17
- Read Mae Jemison (1956-) by Kerri Lee Alexander (NWHM)
- Watch Mae Jemison, First African-American Woman in Space by Not Done: Women Remaking America (PBS)
- Watch Mae Jemison: I Wanted To Go Into Space by Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers (PBS)
- Listen Astronaut Mae Jemison Plays Not My Job by Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! (NPR)
- Listen After Making History In Space, Mae Jemison Works To Prime Future Scientists by All Things Considered (NPR)
Image Courtesy: National Archives Catalog
February 16
- Read The “Fighting Editor” of the Richmond Planet by Donna M. Lucey (NEH)
- Read John Mitchell Jr. (1863–1929) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- View John Mitchell, Jr., and the Richmond Planet Exhibit by Library of Virginia
Image Courtesy: University of Virginia Special Collections | VCU Library
February 15
- Read Undine Anna Smith Moore (1904 - 1989) by Library of Virginia
- Read Celebrating Undine Smith Moore by Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy
- Read Notable Virginia Women - Undine Smith (1904–1989) by Library of Virginia
Image Courtesy: Detroit Public Library | Digital Collections
February 14
- Read The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks by Randall Robinson and Lisa Jewell (Google Books)
- Read America's Role in Haiti's Troubled History by News & Notes (NPR)
- Read Randall Robinson by The HistoryMakers
Image Courtesy: Blackpast.org
February 13
- Read Mary Richards Bowser (fl. 1846–1867) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Listen The Spy Who Served Me by Morning Edition (NPR)
- Read Historians Seek More Answers On Richmond's Interracial Civil War Spy Ring by Peter Solomon (VPM News)
- Read What the "Mary Bowser" Civil War Spy Story Gets Wrong by Lois Leveen (TIME)
Image Courtesy: There are no accurate photographs of Mary Bowser. This illustration of Mary Bowser was published on LegendsofAmerica.com in an article by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.
February 12
- Read Robert Russa Moton (1867 - 1940) by Library of Virginia
- Read Robert Moton and the Colored Advisory Commission by American Experience (PBS)
- Read Robert Moton's Second Report by American Experience (PBS)
- Read Robert Russa Moton (1867–1940) by Encyclopedia Virginia
Image Courtesy: Scurlock Photographic Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History (Encyclopedia Virginia)
February 11
- Read Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Watch Our Inspiration: The Story of Maggie Lena Walker by PBS Learning Media
- WatchMaggie Lena Walker by UNLADYLIKE2020
- ListenMaggie Lena Walker: First Woman Bank President by Morning Edition (NPR)
Image Courtesy: PBS Learning Media
February 10
- Read The Big Bang: Brown vs Board of Education and Beyond: The Autobiography of Oliver W. Hill, Sr. by Oliver W. Hill
- Read Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise by PBS
- Read Oliver W. Hill (1907–2007) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Read Oliver White Hill (1907 - 2007) by Library of Virginia
Image Courtesy: Oliver White Hill Family (Library of Virginia)
February 9
- Watch The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks - Robin Bulleri by TED-Ed (YouTube)
- Listen Tracing The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks by Fresh Air (NPR)
- Read Henrietta Lacks: The Untold Story by Ron Lacks (Google Books)
Image Courtesy: Lacks Family and reprinted from the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (New York: The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., 2010)
February 8
- Read William Harvey Carney by The City of Norfolk
- Read William Harvey Carney (1840 - 1908) by Library of Virginia
- Read William H. Carney, Jr. by National Park Service
Image Courtesy: West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries
February 7
- Listen Civil Rights Activist Dorothy Height by Morning Edition (National Public Radio)
- Read Dorothy Height (1912-2010) by Arlisha Norwood (National Women’s History Museum)
- Read Dorothy I. Height by National Park Service
Image Courtesy: National Park Service
February 6
- Read Willie Lanier by Library of Virginia
- Watch 'NFL 100 Greatest' Game Changers: Willie Lanier (National Football League)
Image Courtesy: Library of Virginia Education - Virginia.gov
February 5
- Read Virginia Estelle Randolph (1870–1958) by Encyclopedia Virginia
- Read Virginia Estelle Randolph (1870 - 1958) by Library of Virginia
- Read Virginia E Randolph by Henrico County History
Image Courtesy: EncylopediaVirginia.org
February 4
- Visit Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Howard L. Baugh at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
- Read The Aircraft by CAF RISE ABOVE
- Listen Tuskegee Airmen: 'Rock Stars' Of American History on All Things Considered (NPR)
Image Courtesy: Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
February 3
- Watch Dr. Gladys B. West on Virginia Currents (VPM)
- Read It Began with a Dream by Dr. Gladys West (Google Books)
- Watch Navy Hidden Hero: Gladys Mae West and GPS by U.S. Navy (YouTube)
- Read Dr. Gladys B. West by the Library of Virginia
Image Courtesy: Gladys B. West (Library of Virginia)
February 2
- Read A Civil Rights champion by Richmond Law Magazine
- Read Henry Marsh III (1933 - ) by the Library of Virginia
Image Courtesy: Library of Virginia Education - Virginia.gov
February 1
- Read What Ethel Built by Harry Kollatz Jr. (Richmond Magazine)
- Read Ethel Bailey Furman (1893 - 1976) by the Library of Virginia
Image Courtesy: Library of Virginia Education - Virginia.gov
Historical Consultant
Elvatrice Belsches is a Richmond area public historian, archival researcher and presenter who specializes in chronicling the Black experience in history. She was featured in VPM’s Racism: Challenging Perceptions Series, as a panelist on the discussion of Systemic Racism. Belsches is also a co-producer and writer for VPM’s 28 Days of Black History Month campaign. In addition, she is the author of Black America Series: Richmond, Virginia (Arcadia).