(1) In the early centuries, black people made significant contributions toward science and technology. The belief has persisted for centuries among whites, that Africans lacked scientific and technological sophistications.
(2) Harriet Tubman (born Harriet Ross), was an African-American woman who during her time performed many daring rescues that helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom. She became the most famous leader of the Underground Railroad, a system of travel routes and safe houses that allowed slaves to escape to the Northern States and Canada
(3) Brilliant military strategist, charismatic leader, and a true Warrior Queen, all of these terms aptly describe the remarkable character of Queen Nzingha of Angola. Nzingha's rise to power occurred during the early 17th century in the kingdom of Ndongo, which is now the present day country of Angola, in South West Africa. She lived during a period when the Atlantic slave trade was steadily growing, a time marked by the increased intensity of slave trading and consolidation of power by the Portuguese in her region.
(4) December 1, 1955 was the day when an unknown seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. This brave woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested and fined for violating a city ordinance, but her lonely act of defiance began a movement that ended legal segregation in America, and made her an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere.
(5) The NAACP headquarters and Washington bureau records include more than two million items, which provide a rich source for the social history of black Americans in the twentieth century. In addition to these organizational records, the division holds the personal papers of some of the individuals who worked closely with the NAACP such as Moorfield Storey, the association's first president; Arthur B. Spingarn, its third president; and Roy Wilkins, longtime administrator and executive director from 1965 to 1977.
(6) The division also holds the records of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which was created by the NAACP just before World War II but eventually became independent of the parent organization. The fund's records document its presence at the forefront of the legal struggle for civil rights. Complementing these records are the personal papers of Justice Thurgood Marshall, who was the special counsel and director of the fund from its creation until 1961, when President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
(7) The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture originated in 1969 as the Maryland Commission on Negro History and Culture. In 1971, it was assigned to Morgan State College by Executive Order. Under the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Commission was renamed in 1974 as the Commission on Afro-American and Indian History and Culture and was renamed the Commission on Afro-American History and Culture in 1976. It became part of the Department of Housing and Community Development in 1987 and was redesignated as the Commission on African American History and Culture in 1992.
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