We all know and love the Three M’s of Black History—Martin, Malcolm and Madame CJ. Now we can step our knowledge up a notch, or two or-three!

I remember Black History Month in elementary school being all about the fun role play of these illustrious figures. We could dress up like the pictures we saw of them. Or even try to sound like their voices we heard from tapes or videos. You wanted to be like at least one of them when you grew up.

By the time I reached high school it was still about those same great players of Black History in the United States but with 10-page essays that were due before the end of the short February month.

It wasn’t until I finished college and started working for Dr. Julianne Malveaux, a public intellectual figure (who has more knowledge than King had dreams), that I found out about so many more Black History Facts.

Check out this month’s SOFLY Book Review on ‘Surviving and Thriving’…

So let’s get to Three More M’s of Black History:

Free Frank McWorter – McWorter was a slave and the first African- American to start a town in the U.S. in 1836. This town was named “New Philadelphia” and located in Illinois. He created a mining business while he was still a slave. And he is known as Free Frank because he purchased his own freedom, owned land property and eventually purchased the freedom of 16 family members.

Maria W. Stewart – Maria was a Black woman known to be one of the earliest women in the U.S. to ‘speak up’ publicly and politically. In the 1830’s when women were banned from speaking in public, especially to men, she had to fight for her voice to be heard. Her most noted speech was titled, “African Rights and Liberty.” Her speeches called for civil rights and questioned a movement to send Blacks back to Africa. She spoke against Whites stealing land from Native Americans and stealing Africans from their own land to turn them into slaves. She argued that Blacks should fight more and gain rights -here in America.

Maggie Lena Walker – Maggie was the first Black woman in the U.S. to charter a bank and she became the bank’s first president. She founded the bank, St. Luke Penny Savings, in 1903 in Virginia. The bank survived the Great Depression and because of Maggie Walker’s business smarts and forward-thinking vision, she merged two other African-American banks which became Consolidated Bank and Trust Company.

…Share and show off with your friends.

-Much Love