Living History – weemagine

Living History: Dr. Mae Jemison, 7 Must-Know Facts about NASA’s 1st Black Female Astronaut

Dr. Mae Jemison is a medical doctor, trailblazing astronaut and humanitarian. Her life and career have been full of inspirational moments. Here are a 7 must-know facts about this living legend.

Dr. Mae Jemison is a medical doctor, trailblazing astronaut and humanitarian. Her life and career have been full of inspirational moments. Here are 7 must-know facts about this living legend.

1. Before becoming an astronaut, she was engaged in life saving work with the Peace Corps.

In 1977, Jemison, a Decatur, Alabama native, graduated from Stanford University with dual degrees in Chemical Engineering and African and Afro-American Studies. She went on to receive her doctorate in medicine from Cornell University in 1981. After briefly practicing medicine, Dr. Jemison served in the Peace Corps from 1983 through 1985. She was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia. In this role, she was responsible for managing the delivery system of health care for United States Embassy personnel and Peace Corps personnel. This multi-faceted role entailed providing medical care, overseeing any medical administrative issues, supervision of medical staff, a large pharmacy and a modern laboratory.

During her time in West Africa, Dr. Jemison implemented and participated in research on a Hepatitis B vaccine and a rabies vaccine in partnership with the National Institute of Health and the Center for Disease Control. She taught personal health training classes to local residents, developed health related programming and curriculum for the Peace Corps, and developed guidelines for dealing with public health issues for volunteer job placement sites.

2. She was the first Black woman to be an astronaut with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Dr. Jemison became one of fifteen applicants selected out of more than 2,000 in the 1987 class of astronauts for NASA. After one year of intensive training, she became the first Black woman to be an astronaut with NASA. On September 12, 1992, Dr. Jemison made history again when aboard the space shuttle “Endeavor” she became the first Black woman (and first woman of color) to go into space. The mission was a joint mission with Japanese astronauts to study the effect of weightlessness on bones, and 42 other experiments relating to life sciences and human adaptations. Her time with NASA lasted six years and her pioneering work continues to inspire generations.

3. She formed the Jemison Group and the BioSentient Corporation to address unique concerns related to science and technology.

After leaving NASA in 1993, Dr. Jemison formed the Jemison Group, an engineering consulting firm located in Texas. The Jemison Group works closely in its education wing with the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence (founded in honor of her late mother with the help of her brother and sister) to create innovative science curriculum that can be taught in schools. The organization also serves as an engineering consulting firm offering project consultation for mid to large scale projects.

In 2000, Dr. Jemison formed the BioSentient Corporation which is a medical devices and technology services business that designs, develops and brings to market ambulatory equipment which improves performance through physiologic monitoring and self-regulation. She currently serves as President of both companies.

4. She is committed to teaching science to children in honor of her late mother.

Dorothy Jemison, Dr. Mae Jemison’s mother, was an educator in Chicago public schools for almost thirty years. She was dedicated to holding her students to high standards and pushing them to achieve their own personal excellence. After her mother passed away, the Jemison children created the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence (DJF) to offer curriculum and projects to schools that would encourage students to high levels of achievement through science. Initiatives like “The Earth We Share” (TEWS), an international science camp, and “Shaping the World”, an international essay contest where kids compete by writing about fascinating scientific topics, were sponsored by the DJF in the 1990s and early 2000s. Students and teachers from all over the world, representing countries such as Nigeria, Sweden, Portugal, Hong Kong and several others, participated in training offered by the DJF and learned new methods of teaching science to children.

In 2006, the DJF created a program in Chicago called “Reality Leads Fantasy: Celebrating Woman of Color in Flight” that educated the public on important woman of color who were involved in aviation and the study of space throughout the world. In 2011, the DJF sponsored the “TEWS-Space Race” which was focused on improving the scientific education and accomplishments of students in Los Angeles who came from poor and underserved communities.

5. She appeared on an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

In 1993 Dr. Jemison appeared in an episode of the sixth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” entitled “Second Chances.” In the episode she played Lieutenant Junior Grade Palmer. Actor LeVar Burton directed the episode and requested her appearance. It was the first time an actual astronaut appeared on “Star Trek.” Dr. Jemison is a huge “Star Trek” fan and was always inspired by the actress Nichelle Nichols who played “Lieutenant Uhura” on the original series.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 (Star Trek 365) — (c) Abrams Brooks

6. She is working towards ensuring human travel to another solar system within a century.

Dr. Jemison is a principal in the 100 Year Starship, an organization dedicated to ensuring the facilities exist for a successful human journey to another star by the year 2112. She believes space exploration, and the experimentation associated with it, lead to major advances in invention and quality of life on Earth. By having the scientific and business community pursuing this goal, the organization argues that life on Earth can be dramatically improved for all people.

The organization was started in 2011 with a joint grant from the United States Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NASA. Dr. Jemison points out that the ultimate goal is not to have a human go to another star in the next century, but to have the world commit to the goal with investment, scientific endeavor, and civic participation to make interstellar travel a legitimate possibility.

7. She has two schools named in her honor.

On Tuesday, August 2, 2016, the Dr. Mae Jemison High School was dedicated in Huntsville, Alabama, her home state. The school features high tech facilities such as a 3-D titanium printer that allows students to practice skills for advanced manufacturing. There is also a component to teach the newest forms of the growing field of cybersecurity. Dr. Jemison cut the ribbon and gave a speech during the dedication of the school. With the advanced facilities, students will be able to complete up to 60 hours of college credit while still attending high school. The first school named after Dr. Jemison is the Mae C. Jemison Academy, which is an alternative public school in Detroit, Michigan that was dedicated in 1992.

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Information attained from:

Vickie Lindsey, “She Had a Dream: Mae C. Jemison, First African American Woman in Space”, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/she-had-dream-mae-c-jemison-first-african-american-woman-space

Bob Gathany, “Dr. Mae Jemison cuts ribbon on namesake Jemison High School”, AL.com, http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2016/08/dr_mae_jemison_cuts_ribbon_on.html

100 Year Starship, https://100yss.org/

The Dorothy Jemison Foundation, http://www.jemisonfoundation.org/dorothy.htm

Robin Wander, “Stanford alumna and astronaut Mae Jemison talks about the Universe”, Stanford Report, http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/december/jemison-imagining-universe-120114.html

Nick Greene, “Dr. Mae C. Jemison: First African-American Woman in Space”, about education, http://space.about.com/cs/formerastronauts/a/jemisonbio_2.htm

http://www.space.com/17169-mae-jemison-biography.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/jemison-mc.html

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Palmer_(Lieutenant_JG)

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About The Author

Rick McCray is a married father of three amazing sons. He is also a proud graduate of Duke University where he holds a BA in History and African/African American History, and Howard University School of Law. He is also a regular commentator on the In The Black podcast. Rick is passionate about our history and helping to educate our community concerning the great contributions of people of color to the world. You can find Rick on Twitter @RealRickMcCray.

Living History: Meet Gangster Gardener and Activist Ron Finley

Ron Finley is a man making a difference in South Central, Los Angeles by gardening in his community and promoting healthy eating. His quest to promote community gardening started in 2010 and has garnered him worldwide attention. Here are a few facts about him.

1. He fought City Hall… and won.

Finley’s quest began because he couldn’t buy anything healthy in his neighborhood. He grew up in South Central, L.A. as one of eight children, and knew that there were no health food stores or grocery stores with fresh produce anywhere near his home. He had to drive 45 minutes away to reach a Whole Foods. So he decided he would plant vegetables in a strip of dirt by his curb. After a few months he had succulent carrots, bananas, tangerines and mustard greens. He also had the attention of city officials who gave him a citation for gardening without a permit. The city owned the “median,” which was the neglected dirt strip that was the approximately 150 x 10 foot area Finley started planting his garden. Finley worked with other local leaders to file a petition in opposition to the city’s actions. This garnered media attention, a local filmmaker made a short video about his fight, and the city rescinded the citation and allowed the gardening to continue.

2. He believes gardening is gangster.

Finley believes that community building through planting your own food, sharing it with your neighbors, and improving your surrounding area is an authentic way to be “gangster.” In 2010, he started teaching his neighbors how to plant gardens in their own medians in front of their homes. Now, he teaches people from all over the world how to plant and make their own vibrant vegetation spaces. His goal is to redefine what it means to be a “gangster” so it includes being informed about nutrition and gardening.

“I’m an artist. Gardening is my graffiti. I grow my art. Just like a graffiti artist, where they beautify walls, me, I beautify lawns, parkways. I use the garden, the soil, like it’s a piece of cloth, and the plants and the trees, that’s my embellishment for that cloth. You’d be surprised what the soil could do if you let it be your canvas. You just couldn’t imagine how amazing a sunflower is and how it affects people.”

3. He helped start a non-profit dedicated to community gardening.

In 2010, Finley, Florence Nishida, and Vanessa Voblis started an organization called Los Angeles Green Grounds that is dedicated to bringing volunteers together with residents of South Central to change their front lawns into vibrant gardens. To accomplish this, residents host a “dig in” where the community and volunteers come together to shovel, plant, water, and build gardens. The organization works closely with residents through growing seasons and continually educates folks about sustainability practices.

Finley eventually moved on from LA Green Grounds to start the Ron Finley Project where he uses his home garden as an example of how to create a growing and healthy vegetation space by using vacant lots, parkways, and other “throw away” items like old shopping carts. His goal is to change the face of urban communities into vibrant food forests where residents eat what they plant and become healthier by eating natural food instead of the processed food that surrounds their communities.

“I live in a food desert, South Central Los Angeles, home of the drive-thru and the drive-by. Funny thing is, the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys.”

4. His TED talk has nearly 3 million views.

In February 2013, Finley gave an 11 minute TED talk on his life changing work that was impassioned, funny, and extremely well received. His TED talk generated massive attention for his cause. He appeared on several talk shows, including Russell Brand’s late night show, and received collaboration offers from notable corporations. Despite this attention, Finley stays focused on pointing out that a community-driven gardening program is a way to dramatically reduce obesity among adults and children, gang violence and poverty.

5. He believes lack of access to healthy food in low-income communities is intentional.

Finley believes low income communities are drastically underserved in having access to quality, natural food. He calls urban communities food prisons because the residents have to escape them to find any healthy food. Local convenience stores are stocked with unhealthy processed food, and you can find many more dialyses centers than grocery stores with fresh produce in them. He points out that fast food is often the only food available within urban communities.

By teaching sustainable community gardening, Finley believes you empower community members to fight back. Through growing their own food, these communities have locally grown produce they can consume for personal use or sell for economic gain. Children will get exercise by gardening and the quality of their diets increase from eating food that they have grown. Finley relates the struggle to change the health outcomes for our community to the struggles of the Black Lives Matter Movement. He feels that urban communities are under siege from food companies, and the way to fight back is by growing your own food. Finley believes gangster gardening is a way to free our communities.

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Information attained from:

Ron Finley Project, ronfinley.com

Kristin Wartman, “Why Food Belongs in Our Discussions of Race”, Civil Eats, http://civileats.com/2015/09/03/why-food-belongs-in-our-discussions-of-race/, published on September 3, 2015

David Hochman, “Urban Gardening: An Appleseed With Attitude”, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/urban-gardening-an-appleseed-with-attitude.html?_r=0, published online on May 3, 2013

Los Angeles Green Grounds, http://www.lagreengrounds.org/

Andy Simmons, “Meet the Gangsta Gardener”, Reader’s Digest, http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/ron-finley-gangsta-gardener/

TED, Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA, https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la, filmed February 2013

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About The Author

Activism through the Arts: Meet Veteran Actor Tim Reid

As a 90’s kid, I can’t look at Tim Reid without thinking of him as the dad from Sister, Sister. However, after getting a peek into his remarkable life on a recent episode of TV One’s Unsung Hollywood, I had to learn more! Tim Reid is an actor, producer and director whose career has spanned over four decades. His integrity shines through his work. Here are a few facts about his life:

1. He overcame a tumultuous childhood.

Timothy Isabel Jr. was born on December 19, 1944 in Norfolk, Virginia. He was named after his mother’s fiancee who was a soldier in World War II. In 1948, his mother married a man who became abusive and would frequently beat her in front of Reid. His mother feared for his safety, so she sent him to live with his aunt who ran a brothel. Reid would provide entertainment for the patrons by dancing for nickels. In 1953, Reid went to live with his maternal grandmother back in Virginia who sold alcohol illegally and ran an unlicensed boardinghouse.

2. He worked for Martin Luther King, Jr.

After falling in with a bad crowd, Reid went to live with his biological father, William Lee Reid. While living with his father, he was recruited as a bodyguard for Martin Luther King, Jr. He credits Dr. King with changing his life. He became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, straightened up his life, and graduated high school. He enrolled in Norfolk State University in 1963. That same year, he also attended the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He later became President of the Student Chapter of the NAACP at his university.

3. His entertainment career started unexpectedly.

In 1968, after graduating Norfolk State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing, he went to work for DuPont, a well-known chemical company, as a marketing representative. He was the first Black person recruited by the company from a Historically Black College or University. While at Dupont, he met a white insurance agent named Tom Dreesen while working for an outreach program in local schools about the ills of drug use. Reid and Dressen’s presentations were so well-received, the men formed a comedy team and toured nightclubs with their act called “Tim and Tom.” It is believed to be the first interracial comedy duo in the United States. “Tim and Tom” toured together for about six years before they each decided to move on to other projects.

4. He worked on the Richard Pryor Show.

In 1977, Reid was cast in Richard Pryor’s 10-episode sketch comedy series called the Richard Pryor Show. Reid and Pryor related over their similar background of poverty and abuse. Interestingly, they both spent portions of their childhood in brothels. Reid cites the show as being a strange experience that broadened his views on the possibilities of artistic creativity. In that short time he was able to work with young comedy legends like Richard Pryor, Paul Mooney, John Witherspoon and Robin Williams.

5. He fought against stereotyping in his iconic role on WKRP in Cincinnati.

In 1978, Reid was able to land the role of Venus Flytrap, an energetic disc jockey, on WKRP in Cincinnati. Upon his initial audition, Reid recognized the character as a stereotype with little substance. He actively fought against this and argued that he should be allowed to control his character. The director eventually agreed and Reid was able to not only act as he saw fit, but also write several episodes in the series. In one episode he co-wrote called “Venus and the Man,” he encouraged a gang member to leave street life behind and return to high school. Several teachers’ organizations lauded the episode. Scenes from the episode were remade in comic book form and featured in Scholastic magazine.

6. He frequently collaborates with his wife, Daphne Maxwell Reid.

Reid married model and actress, Daphne Maxwell Reid on December 4, 1982. Mrs. Reid was the first Black woman named Homecoming Queen at Northwestern University and the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Glamour magazine. She has appeared in several television shows and movies, but her most famous role was as Vivian Banks (the Second Aunt Viv) on the 90’s television classic, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The duo started appearing in shows together as early as WKRP in Cincinnati. When Mr. Reid became a regular on the television series Simon & Simon, playing Lieutenant Marcel “Downtown” Brown, Mrs. Reid was cast as his girlfriend, a television reporter named Temple Hill.

7. He executive produced and starred in Frank’s Place, a critically acclaimed television show in the 80s.

In 1988, after a brief hiatus from acting, Reid executive produced and starred in Frank’s Place, a comedy-drama set in New Orleans. The show chronicled the life of Frank Parrish (Reid), an African American professor at Brown University who inherits a restaurant in New Orleans. The show lasted 22 episodes and was critically acclaimed. He received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. TV Guide ranked Frank’s Place number 3 on it’s 2013 list of shows canceled too soon.

8. Long before Tyler Perry, Reid opened his own film studio.

In 1996, while working on the television series, Sister, Sister, Reid and his wife started New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, VA. The facility was a 14,850 square foot studio that resides on almost 60 acres. At their studio, which was sold in 2015, the Reids created 14 documentaries and several television shows and films were shot there, including parts of Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed film, Lincoln. Though the Reid’s sold their studio in 2015, they continue to create in smaller spaces and mentor others in the film making industry.

9. Legacy Media Institute is Tim Reid’s way of giving back.

In 2011, Reid formed Legacy Media Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to educating young filmmakers and artists on the entertainment business. Prior to selling his studio, he would invite young artists attending Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and other local universities to use the facilities of New Millennium Studios. After selling the studio, his wife commented that the Reid’s would continue to work to ensure the students would have access to the equipment and space they needed to continue to learn and grow.

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Information attained from:

Leah Small, “Movie making couple Tim and Daphne Reid sell New Millennium Studios”, Published on Jan. 7, 2016, http://www.progress-index.com/news/20150507/movie-making-couple-tim-and-daphne-reid-sell-new-millennium-studios

Michael B. Kassel, Museum of Broadcast Communications, Reid, Reid “U.S. Actor/Producer”, http://www.museum.tv/eotv/reidtim.htm

Tim Reid’s Biography, http://www.simon-and-simon.info/laurasappreciation/timreid.HTM

Michigan Chronicle,”Tim Reid and Daphne Maxwell Reid, a talented and enduring couple”, http://michronicleonline.com/2014/12/03/tim-reid-and-daphne-maxwell-reid-a-talented-and-enduring-couple/

The Richard Pryor Show, http://www.tv.com/shows/the-richard-pryor-show/

Tim Reid Productions Inc., http://www.timreidproductions.com/biography.htm

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About The Author

Living History: Freedom Fighter, Former Political Prisoner and Educator Angela Davis

Close your eyes and conjure up an image of Angela Davis. If you’re like me, that image most likely includes a powerful woman with a fist raised and a beautiful fro. I knew her image and name long before I knew anything about her but once I learned, I was proud to call her an elder. Here are 7 must-know facts about living legend and pioneer, Angela Davis.

1. Angela Davis was born and raised in “Dynamite Hill.”

Angela Yvonne Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1944 in an area nicknamed “Dynamite Hill.” The area gained it’s nickname because the Ku Klux Klan would regularly bomb and set fire to homes and businesses inhabited by African Americans to deter integration. Notably, Condoleezza Rice and Alma Johnson, wife of Colin Powell, were from the same community.

2. Davis knew two of the girls killed in the 16th Street Church Bombing.

Davis grew up two houses down from Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson, two of the little girls murdered in the 16th Street Church Bombing in 1963. The day of the bombing Davis’s mother drove Carole Robertson’s mother to the church to pick up her daughter not knowing she had been murdered. Davis was in college at the time.

Watch Davis talk about growing up in Birmingham and the 16th Street Church Bombing below:

3. She was only one of three black students when she enrolled at Brandeis University.

While attending Brandeis, she met German philosopher Herbert Marcuse who she credits with teaching her “it was possible to be an academic, an activist, a scholar, and a revolutionary.” She graduated from Brandeis magna cum laude.

4. She was a member of the Communist Party.

Davis attended graduate school at the University of California, San Diego. While attending, she joined the Black Panthers and also the Che-Lumumba Club, an all-black branch of the Communist Party named after Che Guevera and Patrice Lumumba. Her affiliation with the Communist Party caused her to get fired from her job as an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1969, University of California’s policy barring Communists from employment was struck down in Los Angeles Superior Court and Davis was reinstated.

5. She spent 18 months in jail.

In January 1970, three African American prison inmates of Soledad Prison, John Wesley Cluchette, Fleeta Drumgo, and George Lester Jackson, were accused of killing a prison guard following the murder of several African American inmates by another guard. Davis organized protests, raised funds for the inmates’ defense, and publicly called for their release. Davis received death threats for supporting the inmates and reportedly purchased guns for her protection. During Jackson’s trial in August 1970, his younger brother attempted to free him by holding the courtroom at gun point and taking the judge, a district attorney and jurors hostage. The judge, Harold Haley, was killed during the escape attempt. The guns used by Jackson’s brother were registered to Davis. Davis was brought up on several charges, including murder. After spending roughly 18 months in jail, Davis was acquitted in June 1972. During her time in jail, many celebrities and members of the community came to her defense dubbing her a political prisoner.

6. Davis now works as a professor and lecturer.

During the last twenty-five years, Professor Davis has lectured nationally and internationally. She is the author of nine books, including Angela Davis: An Autobiography; Women, Race, and Class; Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday; The Angela Y. Davis Reader; Are Prisons Obsolete?; a new edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; and The Meaning of Freedom.

Following her termination from the University of California, San Diego, then-California Governor Ronald Reagan vowed that Angela Davis would never teach in the University of California system again. As of this writing, Professor Davis is Distinguished Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies Departments at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 1994, she was appointed as the University of California Presidential Chair in African American and Feminist Studies.

7. Davis endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election.

On October 1, 2016, at the “Many Rivers to Cross Festival” in Atlanta, Georgia, Davis stated that although she is not enthusiastic about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, she will vote for Clinton to prevent Donald Trump from winning the presidential election.

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Information Attained From:

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/angela-davis

http://atlantablackstar.com/2016/10/03/angela-davis-claims-there-will-be-a-political-revolution-just-vote-clinton-in-meantime

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/06/197342590/remembering-birminghams-dynamite-hill-neighborhood

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/14/us/jerry-pacht-75-retired-judge-who-served-on-screening-panel.html

http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/biography/angela-davis/

http://feministstudies.ucsc.edu/faculty/singleton.php?singleton=true&cruz_id=aydavis

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About The Author

Faye McCray is an attorney by day and writer all the time. Her work has been featured on My Brown Baby, AfroPunk, AfroNews, For Harriet, Madame Noire, Black Girl Nerds, Black and Married with Kids, and other popular publications. Faye also has a number of short stories and a full length novel available for purchase on Amazon. Most importantly, Faye is a proud wife and mother to three beautiful and talented young boys who she is fiercely passionate about raising. You can find Faye on Twitter @fayewrites and on the web at fayemccray.com.

Living History: From the Black Panthers to Congress, Meet Bobby L. Rush

Congressman Bobby L. Rush has represented the 1st District of Illinois for over two decades. At almost 70, he has led a remarkable life full of activism and public service. Check out eight must know facts about this living legend.

1. He co-founded the Illinois Black Panther Party in 1968.

While in the military and stationed in Chicago, Rush became a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He participated in civil disobedience demonstrations in the South and upon his return to Chicago, he co-founded the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panthers at the request of Stokely Carmichael who was one of his mentors in SNCC. One of Rush’s most notable recruits to the Panthers was Fred Hampton who at the time was the head of the Youth Division of the NAACP. Hampton went on to become an influential activist and one of the most famous Black Panthers. He was murdered by Chicago police during a raid on his apartment on December 4, 1969.

2. He helped develop the nation’s first mass testing program for sickle cell anemia.

When Mr. Rush was Defense Minister for the Illinois Black Panther Party, he also administered the Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program for Children and ran a free medical clinic in Chicago. One of the initiatives created by the clinic was a massive testing program for sickle cell anemia which was the the first of its kind in the United States. Through these efforts, the organization also raised public awareness of sickle cell anemia’s impact on Black citizens in Chicago.

3. He is a military veteran.

In 1963, Mr. Rush enlisted in the United States Army directly out of high school and served in the Army until 1968 when he was honorably discharged. Throughout his political career, he has sponsored and supported bills that would aid veterans and their families.

4. He lost a son to gun violence.

On October 18, 1999, Huey Rich, the son of Bobby L. Rush who was named after Huey P. Newton, was shot and killed as he was walking to his apartment in Chicago. He was murdered by two men in an armed robbery. Mr. Rush has six other children with his wife Carolyn.

5. He was the last person to beat Barack Obama in an election.

During the 2000 Democratic Primary, Rush was challenged by a young State Senator named Barack Obama. As an incumbent, Rush had a clear advantage and won the contest by over 80% of the vote. Eight years later, he endorsed that same young State Senator for President of the United States in 2008.

6. In honor of Trayvon Martin, he spoke before the House of Representatives while wearing a hoodie.

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, one month after the murder of teenager Trayvon Martin, while speaking before the House of Representatives, Rush took off his suit jacket, pulled a gray hoodie on over his head and put on sunglasses stating, “Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum.” The teen was wearing a hoodie when we was murdered by George Zimmerman. Rush went on to speak out against racial profiling and discrimination. The House forbids its members from wearing hats, and Rush was called out of order and ultimately escorted from the hall. According to CNN, Rush said the purpose of putting on the hoodie was to send a message to young people, “to stand their ground, stand up and don’t stand down.”

7. He is a cancer survivor.

In 2008, Mr. Rush was diagnosed with a very rare form of salivary gland cancer. A deep tumor was removed from his jaw and he went through months of a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. When Mr. Rush was found to be cancer free, he went through speech and physical therapy. His cancer scare prompted him to push for universal healthcare for all Americans.

8. He routinely wins reelection by over 70% of the vote.

Mr. Rush’s long history in Chicago of activism and public service has made him incredibly popular. The predominately African American electorate consistently turns out for him every two years to re-elect him. He has won each general election against Republican challengers from 1992 through 2014 with at least 73% of the vote going in his favor.

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Information attained from:

“Rush, Bobby L.” http://www.blackpast.org/aah/rush-bobby-l-1946

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000515

John Mccormick, “A Father’s Anguished Journey”, Newsweek, published November 28, 1999, http://www.newsweek.com/fathers-anguished-journey-164318

Janny Scott, “In 2000, a Streetwise Veteran Schooled a Bold Young Obama”, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html?_r=0

Deirdre Walsh, “Lawmaker wearing hoodie removed from House floor”, http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/28/politics/congressman-hoodie/

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