Courage, Grace, and Diversity: Black Role Models for All People
- Tom Faletti
- Jul 23
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 27
In the face of White supremacy and persistent discrimination, Black people have provided lessons in fortitude, character, and excellence that all Americans can learn from.
Everyone benefits from stories of courage and determination in the face of opposition and hatred. In America, we have many such stories. But because the protagonists are often Black, our history books rarely teach us those stories. And now, attacks on diversity and inclusion are further discouraging access to stories that can benefit all Americans.
Stories that may not be heard when diversity and inclusion are attacked
I would like to highlight a few stories from the treasures of Black history. Medgar Evers, Diane Nash, and other Black Americans are exemplars for how to make a difference in the face of opposition and even hatred. They can be role models for all Americans, if we know their stories.
This is the third and final part of a 3-part series of lessons learned in a 12-day exploration of Civil Rights memorials and museums in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. You can find the previous articles here:
In We Need to Know African American History to Know American History, I explored why African American history is so central to American history that if we don’t know Black history, we don’t know American history.
In Ugly Truths Our History Books Don’t Teach Us, I explored how White hatred and discrimination was far more vicious than most history books teach us.
“We’ve already made our wills”: Diane Nash
Diane Nash was a student at Fisk University in Nashville when Rev. James Lawson taught students how to use nonviolence techniques to stand up against the injustice of segregation (see Nonviolence – Effective Methods Inspired by Christ for more about Rev. Lawson’s leadership). In a male-dominated world where women where rarely accepted as leaders, Nash’s strengths could not be ignored and she became a leader of the student movement.
When the first Freedom Riders traveling from Washington, DC, to New Orleans in 1961 were brutally attacked in Anniston and Birmingham, AL, and one of their buses was firebombed, they were unable to continue the trip. Led by Diane Nash, the students in Nashville decided to pick up the torch and begin a Freedom Ride from Nashville to Birmingham and on to Jackson, MS.
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy instructed his aide John Seigenthaler to call Diane Nash and convince her that her group should stop the rides because they were too dangerous. Here is how Seigenthaler describes that conversation:
So I called her. I said, ‘I understand that there are more Freedom Riders coming down from Nashville. You must stop them if you can.’ Her response was, ‘They’re not going to turn back. They’re on their way to Birmingham and they’ll be there, shortly.’
You know that spiritual – ‘Like a tree standing by the water, I will not be moved’? She would not be moved. And, and I felt my voice go up another decibel and another and soon I was shouting, ‘Young woman, do you understand what you’re doing? You’re gonna get somebody killed?’
And there’s a pause, and she said, ‘Sir, you should know, we all signed our last wills and testaments last night before they left. We know someone will be killed. But we cannot let violence overcome non-violence.’
That’s virtually a direct quote of the words that came out of that child’s (sic) mouth. Here I am, an official of the United States government, representing the President and the Attorney General, talking to a student at Fisk University. And she in a very quiet but strong way gave me a lecture. (American Experience, “Freedom Riders,” 2023)
We all can learn from this steely determination in the face of opposition. We may not all face the threat of death, but we all need that lesson. It’s not a lesson for Black people alone. It’s not a “diversity” story. It's a human story that every American should hear.
But the story does not end there. The White power structure retaliated against Nash, charging her with contributing to the delinquency of minors by helping Black students ride buses with White students. She was convicted and faced a sentence of 2-1/2 years in jail.
By this time, she was married and 6 months pregnant. She believed in the Civil Rights strategy of “jail, no bail,” which was designed to amplify the pressure on the nation to stand up for justice. So she decided not to appeal the conviction and instead accept the sentence, even though it meant her baby would be born in a jail.
The judge implored her to continue her appeal, but she responded, “Judge Moore, you don’t understand Christianity. All the early Christians went to jail.” She wrote an open letter in which she said, “I believe that if I go to jail now, it may help hasten that day when my child and all children will be free – not only on the day of their birth but for all their lives.” Her statement was circulated widely and the judge ultimately decided to required her to serve “only” 10 days in jail.
In the end, her cause was successful, and we can learn from her example.
Courage in the face of terrorism: Medgar Evers
After the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that school segregation was unconstitutional, Medgar Evers applied to the law school at the University of Mississippi. As usual for Black applicants, he was denied admission. He began organizing chapters of the NAACP in Mississippi and then was hired to serve as the first Mississippi Field Secretary for NAACP.
While living in Jackson, Evers worked for desegregation and voting rights, led investigations into the Emmett Till lynching, and coordinated the legal effort that ultimately allowed James Meredith to become the first Black student at “Ole Miss.”
Evers’s tireless work for justice led White supremacists to try several times to assassinate him.
By 1963, Medgar and his wife Myrlie Evers had 3 children. Medgar had his children sleep in mattresses on the floor, so that they would be less likely to be hit if bullets were fired into his house. He taught the children a “game,” where they would belly-crawl from their beds to the bathroom and into the bathtub. Myrlie supported his work, even though she understood the risks.
On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was shot in the back as he got out of his car in the carport attached to his home. The bullet passed through him and into his house, where you can still see bullet hole in the wall (unless the anti-DEI movement closes down the memorial site that his house has become, which is run by the National Park Service).
Myrlie and Medgar Evers showed us how to stand up for justice with courage and determination, even in the face of threats and terrorism. They are an example for all people, not just African Americans.
Excellence in every field
African Americans have provided us with role models of excellence in every field, not just in civil rights.
What do you know about these Black leaders who made enormous contributions to our nation despite injustice discrimination:
Percy Julian pioneered the development of cortisone and other steroid treatments that reduce inflammation and pain.
Mathematician Gladys West developed the detailed modeling of the shape of the Earth that was needed for GPS to be effective.
Alice Ball developed the first treatment for leprosy.
Lewis Latimer invented a longer-lasting carbon filament that improved Edison’s early lightbulbs.
Benjamin Bradley (Boardley) invented a more powerful steam engine for the military and sold the patent to buy his freedom since slaves were not allowed to own patents.
Belle da Costa Greene took the risk of passing as White to excel in the elite world of rare books and manuscripts as J.P. Morgan’s librarian and auction representative and as director of the Morgan Library in New York.
Madam C.J. Walker, orphaned at age 7, became the first Black woman millionaire by developing and marketing a line of hair care products. Perhaps more important in God’s eyes, she practiced generous philanthropy throughout her life as a member of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.
African Americans have a legacy of tears, but they also have a legacy of indomitable fortitude and accomplishment in the face of terror, racism, and suffering. Most White Americans know little about the depths of the suffering and even less about the accomplishments. We need greater diversity in the teaching of our history so that all Americans can learn from these leaders of the past.
We are called to reflect on the stories of excellence in our history
St. Paul wrote to the Philippians that “if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8).
Black Americans have provided those models of excellence, time and time again, when the society around them has unjustly treated them with disrespect, violence, and contempt. If Americans do not know their stories of courage and commitment, we all lose something important. Therefore, we need more diversity and inclusion in our society, not less.
My tour of Civil Rights sites of the South has shown that Black people have been central to American history at every turn. They have made extraordinary contributions to our nation’s progress, despite enduring treatment far more atrocious than most of our textbooks tell us, along with the callous indifference of “good people.”
If we don’t know Black history, we are deprived of magnificent stories of heroism, persistence, and grace that could inspire and motivate all Americans. We are all greatly diminished when we do not know this part of our history.
Comments