REALITY AV BLACK FACTS

The practice of vaccinations was brought to America by an enslaved person.

With the recent devastating spread of Covid and the life-saving vaccines that have started to turn the tide, some appreciation should be given to the man who brought this game-changing practice to the United States. In 1721, a smallpox epidemic struck the city of Boston. This highly contagious virus was killing hundreds during a time of lesser medical advancements, and it was an enslaved man by the name of Onesimus that changed everything.

Onesimus was purchased in 1706 for Cotton Mather, a prominent Puritan minister. Though Mather held a great distrust for Onesimus, he knew that the man was clever. Amid the spreading sickness, Onesimus confided to Mather about the practice of inoculations, which had been used in Africa for centuries. Mather brought this vital information to Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, who, despite a major pushback against the idea, managed to successfully inoculate 240 people.

 The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which changed the perception of American dance, was founded in 1958.

Alvin Ailey was a dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who breathed life into one of the most prominent dance companies across the globe, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He also created the affiliated Ailey School, which not only served as a haven for up-and-coming Black artists, but showcased the universality of the African-American experience through dance. Bringing together ballet, jazz, modern dance, and theater, Ailey’s hopeful choreography was performed across the world, spreading awareness of Black life in America. Though he passed away in 2014, Ailey was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his groundbreaking work in bringing the expressive art of dance to underserved communities.