Black History

Creator of Kwanzaa to Present Lecture at SBVC

PRECINCT REPORTER GROUP NEWS — San Bernardino Valley College faculty and staff are energized awaiting distinguished scholar Dr. Maulana Karenga.

Published

6 years ago

February 13, 2019

Oakland Post

By Precinct Reporter News

San Bernardino Valley College faculty and staff are energized awaiting distinguished scholar Dr. Maulana Karenga, the activist who spurred a global philosophy on how to rise above the struggle.

On Wednesday, February 27, Black History Month special guest lecturer Dr. Karenga will present his “Message and Mission in Black History: Forging a Future and World of Inclusive Good.”

In partnership with Black Faculty & Staff Association, and the SBVC Student Equity Committee, the event starts at 6:00 p.m. at the San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium located at 701 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue in San Bernardino. It is free and open to the entire community.

For those who follow his research, his visit serves as a refresher of the cultural holiday he created, the Seven Days of Kwanzaa.

For those yet unfamiliar with his widely practiced heritage celebration, the acclaimed speaker promises to shed more light on the far-reaching benefit of social change through the Pan African movement.

Ernest Guillen, library technical specialist and co-chairman of SBVC’s Arts, Lectures & Diversity Committee, said Dr. Karenga brings a long list of impressive credentials to draw from.

“A lot of students have already begun buzzing about having someone of his caliber on campus, and a lot of the faculty and staff are pretty excited,” he said.

Dr. Karenga holds two Ph.D’s, and is professor and chair of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach.

During the civil unrest of the 1960’s, Dr. Karenga was instrumental in the creation of the Kwanzaa festival, the formation of Kawaida philosophy, and the principles of successful African American living.

There is also a great push to expand dialogue and coalition between Black and Brown communities on the SBVC campus, Guillen said, and the college administration has put a lot of effort to make the event happen. “We as a campus are always thrilled to have a fellow educator come and deliver the address to our community. Our community is really hurting to hear these messages,” he said.

And, he added, Black History events are not just for Black students. The event presents an opportunity to recognize the pivotal role that Black leadership has historically set in motion to support other movements, including women’s rights, gay rights, and the Latino movements.

He said that most social progress is rooted in the Black civil rights movement, and Black history month is everyone’s history month.

“You always think of Black History Month as only speaking to a certain constituency group. In reality, the civil rights movement that the Black community spearheaded has trickled down to all of these other communities,” he said.

In recognition of his distinguished research, he received the Paul Robeson-Zora Neale Hurston Award for Scholarly Work Significantly Contributive to the Understanding, Development and Appreciation of African World Culture, National Council for Black Studies.

This article originally appeared in the Precinct Reporter Group News.

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Black History

From Louisville to the Olympics: The Legacy of William DeHart Hubbard

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history. Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Published

1 week ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

William DeHart Hubbard made history in 1924 when Hubbard made Olympic history by winning the Gold Medal in the long jump. Public Domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history.

Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Hubbard was the only African American on the school’s track team; he was also the first African American varsity track letterman at the university. In his college career, Hubbard won several meets including being a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, eight-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) champion, and seven-time Big Ten Conference champion in track and field. His 1925 outdoor long jump of 25 feet 10¹⁄₂ inches stood as the Michigan Wolverines team record until 1980, and it is still second. His 1925 jump of 25 feet 3.5 inches stood as a Big Ten Championships record until Jesse Owens broke it in 1935 with what is now the current record of 26 feet 8.25 inches.

In 1924, he was selected to represent the United States at the Paris Summer Olympics.

Competing against some of the best athletes in the world, Hubbard made history by winning the gold medal in the long jump by jumping 24 feet 5.5 inches. This victory made him the first African American to win an individual gold medal in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

In 1925, Hubbard broke the long jump world record with a leap of 25 feet 10⁷⁄₈ inches at the NCAA championships. In 1927, he bettered that with a jump of 26 feet 2.25 inches — which would have been the first ever over 26 feet — but meet officials disallowed it, claiming that the take-off board was an inch higher than the surface of the landing pit. He also competed in the hurdles at the 1926 AAU championships. He graduated with honors in 1927.

He specialized in the long jump, a sport that would soon bring him international fame.

Hubbard’s Olympic success was not just a personal triumph but a milestone for African Americans in sports. His victory challenged the prevailing stereotypes of the time and inspired a generation of Black athletes to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity.

After his Olympic success, he continued to excel in track and field. He set an additional world record in 1925 with a jump of 25 feet 10.75 inches, which stood for several years. His accomplishments were not limited to athletics, as he also became involved in civic and business endeavors after his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1927.

Following his athletic career, Hubbard returned to his hometown of Cincinnati, where he took on various roles serving his community and the progress of African Americans. He worked as a manager for the Department of Colored Work for the Cincinnati Public Recreation Commission and later became a race relations adviser for the Federal Housing Administration.

Hubbard passed away on June 23, 1976. As the first African American to win an individual Gold Medal in the Olympics, he not only paved the way for future generations of athletes but also demonstrated the profound impact that sports can have on societal change.