My First Black Teacher

Ms. Bundy. She was proud, fierce, bold, and most of all, she was Black. She saw something in me, or maybe it was me that saw something in her. Ms. Bundy was my third-grade teacher. And let me clarify, I had many black teachers before Ms. Bundy (i.e- my parents, my siblings). But this was my first exposure to having a black teacher in the classroom outside of the family. I certainly didn’t know how to explain it in the third grade, but there was a comfort that I had knowing that Ms. Bundy looked like me. She was a representation of what I could become.

Representation Matters

Representation matters and I can’t stress that enough. Ms. Bundy may not have known (or maybe she did) what she did for that 8-year-old little girl. I looked up to her. In her classroom, I knew there was at least 1 person that had my back, at least 1 person that I could relate to. Unfortunately, there’s a scarcity of positive black and brown representation in the media and in real life. I think it’s time for a change. Representation helps our brown little boys and girls value and embrace  our culture. It’s necessary because I believe it helps them wear their blackness unapologetically with a badge of honor. 

I’m sad to say, that after writing this blog post, I attempted to look for Ms. Bundy, just to thank her for what she did for me, what she did for us and who she was for every brown skin child that crossed her path. I found out that Ms. Bundy passed away Monday, June 17th in 2013 at the age of 59, may her soul rest in perfect peace.  

Honestly, I’d like to see more brown skins represented EVERYWHERE. I’m not speaking about the 1 offs that exist here and there for the sole purpose of checking off a box. In my humble opinion, it’s not enough to have just 1 black Disney princess or just 1 black president. I can’t count the number of times I’ve searched for black dolls endlessly on the shelves during the holidays just to come up short. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of every instance in history that has been marked as a “first”. Thank you, President Barack Obama, for gracing us with your presence in the White House. I’m just saying, it’s time to kick the first into fifty.

Since it’s inception in 1789, the United States has seen only 10 black senators out of 1,305 total. That’s a whopping 0.77% of black senate representatives in the past 230 years. No pun intended, but clearly, under representation is an understatement in this case. I mean, honestly, just think about what those small numbers say to a little 10-year-old black boy who aspires to claim a seat in his country’s senate. Can you imagine what that conversation would look like between that young boy and his father? The only conversation that I would like to imagine is: “son, go for it, you’ve got just as good a chance as anyone else.” Sadly, I know there are many different endings to that conversation.

Black Firsts in History

I’m going to take the liberty to highlight some black firsts in history, who’s stories may have gotten left off of the history books.

1. Madam C.J. Walker. This should be a household name. America’s first black self-made millionaire. Walker was born in 1867 to former slaves in Louisiana and made history as through the Madam C.J. Walker company, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her company specialized in manufacturing beauty and healthcare products for women with brown and black skin.
2. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Earning her M.D in 1864 from the New England Female Medical College, Dr. Crumpler became the first black female physician in America. She practiced in Boston and Richmond, Virginia and primarily provided her service to the poor.
3. William H. Hastie. Hastie attended Howard University School of Law and went on to obtain his doctorate in judicial studies from Harvard in 1933. After relocating to Washington D.C, Hastie later became the first federal black judge in history.
4. Richard Wright. A black writer and poet that published his work at the tender age of 16. Wright is known for his bestseller Native son written in 1940 and his autobiography Black Boy, written in 1945.
5. Alice Ball. In 1912, Ball earned her undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and a pharmacy degree in 1914 from the University of Washington. A year later, Ball graduated with an M.S degree in chemistry, making her the first woman (not just black) to graduate with an M.S degree in chemistry. Ball later became the first chemist to develop a successful treatment for leprosy.

Of course, the list above is not all-inclusive, but it shows you just how much we’ve achieved. I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but I know there are many more firsts ahead for all of us.

Really, think about it, because history is made today. What ‘first’ do you want to be known for? What legacy do you want to leave behind?