Black History Posters: Inspirational Quotations

Marva Collins
b. 8-31-1936; Monroeville, AL

“Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.”

Poster Text: Educator Marva Collins is famous for her creative teaching technique. In 1975 she founded the Westside Preparatory school in one of Chicago's planned neighborhoods. Westside Prep students, most of whom came from disadvantaced households, are taught to ... and are often ... recite passages from the classics. Regarded by many as a ‘miracle teacher,‘ Marva Collin's life was portrayed in a television drama in 1981.

• more Famous Educator posters
• Marva Collins’ Way at Amazon.com

Jesse Jackson
b. 10-8-1941; Greenville, SC

“Where there is hope there is life, where there is life there is possibility, and where there is possibility change can occur.”- Jesse Jackson

Poster Text: Jesse Jackson is a political leader and a minister. He was born in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina. In 1965, he went to work for Martin Luther King, Jr., and his Southern Christian leadership conference. Later, he formed his own group, People United to Serve Humanity, or PUSH. PUSH works, among other things, to help African Americans gain greater economic power. In 1984 and 1988, he was a candidate to be the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

• more Jesse Jackson posters

Booker T. Washington
b. April 5, 185?, VA
d. 11-14-1915

“Great men cultivate love... only little men cherish a spirit of hatred.”

• more Booker T. Washington posters

Oprah Winfrey
b. 1-24-1954; Kosciusko, Mississippi

“When I look at the future it’s so bright it burns my eyes.”- Oprah Winfrey

Poster Text: Since 1986, Oprah Winfrey has been one of the most successful TV talk show hosts in America. Much of her success comes from her natural ability to empathize with her guests. In 1985, she made her acting debut in the movie The Color Purple. Her performance won high praise and an Academy Award nomination. Ms. Winfrey often speaks out about a number of important issues, especially the problem of child abuse.

• Oprah Winfrey (Biography) at Amazon.com

Whitney Young
b. 7-31-1921; Lincoln Ridge, KY
d. 3-11-1971, Nigeria

“The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.”

Whitney Young was a civil rights leader during the 1960s. Born in 1921, he spent much of his life teaching and working in the field of social work. In 1961, he became the executive director of the National Urban League. It was in this position that he pushed hard for a “domestic Marshall Plan”aimed at solving the nation's urban problems. He died in 1971.

• Whitney Young at Amazon.com