WEBVTT - Way Black History Fact - First to the North Pole? Meet Matthew Alexander Henson (Part 2)

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<v Speaker 1>Right now it is time for the Way Black History Fact.

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<v Speaker 1>And Today's Way Black History Fact is sponsored by Major

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<v Speaker 1>Threads for innovative, fashionable sportswear. Checkmajor threats dot com. And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to share a writing from someone whose writings

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<v Speaker 1>I like. His name is Carfrey J from hip Hop

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<v Speaker 1>Public Health. And you know we've cross checked this, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>but I like this writing, so I'm gonna share it

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<v Speaker 1>with you. We're going to talk about perhaps the first

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<v Speaker 1>man to make it to the North Hole. And the

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<v Speaker 1>way the story sounds is like he was a black man.

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<v Speaker 1>So follow me. In the long and brutal annals of

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<v Speaker 1>American history, a few stories are more appalling than those

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<v Speaker 1>covering the silencing of black excellence. From enslavement to Jim Crow,

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<v Speaker 1>from systemic oppression to cultural erasure, the legacy of white

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<v Speaker 1>supremacy has worked tirelessly to rop Black people of their

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<v Speaker 1>rifle place in history. Among those most grievously wronged is

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<v Speaker 1>Matthew Alexander Henson, a name that should be universally celebrated,

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<v Speaker 1>but has instead been buried beneath white historians selected amnesia.

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<v Speaker 1>Henson wasn't just a participant in the famed expedition to

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<v Speaker 1>the North Pole. He was the first man to stand

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<v Speaker 1>at that frozen frontier a black man, Yet for decades

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<v Speaker 1>his contributions were dismissed, belittled, and outright stolen. At twenty one,

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<v Speaker 1>Henson met US Navy officer Robert Peary, who would forever

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<v Speaker 1>attempt to place himself as the sole hero of the

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<v Speaker 1>North Pole expedition. Perry saw in Henson not an equal,

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<v Speaker 1>but an instrument, a resource to be exploited. Yet it

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<v Speaker 1>was Henson who mastered the art of Arctic's survival. He

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<v Speaker 1>learned the Inuit language and formed close relationships with the

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<v Speaker 1>Inuit people, adopting their methods to navigate the unforgiving ice

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<v Speaker 1>and snow terrain. In contrast, Pury remained largely dependent on

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<v Speaker 1>Hinson's skills, and his survival was often due to Hinson's

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<v Speaker 1>guidance and ability to forge connections with the Inuit people

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<v Speaker 1>who aided his team. The journey to the North Pole

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<v Speaker 1>was a brutal, soul cut cresting odyssey, one that tested

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<v Speaker 1>every ounce of human endurance, both physically and mentally. Matthew

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<v Speaker 1>Henson wasn't merely a part of the expedition. He was

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<v Speaker 1>its cornerstone. It wasn't just the cold they fought. It

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<v Speaker 1>was the biting winds that cut deep like razors, the

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<v Speaker 1>treacherous ice that threatened to swallow them whole, and the

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<v Speaker 1>sheer oppressive weight of isolations at the ends of the earth. Henson,

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<v Speaker 1>a master of Arctic survival, rose to the challenge time

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<v Speaker 1>and again, his leadership and resourcefulness proving vital as Pieri

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<v Speaker 1>and other struggle to adapt to the extreme condition. The

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<v Speaker 1>team set out from Greenland in nineteen oh eight in

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<v Speaker 1>July with a dream of becoming the first humans to

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<v Speaker 1>reach the North Pole. While Pierri was the first was

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<v Speaker 1>the face of the expedition, it was Henson who had

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<v Speaker 1>earned the respect and admiration of the Inuit guides, who

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<v Speaker 1>viewed him as one of their own due to his skill, courage,

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<v Speaker 1>and humility. Henson fluency in the Inuit language and deep

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<v Speaker 1>understanding of their techniques gave the team a crucial edge

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<v Speaker 1>in navigating the Arctic's brutal environment. By the time they

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<v Speaker 1>reached the final leg of their journey in March nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>oh nine, Perry's health was deteriorating. His toes had become frostbitten,

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<v Speaker 1>and he could no longer the group in the front.

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<v Speaker 1>It was Henson who took charge, scouting ahead and blazing

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<v Speaker 1>a trail toward their ultimate goal. Despite the overwhelming odds,

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<v Speaker 1>Henson remained focused, his eyes locked on the horizon where

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<v Speaker 1>the North Pole lay. On April sixth, nineteen oh nine,

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<v Speaker 1>after a grueling final push, Matthew Henson became the first

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<v Speaker 1>man to reach the North Pole, standing alone on its ice.

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<v Speaker 1>His words, simple yet profound, reverberate through history. I think

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<v Speaker 1>I'm the first man to sit atop the world. And

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<v Speaker 1>indeed he was, But the glory that should have been

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<v Speaker 1>his was cruelly stolen by the racism that would define

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<v Speaker 1>the aftermath of his historic achievement. In the years that

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<v Speaker 1>followed the expedition, Peery was celebrated and showered with accolades

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<v Speaker 1>and hailed as a national hero. Henson, however, was relegated

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<v Speaker 1>to the shadows. While Peery received promotions in financial rewards,

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<v Speaker 1>Henson was forced to take menial job as a clerk

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<v Speaker 1>at a federal customs office. Even in that position, he

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<v Speaker 1>was treated with contempt, with white colleagues often sneering at

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<v Speaker 1>his achievements, dismissing them as unimportant. Or fabricated. The White Press,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, followed suit rarely mentioning his name or contributions.

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<v Speaker 1>The erasure was deliberate,