BLACK is…Exploration

I present to you Matthew Alexander Henson and Dr. S. Allen Counter.

Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866 – March 9, 1955) was an African American explorer, during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which claimed to be the first to reach the Geographic North Pole.

Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy, Maryland on August 8, 1866. He was still a child when his parents Lemuel and Caroline died, and at the age of twelve he went to sea as a cabin boy on a merchant ship. He sailed around the world for the next several years, educating himself and becoming a skilled navigator. For years Henson made many trips together with Robert Peary, including Arctic voyages in which Henson traded with the Inuit and mastered their language, built sleds, and trained dog teams. In 1909, Peary selected Henson to be one of  the first to reach the Pole. In a newspaper interview Henson said: “I was in the lead that had overshot the mark a couple of miles. We went back then and I could see that my footprints were the first at the spot.”

In 1912 Matthew Henson wrote the book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole about his arctic exploration.

Dr. Counter has served Harvard University as a neuroscience professor and administrator for the past twenty years. He frequently receives inquiries about his work at The Harvard Foundation and his scientific exploration into different parts of the world. This webpage is set up to provide information to interested persons about Dr. Counter’s work, interests, and pursuits.

Dr. Counter is presently working to establish the first memorial to African-American slaves. He has petitioned the President of the United States for the establishment of the American Slavery Memorial on the historic Washington Mall in D.C. He is currently working on motion picture films based on his books about international exploration and completing new books on intercultural and race relations and on neurobiology. (visit Dr.Counter’s website here)

Will Smiths Overbrook Entertainment is currently developing a movie for Sony that will be based on modern-day explorer/neuroscience professor Dr. S. Allen Counter. (more info here)

I personally would like to salute these two Black men for just being who they are…amazing!

-Mr.CEO