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

Our Way Black History Fact highlights Matthew Alexander Henson—the Black man who is likely the true first man to reach the North Pole.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now it is time for the Way Black History Fact.
And Today's Way Black History Fact is sponsored by Major
Threads for innovative, fashionable sportswear. Checkmajor threats dot com. And
I'm going to share a writing from someone whose writings
I like. His name is Carfrey J from hip Hop
Public Health. And you know we've cross checked this, of course,

(00:22):
but I like this writing, so I'm gonna share it
with you. We're going to talk about perhaps the first
man to make it to the North Hole. And the
way the story sounds is like he was a black man.
So follow me. In the long and brutal annals of
American history, a few stories are more appalling than those

(00:43):
covering the silencing of black excellence. From enslavement to Jim Crow,
from systemic oppression to cultural erasure, the legacy of white
supremacy has worked tirelessly to rop Black people of their
rifle place in history. Among those most grievously wronged is
Matthew Alexander Henson, a name that should be universally celebrated,
but has instead been buried beneath white historians selected amnesia.

(01:06):
Henson wasn't just a participant in the famed expedition to
the North Pole. He was the first man to stand
at that frozen frontier a black man, Yet for decades
his contributions were dismissed, belittled, and outright stolen. At twenty one,
Henson met US Navy officer Robert Peary, who would forever
attempt to place himself as the sole hero of the
North Pole expedition. Perry saw in Henson not an equal,

(01:29):
but an instrument, a resource to be exploited. Yet it
was Henson who mastered the art of Arctic's survival. He
learned the Inuit language and formed close relationships with the
Inuit people, adopting their methods to navigate the unforgiving ice
and snow terrain. In contrast, Pury remained largely dependent on

(01:49):
Hinson's skills, and his survival was often due to Hinson's
guidance and ability to forge connections with the Inuit people
who aided his team. The journey to the North Pole
was a brutal, soul cut cresting odyssey, one that tested
every ounce of human endurance, both physically and mentally. Matthew
Henson wasn't merely a part of the expedition. He was
its cornerstone. It wasn't just the cold they fought. It
was the biting winds that cut deep like razors, the

(02:12):
treacherous ice that threatened to swallow them whole, and the
sheer oppressive weight of isolations at the ends of the earth. Henson,
a master of Arctic survival, rose to the challenge time
and again, his leadership and resourcefulness proving vital as Pieri
and other struggle to adapt to the extreme condition. The
team set out from Greenland in nineteen oh eight in
July with a dream of becoming the first humans to

(02:32):
reach the North Pole. While Pierri was the first was
the face of the expedition, it was Henson who had
earned the respect and admiration of the Inuit guides, who
viewed him as one of their own due to his skill, courage,
and humility. Henson fluency in the Inuit language and deep
understanding of their techniques gave the team a crucial edge
in navigating the Arctic's brutal environment. By the time they

(02:53):
reached the final leg of their journey in March nineteen
oh nine, Perry's health was deteriorating. His toes had become frostbitten,
and he could no longer the group in the front.
It was Henson who took charge, scouting ahead and blazing
a trail toward their ultimate goal. Despite the overwhelming odds,
Henson remained focused, his eyes locked on the horizon where
the North Pole lay. On April sixth, nineteen oh nine,
after a grueling final push, Matthew Henson became the first

(03:15):
man to reach the North Pole, standing alone on its ice.
His words, simple yet profound, reverberate through history. I think
I'm the first man to sit atop the world. And
indeed he was, But the glory that should have been
his was cruelly stolen by the racism that would define
the aftermath of his historic achievement. In the years that
followed the expedition, Peery was celebrated and showered with accolades
and hailed as a national hero. Henson, however, was relegated

(03:38):
to the shadows. While Peery received promotions in financial rewards,
Henson was forced to take menial job as a clerk
at a federal customs office. Even in that position, he
was treated with contempt, with white colleagues often sneering at
his achievements, dismissing them as unimportant. Or fabricated. The White Press,
of course, followed suit rarely mentioning his name or contributions.

(03:58):
The erasure was deliberate,