Biography

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Harry Belafonte My Song: A Memoir


What can you expect to discover when you dive through the pages of the just released Harry Belafonte My Song: A Memoir?

You’ll encounter the inspiring life of a great singer, actor, artist, activist, and black history pioneer.

Belafonte is a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, who conquered racism while navigating life’s road through Jamaica, W.I., Harlem, New York, and Hollywood.

He became enthusiastic about theater while working odd jobs after the war.

The Belafonte 20th century timeline covers friendships with Paul Robeson, Sidney Poitier, President John F. Kennedy, and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Nelson Mandela, Robert Kennedy, Marlon Brando, President Bill Clinton, Robert Kennedy, and Fidel Castro are discussed with respect, reverence, and honesty.

Harry Belafonte’s passion for activism cuts right to the core of his community awareness.  This part of his persona transcends what he may be most famous for: his calypso singer image.

As an African American history original, Harry Belafonte will leave a lasting legacy.

Watch his one minute video as he reflects on the metaphor of song, used in the title of Belafonte’s new October, 2011 book.

Posted by Hugh Smith on 10/26 at 06:30 PM
Biography • Civil Rights • Film • Entertainment • Video • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Artful Dr. Margaret Burroughs

Frustrated by the lack of options for African-American artists to showcase their work and hoping to bring Black history to the forefront, Dr. Margaret Burroughs founded the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art in Chicago.



Posted by Hugh Smith on 11/24 at 07:30 AM
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Barack Obama Profiles 13 Americans for A New Kids Book

A new book by President Barack Obama is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 16, 2010.

of Thee I Sing, expresses traits Obama sees in his own children, illuminated through the lens of 13 interesting stories about notable Americans, including Jackie Robinson, George Washington, and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Loren Long is the illustrator.

Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha, inspired President Obama to create this work.



Posted by Hugh Smith on 09/14 at 06:30 PM
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Benjamin Hooks and the NAACP

Benjamin L. Hooks, (1925 - 2010), became the first black criminal court judge in Tennessee in 1965.  He was the first African American member of the Federal Communications Commission in 1972.

In 1977, Hooks succeeded Roy Wilkins to become Executive Director of the nation’s top civil rights organization, the NAACP.  Rev. Hooks earned his law degree from De Paul University in 1949.

Early in his career he was a public defender, a politician, a Baptist minister, and a vice president of a saving and loan association.

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Posted by Hugh Smith on 03/31 at 08:00 PM
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Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Nelson Mandela Marks a Milestone

On February 11, 2010, it will be 20 years since Nelson Mandela was released from a South African prison.

A political prison for over 25 years, a social activist for a lifetime, Nelson Mandela represents the very concept of liberation over oppression.

He worked in the gold mines of Johannesburg, South Africa, before earning a law degree from the University of South Africa in 1942.

Nelson Mandela timeline:

  1. 1944 - Joined the African National Congress.
  2. 1944 - Becomes secretary and president of the Congress Youth League.
  3. 1951 - Youth League President.
  4. 1955 - Helps to draft the ANC Freedom Charter.
  5. 1961 - Becomes honorary secretary of the All African National Action Council.
  6. 1961 - Becomes the leader of Umkonto, ANC’s underground paramilitary faction.
  7. 1962 - Sentenced to 5 years in prison for leaving South Africa without travel documents (and inciting riots).
  8. 1964 - Sentenced to life in prison for sabotage and treason.
  9. 1990 - Released from prison, February 11.
  10. 1991 - Elected ANC president.
  11. 1994 - Elected President of South Africa, April 27.
  12. 1994 - Inaugurated as President, May 12.
  13. 1999 - Leaves office, June.

Invictus, the 2009 film starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, dramatizes how the president used a 1995 Rugby match to unite South Africans.

Watch the promotional movie trailer for Invictus.

Look for more Mandela slices of life on the big screen.  Jennifer Hudson is scheduled to star as Winnie Mandela, his ex-wife in a forthcoming film.

Nelson Mandela’s life struggle has been to secure equal rights for black South Africans.  He’s been awarded numerous honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize (along with former South African President F.W. de Klerk) in 1993.

Check out Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

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Posted by Hugh Smith on 12/02 at 07:00 PM
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Ebony Magazine Pioneer John H. Johnson

John H. Johnson (1918 - 2005) is the founder of one of the most successful African American owned multi-million dollar publishing, cosmetics and insurance empires.

He founded the Negro Digest in November, 1942, by republishing black oriented news from the African American and general market press.

Johnson used a 20,000 name mailing list from his insurance company employer, (with permission), to pitch the Negro Digest to potential customers.

He received 3,000 replies from eager folks requesting his periodical at a cost of $2 per subscription.  The Negro Digest sold 50,000 copies per month within 8 months of the premier issue.

Ebony, a picture based magazine, followed on November 1, 1945.  By 1951, another magazine was launched, the pocket sized Jet.

Jet’s focus featured more weekly news in less time for the reader by keeping the articles short.

By 1958, Johnson Publishing began branching out into other fields.  The company created the Ebony Fashion Fair, the world’s largest traveling fashion show (September, 1958).

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Posted by Hugh Smith on 11/04 at 06:30 PM
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009

An American Odyssey of the First Black NASCAR Driver

Wendell Scott was no angel.

At age 20, he had his first encounter with the law.

The so called “Jackie Robinson” of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), despite the odds, succeeded using his street smarts to win at the racing game.

It didn’t hurt that Scott perfected the art of running moonshine in fast cars in the back roads of south - central Virginia prior to breaking the stock car color line in 1952.

Hard Driving: the Wendell Scott Story, the American Odyssey of NASCAR’S first black driver is a dramatic profile of an inspired achiever who wouldn’t give up while pursuing his dream.

The roadblocks were many, back in the Brown vs. the Board of Education days, as the modern civil rights struggle was kicking off in the 1950s.

Hard Driving gives a blow by blow description of Scott’s emergence as an African American community celebrity across the South at race tracks where his presence was ridiculed by the racists of the day.

I enjoyed reading Scott’s perspective on exactly what happened during the early years of his career.

As a black history month project, the Wendell Scott story deserves your attention.

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Posted by Hugh Smith on 08/05 at 12:00 AM
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