History

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

USA Black History from Africans, Europeans, and Asians

"58% of the African American community has at least 12.5 percent European ancestry which is the equivalent of one great grand parent."

This revelation comes from Henry Louis Gates Jr., Executive Director and host of the PBS series, Faces of America.

Gates is also Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

“Skip" Gates has used genealogy and genetics to trace families histories.

The opening statistic I used to magnify universal black history implies that the focus for better understanding must be global, rather than just USA based (for Americans).

Dr. Gates is set to expand his future footprint as he’ll be bringing us The Black Americas, a four hour TV series examining black culture in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Gates notes that “Brazil is the 2nd largest black nation in the world after Nigeria."

African global migration out of the continent following the dawn of man has fostered complicated African - European and African - Asian ancestry.

Runoko Rashidi (pictured here), a historian, research specialist, writer, world traveler, and public lecturer focusing on the African foundations of world civilizations is an expert in this area.

He has made presentations at more than 125 colleges, universities, secondary schools, libraries, book stores, churches and community centers.

Traveling the international circuit Runoko has lectured in over 50 countries.

Some of Dr. Rashidi’s expertise:

  1. The African Presence in India - black presence in India in ancient and modern times
  2. The African presence in Southeast and East Asia - black presence in ancient Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, China and Japan
  3. The African presence in the Americas - African presence in the Americas from ancient to modern times
  4. The African presence in the Middle East - African presence in Southwest Asia from ancient to modern times
  5. The Black presence in South Asia - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh from ancient to modern times
  6. The African Presence in Europe - the African presence in early Europe
  7. High in the Andes - Runoko’s travels in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
  8. Return to the Nile Valley - a comprehensive look at the African presence in ancient Egypt and Nubia
  9. Runoko Rashidi Live in Egypt - Interviews in Egyptian museums and temples
  10. Who is the Original Man? - A look at Africa as the Mother Continent of humanity
  11. Asia and Blacks - A television interview featuring Runoko Rashidi on the African presence in ancient and modern Asia

These are some of his DVD titles that explore the global presence of black people.

Black history cross-cultural interconnections are fascinating.  Discover more by visiting Dr. Runuko Rashidi on the web.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/17 at 06:30 PM
History • Research • Science • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Story of America's Black Patriots

In the 20th Century when the United States declared war against Germany, Dr. Louis T. Wright enlisted in the US Army.

In 1918, he was on the front lines in St. Die, France.

Dr. Wright, (1891-1952), excelled in the field of medicine and brain trauma.  He is the author of nearly 20 academic papers about brain surgery.

He graduated from Clark University in Atlanta in 1911.  Dr. Wright graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1915.

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots features an excellent profile of Dr. Wright, along with 28 other significant African Americans who served their country in the armed forces.

You’ll also find profiles about specific marine regiments, infantry divisions, airborne divisions, and calvary divisions.

The educators section of the For Love of Liberty website offers valuable pdf downloads for college and high school facilitators.

As the authors of this collection express, “The lessons that can be learned in For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots aren’t found in textbooks,” and that’s a shame!

More black history military connections can be found at the website dedicated to late master diver Carl Brashear, whose life story was told in the popular 2002 movie Men of Honor.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/10 at 08:00 AM
Armed Forces • History • Medicine • Web Site • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Iconic African Americans in Philadelphia Go Digital

Audacious Freedom, African Americans in Philadelphia, 1776 - 1876, is a modest sized but creative new 2009 black history exhibit with a focus on 18th and 19th Century City of Brotherly Love legends.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia, (just a block away from the National Constitution Center), is hosting this new permanent exhibit which opened on Juneteenth.

On a recent Sunday, I toured the galleries and was pleasantly surprised by the electrified presence of 10 symbolic representatives of the era, who tell their stories in the first person, through the magic of digital video technology.

Here is Octavious V. Catto, the post Civil War Philadelphia educator, talking to his audience.

Each of the 10 historical figures recreated by actors comes alive in life-sized high definition screens.  Visitors can press buttons on the kiosks to interact with the personalities who talk about the issues of their day.

Kids have their own special area of the presentation allowing them to interact with the exhibit and experience how post Civil War kids connected with day-to-day living.

According to AAMP President and CEO Romona Riscoe Benson, “Audacious Freedom gives us the opportunity to celebrate the richness of the culture and experiences of people of African descent.”

Although the video elements are a highlight of the exhibit, visitors can still view traditional pictures, artifacts, and timelines documenting the rich contributions African Americans have made to Philadelphia’s important history.

Visit aampmuseum.org for more information.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 06/24 at 06:30 PM
History • Research • Web Site • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

How Eartha Kitt Created a Black History Legend

Eartha Kitt, (1927 - 2008), lived an amazing true-life story.  She became the diva of Europe during the 1950’s as an electrifying cabaret singer.

Her dating exploits with contemporary playboys filled the gossip pages with celebrity news.

Outspoken and independent, Kitt received a backlash from the African American community throughout her career for not being “black enough."

Despite this challenge, Eartha Kitt eventually flourished in the USA on stage, on screen, and on records with Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award nominations.

At just 16 as a member of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, Eartha toured Mexico, South America, and Europe.

Follow this Eartha Kitt Timeline:

  • Films - Accused (1957), Anna Lucasta (1959), and Syanon (1965)
  • From 1968 to 1974 Kitt performed primarily in Europe.
  • In the late 1970’s, she focused on her recording career
  • In the 1980’s, she spent a lot of time on her Connecticut estate
  • More films in the 1990’s, including Boomerang, Ernest: Scared Stupid, and Fatal Instinct
  • Kitt won the Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding performer in an animated program for Disney’s The Emperor’s New School (June 13, 2008)
  • She’s best remembered for her role as Catwoman on the TV series Batman

Kitt proved to be a huge hit with the Paris nightclub crowd, and is known for her sultry, sexy cabaret act.

Here’s a great example...listen to 60 seconds of Eartha Kitt singing “My Heart Belongs To Daddy” from the CD Eartha Kitt - The Masters.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 05/27 at 06:45 PM
History • Entertainment • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The First African American Steamboat Captain: R.J. Salisbury

R.J. Salisbury piloted the steamer “Shiloh” as Captain between 1904 and 1908.

He took the pilot’s license examination at the U.S. Steamboat Inspectors headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia in 1900.

Despite Jim Crow laws, hesitation among officials to sign his license, and resistant by engineers to sail with him, Captain Salisbury persevered to become the first African American steamboat captain.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 04/29 at 12:00 AM
History • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Capitol Men Chronicles the First Black USA Congressmen

Blanche Kelso Bruce, Hiram Revels, and P.B.S. Pinchback get most of the credit.

Right after the Civil War, a very large number of African Americans were elected to Congress, almost exclusively by black constituents.

Historian and author Phillip Dray reveals how during Reconstruction, African American legislators by the hundreds took their place in black history.

Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen is an eye-opener and a must read.

We know how this story ends, with ‘black codes,’ Jim Crow laws, and blatant discrimination to “zero out” the presence of African American Congressional leadership by the end of the 19th Century.

Discover the fascinating story for yourself by learning more about these capitol men.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 03/18 at 07:00 PM
Government • History • Politics • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Black History Month Highlights 2009

Black History Month 2009 still has a few days to go.  So far, we’ve had over 20,000 searches through our main website (BlackHistoryPeople.com) for interesting black history people.

Here are our top 10 searches (in order) for February, 2009:

  1. Rosa Parks
  2. Harriet Tubman
  3. Martin Luther King Jr.
  4. Bill Cosby
  5. Barack Obama
  6. Jesse Owens
  7. Louis Armstrong
  8. Daisy Bates
  9. Jackie Robinson
  10. Thurgood Marshall

Thanks for all of your excellent suggestions and feedback.  Remember to grab our Black History People List and share it with your friends.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/25 at 07:00 AM
History • Research • (0) Comments • Permalink

Friday, February 13, 2009

A Graphic History of African Americans

Over 200 pages spanning 400 years of intriguing stories captures your attention in Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans.

Graphic in this case stands for honest, as author Roland Laird tells the real story of African Americans from the dawn of slavery to the present.

I traveled to Trenton, New Jersey to talk with Roland face-to-face about the creation of Still I Rise and the unique angle governing the presentation of this book.

Watch the 6 minute video to discover much more.

You can reserve your copy of Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans.

Technorati tags:




Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/13 at 01:30 PM
History • Video • (0) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

100 Years of the NAACP 1909 - 2009

The birthday party will last one year, and it starts on Thursday, February 12, 2009.

1,700 chapters across the USA will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NAACP through February 12, 2010.

Here is the official NAACP 1909 - 2009 timeline prepared by the National Associated for the Advancement of Colored People.

A century of tenure is behind their 100 year advocacy as a leader in the fight for civil rights, dignity, and equality.

Check out our own BlackHistoryPeople.com timeline featuring 15 NAACP facts (from Empower Encyclopedia):

  1. W.E.B. Du Bois was a co-founder of the NAACP in 1909.

  2. James Weldon Johnson, (1871-1938), wrote the famous poem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” - now known as the Negro National Anthem.  He joined the NAACP in 1916, and became Executive Secretary of the organization in 1920.

  3. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875 - 1955) was a champion for education, civil rights, and women’s rights.  She worked closely with the NAACP, and founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935.

  4. An activist for civil rights and education, Daisy Bates co-founded Arkansas’ State-Press Newspaper.  In 1953, she was elected President of the Arkansas Conference of NAACP branches.

  5. Dr. Joel E. Spingarn introduced the Spingarn Gold Medal in 1914 while he was Chairman of the Board of the NAACP.  The Spingarn award represented the highest of African American achievement, (similar to the NAACP Image Awards today).

  6. Attorney Constance Baker Motley, (1921 - 2005), started her brilliant civil rights career with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 1945 as a law clerk.

  7. Daisy Lampkin, (1883-1965), increased the visibility and membership of the NAACP through her fund raising leadership. She was involved in Pennsylvania State politics (1928) becoming the first African American woman from the commonwealth elected as a delegate at large to the GOP convention.  Lampkin began her career with the NAACP in 1929, serving the organization in numerous leadership roles.

  8. Thurgood Marshall, (1908-1993), became assistant special counsel for the NAACP in 1936, then chief counsel in 1938.

  9. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., (1929 - 1968), organized the Montgomery bus boycott with Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and the NAACP in 1955 after Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to whites.

  10. In the 1960’s Vernon E. Jordan Jr. was quite involved with civil rights as Field Secretary for Georgia’s NAACP.

  11. Margaret Bush Wilson was elected Chairman of the Board of the NAACP in 1975.

  12. Benjamin L. Hooks, in 1977, succeeded Roy Wilkins to become Executive Director of the nation’s top civil rights organization, the NAACP.

  13. Kweisi Mfume entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987. He served until the end of the 104th Congress.  After Congress, Mfume accepted the position of President and CEO of the NAACP.

  14. An outspoken critic of offensive lyrics by music industry artists, Philadelphia native C. Delores Tucker, (1927 - 2005), served as Vice President of the Pennsylvania NAACP.

  15. Dr. Fredda Witherspoon, Ph.D., was President of the Missouri NAACP.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/03 at 12:00 AM
Civil Rights • History • Timeline • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Black History People for Black History Month Projects

Even though Black History Month began in 1976, Dr. Carter G. Woodson created what was once known as Negro History Week in 1926.

Dr. Woodson selected the second week of February between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln to honor African American culture, sacrifice, achievement, and societal contributions.

Now generating global interest, black history is saluted internationally.  For instance, October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom.

If you are looking for some interesting people to spotlight for your projects and celebrations, you’ll want to grab Black History People for Black History Projects, a new tool from BlackHistoryPeople.com.

Turn on your computer speakers, watch the short 30 second video, and discover more!

Technorati tags:

Get Black History People for Black History Projects right now.



Posted by Hugh Smith on 01/28 at 06:30 PM
History • Research • Video • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami

Later this Summer, a new documentary, Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami, will find its way to a PBS television station near you.

This 2008 production begins in 1960 as it traces the young boxer known as Cassius Clay through his training at Miami, Florida’s Fifth Street Gym.

The release of the one hour documentary is timed to coincide with the August 8 - August 24 Summer Olympics in Beijing, although many PBS stations will repeat the program this Fall.

Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee talks about the role Miami played in launching the boxing great.

Historian Manning Marable, journalist David Remnick, and Ali biographer Thomas Hauser offer commentary and insight during the program.

Ali’s Miami neighbors and friends also weigh-in with their recollections.

Watch for Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami in the coming months.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 06/25 at 06:30 PM
History • News • Sports • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Ida B. Wells Crusades for American Justice

Ida B. Wells-Barnett, (1862 – 1931), was a crusader for African American civil rights and for equal rights for women.

Through newspaper articles, she wrote about discrimination she experienced and observed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Historian Paula Giddings has captured the essence of the life of Wells in Ida: A Sword Among Lions, a new 2008 publication.

Giddings, a Smith College professor, has written two previous books: In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement, and When and Where I Enter: The Impact Of Black Women On Race and Sex In America.

Her Wells biography is accurately documented as it rolls back the curtain on the fascinating odyssey of an American woman who fought for civil rights and justice.

Highly recommended.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 05/28 at 06:30 PM
Civil Rights • History • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, February 25, 2008

Black History's Forgotten Sportin' Life Players

Beyond Jackie Robinson, Tiger Woods, Wilma Rudolph, and other famous sports legends, black history honor rolls are filled with many other competitive athletes who made their mark.

Here are 5 sports originals who richly deserve a second look, although they may not be the best known.

  1. Alice Coachman - Represented the women’s track team at Tuskegee Institute.  Alice was the only woman on the 1948 U.S. Olympic team to win a gold medal in track and field (high jump).

  2. Dan Bankhead - The first African American pitcher in Major League Baseball (August 1947 for the Brooklyn Dodgers).

  3. Fritz Pollard - First black All-American (1916).  This football legend played for Brown University between 1915 - 1916.  He played in the first Rose Bowl game (January 1, 1916 - Brown vs. Washington State).

  4. Marshall W. “Major” Taylor - A cyclist who won the World Cycle Racing Championship in 1899.  Taylor won the U.S. trophy in 1900.  He was called the fastest bike rider in the world.

  5. Pele’ - Born Edson Arantes De Nascimento in Tres Coracoes, Brazil, “The Black Pearl” became the most famous soccer player in the world.  At 17, he led the Brazilian team to their first World Cup in Sweden (1958).

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/25 at 12:02 AM
History • Sports • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

25 Innovative & Original Black History Champions

From the digital pages of Empower Encyclopedia(c) 1998 - 2008, here are 25 innovative and original black history champions from A - M.

There are many more of course, but this time, we shine the beacon on these 25:

  1. Dr. Sadie Tanner Alexander - The first Black woman Ph.D. in the United States (Doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, 1921).

  2. Guion Stewart Bluford Jr.- First African American astronaut (in space) aboard the space shuttle Challenger on August 30, 1983.

  3. Justice Jane M. Bolin - America’s first African American woman judge, appointed to the Court of Domestic Relations in New York City by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia on July 22, 1939.

  4. Thomas Bradley (1917-1998) - First African American elected Mayor of Los Angeles in 1973.

  5. Ensign Jesse Brown - First black aviator in the U.S. Navy in 1948.

  6. Jill Brown - First black woman accepted for pilot training by the U.S. Navy in 1974. In 1978, she became the first African American female pilot/First Officer with a major carrier: Texas International Airlines.

  7. Dr. Ralph J. Bunche - First African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize (1950).

  8. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke - First woman elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (1976).

  9. Sergeant William H. Carney - First African American awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

  10. Gwendolyn B. Cherry, (1924-1979) - First African American woman elected to the Florida Legislature (1970).

  11. Nathaniel Sweetwater Clifton - First African American to play in the National Basketball Association (1950 with the New York Knicks).

  12. Bessie Coleman, (1892-1926) - First black woman in the United States to receive a pilot’s license.

  13. Ernie Davis, (1940-1963) - First African American to win the Heisman Trophy (1961 as a football half-back with Syracuse University).

  14. Dr. Charles R. Drew, (1904-1950) - Founded the first blood bank (1940).

  15. Lelia Foley - First African American female mayor in America (Taft, Oklahoma, April 3, 1973).

  16. W. Wilson Goode - First African American elected Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (sworn in on January 2, 1984).

  17. Patricia R. Harris, (1924-1985) - First black woman to hold a top cabinet post (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under President Jimmy Carter in 1977).

  18. Judge William H. Hastie, (1904-1976) - First African American U.S. federal judge… and the youngest at age 32 (1936).

  19. Matthew A. Henson, (1866-1954) - First explorer to reach the North Pole on (April 6, 1909).

  20. General Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. - First African American (Air Force) to obtain the rank of full four-star General (1975).

  21. Hazel W. Johnson - First African American woman (Army) to obtain the rank of General (September, 1979).

  22. William H. Lewis - First African American to hold the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney General (1911 by President William H. Taft).

  23. Autherine Lucy - First African American student enrolled at the University of Alabama in 1956.

  24. Mary Elizabeth Mahoney, (1846-1926) - First African American to graduate with a diploma in nursing (1879).

  25. Thurgood Marshall, (1908-1993) - First African American appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court (by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967).

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/20 at 12:02 AM
History • (1) Comments • Permalink

Monday, February 04, 2008

5 African Americans who Changed the World

Here are 5 outstanding African Americans who made contributions during the 20th century to change our world.  These 5 black history people usually rise to the top in the spotlight during black history month.


1) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


Martin Luther King Jr. is the father of the modern civil rights movement.  He was born Michael Luther King, January 15, 1929, in Atlanta Georgia.

Dr. King earned his Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955 (a Doctorate in Theology).

He married Coretta Scott King in 1953.  The young 26 year-old Martin organized the Montgomery bus boycott with the Reverend Ralph David Abernathy and the NAACP in 1955 after Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to whites.

King became the first leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957.  By 1961, he was supporting freedom rides to integrate Southern lunch counters and rest rooms.

His famous “I Have a Dream Speech” was delivered on the Washington D.C. mall in 1963.  King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.  He was assassinated in 1968 as he was preparing to lead a labor protest march on behalf of sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.


2) Rosa Parks


The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1956 that segregation on common carrier buses was illegal.  The decision was reached primarily because of the Montgomery bus boycott that lasted one year.

Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger (December 1, 1955).  Arrested for her act, Parks eventually found justice in the courts.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented her with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor for a U.S. civilian.


3) Thurgood Marshall


Thurgood Marshall, (1908-1993), was born in Baltimore, Maryland.  “Mr. Civil Rights,” changed history in 1954 when he successfully argued Brown vs. the Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Brown case outlawed segregation in schools.

Marshall was educated at Lincoln University and Howard Law School.  He began practicing law in 1933, became assistant special counsel for the NAACP in 1936, then chief counsel in 1938.

He was the first director/chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (1940-1961).

In 1961, President John Kennedy appointed him Second Circuit United States Court of Appeals judge.  By 1965 he was appointed solicitor general in the Department of Justice.

Marshall was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 becoming the first African American on the court.

Thurgood Marshall is considered the most prominent civil rights lawyer of the 20th Century.


4) Jackie Robinson


U.S. Army Lieutenant and former UCLA football great Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), entered major league baseball in 1945 by signing a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm team, the Montreal Royals.

Robinson, the first ever black player at the start of the 1947 season, was one of three African Americans on the roster of a major league baseball franchise by the end of 1947 (joined by Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians, and Henry Thompson of the St. Louis Browns).


5) Muhammad Ali


Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942, won an Olympic gold medal in Rome as a light heavy weight in 1960.

He defeated Sonny Liston in 1964 to win the heavy weight championship for the first time.  Ali won the crown again in 1974 by beating George Foreman.

"The Greatest” became the first in boxing history to win the heavy-weight title three times when he took out Leon Spinks in 1978.

Ali refused to be drafted into the U.S. Army (he was a conscientious objector on religious and moral grounds).  He was stripped of his first title in 1967.

Technorati tags:



Posted by Hugh Smith on 02/04 at 12:02 AM
Commentary • Education • Civil Rights • Government • History • Law • Politics • Sports • (0) Comments • Permalink
Page 1 of 5 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »