The YMCA was the beneficiary of her talent as an Executive Director and national board member between 1944 - 1957.

She became the President of the National Council of Negro Women in 1958.  Height was named “Woman of the Year” by the Ladies Home Journal in 1974.

In 2004 Dr. Height was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Technorati tags: Dr. Dorothy Height Human Rights Champion

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.

Technorati tags: Benjamin Hooks and the NAACP

In January, 2009, Time Life released Let Freedom Sing: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement.

The outstanding 3 CD box set includes 2 pages of provocative liner notes written by Public Enemy front man Chuck D.

His comments are part of a large, colorful, 40 page booklet that includes lots of facts about all the songs.

Chuck says “there’s a reason why listening to the past 100 years of black music can bring a sense of voice, sound, meaning, joy, and pain...as well as a historical timeline."

He adds “way before an iPod, these songs rang in my head as they navigated me through my near half a century of life."

What’s great about this collection is the representation of each of the post 1930 - 20th century decades.

Historical facts acknowledging key years pertaining to the civil rights movement are also included in their own highlighted paragraphs weaved between the elaborate music notes.

The Southern Sons kick things off on disc one with “Go Down Moses,” recorded in 1941.

Six of the tracks are from the 1930’s and 1940’s.  Four are from the 1950’s, including Nat King Cole’s stirring 1956 classic “We Are Americans Too."

As you’ll see from the track list below, no decade is left out. The best songs from the civil rights movement are included.

There are some excellent alternative versions rather than hits you might expect.

Otis Redding, not Sam Cooke sings “A Change is Gonna Come.” Bob & Marcia, not Nina Simone sings “Young, Gifted, and Black."

The liner notes have all the back-stories about why these versions were selected.

Watch our 90 second video to hear clips of 3 of the songs.

Let Freedom Sing: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement:

Disc One
1. “Go Down Moses” - The Southern Sons, 1941
2. “Strange Fruit” - Billie Holiday, 1939
3. “Uncle Sam Says” - Josh White, 1941
4. “ No Restricted Signs” - The Golden Gate Quartet, 1947
5. “Black, Brown, and White” - Brownie McGhee, 1947
6. “The Hammer Song (If I Had a Hammer)” - The Weavers, 1949
7. “The Death of Emmett Till” parts 1 & 2 - The Ramparts, 1955,
8. “When Do I Get To Be Called A Man” - Big Bill Broonzy, 1955
9. “The Alabama Bus” - Brother Will Hairston, 1956
10. “We Are Americans Too” - Nat King Cole, 1956
11. “Why Am I Treated So Bad” - The Staple Singers, 1966
12. “I Shall Not Be Moved” - The Harmonizing Four, 1959
13. “Oh Freedom” - Harry Belafonte, 1959
14. “Ride On, Red, Ride On” - Louisiana Red, 1962
15. “Mississippi Goddam” - Nina Simone, 1964
16. “ Blowin’ In The Wind” - Bob Dylan, 1962
17. “We Shall Overcome” - Mahalia Jackson, 1963
18. “Too Many Martyrs” - Phil Ochs, 1964
19. “Alabama Blues” - J. B. Lenoir, 1965
20. “Our Freedom Song” - The Jubilee Hummingbirds, 1965
21. “A Change Is Gonna Come” - Otis Redding, 1965

Disc Two
1. “Forty Acres and A Mule” - Oscar Brown Jr., 1965
2. “People Get Ready” - The Impressions, 1965
3. “Nobody Can Turn Me Around” - The Mighty Clouds of Joy, 1966
4. “I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)” - Solomon Burke, 1968
5. “Respect” - Aretha Franklin, 1967
6. “The Motor City is Burning” - John Lee Hooker, 1967
7. “Cryin In The Streets” part 1 - George Perkins & The Silver Stars, 1968
8. “Abraham, Martin, and John” - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1969
9. “The Prayer” Ray Scott, 1970
10. “Say It Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud” part 1 - James Brown, 1968
11. “And Black is Beautiful” - Nickie Lee, 1968
12. “Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother” - Bill Moss, 1969
13. “Why I Sing The Blues” part 1 - B.B. King, 1969
14. “I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothin (Open Up The Door, I’ll Get It Myself)” part 1 - James Brown, 1969
15. “Stand!” - Sly & The Family Stone, 1969
16. “Message From A Black Man” - The Temptations, 1969
17. “Is It Because I’m Black” - Sly Johnson, 1969
18. “I Was Born Blue” - Swamp Dogg, 1970
19. “Yes, We Can” part 1 - Lee Dorsey, 1970
20. “We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue” - Curtis Mayfield, 1970
21. “Young, Gifted, and Black” - Bob & Marcia, 1970

Disc Three
1. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” - Gil Scott-Heron, 1971
2. “(For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People” - The Chi-Lites, 1971
3. “Smiling Faces Sometimes” - Undisputed Truth, 1971
4. “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” - Marvin Gaye, 1971
5. “Hercules” - Aaron Neville, 1973
6. “Get Up, Stand Up” - Bob Marley and The Wailers, 1973
7. “Fight The Power” part 1 - Isley Brothers, 1975
8. “Give The People What They Want” - O’Jays, 1975
9. “Black Is Black” - Jungle Brothers, 1988
10. “Sister Rosa” - The Neville Brothers, 1989
11. “The Pride” - Chuck D., 1996
12. “Unity” - Sounds of Blackness, 2005
13. “None of Us Are Free” - Solomon Burke, 2002
14. “Eyes On The Prize” - The Sojourners, 2007
15. “Down In Mississippi” - Mavis Staples, 2007
16. “Free At Last” - The Blind Boys of Alabama, 2008

As you can see, this 3-disc box set is excellent.  Don’t know some of the artists?  Discover the songs by checking out Let Freedom Sing: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement.

Technorati tags: Let Freedom Sing: Songs from the Movement

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: USA Black History from Africans, Europeans, and Asians

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: For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots

In 2007, BlackDemographics.com was created by Akiim DeShay to present US Census Bureau compiled facts and figures about African American lifestyles in a format that would be easy to use and understand.

Throughout the year, and especially during Black History Month, BlackDemographics.com is a great resource for statistics relevant to all of the following areas:

• Population
• Black cities and states
• Employment
• Middle Class
• Housing
• Education
• Health
• Crime
• Geography
• Politics
• Religion

The site is well designed and simple to use.

Technorati tags: African American Demographic Trends Exposed

You’ll be able to see the show on TV across the USA.

WETA television Washington, DC is producing it for PBS.  It’s scheduled for broadcast on Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 8 pm Eastern.

NPR will also air a one hour concert special of the event (for radio) during February, Black History Month.

Here’s an early list of performers:

• Natalie Cole
• Bob Dylan
• Jennifer Hudson
• John Legend
• John Mellencamp
• Smokey Robinson
• Seal
• Blind Boys of Alabama
• Howard University Choir

Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah will be the happy couple hosting the show.

Since the theme of the event is music that inspired the Civil Rights Movement, you’ll hear plenty of songs of inspiration.

I especially like the collaboration with The Grammy Museum.

They’ll be offering a downloadable “Music that Inspired the Movement” curriculum for middle and high school teachers, available at GrammyMuseum.org.

"A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” is the third “In Performance at the White House” program President Obama has offered.

Watch the slide show below featuring a few of the artists who will perform, and listen to 1 minute of a civil rights movement favorite, Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changing."

This version is performed by The Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles.

The track is from the album, Dylan’s Gospel, courtesy of Powerhouse Radio. Visit Powerhouse Radio on Facebook.

Technorati tags: The White House to Host A Civil Rights Music Review

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.

Technorati tags: Nelson Mandela Marks a Milestone

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).

Technorati tags: Ebony Magazine Pioneer John H. Johnson

Hughes’ eloquent prose is considered some of the very best work of any writer in the first half of the twentieth century.

He wrote his first poems in high school.  Hughes traveled extensively abroad before winning his first poetry contest in 1925.

"Weary Blues” was his first published poem in 1926.  His first novel was published in 1930, Not Without Laughter.

Technorati tags: Langston Hughes Writes Weary Blues