Sarah Breedlove was born in Delta, La., on Dec. 23, 1867. She was the daughter of Owen and Minerva Anderson Breedlove. Both had formerly been enslaved. She was an orphan by the age of 7 and moved in with her older sister. At the age of 14, Sarah married Moses McWilliams. She maintained that she married young because of early hardships and in order to get a home of her own. In … [Read more...] about Madam C.J. Walker, the first Black American woman to be a self-made millionaire
Our History
‘I Have A Dream’ – address at The March on Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of … [Read more...] about ‘I Have A Dream’ – address at The March on Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963
Harris will be the first female, Black and Asian vice president, but not the first vice president of color
Vice President Kamala D. Harris is a trailblazer in many ways. She is the first female vice president, the first Black vice president, the first South Asian vice president, and, perhaps, the first vice president to sport Chuck Taylors. But, as some have mistakenly claimed, she is not the first multiracial vice president or the first one of color. That distinction belongs to … [Read more...] about Harris will be the first female, Black and Asian vice president, but not the first vice president of color
Sixty-five years ago this week, Rosa Parks stood up for civil rights by sitting down
Sixty-five years ago on December 1, 42-year-old Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, to head home after working at her job as a seamstress. At the time, public buses in the city were segregated per city law, and the first 10 seats were permanently reserved for white passengers. A diagram at the National Archives shows Parks and three other Black passengers … [Read more...] about Sixty-five years ago this week, Rosa Parks stood up for civil rights by sitting down
Spare a special moment for Black veterans
A recurring theme of movies made during World War II is servicemen risking their lives for their platoon buddies, invariably a New Yorker (sometimes Jewish), a Southerner, a Midwesterner, a Californian, someone of Eastern European background, an Italian-American and an Irish-American. In the movie’s standard setup, we learn their motivation: a brother/ friend lost at Pearl … [Read more...] about Spare a special moment for Black veterans
Remembering Shirley Chisholm: the first Black woman to run for U.S. President from the Democratic party
We are standing on the shoulders of giants! With the recent historic win of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first African American, South Asian woman to become Vice President, we think it’s important to honor those who came before us. One of the most important and pivotal Black political figures of our time was Shirley Anita Chisholm. According to the U.S. House … [Read more...] about Remembering Shirley Chisholm: the first Black woman to run for U.S. President from the Democratic party
‘I Had a Right to Be at Central’: Remembering Little Rock’s integration battle
It was late September 1957, and students at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas had been in class for three weeks. Everyone, that is, but 14-year-old Carlotta Walls (pictured right) and eight other teenagers who were to be Central High’s first black students. They had been prevented from entering the school by an angry mob of citizens, backed up by a group of Arkansas … [Read more...] about ‘I Had a Right to Be at Central’: Remembering Little Rock’s integration battle
Remembering the 57th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist church bombing
Say their names: Addie Mae Collins, 14 Denise McNair, 11 Carole Robertson, 14 Cynthia Wesley, 14 On September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded during Sunday morning services in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, killing four young girls. With its large African American congregation, the 16th Street Baptist Church served as a meeting place for civil rights … [Read more...] about Remembering the 57th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist church bombing
Ron Husband: The Story of Disney’s First Black Animator
By William Gooden Who was the first African American Disney animator? Most Disney geeks, like myself, will answer “Floyd Norman” and until a few weeks ago, I would have said the same thing. However, I am wrong (and you probably are, too). While Floyd Norman did work for Disney animation, he was never technically an animator and the title of first black animator at Disney … [Read more...] about Ron Husband: The Story of Disney’s First Black Animator
50 years after Black Power Fist, John Carlos and Tommie Smith to be inducted into Olympic Hall of Fame
Originally, John Carlos and Tommie Smith planned to call for a boycott of the Olympics over the lack of Black coaches at the 1968 Olympics. But with a massacre in Mexico City happening 10 days before the opening of the games, the black-gloved fist was a “cry for freedom and for human rights,” as Smith said. Unfortunately, this gesture came with swift backlash. Smith and Carlos, … [Read more...] about 50 years after Black Power Fist, John Carlos and Tommie Smith to be inducted into Olympic Hall of Fame