In 1959, actor and Montana native Gary Cooper wrote an article for EBONY in which he wrote, "Born a slave somewhere in Tennessee, Mary lived to become one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath, or a .38."
Closing out #BlackHistoryMonth with some unpopular, yet factual opinions.
*Everyone focuses on MLK. But truly, Malcolm Shabazz X was the one. The true visionary.
*WEB Dubois was not a revolutionary. He was for maintaining white status quo that left Black people to figure it out for themselves.
*We do not discuss Betty Hill enough, whose activism single-handedly kept white racism and segregation from infiltrating the free state of California, specifically Los Angeles, in the early 1900s.
Sculptor Richard Hunt, who died last December, had a career that spanned roughly 70 years, with his work appearing in museums and public spaces across the country, and was the first African American sculptor to have a retrospective at MOMA. Block Club Chicago's Rachel Hinton talked to artists who were inspired by his extraordinary life and work. "I would walk past his monument[s] every day — it’s kind of like the pinnacle of what I wanted to be,” sculptor Faheem Majeed says. “Richard is who I wanted to be at a certain point in my life before I even met him.”
h/t to @horrorboutique, who alerted us to Block Club Chicago's Black History series.
💛 “Why Black History Month 2024 is the Most Important Ever”
Black History is under attack, including attacks on Affirmative Action; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), continued voter suppression, and new laws designed to make voting harder for young people and minorities. This is in part to erase the history that created the need to address various wrongs.
—William Spivey
💛 “Why Black History Month 2024 is the Most Important Ever”
Black History is under attack, including attacks on Affirmative Action; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), continued voter suppression, and new laws designed to make voting harder for young people and minorities. This is in part to erase the history that created the need to address various wrongs.
—William Spivey
Today is the last day of Black History Month, but we curate our Stories of Black America Magazine all year round. You can follow the Magazine on Flipboard or in the Fediverse. In it, you'll find stories about why presidential candidates aren't better about talking about race, Black history's connection to place, Patrick Mahomes, the "Freaknik" documentary, a trailblazing opera company, and much more.
"💛 “Black History Yesterday, Today, and Forever”
Editorial from OHF WEEKLY, Vol. 6 No. 3: On Black History writ large and small in the world and in our lives, by @clayrivers.
"💛 “Black History Yesterday, Today, and Forever”
Editorial from OHF WEEKLY, Vol. 6 No. 3: On Black History writ large and small in the world and in our lives, by @clayrivers.
In 1866, Cathay Williams became the only Black woman to serve as a Buffalo soldier.
She first served the union army as washer woman and cook then at the age of 17 she disguised herself as a man and changed her name to William Cathey. She holds the position of being the 1st Black woman to enlist in the US Army.