'The rediscovery of a long-forgotten slave narrative would be notable enough. But this one, scholars who have seen it say, is unique for its global perspective and its uncensored fury, from a man living far outside the trans-Atlantic network of white abolitionists who often limited what the formerly enslaved could write about their experiences.'
In #Canada, many #BlackHeroes, in #baseball as elsewhere, remain unknown. The #Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, whose mission is to commemorate “great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada” and create “a culture which champions education, respect, diversity and healthy lifestyles across generations” has continued to place #BlackHistory below white achievement.
70 years ago, the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education led to the desegregation of schools. However this also led to thousands of Black teachers losing their jobs. "Prior to 1954, there were about 82,000 Black teachers in the United States," write a team of academics for @TheConversationUS. "A decade later, with hundreds of segregated schools closing, more than 38,000 Black teachers had been fired by white school leaders." Read more about the importance of Black teachers and why 70 years after Brown, school educators are still mostly white.
#OnThisDay, 15 May 1946, Camilla Williams makes her operatic debut as Cio-Cio San with the New York City Opera. She is the first Black woman to sign a contract with a major US opera company.
'Following the successful development of the Black Teacher Archive (BTA), beginning in 2020 with initial funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the BTA’s public unveiling in 2023, a pair of new grants will allow the project to expand its reach and impact in the coming years.'
"Flint's Black historical newspapers could easily have been lost to the eroding effects of time. These publications, which ran from the late 1930s to the late 70s, chronicled the lives, perspectives and priorities of Flint's African American community.... these historical publications are not only digitized for posterity but also freely accessible online for the public."
Since people are talking about Kent State, Ohio, 1970, it's a good time to talk about Jackson State, Mississippi, 1970.
Similar situation, except there was no active protest, just a bunch of students hanging out. The mayor of Jackson declared a riot and called in the pigs. Someone threw a glass bottle, not at the pigs, but they still opened fire. Phillip Gibbs, a student at Jackson State, and James Green, a high school student who was walking home from his job, were murdered by cops. Many others were wounded.