"Slave poets": The radical, revolutionary faith of Christmas spirituals (Dallas News) There are about 6,000 known spirituals, sometimes called "sorrow songs." This extraordinary body of literature contains multiple sub-sets, none more potent, more poignant, more powerful than those that deal with the Christmas narratives. The stories in Luke's gospel about the birth of Jesus resonated [...]
The Struggle and Triumph of America's First Black Doctors African American physicians have dealt with distrust and misperceptions for more than a century (Pictured: John Henry Jordan, the first black doctor in Coweta County, Georgia, with his wife, Mollie, and his son, Edward) African American doctors still face barriers when it comes to educational opportunities [...]
Medal of Honor? Dorie Miller's fans keep fighting to honor black sailor's Pearl Harbor heroism (Dallas Morning News) It has been 75 years since Doris “Dorie” Miller, a black mess attendant, grabbed control of a machine gun he had never been allowed to use so he could help defend the USS West Virginia during the Pearl [...]
Our national parks can also be reminders of America’s history of race and civil rights (Pictured above: Black sailors at Port Chicago Naval Magazine, Calif., 1944) When the National Park Service was established 100 years ago, it was with the intent of creating a federal agency that would “conserve the scenery and the natural and [...]
Thanksgiving soul food offers a window to African-American heritage (Pictured: Collards with turkey kielbasa is a dish prepared by Carla Hall, co-host of "The Chew" and ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture's Sweet Home Cafe.) (The Baltimore Sun) The Thanksgiving Day meal for many African-Americans wouldn't be complete without soul [...]
Long-awaited Texas African American History Memorial to be unveiled Saturday in Austin (Dallas News) Blanket invitations have gone out inviting the public to attend the unveiling of the Texas African American History Memorial in Austin. The long-awaited — and embattled — unveiling ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 19) near the main entrance [...]
Explore the Flickering, Forgotten Past of African-Americans in Silent Film An estimated 80 percent of silent movies with all-black casts are thought to be lost, but a new project is making sure the people who made them aren't (From Smithsonianmag.com) Silent films flickered across the screen in black and white, but popular memory of the [...]
The long history of black voter suppression in American politics (The Washington Post) In August 1922, the Topeka State Journal reported on an unusual voter suppression tactic. Members of the Ku Klux Klan reportedly flew over Oklahoma City, dropping cards into black neighborhoods warning people to be cautious before heading to the polls. The only [...]
Civil Rights History Finds Heightened Relevance in a Troubled Present (From The New York Times) Civil rights museums have always tied history lessons to current events. But now there may be more interest than ever in what some refer to as civil rights tourism — as indicated by growing financial support and higher attendance at [...]
Justice Thomas' story deserves more in-depth telling at African-American museum (Chicago Tribune) By most social standards, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas would be considered a model African-American. Born into poverty in the rural South, Thomas worked his way to judicial heights that only one other African-American — Thurgood Marshall — has reached. He could [...]
