By Dr. Julianne Malveaux — According to some historians, Afrodescendents first entered these united states in 1619 off the coast of Virginia. If we believe that narrative, Afrodescendents have been…
By Dr. Maulana Karenga — Clearly, in this important month and historical moment of celebrating Black History thru reflective remembrance and recommitment to ever-deeper study and emancipatory practice, our minds…
“When we really unify with one another, fight for self-determination, vote, and coalition build, our movements become much stronger.” By Bashir Muhammad Akinyele — With the tragic killings of Blackmen, Blackwomen, Black children, and Black youth going on in African America on a daily basis, we must force our people, and the world, to understand that neglected and failed American policies to eradicate racism, Black self-hatred, poverty, drugs, high incarceration…
By Julianne Malveaux — Every year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) choses a theme for Black History Month. This year they have chosen,…
The 1831 narrative by Omar ibn Said is the only known surviving slave account of its kind. By Michael E. Ruane, The Washington Post — As a slave, he was…
By Marlene Daut, University of Virginia — Marvel’s blockbuster “Black Panther,” which recently became the first superhero drama to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, takes place in the…
Frazier B. Baker was the first black postmaster in Lake City, South Carolina. By Associated Press — LAKE CITY, S.C. — A South Carolina town’s post office will be named…
By Eugene Mason, PBS — The United States owes African-Americans reparations for slavery, a recent report by a United Nations-affiliated group said. The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said that compensation is necessary to combat the disadvantages caused by 245 years of legally allowing the sale of people based on the color of their skin. The U.N. group warned that the U.S. has not confronted its legacy of “racial terrorism.”…
Solomon Plaatje, an early ANC leader, came to America in 1921 to expose the growing number of race laws back home. By Matthew Blackman, OZY — A short, well-dressed 44-year-old…
How Staying Power shook British history. When it was published in 1984 Staying Power vividly captured the struggle for black British identity. Nearly 35 years on it still has lessons to teach. By Gary Younge, The Guardian — “The very serious function of racism is distraction,” Toni Morrison argued in a lecture in Portland, Oregon, in 1975: It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and…