“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, Black Migrations emphasizing “the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and subsequently to new social realities.” Their theme is important, especially when we think of the “Great Migration”, the time after World War I when Black folk fled…
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 called “Morro” or “Uncle Moreau.” A dignified man in his 60s, he was small in stature, unfit for hard work and had been enslaved for almost a quarter-century. He spoke limited English. But his real name was Omar ibn Said….
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 secret African Kingdom of Wakanda. The Black Panther, also known as T’Challa, rules over this imaginary empire – a refuge from the colonialists and capitalists who have historically impoverished the real continent of Africa. But fans of the box-office hit might not…
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 in honor of its first black postmaster, Frazier B. Baker, who was lynched in 1898 after he refused to resign. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., introduced a bill to rename the office after Baker, saying it would ensure that his…
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 man of the southern African Barolong tribe stood at the American border near Niagara Falls holding Canadian passport No. 79551. It stated the bearer was a British national and a resident of Toronto. In fact, he was Solomon Plaatje, the…
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…
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