Black History Month - Page 7

Gerald Wilson, one of the most important bandleaders in the history of jazz

By John Blake Elegant, swinging, exuberant – it’s hard to find one word to describe the lush music of Gerald Wilson, one of the most important bandleaders in the history of jazz. Wilson never got the attention of big band arrangers like Duke Ellington, but he was also a major innovator in jazz music. A slim, enthusiastic man known for his personal kindness, Wilson practically danced when he directed his orchestra. A lover of many musical styles, he incorporated everything from blues, Basie and Bartok in his arrangements. While many big-band recordings sound dated today, Wilson’s music still sounds cutting-edge.

Black History Month: Amelia Boynton Robinson

By Faith Karimi She lay sprawled unconscious in the road, beaten and gassed by Alabama state troopers. A White officer with a billy club stood over her. The woman was Amelia Boynton Robinson (1911-2015), and a famous photo of that shocking moment helped galvanize the civil rights movement. It was taken during the “Bloody Sunday” march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. That attack by White officers against peaceful Black demonstrators horrified the nation and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. It also revealed the toughness of Robinson, dubbed “the matriarch

A Black woman will be the world’s top trade official for the first time

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By Hanna Ziady and Charles Riley, CNN Business The path has been cleared for Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organization after South Korea’s candidate pulled out of the race for the job. Yoo Myung-hee, the South Korean trade minister, announced her decision to withdraw in a televised briefing on Friday. Okonjo-Iweala, an economist and former finance minister of Nigeria, already enjoyed broad support from WTO members, including the European Union, China, Japan and Australia. However, the United States, under the Trump administration, had favored Yoo, complicating the decision-making

“National Battle of the Bands: Salute to HBCU Marching Bands” Film during Black History Month

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Webber Marketing creators of the National Battle of the Bands, announces the “National Battle of the Bands (NBOTB): Salute to HBCU Marching Bands” film presented by Pepsi. The hour-long, syndicated film will premiere throughout February in more than 50 markets across the country in honor of Black History Month to shine an intimate light into the history of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands; and the behind-the-scenes work, dedication, and passion that goes into creating the precision, sound and show-shopping performances fans have grown to love and anticipate during football halftimes, homecoming parades and the coveted battle of the bands’ showdowns.

BHM: James Armistead Lafayette

By Faith Karimi James Armistead’s life would make a great movie. Under Lafayette, the French general who helped the American colonists fight for their freedom, he infiltrated the British army as a spy near the end of the Revolutionary War. He once reported to Benedict Arnold, the traitorous colonist who betrayed his troops to fight for the British. And he provided crucial intelligence that helped defeat the British and end the war. Armistead was a slave in Virginia in 1781 when he got permission from his owner, who helped supply the Continental Army, to join the war effort. Lafayette dispatched

Why I’m asking for more from this Black History Month

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Opinion by Roxanne Jones Editor’s note: Roxanne Jones, a founding editor of ESPN Magazine and former vice president at ESPN, has been a producer, reporter and editor at the New York Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jones is co-author of “Say it Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete.” She talks politics, sports and culture weekly on Philadelphia’s 900AM WURD. The views expressed here are solely hers. Once upon a time, I loved Black History Month. I loved it because February was when my classmates — from elementary through high school — and I finally got our chance

Black History Month: Major Taylor dominated cycling in the 1800s

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Black History Month: Major Taylor By Brandon Griggs Cycling is viewed mostly as a White sport. But one of the fastest men ever to race on two wheels was Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor (1878-1932), an American who dominated sprint cycling in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A hugely gifted rider, Taylor won the first amateur race he entered, at 14. He turned professional four years later and continued winning races, most of them sprints around oval tracks at Madison Square Garden and other arenas in the eastern US. Soon Taylor was competing in races across Europe and Australia, becoming

Five ways you can celebrate Black History Month virtually

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By Ashley Vaughan, CNN Honoring Black History Month may look and feel a lot different this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. But there are still plenty of ways to celebrate. Across the country, organizations are providing safe ways for people to commemorate the month virtually. Here’s a look at five ways you can partake in honoring the month without leaving your home.   Participate in online events Throughout the month of February, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is launching virtual events and conversations that affirm and preserve the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history.

Meet the man who created Black History Month

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February marks Black History Month, a federally recognized, nationwide celebration that calls on all Americans to reflect on the significant roles that African-Americans have played in shaping US history. But how did this celebration come to be — and why does it happen in February?   The man behind the holiday   Carter G. Woodson, considered a pioneer in the study of African-American history, is given much of the credit for Black History Month. The son of former slaves, Woodson spent his childhood working in coal mines and quarries. He received his education during the four-month term that was customary

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