By Russ McQuaid When Leon Bates’ grandfather would travel Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky as an International Representative of the United Auto Workers union in the forties, fifties and sixties, he always carried extra white shirts so he could look fresh
By Claretta Bellamy Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs will make history Sunday when two Black quarterbacks face each other in a Super Bowl for the first time. If Hurts leads his team to victory, he will be the fourth Black quarterback to do so, following Washington’s Doug Williams
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By Terry Gross Journalist Mark Whitaker says that much of what’s happening in American race relations today traces back to 1966, the year when the Black Panthers were founded and the Black Power movement took full form. It’s also the year when when Stokely Carmichael replaced John Lewis as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and challenged the tactic of non-violence. Whitaker
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By Claretta Bellamy New Jersey is honoring its Black history and culture with a new trail that will mark important sites throughout the Garden State. Gov. Phil Murphy signed Bill A2677 into law Wednesday, which gives the New Jersey Historical Commission $1 million to develop the Black Heritage Trail, a path highlighting Black historical markers and sites
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By Bryan Mcclure Ask any knowledgeable person the most famous graduate to come from a Historically Black College and nine out of ten times the first person they will say is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a 1948 graduate of Morehouse. The long standing tradition of Morehouse, along with the fact that Blacks had very
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Black Poetry Day is celebrated every year on October 17 to honor all the talented African American poets, both past and present. If you’re a literature enthusiast, poet, or writer — no matter your race — you’ll absolutely love Black Poetry Day where you can celebrate black heritage and history. Black Poetry Day is celebrated
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“Racism is part of our inheritance as Americans. Every city, every state and every region of this country has its own deep history with racism. And so does the labor movement.” –Richard Trumka, Missouri AFL-CIO Convention America’s Declaration of Independence asserts that “all men are created equal” and “that they are endowed by their Creator
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First celebrated in 1979, Black August was created to commemorate famed Panther George Jackson’s fight for Black liberation. For Jonathan Peter Jackson, a direct relative of two prominent members of the Black Panther Party, revolutionary thought and family history have always been intertwined, particularly in August. That’s the month in 1971 when his uncle, the famed
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By Fred Frommer As Jackie Robinson prepared to take the field as the first Black player in modern baseball history on Opening Day 75 years ago this Friday, an Associated Press reporter asked if he had any butterflies in his stomach. “Not a one,” Robinson replied, with a grin. “I wish I could say I
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By Bria Bolden 54 years after his assassination, Memphis clergy and community members plan to honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today, the anniversary of his death, the community is coming together to honor his life and legacy. 54 years ago today Dr. King traveled to Memphis in support of sanitation workers, and
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By Krishna Mann In the US, the stories of a select few Black women — Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Ida B. Wells, to name a few — seem to circulate on a regular rotation in school classrooms, inspirational calendars and social media memes. While these women’s contributions to history are incredibly important, there are countless other Black
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