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« Monday « February 28, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02282005}
  2. {11:38:21 PM}
  content
  1. Carter G. Woodson
  2. Carter Godwin Woodson, the so-called 'Father of Black History,' and founder of Black History Month: "Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."
    
    Dr. Woodson, author of the classic "The Mis-Education of the Negro," would probably be the first to say that the study of one's history is really a year-round pursuit. This one month every February really just serves as reminder that there's a lot of work to do, and as inspiration that great people have cracked glass ceilings and opened doors through which we pass today.
  metadata
  2. 11:38:21 PM
  3. Carter Godwin Woodson, the so-called 'Father of Black History,' and founder of Black History Month: "Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02282005}
  2. {10:47:04 PM}
  content
  1. "No white man to lose his vote"
  2. 1901 Flyer -- Written by Democrats State Chairman Ellyson, John Goode (President of the 1901 Constitutional Convention), and A.J. Montague (the party's nominee for governor) in an attempt to assure the white electorate that their right to vote would remain undisturbed as they sought to extinguish African-American suffrage.
    
    Extinguish is such a strong word. I found this historical page of broadsides related to African American political involvement, while scouring the Net for some links on Carter Woodson, author, educator, and founder of what we now call "Black History Month." I thought that would put a nice cap on my month-long daily posting streak. This particular flyer, from 1901, serves as a reminder that at some point in America's history, the Democratic Party was just as detrimental to the interests of the Black community then as the Republican Party is today, and maybe the Democrats still are. We ought to learn from history. Rather than choose to take up the yokes of conservatism or liberalism (and haven't we already learned that all isms are bad) we really need to peep the technique and learn how to play politics and see that our best collective interests are served. We have historic and contemporary evidence to prove that neither dominant politcal party in this country has a deep, unwavering desire to serve our best interests. Democrats and Republicans are just two sides of the same coin, only interested in using Black voters as pawns in a larger game. A game Blacks should be playing, not getting played. And so what if that last line is kind of awkward. Do not step to me. I'm awkward. I box lefty.
  metadata
  2. 10:47:04 PM
  3. 1901 Flyer — Written by Democrats State Chairman Ellyson, John Goode (President of the 1901 Constitutional Convention), and A.J. Montague (the party's nominee for governor) in an attempt to assure the white electorate that their right to vote would r..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02282005}
  2. {06:43:47 AM}
  content
  1. Winner: Actor in a Leading Role - Jamie Foxx
    
    (Oscar.com)
  2. Jamie Foxx played singer Ray Charles, who overcame both blindness and drug addiction to become one of the music business's leading artists.
    
    Well, I was right about Morgan Freeman winning for Supporting Actor, his role fits a very specific type of Black man that mainstream Hollywood's comfortable with seeing on screen. Foxx's win, however, is unique in American film history, in that his role represents a truly complex, fully-realized human being, who fought through a myriad of physical, social, and psychological challenges and emerged a winner, and even a hero. Good looking out.
  metadata
  2. 06:43:47 AM
  3. Jamie Foxx played singer Ray Charles, who overcame both blindness and drug addiction to become one of the music business's leading artists...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. black people
  3. entertainment
  type
« Sunday « February 27, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02272005}
  2. {10:24:15 PM}
  content
  1. Academy Awards: Black History Month Edition
  2. I'm not watching the Academy Awards tonight, first of all, because I'm a straight Black man. But come on, you have to admit that awards shows are boring, bullsh*t events at the end of the day. They're about as much fun as watching paint dry on a hot summer day. But since it's still the much-maligned Black History Month, I'd be remiss if I didn't devote at least one post to the gloriously mediocre annals of Black Academy Award history.
    The basic premise of entertaiment historian Donald Bogle's 1973 book (reissued in 2001), "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, & Bucks", is that throughout its long, sordid history, Hollywood has limited Black roles to essentially a handful of deliberate types -- all described in the book's title. Worse than that is the fact that the firt Black character to ever appear in a Hollywood film, way back in the day, was really a white actor in blackface. The year was 1903, and the film was "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and it defined the first character type that would eventually be set aside exclusively for actors of African descent. A "tom" is a good Black person, who often serves as the good conscience for a tormented white counterpart, and who's always there, selflessly, to h'ep massa out; a "coon" is a buffoon; the "tragic mulattoe" is the Black person of mixed heritage who'll be improved by the white portion of their blood; the "mammy" is a usually overweight, always cantankerous Black woman; and the "buck" is the model for your essential universal suspect Black man who's probably best kept behind bars, or swinging from a tree ... don't be scurred. Historically, Blacks have rarely been given opportunities to play fully-fleshed out human beings in mainstream Hollywood movies, roles that fall outside of the handful of archetypes Bogle defined more than 30 years ago. All of this makes Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Ray Charles, in Ray, a potentially groundbreaking and historic opportunity.
    
    Looking over the past winners, it's easy to slap one of the labels on each of the roles that won the top, or supporting Oscars. Since there are so few winners, I will go right ahead and do it: a struggling wife of a death row inmate who falls for the white racist cop who executed her spouse (tragic mulattoe), a crooked cop (buck), a phony psychic (coon), an insubordinate army private (buck), a hardassed drill sargeant (buck), an out-of-work construction worker (buck), and an all-knowing housekeeper named "Mammy" (yeah, that one's easy: mammy). While all of these performances are to be praised as fine examples of thespian artistry, and I'm not saying the actors should have turned down these roles (because heads have got to eat and a paying job is a good thing) I can't really say that any of the actual roles are inspiring, at least not to me. Art imitates life, and it also gives sheep cues for how to think. Since we're looking at patterns here that are well-defined and long-lasting, it isn't very difficult to me to figure out how America is supposed to feel about the bruthas and sistas. PS: Does Morgan Freeman, up for a supporting Oscar for his role as an old man who mops up the gym in "Million Dollar Baby," have a shot at winning tonight? Well, he fits into one of the roles, he's the good Black (tom), so yes, absolutely; he's got a fighter's chance.
    
    Black Academy Award Winners
    
    Halle Berry
    Best Actress (2002)
    "Leticia Musgrove"
    Monster's Ball
    
    Denzel Washington
    Best Actor (2002)
    "F.E.S. Detective-Sergeant Alonzo Harris"
    Training Day
    
    Russell Williams II
    Best Sound (1991)
    Dances With Wolves
    
    Whoopi Goldberg
    Best Supporting Actress (1990)
    "Oda Mae Brown"
    Ghost
    
    Denzel Washington
    Best Supporting Actor (1989)
    "Private Trip"
    Glory
    
    Herbie Hancock
    Best Original Score (1987)
    Round Midnight
    
    Lionel Richie
    Best Song (1986)
    "Say You Say Me"
    White Nights
    
    Stevie Wonder
    Best Song (1985)
    "I Just Called To Say I Love You"
    The Woman In Red
    
    Lou Gossett Jr.
    Best Supporting Actor (1983)
    "Sargeant Emil Foley"
    An Officer and A Gentleman
    
    Irene Cara
    Best Song (1983)
    "What A Feeling"
    Flashdance
    
    Isaac Hayes
    Best Song (1972)
    "Theme From Shaft"
    Shaft
    
    Sidney Poitier
    Best Actory (1963)
    "Homer Smith"
    Lilies of the Field
    
    James Baskett
    Special Oscar (1947)
    "Uncle Remus"
    Song of the South
    
    Hattie McDaniel
    Best Supporting Actress (1939)
    "Mammy"
    Gone With the Wind
    Hoo-ray for Hollywood.
  metadata
  2. 10:24:15 PM
  3. I'm not watching the Academy Awards tonight, first of all, because I'm a straight Black man. But come on, you have to admit that awards shows are boring, bulls..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02272005}
  2. {10:07:44 AM}
  content
  1. For a Start-Up, Visions of Profit in Podcasting
    
    (New York Times)
  2. The primarily amateur Internet audio medium known as podcasting will take a small, hopeful step on Friday toward becoming the commercial Web's next big thing. That step is planned by Odeo, a five-person start-up that is based in a walk-up apartment in this city's Mission District and was co-founded by a Google alumnus. The company plans to introduce a Web-based system that is aimed at making a business of podcasting - the process of creating, finding, organizing and listening to digital audio files that range from living-room ramblings to BBC newscasts.
    
    Congratulations! I remember hanging out with Noah, his wife Sonja, and Marc on the rooftop of that crazy SOMA salon/warehouse party back at the height of the DotCom boom. And he was always talking about audio, audio, audio. It's about time the blogosphere gets an easy way to add sound to the mix. Blogging needs real voices. (Registration required, or just bugmenot.)
  metadata
  2. 10:07:44 AM
  3. The primarily amateur Internet audio medium known as podcasting will take a small, hopeful step on Friday toward becoming the commercial Web's next big thing. That step is planned by Odeo, a five-person start-up that is based in a walk-up apartment in th..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. weblogs
  3. internet
  type
« Saturday « February 26, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02262005}
  2. {11:10:43 PM}
  content
  1. The Golden Age of the Motown Sound
    
    (Detroit News)
  2. In 1957 a singing group called the Matadors, who were fronted by a young singer called Smokey Robinson, auditioned unsuccessfully for Jackie Wilson's manager. But another young man who watched the audition saw something Wilson's manager had obviously missed and persuaded the group to change their name to the Miracles and work with him instead. The rest is history. That man, of course, was Berry Gordy Jr.
  metadata
  2. 11:10:43 PM
  3. In 1957 a singing group called the Matadors, who were fronted by a young singer called Smokey Robinson, auditioned unsuccessfully for Jackie Wilson's manager. But another young man who watched the audition saw something Wilson's manager had obviously miss..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02262005}
  2. {07:33:31 AM}
  content
  1. PartyBuddys
  2. Not a celebrity? No problem, just rent an entourage of A-list party people and be treated like a big shot. However, their website is garbage, so if that's any indication I wouldn't expect too much from this service. But the idea is pretty interesting, if executed properly.
  metadata
  2. 07:33:31 AM
  3. Not a celebrity? No problem, just rent an entourage of A-list party people and be treated like a big shot. However, their website is garbage, so if that's any indication I wouldn't expect too much from this service. But the idea is pretty interesting, if..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. entertainment
  3. culture
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02262005}
  2. {07:21:21 AM}
  content
  1. Grafedia
  2. Words written anywhere, then linked to images, video or sound files online.
    
    Connecting real-world graffiti with the hyperlinked world of the Net.
  metadata
  2. 07:21:21 AM
  3. Words written anywhere, then linked to images, video or sound files online...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. internet
  type
4. datetime
  1. {02262005}
  2. {06:29:17 AM}
  content
  1. Paul Robeson
    
    (PBS.org)
  2. Paul Robeson was the epitome of the 20th-century Renaissance man. He was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. His talents made him a revered man of his time, yet his radical political beliefs all but erased him from popular history. Today, more than one hundred years after his birth, Robeson is just beginning to receive the credit he is due.
    
    If Robeson lived in our times, he would be impossible to imagine. He became a giant in almost every field he touched.
  metadata
  2. 06:29:17 AM
  3. Paul Robeson was the epitome of the 20th-century Renaissance man. He was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. His talents made him a revered man of his time, yet his radical political beliefs all but era..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Thursday « February 24, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02242005}
  2. {11:29:11 PM}
  content
  1. (Outdated) Thought For The Day
    
    (Whole Wheat Radio Blog)
  2. "By the time you read anything here, it's outdated. I'm never on top of anything that's really newsworthy. So I'm sure this has already been covered ad naseum in the blogosphere."
    
    Wow, those words capture the essence of my blog in spirit and letter. I always miss the timely, unoriginal copycat memes. But then I'm on colored people's time, yahknowimsayin?
    
    b/w: jenett.radio
  metadata
  2. 11:29:11 PM
  3. "By the time you read anything here, it's outdated. I'm never on top of anything that's really newsworthy. So I'm sure this has already been covered ad naseum in the blogosphere."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. weblogs
  3. internet
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02242005}
  2. {11:05:48 PM}
  content
  1. The Generator Blog
  2. This blog is not about those machines used to change mechanical energy into electrical energy. It's about software that creates software. Software to play around and have fun with.
    
    Nice.
  metadata
  2. 11:05:48 PM
  3. This blog is not about those machines used to change mechanical energy into electrical energy. It's about software that creates software. Software to play around and have fun with...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. weblogs
  3. internet
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02242005}
  2. {08:17:50 PM}
  content
  1. Elijah McCoy: Inventor and Engineer
  2. His first invention was a lubricator for steam engines. The invention allowed machines to remain in motion while being oiled; his new device revolutionized the industrial machine industry. McCoy established his own firm and was responsible for a total of 57 patents. The term "the real McCoy" refers to the oiling device used for industrial machinery. His contribution to the lubricating device became so popular that people inspecting new equipment would ask is the device contained the real McCoy. This helped popularize the American expression, meaning the real thing.
  metadata
  2. 08:17:50 PM
  3. His first invention was a lubricator for steam engines. The invention allowed machines to remain in motion while being oiled; his new device revolutionized the industrial machine industry. McCoy established his own firm and was responsible for a total of..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Wednesday « February 23, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02232005}
  2. {12:15:43 AM}
  content
  1. [Blogging] as a full-time job
    
    (kottke.org)
  2. Kottke: "I recently quit my web design gig and -- as of today -- will be working on kottke.org as my full-time job."
    
    Could be courageous, or foolish. Hard to tell. But this will be interesting to watch -- blogging as full-time pursuit -- I ~~might just throw~~ threw in a hat tip to see if he can pull it off. He's got consistently high-quality content and the audience volume to be able to try this, so why not give it a try if he can afford the risk. More later.
  metadata
  2. 12:15:43 AM
  3. Kottke: "I recently quit my web design gig and — as of today — will be working on kottke.org as my full-time job."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. weblogs
  3. internet
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02232005}
  2. {09:07:42 PM}
  content
  1. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)
  2. By her own words and example, Mary McLeod Bethune demonstrated the value of education, a philosophy of universal love, and the wise and consistent use of political power in striving for racial and gender equality. The 15th of 17 children of former slaves, Bethune grew up amidst poverty and oppression of the Reconstruction South, yet rose to prominence as an educator, presidential advisor, and political activist. Through her own schooling by missionaries in South Carolina, Bethune recognized the importance of education in the emerging struggle for civil rights.
    
    Education is the key to success. For some that's just an empty slogan. Mrs. Bethune lived by that philosophy, using her education to enrich her life and those she touched, and accomplish a stunning array of notable feats along the way. A true model person, worthy of emulation. Her last will and testament and its nine legacies is relevant to this day, and makes for very inspiring reading.
  metadata
  2. 09:07:42 PM
  3. By her own words and example, Mary McLeod Bethune demonstrated the value of education, a philosophy of universal love, and the wise and consistent use of political power in striving for racial and gender equality. The 15th of 17 children of former slaves,..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Tuesday « February 22, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02222005}
  2. {08:55:59 PM}
  content
  1. The Buffalo Soldiers on the Western Frontier
    
    (Museum of the Horse)
  2. Lesser known, but equally important, the Buffalo Soldiers explored and mapped vast areas of the southwest and strung hundreds of miles of telegraph lines. They built and repaired frontier outposts around which future towns and cities sprang to life. Without the protection provided by the 9th and 10th Cavalries, crews building the ever expanding railroads were at the mercy of outlaws and hostile Indians. The Buffalo Soldiers consistently received some of the worst assignments the Army had to offer. They also faced fierce prejudice to both the colors of their Union uniforms and their skin by many of the citizens of the post-war frontier towns. Despite this, the troopers of the 9th and 10th Cavalries developed into two of the most distinguished fighting units in the Army.
    
    The sad thing about this story is that the Buffalo Soldiers, in serving their country, a land that scorned and despised them, did someone else's dirty work and aided in the destruction of the indigenous Native American population. A cautionary tale, that glints of a fundamental hypocrisy and treachery in the greater American spirit; for example, how can a country call itself "the land of the free, and home of the brave ..." but still enable slavery and genocide?
  metadata
  2. 08:55:59 PM
  3. Lesser known, but equally important, the Buffalo Soldiers explored and mapped vast areas of the southwest and strung hundreds of miles of telegraph lines. They built and repaired frontier outposts around which future towns and cities sprang to life. Witho..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Monday « February 21, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02212005}
  2. {11:24:04 PM}
  content
  1. Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 — Feb. 21, 1965)
    
    (The Official Web Site)
  2. Here - at this final hour, in this quiet place - Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes -extinguished now, and gone from us forever...
  metadata
  2. 11:24:04 PM
  3. Here - at this final hour, in this quiet place - Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes -extinguished now, and gone from us forever......"
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Sunday « February 20, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02202005}
  2. {09:19:04 PM}
  content
  1. Fifty Influential Figures
    
    (Chickenbones Journal)
  2. Fifty Influential Figures in African-American History.
  metadata
  2. 09:19:04 PM
  3. Fifty Influential Figures in African-American History...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Saturday « February 19, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02192005}
  2. {08:02:47 PM}
  content
  1. Zora Neale Hurston: Chronology
    
    (Library of Congress)
  2. Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), author, anthropologist, and folklorist.
    
    Her best known works were "Dust Tracks on a Road," her autobiography, and "Their Eyes Were Watching God," but perhaps her biggest contributions come from her entire body of work -- plays, stories, articles, books -- which amounts to a lifelong study of folklore in the African-American South.
  metadata
  2. 08:02:47 PM
  3. Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), author, anthropologist, and folklorist...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02192005}
  2. {10:35:22 AM}
  content
  1. Emancipation Proclamation comes out of hiding
    
    (Chicago Sun-Times)
  2. The poor quality of the paper and ink on the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation make it vulnerable to light, so it has been only occasionally brought out of storage. It was last seen on Jan. 19, 2004.
    
    I don't know why this cracks me up so much. This document, obviously, marked the beginning of the end of Black slavery in America. What we now know is that Lincoln didn't free the slaves because he was some great man who believed in equality or who hated the actual practice; he freed them because the North needed more bodies to fight in the Civil War. But unfortunately, average people like me will ever get to see what the document actually says because it's vulnerable to light. So I guess we'll always be in the dark. That just cracks me up. All we get is a transcription, and it's anyone's guess if the transcription is accurate or if it was tuned to fit some political motive, like, you know, propaganda. Lincoln was assassinated, so only he knows the ultimate truth about what he wrote. We're left with someone else's interpretation.
    
    Related:
    Emancipation Proclamation: A Transcription (National Archives)
  metadata
  2. 10:35:22 AM
  3. The poor quality of the paper and ink on the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation make it vulnerable to light, so it has been only occasionally brought out of storage. It was last seen on Jan. 19, 2004...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Friday « February 18, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02182005}
  2. {11:41:10 PM}
  content
  1. Marian Anderson
    
    (Penn Special Collections)
  2. The artistic development and musical career of Marian Anderson. Renowned throughout the world for her extraordinary contralto voice, she is also remembered for her dignity and grace under pressure. Born 27 February 1897 in Philadelphia, Marian Anderson remains one of the great musical treasures of that city.
    
    The Marian Anderson U.S. postage stamp (pictured) will be unvieled shortly. One blogger that I read periodically, at Silver Rights, has some interesting backstory related to how the great singer is being remembered.
  metadata
  2. 11:41:10 PM
  3. The artistic development and musical career of Marian Anderson..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02182005}
  2. {06:49:53 PM}
  content
  1. Writing Hacks
    
    (Poynter Online)
  2. No, not that kind. The ones that are good for you (writers).
  metadata
  2. 06:49:53 PM
  3. No, not that kind. The ones that are good for you (writers)...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. writers
  3. technology
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02182005}
  2. {02:58:39 AM}
  content
  1. Omarosa finds bias in Burnett
    
    (New York Daily News)
  2. "Apprentice" castoff Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth yesterday slammed the show's executive producer, Mark Burnett, for the way he handles African-American players on the popular reality show. Manigault-Stallworth said Burnett has demonstrated a "pattern of betrayals of African-American women" on "The Apprentice.
    
    I totally agree with her in principle, but here's a case of the flawed messenger. As an avid watcher of "The Apprentice," and, still, "Survivor" -- because these are great examples of the manipulative power of TV -- I agree that there definitely is a bias in casting, but you can't really blame Burnett. First, there are a limited number of spots on these shows -- 16 to 20 people, tops. They try to go for a cross-section of the population, which is impossible in such a small group, so they do the next best thing: they simulate reality. In their casting process they create a false cross-section by selecting over-the-top personalities who are more or less stereotypes, people who are not nuanced, who won't require a lot of backstory for viewers to understand, and who can represent apparently broad segments of the audience.
    
    Secondly, the main audience for these shows is decidedly mainstream, so since he only has a few token spots for Blacks to fill on his casts, Burnett's got to play to his core audience, and their biases. Keeping and growing his audience is how he stays in business. Many other groups could voice similar complaints about their treatment on his shows; for instance, look at his treatment of (invisible) Asians; if you watch his shows, you'd believe there are no Asian men anywhere. Burnett's only responsibility is to create a hit show for his clients, so does he really have to care about the social message his shows convey? I have to think not. The guy's become fabulously wealthy off of these contrived "realities," and I don't think he got into it because he had a social conscience.
    
    That being said, Omarosa was Black Women's own worse enemy. No one is more responsible for creating an impression of the modern American Black woman as a ball-breaking b*tch in recent pop culture than she was. . She had an opportunity to play against the type and she blew it. I'd argue that this is Burnett's genius: he knows people better than they know themselves, and he casts impeccably. Omarosa's fifteen minutes are up. But I do love analysis of the great propaganda machine: the Boob Tube. Let's move on.
    
    b/w: negrophile.
  metadata
  2. 02:58:39 AM
  3. "Apprentice" castoff Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth yesterday slammed the show's executive producer, Mark Burnett, for the way he handles African-American players on the popular reality show. Manigault-Stallworth said Burnett has demonstrated a "pattern of..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. propaganda
  3. media
  type
4. datetime
  1. {02182005}
  2. {01:48:58 AM}
  content
  1. Marcus Garvey
  2. The "Back-to-Africa" leader, was the most widely known of all the agitators for the rights of the Negro and one of the most phenomenal. Arriving in the United States poor and unknown, within four years he became the most talked-of black man in the United States and the West Indies, and perhaps in the world.
    
    His story is quite remarkable, filled with extraordinary highs and lows, pomp and circumstance, treachery, courage, and epic contradictions, but his message was simple: "Man, Know Thyself." In 2005, it seems his people, generally, still haven't figured this out.
  metadata
  2. 01:48:58 AM
  3. The "Back-to-Africa" leader, was the most widely known of all the agitators for the rights of the Negro and one of the most phenomenal. Arriving in the United States poor and unknown, within four years he became the most talked-of black man in the United..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
5. datetime
  1. {02182005}
  2. {01:20:59 AM}
  content
  1. Man, Know Thyself
  2. Marcus Garvey: "For man to know himself is for him to feel that for him there is no human master. For him Nature is his servant, and whatsoever he wills in Nature, that shall be his reward..."
  metadata
  2. 01:20:59 AM
  3. Marcus Garvey: "For man to know himself is for him to feel that for him there is no human master. For him Nature is his servant, and whatsoever he wills in Nature, that shall be his reward..."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Wednesday « February 16, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02162005}
  2. {11:33:48 PM}
  content
  1. Jack Johnson
  2. With the fall of the last of the "White Hopes," Johnson became more unpopular than ever. If white race pride had been indignant before, now it was infuriated. At Ogden, Utah, a gang of white toughs mobbed Johnson's private car. The hatred against Johnson was vented in attacks on Negroes over the nation. Riots broke out in New York, Washington, Chicago, and elsewhere. Scores of blacks and whites were killed, and thousands injured. The repercussions were felt in Africa and in every part of the world where ill-feeling existed between white and colored. These disorders were followed by a long, bitter, wordy battle over the fight films. Censorship laws were passed by several states barring fight films and Jim Crow laws were tightened in the Southern states...In 1927 The Ring, a popular boxing magazine, nominated him "the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time." He defeated all the leading heavyweights and near heavyweights of his time.
    
    More than just a fighter, he was a cultural icon and social lightning-rod, a musician, an actor, and even an inventor. They just don't make athletes, or men, like they used to.
  metadata
  2. 11:33:48 PM
  3. With the fall of the last of the "White Hopes," Johnson became more unpopular than ever. If white race pride had been indignant before, now it was infuriated. At Ogden, Utah, a gang of white toughs mobbed Johnson's private car. The hatred against Johnson..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02162005}
  2. {01:29:47 PM}
  content
  1. iPod shuffle Tips and Tricks
    
    (MacDevCenter.com)
  2. The shuffle is so simple to operate that even your 2-year-old might soon be nagging you for one. But there are plenty of fun intricacies and nuances to learn about in iPod shuffle and in its faithful companion, iTunes 4.7.1.
    
    I have to admit, the iPod shuffle has been a welcome addition to my pocket, but I feel like I'm just scratching the surface. The fact that there's an O'ReillyNet article on how to use it confirms my suspicions.
    
    b/w: lifehacker
  metadata
  2. 01:29:47 PM
  3. The shuffle is so simple to operate that even your 2-year-old might soon be nagging you for one. But there are plenty of fun intricacies and nuances to learn about in iPod shuffle and in its faithful companion, iTunes 4.7.1...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. technology
  3. entertainment
  type
« Tuesday « February 15, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02152005}
  2. {07:25:17 AM}
  content
  1. Who is Louis Armstrong?
    
    (Satchmo.net)
  2. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans known as "the Battlefield" on August 4, 1901. By the time of his death in 1971, the man known around the world as Satchmo was widely recognized as a founding father of jazz — a uniquely American art form. His influence, as an artist and cultural icon, is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today.
    
    What a wonderful man he would be.
  metadata
  2. 07:25:17 AM
  3. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans known as "the Battlefield" on August 4, 1901. By the time of his death in 1971, the man known around the world as Satchmo was widely recognized as a founding father of jazz — a uniquely Americ..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02152005}
  2. {09:01:58 PM}
  content
  1. Literature of the Harlem Renaissance
    
    (Richland College, Dallas TX)
  2. A brief overview of the period's brightest literary stars.
    
    Though some of these books will be re-reads, I'm added at least four of them to my "50 Books (or more) in 52 Weeks" effort this year.
    
    Related:
    Collaborative Bibliography (Georgetown University)
  metadata
  2. 09:01:58 PM
  3. A brief overview of the period's brightest literary stars...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02152005}
  2. {08:48:09 PM}
  content
  1. Scholars; Black History Month Boycott Highlights Hunger for Year-Round Exploration, Officially or Not
    
    (BlackAmericaWeb.com)
  2. Continue the February focus on black history, yet understand that black history is a year-round exploration. Some people get this. Many others need to get it.
    
    History certainly didn't happen in a vacuum, so it doesn't have to be remembered that way as well. But since a lot of Black history seems to get washed out of textbooks, or not taught at all, why not have a specific time every year to highlight these important accomplishments, which are also part of American history?
  metadata
  2. 08:48:09 PM
  3. Continue the February focus on black history, yet understand that black history is a year-round exploration. Some people get this. Many others need to get it...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Monday « February 14, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02142005}
  2. {07:24:50 PM}
  content
  1. Map of Harlem Renaissance
  2. Hot Spots during the Harlem Renaissance (1920-1930)
  metadata
  2. 07:24:50 PM
  3. Hot Spots during the Harlem Renaissance (1920-1930)..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02142005}
  2. {05:53:05 PM}
  content
  1. Fowler Close to Buying Vikings
    
    (ABC News)
  2. Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler is close to becoming the NFL's first black owner after reaching an agreement to buy the Minnesota Vikings. A source within the league, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the deal, expected to be announced at a news conference Monday.
    
    I'll be following this one all day. It's about time. It's 2005, and we're still accomplishing firsts. WTF!
    
    UPDATE: Deal done, pending league approval - McCombs sells team after seven years. The press is already taking a pessimistic tone: Fowler's own net worth is pegged at only $400 million, can he pull it off? This will be interesting to watch, but predictable.
  metadata
  2. 05:53:05 PM
  3. Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler is close to becoming the NFL's first black owner after reaching an agreement to buy the Minnesota Vikings. A source within the league, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the deal, expected..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. sports
  3. business
  type
« Sunday « February 13, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02132005}
  2. {05:10:05 PM}
  content
  1. Read 50 books in 2005
    
    (43 Things)
  2. I'm determined to make this one. I got a late start, but I'm already working on Book #3. I'll put that hour-long commute on CalTrain (each way) to good use this year. Will track progress on this faddish 43 things site -- the social networking site with an interesting angle: share what you're doing.
  metadata
  2. 05:10:05 PM
  3. I'm determined to make this one. I got a late start, but I'm already working on Book #3. I'll put that hour-long commute on CalTrain (each way) to good use this year. Will track progress on this faddish 43 things site — the social networking site..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. books
  3. education
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02132005}
  2. {04:29:05 PM}
  content
  1. Styles of Jazz - Interactive Map
    
    (The Jazz Web/Northwestern University)
  2. This chart of Jazz Styles is derived from Joachim Berendt's The Jazz Book. This book is indispensible to any person seeking a comprehensive survey of the history of Jazz.
    
    This page isn't doesn't boast a great design, and was updated a while back, but the chart shows the remarkable diversity of jazz, from its roots in the blues and ragtime, through bebop, to fusion and beyond.
  metadata
  2. 04:29:05 PM
  3. This chart of Jazz Styles is derived from Joachim Berendt's The Jazz Book. This book is indispensible to any person seeking a comprehensive survey of th..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02132005}
  2. {02:08:21 PM}
  content
  1. History of Jazz Time Line
    
    (All About Jazz)
  2. Brief chronology of African-American Music and Jazz.
    
    Seems like a good place to start. As has been said, Jazz is the only uniquely American art form. This week, the Black History Month blogging will focus on artistic and scientific achievements.
  metadata
  2. 02:08:21 PM
  3. Brief chronology of African-American Music and Jazz...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
4. datetime
  1. {02132005}
  2. {05:17:47 AM}
  content
  1. Interview: Malcolm Gladwell
    
    (ESPN.com/Page 2)
  2. Gladwell: "[B]eing good at deliberate, conscious decision-making doesn't make you good at instinctive decisions. That's why I've always been so surprised that more NFL teams don't use the no-huddle."
    
    OK, now I'm convinced: Gladwell's gets it, all of it. Anyone who can talk and write so convincingly about all the subjects he does, and then can wax poetically -- and accurately -- on the linuep problems of the New York Knicks, and the merits of the no-huddle offense is a genius. He deals in engaging ways with both the esoteric and the mundane, and that's a rare gift.
    
    b/w: Transition Game
  metadata
  2. 05:17:47 AM
  3. Gladwell: "[B]eing good at deliberate, conscious decision-making doesn't make you good at instinctive decisions. That's why I've always been so surprised that more NFL teams don't use the no-huddle."..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. sports
  3. social science
  type
5. datetime
  1. {02132005}
  2. {03:48:45 AM}
  content
  1. Why Your Pointy Haired Boss Is A Mathematical Certainty
    
    (MarkTAW.com blog)
  2. What is that job? That sweet, sweet job that employs roughly 1,892,060 people and pays $88,700 annually (on average). Why it's General and operations managers, of course.
    
    This is too funny, and I'm posting it because of the humor. On the off-off-chance that my boss actually reads this I have to post this disclaimer: I know his salary is well above $90K, so clearly these stats don't apply.
  metadata
  2. 03:48:45 AM
  3. What is that job? That sweet, sweet job that employs roughly 1,892,060 people and pays $88,700 annually (on average). Why it's General and operations managers, of course...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. humor
  3. business
  type
« Saturday « February 12, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02122005}
  2. {06:18:19 PM}
  content
  1. The Church in the Southern Black Community
    
    (UNC University Library)
  2. These texts present a collected history of the way Southern African Americans experienced and transformed Protestant Christianity into the central institution of community life. Coverage begins with white churches' conversion efforts, especially in the post-Revolutionary period, and depicts the tensions and contradictions between the egalitarian potential of evangelical Christianity and the realities of slavery. It focuses, through slave narratives and observations by other African American authors, on how the black community adapted evangelical Christianity, making it a metaphor for freedom, community, and personal survival.
    
    This is an incredibly deep collection of several hundred texts -- monographs, autobiographies, biographies, essays, and articles -- covering all aspects of the African experience in the early South, at the intersection of religion and slavery. I'll surely dive into some of these documents for some upcoming posts. Here's a passage from an autobiography entitled, "The Life, History, and Unparalled Sufferings of John Jea, the African Preacher, b. 1773":
    Our labour was extremely hard, being obliged to work in the summer from about two o'clock in the morning, till about ten or eleven o'clock at night, and in the winter from four in the morning, till ten at night. The horses usually rested about five hours in the day, while we were at work; thus did the beasts enjoy greater privileges than we did. We dared not murmur, for if we did we were corrected with a weapon an inch and-a-half thick, and that without mercy, striking us in the most tender parts, and if we complained of this usage, they then took four large poles, placed them in the ground, tied us up to them, and flogged us in a manner too dreadful to behold; and when taken down, if we offered to lift up our hand or foot against our master or mistress, they used us in a most cruel manner; and often they treated the slaves in such a manner as caused their death, shooting them with a gun, or beating their brains out with some weapon, in order to appease their wrath, and thought no more of it than if they had been brutes: this was the general treatment which slaves experienced. After our master had been treating us in this cruel manner, we were obliged to thank him for the punishment he had been inflicting on us, quoting that Scripture which saith, "Bless the rod, and him that hath appointed it." But, though he was a professor of religion, he forgot that passage which saith "God is love, and whoso dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." And, again, we are commanded to love our enemies; but it appeared evident that his wretched heart was hardened; which led us to look up unto him as our god, for we did not know him who is able to deliver and save all who call upon him in truth and sincerity. Conscience, that faithful monitor, (which either excuses or accuses) caused us to groan, cry, and sigh, in a manner which cannot be uttered.
    Incredible cruelty and deluded sanctimony, key elements of the American experience which we can trace back to the earliest days of the nation.
  metadata
  2. 06:18:19 PM
  3. These texts present a collected history of the way Southern African Americans experienced and transformed Protestant Christianity into the central institution of community life. Coverage begins with white churches' conversion efforts, especially in the po..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02122005}
  2. {12:53:32 AM}
  content
  1. SNCC 1960-1966: Six years of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
    
    (ibiblio.org)
  2. On February 1, 1960, a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University refused to leave a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where they had been denied service. This sparked a wave of other sit-ins in college towns across the South. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC (pronounced "snick"), was created on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh two months later to coordinate these sit-ins, support their leaders, and publicize their activities.
    
    Clearly, one of the most important and influential group of protesters in the Sixties. But it seems to my unsophisticated mind that perhaps the power of their movement was diluted by all the other groups that joined in. In the end, were they really influential, or mere pawns?
  metadata
  2. 12:53:32 AM
  3. On February 1, 1960, a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University refused to leave a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where they had been denied service. This sparked a wave of other sit-ins in college towns..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Thursday « February 10, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02102005}
  2. {09:59:49 PM}
  content
  1. What Was Jim Crow?
    
    (Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia)
  2. The Jim Crow system was undergirded by the following beliefs or rationalizations: Whites were superior to Blacks in all important ways, including but not limited to intelligence, morality, and civilized behavior; sexual relations between Blacks and Whites would produce a mongrel race which would destroy America; treating Blacks as equals would encourage interracial sexual unions; any activity which suggested social equality encouraged interracial sexual relations; if necessary, violence must be used to keep Blacks at the bottom of the racial hierarchy.
    
    Continuing the Black History Month posting marathon. This particular page is simultaneously frightening and maddening. Bad things, unforgettable things, unforgivable things. An unfair fight. I figure one of the reasons they don't make some of this memorabilia anymore, at least not in the states, is because there are plenty of real-life caricatures of Black people saturating the media, so who needs dolls and piggy-banks when you can just stick a camera in front of a Charles Barkley or Flavor Flav, or whomever's currently sitting in best-selling gangsta rapper du jour's chair? I would argue that things haven't really changed much. The spirit, if not the letter, of Jim Crow lives on today, but its technique is so sophisticated it's hard to see. Invisible doesn't mean non-existent, because although we can't see the air we breathe, we know it's there. Our lives depend on it, just as the reality of America depends on a continuous undercurrent of race.
  metadata
  2. 09:59:49 PM
  3. ..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. racism
  type
« Wednesday « February 9, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02092005}
  2. {07:22:03 PM}
  content
  1. Underground Railroad: Map of Routes
    
    (National Park Service)
  2. There were probably at least as many attempts at escape from slavery in the North America of the late 1600s and the 1700s, both individual and in groups, as in the 1800s when various forces, from the national Constitution to the local slave patrols, were all aligned to prevent escapes. While primary attention is given to the drama of slave escapes to the free states of the North and to Canada, there was also a flow of runaways into Spanish Florida and into Spanish Mexico and the subsequent Mexican Republic. Although the numbers escaping across the southern borders never threatened to destabilize slavery, there were very serious consequences for American diplomacy. Indeed, American foreign policy in the antebellum era was often driven by the need to secure the national borders and prevent slave escapes. The majority of assistance to runaways came from slaves and free blacks and the greatest responsibility for providing shelter, financial support and direction to successful runaways came from the organized efforts of northern free blacks.
  metadata
  2. 07:22:03 PM
  3. There were probably at least as many attempts at escape from slavery in the North America of the late 1600s and the 1700s, both individual and in groups, as in the 1800s when various forces, from the national Constitution to the local slave patrols, were..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02092005}
  2. {12:22:07 AM}
  content
  1. Ray Charles
  2. Enough said, and much better than I could ever.
  metadata
  2. 12:22:07 AM
  3. Enough said, and much better than I could ever...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Monday « February 7, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02072005}
  2. {10:43:37 PM}
  content
  1. SuperBowl: Postgame Notes
  2. Well, another Super Bowl has come and gone, and I've got to say that this time, the whole event -- from the game to all of the ancillary programming -- was about as fun as watching paint dry. Still, even though evening wasn't a stream of consistently interesting televised imagery, there were some moments. Here's my Top Eleven, because the knob goes that high:
    1. Funniest Commercial: GoDaddy.com - any company willing to mock last year's "wardrobe malfunction" and the FCC's prudish response to it by staging a congressional hearing on "broadcast censorship" gets my vote. And it didn't hurt that the GoDaddy "spokesmodel" was foine. Forget about the fact that most folks still have no idea what GoDaddy.com does. Ironically, the NFL stuffed shirts can't take a joke and censored, er, cancelled the second airing of the spot. Lighten up.
    
    2. Best Musical Moment: Beautiful Alicia Keys doing "America the Beautiful" with a video doppelganger of the late Ray Charles accompanying her on the jumbotron, and the kids from his alma mater, the Florida School of the Deaf and the Blind, hand signing the lyrics in the foreground.
    
    3. Coolest Historical Moment: the living members of the Tuskegee Airman joining the other war veterans who were honored before the game, during Black History Month no less.
    
    4. Most Motley Crew: The Black Eye Peas, Earth Wind and Fire, Gretchen Wilson and Charlie Daniels all sharing a stage at the same time. Talk about trying to hit all demographics in one fell swoop.
    
    5. Worst Outfits: The Former Presidents Bush and Clinton - they looked like they were wearing "Sears sucker" suits, as opposed to seersucker suits, of course.
    
    6. Most Amazing Performance: Terrell Owens playing, and catching 9 balls for a buck and change, on an ankle that was broken just 6 weeks ago, and was held together with screws and metal plates.
    
    7. Biggest Bonehead Moment: The entire Eagles team not going into their no-huddle offense when they were down 10 points with under 4 minutes left in the game, but then it was just the Super Bowl.
    
    8. Best Old Fogey Moment: regardless of how I feel about the halftime show, you have to give it to Paul McCartney: he's 60-something and still rocking. When you get that old, you can only hope to be half as crisp.
    
    9. Worst Hi-Tech Gimmick: Fox Pylon Cam - the Super Bowl is where broadcast innovations such as the onscreen "chalkboard" get introduced, but the miniature camera Fox stuffed into a goal line pylon was a dud. Broadcaster Joe Buck captured it perfectly when he said after New England's third TD, "If you were an orange pylon, that's how the touchdown would have looked," which is to say: like not much.
    
    10. Funniest Commerical: Fedex - I thought this was a brilliant deconstruction of the 10 things it takes to make a Super Bowl commercial. The ironic thing is most of the other funny commercials, and there were a few, definitely played right into the Fedex model. Bravo.
    11. Most Uptight Organization: The National Football League - their fear of having anything interesting happen during their big event, coupled with the fact their league is a multi-billion dollar industry, led to about five hours of the dullest TV imaginable. With so much money at stake, taking risks ceases to be an option. I suppose it's better to put out a bland product than actually provide a compelling experience. But then, these guys can't even laugh at themselves (see #1 above.) We constantly hear people say that the sports business is really the entertainment business. After yesterday's Super Bowl, I'd like to see the proof, beause it was more tedious than it was entertaining. But wait until next year.
  metadata
  2. 10:43:37 PM
  3. Well, another Super Bowl has come and gone, and I've got to say that this time, the whole event — from the game to all of the ancillary programming — was about as fun as watching paint dry. Still, even though evening wasn't a stream of consiste..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. sports
  3. entertainment
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02072005}
  2. {07:31:50 AM}
  content
  1. The Tuskegee Airmen
  2. Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen's achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.
    
    Seeing the living members of the Tuskegee Airmen honored, along with other veterans, at Super Bowl XXXIX, was one of the highlights of an otherwise surprisingly dull event. They fought the war under segregation, but were recognized side-by-side with veterans who probably would have had nothing to do with them during the war time. Their participation helped pave the way for desegregation of the military, but as for the desegregation of our greater society, well that's another story.
  metadata
  2. 07:31:50 AM
  3. Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. T..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Sunday « February 6, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02062005}
  2. {01:30:47 PM}
  content
  1. Slave Narratives: Voices and Faces from the Collection
    
    (Library of Congress)
  2. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. An example:
    
    John Fields (89 years old at the writing of his narrative): "In most of us colored folks was the great desire to [be] able to read and write. We took advantage of every opportunity to educate ourselves. The greater part of the plantation owners were very harsh if we were caught trying to learn or write. It was the law that if a white man was caught trying to educate a negro slave, he was liable to prosecution entailing a fine of fifty dollars and a jail sentence. We were never allowed to go to town and it was not until after I ran away that I knew that they sold anything but slaves, tobacco, and wiskey. Our ignorance was the greatest hold the South had on us. We knew we could run away, but what then? An offender guilty of this crime was subjected to very harsh punishment."
    
    This is an eye-opening collection. I spent some time reading through a few of the actual manuscript pages (online as images) and the stories just tear my heart out. Some of them are hard to read because the writers simply transcribed slave English phonetically, when it occurs. And yet what comes out of reading through these text is an incredible humanity and dignity, emerging from an environment inhuman cruelty. Of course, part of the story may have been that these narratives were told to white writers, and either the slaves didn't voice their real feelings, out of fear, or the writers soft-pedalled the troubling anecdotes. We'll never know for sure, but the fact is that America was built on the broken backs of these people. They are martyrs in my mind.
  metadata
  2. 01:30:47 PM
  3. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Fede..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Saturday « February 5, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02052005}
  2. {09:25:34 AM}
  content
  1. "The Middle Passage" (A Pictorial)
    
    (Juneteenth.com)
  2. "Who could tell this story with any kind of balance?"
    Callous indifference or outright brutal characterizations of Africans are embedded in the language of the Western World. It is a language so infused with direct and indirect racism that it would be difficult, if not impossible, using this language in my book, to project anything black as positive.
  metadata
  2. 09:25:34 AM
  3. "Who could tell this story with any kind of balance?"
    Callous indifference or outright brutal characterizations of Africans are embedded in the language of the Western World. It is a language so infused with direct and indirect racism that it would b..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. black people
  type
« Friday « February 4, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02042005}
  2. {08:44:59 PM}
  content
  1. Emmett Till
    
    (About.com)
  2. Till went into the store, purchased some candy, and what happened as he was leaving is unclear. Till either said, "Bye, baby" or he whistled at Carolyn Bryant.
    Neither Till nor Jones understood the magnitude of Till's act so they did not tell Mose Wright what had happened. They continued to think nothing of the event as three days passed without incident. However, on the fourth day, early Sunday morning, Roy Bryant, Carolyn's husband, and J.W. Milam, Roy's half-brother, knocked on the door of Wright's home. With a pistol and flashlight in hand, they asked Mose Wright whether three boys from Chicago were staying with him. Wright led them to the room where Till was sleeping, and the men told Till to get dressed. Wright unsuccessfully pleaded with them to just whip Till. As they were leaving, they threatened Wright that if he told anyone they would kill him.
    
    Several hours later, Mamie Till was notified of her son's kidnapping. A search of the area was conducted, and Mamie Till notified Chicago newspapers of her son's disappearance. Wright told Money's sheriff who had taken Till, and he arrested Bryant and Milam for kidnapping.
    Three days later, Till's body was discovered in the Tallahatchie River. Its was weighted down by a seventy-five pound cotton gin fan that was tied around Till's neck with barbed wire. His face was so mutilated that when Wright identified the body, he could only do so based on the ring that Till had been wearing.
    
    Such a lovely place, such a lovely place, these United States. Once again, my theme for this month is: never forget.
  metadata
  2. 08:44:59 PM
  3. Till went into the store, purchased some candy, and what happened as he was leaving is unclear. Till either said, "Bye, baby" or he whistled at Carolyn Bryant.
    Neither Till nor Jones understood the magnitude of Till's act so they did not tell Mos..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. black people
  3. racism
  type
« Thursday « February 3, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02032005}
  2. {02:53:24 AM}
  content
  1. The History of Jim Crow
  2. Although the rule of Jim Crow took many forms, the legal side of white supremacy (laws and court rulings) began first in the South before spreading across the nation. This map presents an extensive survey of those laws designed to disfranchise African Americans and segregate them from whites in the schools and public places of the American South.
  metadata
  2. 02:53:24 AM
  3. Although the rule of Jim Crow took many forms, the legal side of white supremacy (laws and court rulings) began first in the South before spreading across the nation. This map presents an extensive survey of those laws designed to disfranchise African Ame..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. racism
  3. black people
  type
« Wednesday « February 2, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02022005}
  2. {11:26:17 PM}
  content
  1. Stewart to Star in Trump Spinoff
    
    (New York Times)
  2. [Her] final words will probably be a little more decorous than "you're fired," but Martha Stewart will soon join Donald Trump in crowning a new generation of young moguls on her own version of "The Apprentice," NBC officials announced.
    
    Pompous people with bad hair, lethal egos and prison rap-sheets... these are the role models of American business in 2005? We must be entering at least the second ring of Hell at this moment. (use bugmenot, for a generic login to NYT)
    
    b/w: rebecca's pocket
  metadata
  2. 11:26:17 PM
  3. [Her] final words will probably be a little more decorous than "you're fired," but Martha Stewart will soon join Donald Trump in crowning a new generation of young moguls on her own version of "The Apprentice," NBC officials announced...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. television
  3. business
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02022005}
  2. {08:14:31 AM}
  content
  1. Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson
    
    (Library of Congress)
  2. African Americans played baseball throughout the 1800s. By the 1860s notable black amateur teams, such as the Colored Union Club in Brooklyn, New York, and the Pythian Club, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had formed. All-black professional teams began in the 1880s, among them the St. Louis Black Stockings and the Cuban Giants (of New York). Reflecting American society in general, amateur and professional baseball remained largely segregated...
    By the 1940s, organized baseball had been racially segregated for many years. The black press and some of their white colleagues had long campaigned for the integration of baseball. Wendell Smith of The Pittsburgh Courier was especially vocal. World War II experiences prompted more people to question segregation practices....
    In addition to racial intolerance, economic and other complex factors contributed to segregation in baseball. For example, many owners of major league teams rented their stadiums to Negro League teams when their own teams were on the road. Team owners knew that if baseball were integrated, the Negro Leagues would probably not survive losing their best players to the majors, major league owners would lose significant rental revenue, and many Negro League players would lose their livelihoods. Some owners also thought that a white audience would be reluctant to attend games with black players. Others saw the addition of black players as a way to attract larger white as well as black audiences and sell more tickets.
    
    I would argue that the Black experience in America has essentially been defined by just one complex of techniques: economics. If there is an opportunity to exploit Blacks for economic gain, it is taken. And so it went in baseball. But the framework for exploitation is there, spanning from plantation times up to today. As above, so below. More on this later.
  metadata
  2. 08:14:31 AM
  3. African Americans played baseball throughout the 1800s. By the 1860s notable black amateur teams, such as the Colored Union Club in Brooklyn, New York, and the Pythian Club, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had formed. All-black professional teams began in..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. sports
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02022005}
  2. {07:53:01 AM}
  content
  1. African American Holocaust
  2. Warning: The Following Pages Contain Explicitly Graphic Material!
    
    My continuing theme for Black History Month 2005: Never forget.
  metadata
  2. 07:53:01 AM
  3. Warning: The Following Pages Contain Explicitly Graphic Material!..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. black people
  3. white supremacism
  type
« Tuesday « February 1, 2005
1. datetime
  1. {02012005}
  2. {08:31:14 PM}
  content
  1. Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
    
    (Smithsonian)
  2. "Had there been no May 17, 1954, I'm not sure there would have been a Little Rock. I'm not sure there would have been a Martin Luther King Jr., or Rosa Parks, had it not been for May 17, 1954. It created an environment for us to push, for us to pull. We live in a different country, a better country, because of what happened here in 1954. And we must never forget it. We must tell the story again, over and over and over."
    U.S. Rep. John Lewis at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education at Topeka's First United Methodist Church
    
    I agree that the U.S. probably is a different country because of what happened in 1954. The jury's still out on whether or not it's better. When I look around at the state of my people today, in lots of ways, I could make a strong case that it's worse than it's ever been. But we must remember and reflect upon history in order to measure where we've gained ground, and where we've lost. Moreover, I really think it's important to dwell on the really ugly history. Because everytime I hear someone tell me "things are better" -- when they're really not -- I want to say: "do you really think human nature has changed that much in 10, 30, 50, 100 years?" If a man was happy to stand on my great-grandfather's throat, why should I feel comfortable thinking his great-grandson wouldn't do the same to me, if given the chance?
  metadata
  2. 08:31:14 PM
  3. "Had there been no May 17, 1954, I'm not sure there would have been a Little Rock. I'm not sure there would have been a Martin Luther King Jr., or Rosa Parks, had it not been for May 17, 1954. It created an environment for us to push, for us to pull. We..."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. racism
  type
2. datetime
  1. {02012005}
  2. {08:30:00 PM}
  content
  1. A third of surveyed high-schoolers would opt for government oversight of media
    
    (American Samizdat group blog)
  2. A new survey of 112,003 students released today finds that one in three say the press ought to be more restricted -- and 36% think newspapers should get 'government approval' before stories are published.
    
    It would seem that the generation right behind us, the "MTV Generation," is just primed for a demogogue. Give them a telegenic, airbrushed face who only speaks in simple slogans, and they'll be sold. Consider simpleton Dubya 2.0 as still a beta version; he has only mastered the "simple slogans" part. I guess, this is a sign that I'm getting older, but the kids today are just soft; they are coddled more, they read less, they explore less -- unless it's to look for video game "cheats" on the Net -- and they consume more. Just the perfect population to be told what to do, what to buy, and what to think. Trust me, the kids behind us will just sit back and let others handle all the messy stuff for them, but unlike PLAYSTATION2, there is no reset button in Life. And who can we blame for all of this? The generation of current parents ahead of us, the Baby Boomers! Now you know why my blog's called "caught in between." Feh! I'm serious about this: can I stop this world, and get off so that I can find a sane one to live in?
  metadata
  2. 08:30:00 PM
  3. A new survey of 112,003 students released today finds that one in three say the press ought to be more restricted — and 36% think newspapers should get 'government approval' before stories are published...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. culture
  3. society
  type
3. datetime
  1. {02012005}
  2. {01:11:18 AM}
  content
  1. Slavery and the Making of America
    
    (PBS.org)
  2. I wanted to start off Black History Month with an anchoring post that points all the way back to the beginning of the horror show. I'll build it out from here.
  metadata
  2. 01:11:18 AM
  3. I wanted to start off Black History Month with an anchoring post that points all the way back to the beginning of the horror show. I'll build it out from here...."
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. history
  3. racism
  type
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[caught |n between] noteblog

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« Monday « February 28, 2005

(Oscar.com)

« Sunday « February 27, 2005

(New York Times)

« Saturday « February 26, 2005

(Detroit News)

(PBS.org)

« Thursday « February 24, 2005

(Whole Wheat Radio Blog)

« Wednesday « February 23, 2005

(kottke.org)

« Tuesday « February 22, 2005

(Museum of the Horse)

« Monday « February 21, 2005

(The Official Web Site)

« Sunday « February 20, 2005

(Chickenbones Journal)

« Saturday « February 19, 2005

(Library of Congress)

(Chicago Sun-Times)

« Friday « February 18, 2005

(Penn Special Collections)

(Poynter Online)

(New York Daily News)

« Wednesday « February 16, 2005

(MacDevCenter.com)

« Tuesday « February 15, 2005

(Satchmo.net)

(Richland College, Dallas TX)

(BlackAmericaWeb.com)

« Monday « February 14, 2005

(ABC News)

« Sunday « February 13, 2005

(43 Things)

(The Jazz Web/Northwestern University)

(All About Jazz)

(ESPN.com/Page 2)

(MarkTAW.com blog)

« Saturday « February 12, 2005

(UNC University Library)

(ibiblio.org)

« Thursday « February 10, 2005

(Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia)

« Wednesday « February 9, 2005

(National Park Service)

« Monday « February 7, 2005

« Sunday « February 6, 2005

(Library of Congress)

« Saturday « February 5, 2005

(Juneteenth.com)

« Friday « February 4, 2005

(About.com)

« Thursday « February 3, 2005

« Wednesday « February 2, 2005

(New York Times)

(Library of Congress)

« Tuesday « February 1, 2005

(Smithsonian)

(American Samizdat group blog)

(PBS.org)

[ c|b ].archives