The answers to last issue’s questions are: 1943, Microbiology, Little Richard, 118, Raisin in the Sun, and Chicago.
There were a lot of Civil Right’s and African American (black) groups during the 1960’s. Some were led by ministers and somewhat reserved African Americans; others were led by militants and more demonstrative individuals. Sometimes, they balanced each other; sometimes they brawled with each other; and sometimes they backed each other. Some groups had been growing since 1909 (NAACP); others developed and grew in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
One of the more militant-type groups was one called CORE---the Congress On Racial Equality, founded on the campus of the University of Chicago. This group was not only focused and energized; they were made up mainly of university students of various ethnic groups, notably Anglo Americans. What started at one campus soon grew to many more campuses across America and now CORE is in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Canada. They have one of the most interactive web sites of the civil right’s groups and can be visited at http://core-online.org/index.htm. In what year was CORE founded?
This person was called has been described as the "Henry Ford of Free Electron Laser Technology." Although he grew up in poverty, like many other great achievers of his time, Earl D. Shaw didn’t let his father’s rebellious ways hinder him. He didn’t stop having a dream because his mother and father were sharecroppers. He didn’t give up just because he school “had just three rooms, and his teachers did not have degrees.” He did the best he could by using what little education he was given, and he achieved, going on to “Crane Technical High School in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of twelve due to excellent achievement test grades.” He didn’t stop. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois; a Master of Arts degree from Dartmouth College; and earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkley. “Dr Shaw had an extensive and fulfilling education in the field of physics even though his school aptitude files stated, "This student should be discouraged from studying physics." He became the first African-American research scientist for Bell Labs in Morristown, New Jersey. He spent 10 years developing the “fist free electron laser. In 1985 he patented something but lost the patent in 1993 “due to failure to pay maintenance fees. What was it called?
Another quick tidbit about Little Richard to give your mind a break from the heavy scientific stuff in the previous paragraph. Like most performers, Little Richard had to begin performing in some club to get his break. What was the name of that club? Hint: it goes with time!
This person was a football coach who “spent 56 years as the head college football coach at” an HBCU. He became established “as the winningest coach in college football history, becoming the first coach to record 400 wins. Maybe he didn’t get picked to get a big contract at a larger college or university due to an “era of segregation in the American South,” his talent was “praised by many white coaches especially by that of Alabama coach Bear Bryant.” Who was he?
Since that one was pretty easy, here is one a little harder: Who was the first African American coach in the Canadian Football League? Yea, thank you Canadians!
Okay, some of you know about Lorraine Hansberry and her play Raisin in the Sun, but what award did she receive due to that play?
The last person I will mention in this “tidbit” left a legacy that involved the Pullman porters and many other workers who worked hard but received little pay. This man left an institute that even helped me when I ran for the school board in Bakersfield. In what city is The Phillip Randolph Institute located?
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
http://www.core-online.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.millville.org/lakeside/afamsci/mikej.html
Next time: Elijah Muhammad, Dr. James Derham, Richard Penniman, Cleveland Indians, Shirley Graham, and “Famous Amos”!
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
SPECIAL NOTE:
Leave a legacy for future generations by helping to restore an armory for the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in 2010. Less than $4 million is needed for the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to restore the historic Houston Light Guard Armory (1925). Buy a brick for $100 or $500 or $1,000 or $2,500 or $5,000. Have your name added in their “Legacy of Fame” hall. Get your NFL, NBA, or other professional sports relative to invest $1 million or more and thus give back to future generations by having a hall or room named after them. Get your relative in entertainment to donate $1 million or more and thus leave a legacy that will outlive them by having space dedicated to them.
Contact Ed Udell @ 832-216-7786 for your next speaker at your church conferences, youth meetings, community events, or for diversity programs, teaching writing grant writing, and/or teaching others about health/nutrition, and help for senior citizens.
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Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
November 7, 2009: Today’s Information On African American History
George Washington Carver, Women, Music, Baseball, Acting, and Alpha Kappa Alpha
First, the answers to the questions on the last “tidbit:” Mrs. Auld of Baltimore, Chicago, IL, “New Faces,” Alfred D. Jones, Dutchman, and Beale Street.
George Washington Carver made a name for himself with Mr. Ford, the southern farmers, and with Tuskegee Institute (University). He believed in what he was doing and enjoyed working hard to invent things that could be helpful to the human race. It is said that he once asked God: “Show me the wisdom of the universe.” It is said that God answered: “Your brain could not contain such wisdom.” Thus, Dr. Carver reportedly said, “Okay, then show me the wonders of the peanut!” And God did. What year did Dr. Carver die at Tuskegee?
Many women have contributed to the welfare of the world with their nurturing ability. They have also led in discoveries and improvements in health care, medicine, education, religion, science, politics, and in just about everything, whether they have received credit or not. In what area of science will you find the contributions of Dorothy McClendon?
Ahhh! Music has helped put African Americans on the map around the world! Whether it was good music or poor music, African Americans have had that energy to put in a little something extra in the world of music. There is a current insurance commercial with one of these famous singers. He is different and it was shown in one of his earlier recordings. Who recorded the song “Tutti Frutti?”
Winter is almost here. The World Series is over! Baseball teams are already making plans for spring training. It has been said that American traditions are motherhood, apple pie, and baseball! For many years African Americans were not allowed to play baseball with white players; they had to develop their own sandlots, baseball teams, and evolved into the Negro National League Baseball. Then along came Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, John Gibson, Mudcat Grant, Lou Brock, Hank Aaron, Roy Campanella, Rickey Henderson, Willie Mayes, Dusty Baker, Joe Black, Vida Blue, Barry Bonds, Curt Flood, Bob Gipson, Ken Griffey, Sr., Ken Griffey, Jr., Willie Horton, Willie McGee, Willie McCovey, Joe Morgan, Bo Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and about 180 more African American players who people still remember. Some are remembered for their pitching, hitting, fielding, saves, or stealing (bases!). What was the highest number of bases stolen by Lou Brock in one season?
It has been said that African Americans have a “natural tendency” in acting. Maybe it’s because so many have had to “act” so long just to survive the harsh asphalt jungle, or survive the challenging and often, horrid, issues of racism. Whatever the reason, many African Americans continued to make their mark in theater. One woman’s name almost comes automatically to the minds of some when some plays are mentioned. What play made Lorraine Hansberry famous?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many African Americans before and after him, joined fraternities or had other social connections to help catapult them to national fame. This one fraternity is one of the largest and most active, especially on the campuses of HBCU (Historical Black Colleges and Universities) institutions. In what city is the headquarters of Alpha Kappa Alpha located?
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:African_American_baseball_players
Next time: CORE, Little Richard, Lorraine Hansberry, Phillip Randolph, Dr. Earl Shaw, and Willie Wood!
First, the answers to the questions on the last “tidbit:” Mrs. Auld of Baltimore, Chicago, IL, “New Faces,” Alfred D. Jones, Dutchman, and Beale Street.
George Washington Carver made a name for himself with Mr. Ford, the southern farmers, and with Tuskegee Institute (University). He believed in what he was doing and enjoyed working hard to invent things that could be helpful to the human race. It is said that he once asked God: “Show me the wisdom of the universe.” It is said that God answered: “Your brain could not contain such wisdom.” Thus, Dr. Carver reportedly said, “Okay, then show me the wonders of the peanut!” And God did. What year did Dr. Carver die at Tuskegee?
Many women have contributed to the welfare of the world with their nurturing ability. They have also led in discoveries and improvements in health care, medicine, education, religion, science, politics, and in just about everything, whether they have received credit or not. In what area of science will you find the contributions of Dorothy McClendon?
Ahhh! Music has helped put African Americans on the map around the world! Whether it was good music or poor music, African Americans have had that energy to put in a little something extra in the world of music. There is a current insurance commercial with one of these famous singers. He is different and it was shown in one of his earlier recordings. Who recorded the song “Tutti Frutti?”
Winter is almost here. The World Series is over! Baseball teams are already making plans for spring training. It has been said that American traditions are motherhood, apple pie, and baseball! For many years African Americans were not allowed to play baseball with white players; they had to develop their own sandlots, baseball teams, and evolved into the Negro National League Baseball. Then along came Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, John Gibson, Mudcat Grant, Lou Brock, Hank Aaron, Roy Campanella, Rickey Henderson, Willie Mayes, Dusty Baker, Joe Black, Vida Blue, Barry Bonds, Curt Flood, Bob Gipson, Ken Griffey, Sr., Ken Griffey, Jr., Willie Horton, Willie McGee, Willie McCovey, Joe Morgan, Bo Jackson, Reggie Jackson, and about 180 more African American players who people still remember. Some are remembered for their pitching, hitting, fielding, saves, or stealing (bases!). What was the highest number of bases stolen by Lou Brock in one season?
It has been said that African Americans have a “natural tendency” in acting. Maybe it’s because so many have had to “act” so long just to survive the harsh asphalt jungle, or survive the challenging and often, horrid, issues of racism. Whatever the reason, many African Americans continued to make their mark in theater. One woman’s name almost comes automatically to the minds of some when some plays are mentioned. What play made Lorraine Hansberry famous?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many African Americans before and after him, joined fraternities or had other social connections to help catapult them to national fame. This one fraternity is one of the largest and most active, especially on the campuses of HBCU (Historical Black Colleges and Universities) institutions. In what city is the headquarters of Alpha Kappa Alpha located?
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:African_American_baseball_players
Next time: CORE, Little Richard, Lorraine Hansberry, Phillip Randolph, Dr. Earl Shaw, and Willie Wood!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
November 6, 2009 Can You Name These Important People and Places?
Today’s Information On African American History
Thanks to Wikipedia, we make the discovery of the name change of Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. AND Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Both of their middle names were Michael. When the King family visited Germany in 1934, the elder King changed both of their first names from “Michael” to “Martin” and added the middle name of “Luther” in honor of the German Protestant leader Martin Luther.
Okay, let’s get going for this “tidbit:” Frederick Douglass became a great speaker and made a mark for himself and African American people from his time until now. However, he might not have been such a great speaker or even become well known if it had not been for the fact that he spent much time reading. America is facing a crucial time now due to functional illiteracy, especially in urban America. Someone has to take time to help someone learn to read. Who is credited with teaching Frederick Douglass how to read?
He became known for his work in medicine at a time when many Americans were saying that black people didn’t really have enough sense to pour water out of a boot! This man’s work has saved lives across America and all over the world. Where did Dr. Daniel Hale Williams practice medicine?
Oh, she was wicked in Batman! Many African Americans didn’t like her at all in many of her acting parts. She was often called the “yellow Negro,” or “that light-skinned, colored actress,” or some other interesting and descriptive title. But she continued to sing and act her way into the hearts of many. Name the film in which Eartha Kitt first sang “C’est Si Bon”?
Many African American baseball players owe their fortunes to men and women who took time to invest in their educational, moral development, and recreational skills. Some of these people honed their talents so well that they became instrumental as coaches to many African Americans. Some of these great coaches came from the black church. Who was the coach of the Atlanta Baptist College baseball team in 1909?
He would study and make his name known in the world of theatrical plays. Some of his works became well known; others did not become that well known. What was the title of the play produced and published by Leroi Jones in 1964?
He made Blues known around the world. He made the town where he lived very famous. Many white musicians, singers, and bands have become wealthy from his techniques. He will be in the hearts of Americans in the future whenever his name is mentioned or seen on a sign. What Memphis street was immortalized by W. C. Handy?
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
Next time: George Washington Carver, Dorothy McClendon, Little Richard, Lou Brock, Lorraine Hansberry, and Alpha Kappa Alpha!
Thanks to Wikipedia, we make the discovery of the name change of Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. AND Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Both of their middle names were Michael. When the King family visited Germany in 1934, the elder King changed both of their first names from “Michael” to “Martin” and added the middle name of “Luther” in honor of the German Protestant leader Martin Luther.
Okay, let’s get going for this “tidbit:” Frederick Douglass became a great speaker and made a mark for himself and African American people from his time until now. However, he might not have been such a great speaker or even become well known if it had not been for the fact that he spent much time reading. America is facing a crucial time now due to functional illiteracy, especially in urban America. Someone has to take time to help someone learn to read. Who is credited with teaching Frederick Douglass how to read?
He became known for his work in medicine at a time when many Americans were saying that black people didn’t really have enough sense to pour water out of a boot! This man’s work has saved lives across America and all over the world. Where did Dr. Daniel Hale Williams practice medicine?
Oh, she was wicked in Batman! Many African Americans didn’t like her at all in many of her acting parts. She was often called the “yellow Negro,” or “that light-skinned, colored actress,” or some other interesting and descriptive title. But she continued to sing and act her way into the hearts of many. Name the film in which Eartha Kitt first sang “C’est Si Bon”?
Many African American baseball players owe their fortunes to men and women who took time to invest in their educational, moral development, and recreational skills. Some of these people honed their talents so well that they became instrumental as coaches to many African Americans. Some of these great coaches came from the black church. Who was the coach of the Atlanta Baptist College baseball team in 1909?
He would study and make his name known in the world of theatrical plays. Some of his works became well known; others did not become that well known. What was the title of the play produced and published by Leroi Jones in 1964?
He made Blues known around the world. He made the town where he lived very famous. Many white musicians, singers, and bands have become wealthy from his techniques. He will be in the hearts of Americans in the future whenever his name is mentioned or seen on a sign. What Memphis street was immortalized by W. C. Handy?
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
Next time: George Washington Carver, Dorothy McClendon, Little Richard, Lou Brock, Lorraine Hansberry, and Alpha Kappa Alpha!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November 5, 2009: Finding Fame Wherever and However They Could
Today’s Information On African American History
Hey! I know you are all very busy so this and many of the next tidbits will be very short! In fact, they will be quizzes to see what you know (or what you can find out on the Internet or contacting BlackFax)!
Although the term “Buffalo Soldier” was given to segregated military units, that term was officially dropped. In what year did the Defense Department announce complete abolition of African American units in the armed forces?
A lot of African Americans found peace, acceptance, fortune, and fame by leaving America and going to other countries. Some even served in educational endeavors. At what French academy did Norbet Rillieux serve as a professor of applied mechanics?
Many African Americans have found fame and fortune by way of giving entertainment by way of the film industry. Although the film industry has a long history of negative racial slants portraying African Americans, or erased them out when they should have been included, it did open some doors. In recent times, this industry has been moved to show African Americans in a more positive vein. Whatever the feeling about the film industry and its use of African Americans, it has had a dramatic impact. In the film “All the Fine Young Cannibals” who portrays Ruby Jones?
Throughout the history of mankind, the use of initials instead of spelling out names of organizations have been prevalent. Some of these initials, like NAACP, are almost household words that most people know. However, there are other initials we might not use very often. What does SAIC stand for?
Some people have been wonderful patrons and benefactors assisting African Americans in their development (wish I could find a few myself!). Individuals, churches, companies, and publishing companies have been some of those sponsors. What magazine commissioned John A. Williams to take an auto trip across America to test its racial attitudes?
The name Martin Luther has been known down through the ages. He was a pivotal person who brought a reforming attitude in the Catholic Church. He dared challenge an institution and its unbiblical practices at a time when a person could be killed without question. The Lutheran Church and many other “Protestant” (protesting against Catholic control) would not be in existence without the influence of Martin Luther. In the 20th century, another Martin arose and challenged the racial and economic attitudes of America. This was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, his name, Martin, was not his birth name. At what age did Dr. King, Jr. receive the name “Martin?”
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
Next time: Frederick Douglass, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Eartha Kitt, Atlanta Baptist College baseball team, Leroi Jones, and W.C. Handy!
What is November known for? All Saints Day? American Indian Heritage? Families Stories Month? Military Family Appreciation? National Adoption? AIDS Awareness? National Peanut Butter Lovers? National Scholarship? Sweet Potato Awareness? Vegan Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/NOVEMBER2009.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
Hey! I know you are all very busy so this and many of the next tidbits will be very short! In fact, they will be quizzes to see what you know (or what you can find out on the Internet or contacting BlackFax)!
Although the term “Buffalo Soldier” was given to segregated military units, that term was officially dropped. In what year did the Defense Department announce complete abolition of African American units in the armed forces?
A lot of African Americans found peace, acceptance, fortune, and fame by leaving America and going to other countries. Some even served in educational endeavors. At what French academy did Norbet Rillieux serve as a professor of applied mechanics?
Many African Americans have found fame and fortune by way of giving entertainment by way of the film industry. Although the film industry has a long history of negative racial slants portraying African Americans, or erased them out when they should have been included, it did open some doors. In recent times, this industry has been moved to show African Americans in a more positive vein. Whatever the feeling about the film industry and its use of African Americans, it has had a dramatic impact. In the film “All the Fine Young Cannibals” who portrays Ruby Jones?
Throughout the history of mankind, the use of initials instead of spelling out names of organizations have been prevalent. Some of these initials, like NAACP, are almost household words that most people know. However, there are other initials we might not use very often. What does SAIC stand for?
Some people have been wonderful patrons and benefactors assisting African Americans in their development (wish I could find a few myself!). Individuals, churches, companies, and publishing companies have been some of those sponsors. What magazine commissioned John A. Williams to take an auto trip across America to test its racial attitudes?
The name Martin Luther has been known down through the ages. He was a pivotal person who brought a reforming attitude in the Catholic Church. He dared challenge an institution and its unbiblical practices at a time when a person could be killed without question. The Lutheran Church and many other “Protestant” (protesting against Catholic control) would not be in existence without the influence of Martin Luther. In the 20th century, another Martin arose and challenged the racial and economic attitudes of America. This was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, his name, Martin, was not his birth name. At what age did Dr. King, Jr. receive the name “Martin?”
Look for the answers in the next issue of: “Today’s Information on African American History!”
Credits:
The BlacFax Trivia Game
Next time: Frederick Douglass, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Eartha Kitt, Atlanta Baptist College baseball team, Leroi Jones, and W.C. Handy!
What is November known for? All Saints Day? American Indian Heritage? Families Stories Month? Military Family Appreciation? National Adoption? AIDS Awareness? National Peanut Butter Lovers? National Scholarship? Sweet Potato Awareness? Vegan Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/NOVEMBER2009.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
November 4, 2009 African American Art
Today’s Information On African American History
Ever since it was discovered that Africa was the birthplace of the human race, people have been intrigued with the art of Africans. After several invasions by other countries, private collectors, museums, art galleries, religious groups, and wealthy individuals have held holdings of art from Africa.
When African Americans were developed in America primarily from forcing men and women from various tribes to produce children, as well as forcing slave women to produce children from masters, art has been a product for this group. At first, some “professional” art critics didn’t think much of the art either out of Africa, or art developed by African Americans. However, as collectors began to see the value of the African- and African American-inspired art, art critics from around the world have lauded the distinct art forms from this group of people.
The B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library at the Long Island University has developed a list of seventy-one Internet sites concerning Black, African, and African American Art. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has one of the largest groups of this art housed in their collections in the New York Public Library System.
Lest one thinks that this type of art is just drawings, some face masks, a few paintings, and some illustrations, Schomburg Center has art and artifacts “by and about peoples of African heritage throughout the world…collected from the seventeenth century to the present with emphasis on the visual arts of the twentieth century in the United States and Africa.
The Division collects art and artifacts encompassing four broad areas: traditional African art; painting and sculpture; works on paper (i.e. drawings, prints, illustrations, posters and reproductions); and textiles and artifacts.” When one visits Schomburg Center, they will discover these items of art: “Traditional masks…bronze adornment…statuary [items]… instruments…utilitarian objects and weaponry…painting and sculpture…subjects include landscapes, portraiture and religion…abstract works…posters and reproductions… documenting political, social and cultural activities and events…lithographs and engravings…[and] Original fine art prints and drawings…two- and three-dimensional objects such as slave shackles, medallions, commemorative coins, currencies and stamps and buttons…Textile holdings include quilts, uniforms, African women's fashion, strip weaving, tie-dyed and commemorative cloth and appliques.”
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. may actually have the largest assortment of Black, African, and African Art with major works from Paul and Ruth Tishman. The Tishmans have built “one of the great private collections of African art. Buying primarily from dealers and auctions in New York, Paris and London…Since the mid-1960s, the collection has greatly influenced the study of African art. Through exhibitions and publications, it has helped define African art and set aesthetic standards of quality.”
Other Smithsonian Institution black art collections include information on 65 African Americans and artists who influenced African American art and left art biographies. This list includes: Jacob Lawrence, John Biggers, Palmer Hayden, Romare Bearden, Henry Ossawa Tanner, James A. Porter, Allan Rohan Crite, Loïs Mailou Jones, Edmonia Lewis, Sargent Johnson, Joshua Johnson, Robert Turner, William H. Johnson, Richard Hunt, Robert S. Duncanson, Edward Mitchell Bannister, Renée Stout, Joseph E. Yoakum, Frank Jones, Sam Gilliam, William Edmondson, Elizabeth Catlett, Richmond Barthé, Frank E. Cummings III, Henry P. Moore, John Scott, Lorenzo Scott, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., Leroy Almon, Sr., Hale Woodruff, Laura Wheeler Waring, Bob Thompson, Helene Sardeau, Richard Mayhew, Norman Lewis, Felrath Hines, Robert Gwathmey, Claude Clark, George N. Barnard, Keith Morrison, Augusta Savage, Jacob Lawrence, Melvin Edwards, James VanDerZee, Bob Blackburn, Alma Thomas, Sister Gertrude Morgan, James Hampton, Charlie ("Cedar Creek Charlie") Fields, John Ferren, and Beauford Delaney. Missing from the list are black artists like William Edouard Scott, Rev. G. W. Hobbs, Julien Hudson, William Simpson, Eugene Warbourg, Aaron Douglas, Archibald Motley, James Parks, Floyd Coleman, Lloyd McNeil, Charles White, Meta Fuller, Cedric Dover, Geraldine McCullock, May Jackson, and Alain Locke.
Why did I list so many names? With the increased use of the Internet, readers can use this list and find out more about the vast contributions of so many African American and African American-influenced artists, rather than always hearing about the same few. At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., there are “some 154 works by African American artists, from Romare Bearden, Willie Cole, Sam Gilliam, Barkley Leonard Hendricks, Joshua Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Edward L. Loper, Joseph Norman, Horace Pippin, Martin Puryear, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alma Thomas, Bob Thompson, James Wells, and Charles Wilbert White.”
When America had Black craftsmen, it was the Black craftsmen that made furniture, did the wrought iron work, glazed the jars, did the fine tooled leather work on saddles and book covers, as well as do art with patterned textiles. When my mother and I worked in the fields, I noticed that it was the Black workers who did the bulk of the labor. While working, some of them sang. They could just make up a song with the drop of a hat! I also noticed the art of Black people as they labored in kitchens, worked in yards, cleaned houses, worked as mechanics, built freeways, highways and bridges, and other intensive labor work. However, after selfish and greedy business people began to bring over new immigrants by the millions and put them to work while putting Black people out of work and into depression, much of the natural art came to a standstill. The music became more harsh and other art forms took on a different look. Maybe their original, free-flowing happy music and other art will return when they are allowed to go back to work as well as develop their own businesses and become happy with their production.
Readers are encouraged to check out the Internet since there are over 32,000,000 links concerning African American Art! Add the music and singing and the list goes on!
Credits:
David C. Cook, “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html
http://www.afn.org/~sigma1/jwjohn.html
http://www.si.edu/
http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggafamer/ggafamer-main1.html
Next time: Some very short tidbits are coming from “Black Fax,” featuring over 3,000 questions and info on African American Culture!
What is November known for? All Saints Day? American Indian Heritage? Families Stories Month? Military Family Appreciation? National Adoption? AIDS Awareness? National Peanut Butter Lovers? National Scholarship? Sweet Potato Awareness? Vegan Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/NOVEMBER2009.html
Ever since it was discovered that Africa was the birthplace of the human race, people have been intrigued with the art of Africans. After several invasions by other countries, private collectors, museums, art galleries, religious groups, and wealthy individuals have held holdings of art from Africa.
When African Americans were developed in America primarily from forcing men and women from various tribes to produce children, as well as forcing slave women to produce children from masters, art has been a product for this group. At first, some “professional” art critics didn’t think much of the art either out of Africa, or art developed by African Americans. However, as collectors began to see the value of the African- and African American-inspired art, art critics from around the world have lauded the distinct art forms from this group of people.
The B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library at the Long Island University has developed a list of seventy-one Internet sites concerning Black, African, and African American Art. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has one of the largest groups of this art housed in their collections in the New York Public Library System.
Lest one thinks that this type of art is just drawings, some face masks, a few paintings, and some illustrations, Schomburg Center has art and artifacts “by and about peoples of African heritage throughout the world…collected from the seventeenth century to the present with emphasis on the visual arts of the twentieth century in the United States and Africa.
The Division collects art and artifacts encompassing four broad areas: traditional African art; painting and sculpture; works on paper (i.e. drawings, prints, illustrations, posters and reproductions); and textiles and artifacts.” When one visits Schomburg Center, they will discover these items of art: “Traditional masks…bronze adornment…statuary [items]… instruments…utilitarian objects and weaponry…painting and sculpture…subjects include landscapes, portraiture and religion…abstract works…posters and reproductions… documenting political, social and cultural activities and events…lithographs and engravings…[and] Original fine art prints and drawings…two- and three-dimensional objects such as slave shackles, medallions, commemorative coins, currencies and stamps and buttons…Textile holdings include quilts, uniforms, African women's fashion, strip weaving, tie-dyed and commemorative cloth and appliques.”
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. may actually have the largest assortment of Black, African, and African Art with major works from Paul and Ruth Tishman. The Tishmans have built “one of the great private collections of African art. Buying primarily from dealers and auctions in New York, Paris and London…Since the mid-1960s, the collection has greatly influenced the study of African art. Through exhibitions and publications, it has helped define African art and set aesthetic standards of quality.”
Other Smithsonian Institution black art collections include information on 65 African Americans and artists who influenced African American art and left art biographies. This list includes: Jacob Lawrence, John Biggers, Palmer Hayden, Romare Bearden, Henry Ossawa Tanner, James A. Porter, Allan Rohan Crite, Loïs Mailou Jones, Edmonia Lewis, Sargent Johnson, Joshua Johnson, Robert Turner, William H. Johnson, Richard Hunt, Robert S. Duncanson, Edward Mitchell Bannister, Renée Stout, Joseph E. Yoakum, Frank Jones, Sam Gilliam, William Edmondson, Elizabeth Catlett, Richmond Barthé, Frank E. Cummings III, Henry P. Moore, John Scott, Lorenzo Scott, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., Leroy Almon, Sr., Hale Woodruff, Laura Wheeler Waring, Bob Thompson, Helene Sardeau, Richard Mayhew, Norman Lewis, Felrath Hines, Robert Gwathmey, Claude Clark, George N. Barnard, Keith Morrison, Augusta Savage, Jacob Lawrence, Melvin Edwards, James VanDerZee, Bob Blackburn, Alma Thomas, Sister Gertrude Morgan, James Hampton, Charlie ("Cedar Creek Charlie") Fields, John Ferren, and Beauford Delaney. Missing from the list are black artists like William Edouard Scott, Rev. G. W. Hobbs, Julien Hudson, William Simpson, Eugene Warbourg, Aaron Douglas, Archibald Motley, James Parks, Floyd Coleman, Lloyd McNeil, Charles White, Meta Fuller, Cedric Dover, Geraldine McCullock, May Jackson, and Alain Locke.
Why did I list so many names? With the increased use of the Internet, readers can use this list and find out more about the vast contributions of so many African American and African American-influenced artists, rather than always hearing about the same few. At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., there are “some 154 works by African American artists, from Romare Bearden, Willie Cole, Sam Gilliam, Barkley Leonard Hendricks, Joshua Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Edward L. Loper, Joseph Norman, Horace Pippin, Martin Puryear, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alma Thomas, Bob Thompson, James Wells, and Charles Wilbert White.”
When America had Black craftsmen, it was the Black craftsmen that made furniture, did the wrought iron work, glazed the jars, did the fine tooled leather work on saddles and book covers, as well as do art with patterned textiles. When my mother and I worked in the fields, I noticed that it was the Black workers who did the bulk of the labor. While working, some of them sang. They could just make up a song with the drop of a hat! I also noticed the art of Black people as they labored in kitchens, worked in yards, cleaned houses, worked as mechanics, built freeways, highways and bridges, and other intensive labor work. However, after selfish and greedy business people began to bring over new immigrants by the millions and put them to work while putting Black people out of work and into depression, much of the natural art came to a standstill. The music became more harsh and other art forms took on a different look. Maybe their original, free-flowing happy music and other art will return when they are allowed to go back to work as well as develop their own businesses and become happy with their production.
Readers are encouraged to check out the Internet since there are over 32,000,000 links concerning African American Art! Add the music and singing and the list goes on!
Credits:
David C. Cook, “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html
http://www.afn.org/~sigma1/jwjohn.html
http://www.si.edu/
http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggafamer/ggafamer-main1.html
Next time: Some very short tidbits are coming from “Black Fax,” featuring over 3,000 questions and info on African American Culture!
What is November known for? All Saints Day? American Indian Heritage? Families Stories Month? Military Family Appreciation? National Adoption? AIDS Awareness? National Peanut Butter Lovers? National Scholarship? Sweet Potato Awareness? Vegan Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/NOVEMBER2009.html
November 3, 2009 African American Writers
Today’s Information On African American History
The name Paul Laurence Dunbar is known by many people. However, what is not common knowledge was that he was a classmate of Orville Wright, as well as the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. The son of ex-slaves, born in the 19th century, “Dunbar was prolific, writing short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs and essays as well as the poetry for which he became well known. He was popular with black and white readers of his day, and his works are celebrated today by scholars and school children alike.”
Another African American writer was James Weldon Johnson, creator of the National Negro Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” His brother, John Johnson set it to music. Together, they composed over 200 songs for Broadway musicals, including “The Sleeping Beauty,” and “Humpty Dumpty.” One of his most famous poems was “God’s Trombones,” which still stirs people whenever it is shared, was written with his brother, Rosamond.
James Johnson was also a novelist, historian, diplomat, lawyer, civil rights leader, editor, and, of course, a songwriter. A graduate of Atlanta University, Mr. Johnson was a school principal, the first secretary of the NAACP, a professor of Creative Literature at Fish University, and worked with a friend who passed for white. Johnson wrote about the experiences of African Americans passing for white. I read once where another researcher said that as many as 50% of the white people in America have African American heritage, but only about 25% of them have that awareness; most don’t want to know!
Langston Hughes was another writer of many talents. “In addition to his work as a poet, Hughes was a novelist, columnist, playwright, and essayist…closely associated with [the Harlem Renaissance],” and a world traveler, was influenced and “followed the example of Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of his early poetic influences, to become the second African American to earn a living as a writer. His long and distinguished career produced volumes of diverse genres and inspired the work of countless other African American writers.”
Hughes learned to deal with various groups due to the countless moves of his mother and step-father, living with relatives, and then spending a year in Mexico. He also learned how to distinguish “decent” white folks from “reactionary” white folks. He saw that there were different kinds of white people and didn’t throw them all into the same pot. Although he was expected to get an engineering degree at Columbia University, Langston Hughes wanted to travel. He traveled much, but economics forced him back to America where he took blue-collar jobs and eventually entered Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the first African American university. When he entered, he was a respected poet and writer, a much older student, and later, as a criticized poet for the way he used blues and jazz and Negro dialect in his poems.
An accomplished writer, Mr. Hughes wrote for several African American papers, a majority newspaper, had a short stint with Dr. Carter G. Woodson, respected African American researcher and historian. Hughes also wrote plays individually and collectively with others. Known as a dean for other writers, Langston Hughes endured accusations for his association with known communist individuals, and left a legacy for others, including being inducted into the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1961.
Of course there were many great African American writers from Phyllis Wheatley to Gwendolyn Brooks to Maya Angelou to Alice Walker to Amiri Baraka to Zora Neale Hurston to Alain Locke to James Baldwin to Bill Cosby to Ralph Ellison to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to Nikki Giovanni to Alex Haley to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Oscar Micheaxu to Toni Morrison to Alvin F. Poussaint to Ishmael Reed to Susie Taylor to Sojourner Truth to Harriet Tubman to Booker T. Washington to Cornel West to Richard Wright to Malcolm X and the hundreds of others known and unknown to me.
It would be great to have a Charlotte Mason like Langston Hughes so I could revive all of the writing of these great people and put it out on radio and television, music and DVDs and modern plays to teach our younger generation. Perhaps then we could encourage some of them to put down their guns, drugs, negative rap music and pick up a pen, pull up their pants, use a computer, and meet the writing and reading void needed by the 21st century African American youth.
Credits:
David C. Cook, “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
Thomson Gale, www.gale.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_writers
http://www.afn.org/~sigma1/jwjohn.html
Next time: The power of African American artists…for real!
What is November known for? All Saints Day? American Indian Heritage? Families Stories Month? Military Family Appreciation? National Adoption? AIDS Awareness? National Peanut Butter Lovers? National Scholarship? Sweet Potato Awareness? Vegan Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/NOVEMBER2009.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
The name Paul Laurence Dunbar is known by many people. However, what is not common knowledge was that he was a classmate of Orville Wright, as well as the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. The son of ex-slaves, born in the 19th century, “Dunbar was prolific, writing short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs and essays as well as the poetry for which he became well known. He was popular with black and white readers of his day, and his works are celebrated today by scholars and school children alike.”
Another African American writer was James Weldon Johnson, creator of the National Negro Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” His brother, John Johnson set it to music. Together, they composed over 200 songs for Broadway musicals, including “The Sleeping Beauty,” and “Humpty Dumpty.” One of his most famous poems was “God’s Trombones,” which still stirs people whenever it is shared, was written with his brother, Rosamond.
James Johnson was also a novelist, historian, diplomat, lawyer, civil rights leader, editor, and, of course, a songwriter. A graduate of Atlanta University, Mr. Johnson was a school principal, the first secretary of the NAACP, a professor of Creative Literature at Fish University, and worked with a friend who passed for white. Johnson wrote about the experiences of African Americans passing for white. I read once where another researcher said that as many as 50% of the white people in America have African American heritage, but only about 25% of them have that awareness; most don’t want to know!
Langston Hughes was another writer of many talents. “In addition to his work as a poet, Hughes was a novelist, columnist, playwright, and essayist…closely associated with [the Harlem Renaissance],” and a world traveler, was influenced and “followed the example of Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of his early poetic influences, to become the second African American to earn a living as a writer. His long and distinguished career produced volumes of diverse genres and inspired the work of countless other African American writers.”
Hughes learned to deal with various groups due to the countless moves of his mother and step-father, living with relatives, and then spending a year in Mexico. He also learned how to distinguish “decent” white folks from “reactionary” white folks. He saw that there were different kinds of white people and didn’t throw them all into the same pot. Although he was expected to get an engineering degree at Columbia University, Langston Hughes wanted to travel. He traveled much, but economics forced him back to America where he took blue-collar jobs and eventually entered Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the first African American university. When he entered, he was a respected poet and writer, a much older student, and later, as a criticized poet for the way he used blues and jazz and Negro dialect in his poems.
An accomplished writer, Mr. Hughes wrote for several African American papers, a majority newspaper, had a short stint with Dr. Carter G. Woodson, respected African American researcher and historian. Hughes also wrote plays individually and collectively with others. Known as a dean for other writers, Langston Hughes endured accusations for his association with known communist individuals, and left a legacy for others, including being inducted into the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1961.
Of course there were many great African American writers from Phyllis Wheatley to Gwendolyn Brooks to Maya Angelou to Alice Walker to Amiri Baraka to Zora Neale Hurston to Alain Locke to James Baldwin to Bill Cosby to Ralph Ellison to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to Nikki Giovanni to Alex Haley to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Oscar Micheaxu to Toni Morrison to Alvin F. Poussaint to Ishmael Reed to Susie Taylor to Sojourner Truth to Harriet Tubman to Booker T. Washington to Cornel West to Richard Wright to Malcolm X and the hundreds of others known and unknown to me.
It would be great to have a Charlotte Mason like Langston Hughes so I could revive all of the writing of these great people and put it out on radio and television, music and DVDs and modern plays to teach our younger generation. Perhaps then we could encourage some of them to put down their guns, drugs, negative rap music and pick up a pen, pull up their pants, use a computer, and meet the writing and reading void needed by the 21st century African American youth.
Credits:
David C. Cook, “Black America: Yesterday and Today”
Thomson Gale, www.gale.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_writers
http://www.afn.org/~sigma1/jwjohn.html
Next time: The power of African American artists…for real!
What is November known for? All Saints Day? American Indian Heritage? Families Stories Month? Military Family Appreciation? National Adoption? AIDS Awareness? National Peanut Butter Lovers? National Scholarship? Sweet Potato Awareness? Vegan Month?
Credit: http://www.brownielocks.com/NOVEMBER2009.html
You need to check out this web site…it may blow your mind: http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGseminar.htm
And, here are some more:
www.Black101.com
www.BlackChurchMissions.org
www.RosettaStoneReplicas.com
DID YOU KNOW? There is another resource to help you learn more about Black History?
Check out: www.yenoba.com
And another? Check out: http://www.blackhistorypages.net/index.php
Sunday, November 1, 2009
November 2, 2009 Applying the Wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for Today
Today’s Information On African American History
There have been numerous books and articles written about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, many school children today don’t really have a clue about his importance to national affairs in America. There is not much been taught about how racism and discrimination and segregation conditioned millions of African Americans for failure, negativity, and a bitter spirit. Dr. King helped to change some of that. The positive effects of his teachings need to continue for all future generations, just like we learn about the virtues and contributions of President Washington, President Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and other American leaders.
First, we examine the times that Dr. King was born into. 1929 was a depressing time for many people. African Americans were still being deprived of many of their basic human rights as Americans, just because of the color of their skin. Those African Americans who could pass for white did so just to be able to have what should have been theirs as an African American citizen.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. King went to segregated schools and suffered the pains of being deliberately mistreated because he represented a color that many citizens did not want to accept. The son and grandson of Christian ministers, Dr. King pushed forward in his education, attending Morehouse College (an African American institution), Crozer Theological Seminary, and on to Boston University, receiving his doctorate.
Dr. King was thrust onto the public beyond his church pulpit when he responded to leadership positions within the NAACP, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The world would soon get to know him when he led a public bus boycott when an African American woman refused to move to the back of the bus for a white passenger. The boycott lasted 382 days and King later became the youngest person (at 35) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which he donated to the civil rights movement.
Dr. King didn’t plan to become a minister. He actually had ambitions as a lawyer or doctor. However, his “reading of Thoreau’s essay on ‘Civil Disobedience,’ and the influence of Dr. Benjamin Mays brought about a change in his plans.” When he spied the genius in Coretta Scott, he had a teammate willing to put her life and the life of their family in harm’s way in order to focus national attention on a sore spot in American human relations.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.”
In his books and speeches, Dr. King’s words were full of wisdom and carried such power that even today, readers and listeners are awed by his command of words. Although there have been many detractors to Dr. King’s writings, including his doctorate thesis, it has been difficult to “prove” that Dr. King actually stole entire paragraphs of others. When he spoke or wrote, he appeared to be speaking and writing from the heart, or at least he gave the conviction that so touched the heartstrings of many people that he was beloved more than he was hated.
When one rethinks Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it would be easy to take everything he did at face value. However, for others, it would be very easy to throw out everything he did, period. What we can learn is that there once lived a man who spoke and wrote in such a manner that he affected the conscience of many. Was he led astray by “handlers” and those involved with the Communist Party? Was he really a “man of God” that tried to live his life by what he understood from Christian principles? Did he make a difference for the positive future of America?
Regardless of one’s position concerning Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the man did make an impact on America, as well as on the thinking of many around the world. Some people changed their thinking about many African Americans. Many African Americans began to see that hating white people would do them no good in the long run. Many around the world began to see that destroying other human beings could not be good for the Planet, Earth.
Some people were led to do positive community service because of the speeches, books, and lifestyle of Dr. King. Others became more entrenched in their hatred of African Americans. However, this man caused a pause to be placed in the annuals of recorded human history. In our lifetime, we may never know the real truth about the complete lifestyle of Dr. King. In any event, most will say that his living and taking up space on the earth caused some shifting in the thinking and actions of millions of people. We can learn that if one person can cause shifting or entrenchment in thinking, it’s possible for many people to share a common goal and move in a determined effort to make things better or worse for others.
Dr. King actually followed (or led) in the footsteps of other charismatic African American men: Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, A. Philip Randolph, Marcus Moziah Garvey, Walter F. White, Roy Wilkins, Bayard Rustin, James Farmer, Whitney Young, Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammed, Edward W. Brooke, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Carl B. Stokes, Richard Hatcher, Julian Bond, Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Ron Brown, and now Barack Obama. For every name I mentioned, others could substitute with another well-deserving African American who has done great things in America.
When all the evidence is in concerning what was learned from the teachings of Dr. King, it will probably be reckoned that he used his life and his gifts to cause people to consider that better is possible.
Credits:
www.nobelpeace.org
www.thekingcenter.org
David C. Cook, Black Americans: Yesterday and Tomorrow
Next time: The power of African American writers and artists.
There have been numerous books and articles written about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, many school children today don’t really have a clue about his importance to national affairs in America. There is not much been taught about how racism and discrimination and segregation conditioned millions of African Americans for failure, negativity, and a bitter spirit. Dr. King helped to change some of that. The positive effects of his teachings need to continue for all future generations, just like we learn about the virtues and contributions of President Washington, President Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and other American leaders.
First, we examine the times that Dr. King was born into. 1929 was a depressing time for many people. African Americans were still being deprived of many of their basic human rights as Americans, just because of the color of their skin. Those African Americans who could pass for white did so just to be able to have what should have been theirs as an African American citizen.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. King went to segregated schools and suffered the pains of being deliberately mistreated because he represented a color that many citizens did not want to accept. The son and grandson of Christian ministers, Dr. King pushed forward in his education, attending Morehouse College (an African American institution), Crozer Theological Seminary, and on to Boston University, receiving his doctorate.
Dr. King was thrust onto the public beyond his church pulpit when he responded to leadership positions within the NAACP, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The world would soon get to know him when he led a public bus boycott when an African American woman refused to move to the back of the bus for a white passenger. The boycott lasted 382 days and King later became the youngest person (at 35) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which he donated to the civil rights movement.
Dr. King didn’t plan to become a minister. He actually had ambitions as a lawyer or doctor. However, his “reading of Thoreau’s essay on ‘Civil Disobedience,’ and the influence of Dr. Benjamin Mays brought about a change in his plans.” When he spied the genius in Coretta Scott, he had a teammate willing to put her life and the life of their family in harm’s way in order to focus national attention on a sore spot in American human relations.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.”
In his books and speeches, Dr. King’s words were full of wisdom and carried such power that even today, readers and listeners are awed by his command of words. Although there have been many detractors to Dr. King’s writings, including his doctorate thesis, it has been difficult to “prove” that Dr. King actually stole entire paragraphs of others. When he spoke or wrote, he appeared to be speaking and writing from the heart, or at least he gave the conviction that so touched the heartstrings of many people that he was beloved more than he was hated.
When one rethinks Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it would be easy to take everything he did at face value. However, for others, it would be very easy to throw out everything he did, period. What we can learn is that there once lived a man who spoke and wrote in such a manner that he affected the conscience of many. Was he led astray by “handlers” and those involved with the Communist Party? Was he really a “man of God” that tried to live his life by what he understood from Christian principles? Did he make a difference for the positive future of America?
Regardless of one’s position concerning Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the man did make an impact on America, as well as on the thinking of many around the world. Some people changed their thinking about many African Americans. Many African Americans began to see that hating white people would do them no good in the long run. Many around the world began to see that destroying other human beings could not be good for the Planet, Earth.
Some people were led to do positive community service because of the speeches, books, and lifestyle of Dr. King. Others became more entrenched in their hatred of African Americans. However, this man caused a pause to be placed in the annuals of recorded human history. In our lifetime, we may never know the real truth about the complete lifestyle of Dr. King. In any event, most will say that his living and taking up space on the earth caused some shifting in the thinking and actions of millions of people. We can learn that if one person can cause shifting or entrenchment in thinking, it’s possible for many people to share a common goal and move in a determined effort to make things better or worse for others.
Dr. King actually followed (or led) in the footsteps of other charismatic African American men: Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, A. Philip Randolph, Marcus Moziah Garvey, Walter F. White, Roy Wilkins, Bayard Rustin, James Farmer, Whitney Young, Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammed, Edward W. Brooke, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Carl B. Stokes, Richard Hatcher, Julian Bond, Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Ron Brown, and now Barack Obama. For every name I mentioned, others could substitute with another well-deserving African American who has done great things in America.
When all the evidence is in concerning what was learned from the teachings of Dr. King, it will probably be reckoned that he used his life and his gifts to cause people to consider that better is possible.
Credits:
www.nobelpeace.org
www.thekingcenter.org
David C. Cook, Black Americans: Yesterday and Tomorrow
Next time: The power of African American writers and artists.
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