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Posts tagged as “Black History Month”

Barclays Center Pays Tribute to Segregated Black Basketball Stars "The Black Fives"

By goodblacknews on February 5, 2013
Smart Set Athletic Club, 1911. Compilation Copyright 2013 Black Fives Foundation, All Rights Reserved
Smart Set Athletic Club, 1911. Compilation Copyright 2013 Black Fives Foundation, All Rights Reserved

The Barclays Center is linking Brooklyn’s African-American basketball history and its present-day team, the Brooklyn Nets, with a new installation of historic photographs of the Black Fives, early-20th century African-American basketball teams, throughout the arena’s main concourse. Before the NBA, there were the Black Fives, segregated basketball teams formed shortly after the game’s invention in 1891.
The Black Fives Era photographs chosen to be displayed include four pictures of Brooklyn’s historic team, the Smart Set Athletic Club, from 1908, 1909, 1911 and 1912.  To celebrate the unveiling of the large-scale photographs for Black History Month, the Barclays Center hosted an event Monday where Claude Johnson, founder and executive director of the Black Fives Foundation, greeted students, members of the local community, and descendants of Black Fives players.

How Super Bowl-Winning City Baltimore is Celebrating Black History Month

By goodblacknews on February 4, 2013

baltimoreAll eyes are on Baltimore this week as the Ravens took the Super Bowl title and Beyoncé cranked out perhaps the most electrifying halftime performance in history. It’s a great time to recognize that “Charm City” – a nickname created by then Mayor William Donald Schaefer and a bunch of ad agencies to boost the city’s national profile – is once again on the map as a vacation destination.
In honor of Black History Month, here’s a list of Baltimore’s events and exhibitions that pay tribute to the African-American men and women who helped shape the nation. Baltimore is a city shaped by the contributions of African-American visionaries including the likes of world famous jazz singer Billie Holiday; great orator Frederick Douglass, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; and female abolitionist and “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman.

“Girl with Flag,” Bryan Collier  

“The Mountaintop” and Beyond

“The Mountaintop”
CENTERSTAGE
Through Feb. 24
The Lorraine Hotel. April 1968. In room 306, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. unwinds and prepares. A visit from a hotel maid offers welcome diversion and a challenging new perspective – but also raises profound and surprising questions. 
Already a worldwide sensation and recently hailed in a star-studded Broadway production, Katori Hall’s new play receives its Baltimore premiere. 

Journalist Dion Rabouin Challenges U.S. to Redefine Black History Month

By goodblacknews on February 3, 2013

black history 2013
Below is the complete text of journalist Dion Rabouin’s recent Huffington Post blog challenging this country to engage in a more comprehensive and far-reaching celebration of African and African-American achievements during Black History Month.  GBN couldn’t agree more, and has added links to his blog for just that purpose.  Enjoy!
Malcolm X was fond of saying, “Our history did not begin in chains.” Yet every year that’s where Black History Month lesson plans in schools across America begin. They begin telling the story of our history — black history — in chains.  Young black school children don’t learn that our people mapped, calculated and erected some of the greatest monuments ever, like the pyramids, the sphinx and the obelisks (after which the Washington Monument is modeled) or that our people were literally the lifeblood of some of history’s greatest civilizations. They don’t learn that calculus, trigonometry and geometry all trace their origins back to African scholars.
Black History Month lessons never begin with Haile Selassi I, ruler of Ethiopia, who could trace his ancestry to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and beyond that to Cush in 6280 B.C. Never mind that Selassi actually has the most ancient lineage of any human being in history.
Black History Month lessons certainly never begin with one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known, Hannibal, an African who conquered and extended the rule of the Carthaginian Empire into Italy, Rome and Spain. Most school children (and most adults, truth be told) don’t even know that Carthage, Hannibal’s homeland, is in Africa.

PBS Celebrates Black History Month with Special Programs and New Black Culture Website

By goodblacknews on February 1, 2013

Sister Rosetta Tharpe
In celebration of Black History Month and as part of its year-round commitment to diverse programming, PBS announced an on-air lineup commemorating the contributions of African Americans in music, dance, television and civil rights, providing an in-depth look at key figures and events that shaped black – and American – history. In addition to these programs, PBS announced it will launch the PBS Black Culture Connection, a digital storybook of black films, history, trends and discussion that’s available throughout the year on PBS.org as of today, February 1, 2013. 
“PBS’ mission is clear – to provide accessible, educational, informative programs of every genre and culture all year long. Since February is Black History Month, our schedule is heavily focused on the contributions of African Americans,” said Donald Thoms, Vice President, Programming. “During the month, we are also continuing our commitment to feature stories and films from diverse and independent producers, which remains a staple of our content offerings year round.”

Disney Jr. Fetes Black History Month with New ‘We Are Doc McStuffins’ Interstitials

By goodblacknews on February 1, 2013

Dr. Aletha Maybank examines patient

Dr. Aletha Maybank examines patient (photo: Disney Junior)

In celebration of Black History Month, Disney Junior will debut “We Are Doc McStuffins” interstitials featuring Doc McStuffins, a young African-American girl who aspires to be a doctor like her mom, alongside three real life female African-American physicians sharing what their jobs entail, and saluting their heroes.
DocMcStuffinsThe interstitials will begin airing on Disney Channel and Disney Junior on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 (10:25 a.m. ET/PT and 4:25 p.m. ET/PT, respectively) following a new “Doc McStuffins” Valentine’s Day themed episode.  Additional interstitials featuring the three doctors will begin rolling out in the spring and will air regularly on both platforms.
Since its March 2012 premiere, “Doc McStuffins” has garnered worldwide attention for its portrayal of a young girl who runs a clinic for her stuffed animals and toys out of her backyard playhouse.  Additionally, the series inspired a group of female African-American physicians to begin a “movement” they coined, “We Are Doc McStuffins.”  Seeing a reflection of themselves in the Doc character and the opportunity to inspire young girls, the group grew to form the Artemis Medical Society, an organization of over 2500 female African-American physicians and medical students from around the world.
The interstitials feature three of the founding members of the “We Are Doc McStuffins” movement – Dr. Myiesha Taylor, an emergency doctor based in Dallas; Dr. Aletha Maybank, a pediatrician in New York City; and Dr. Naeemah Ghafur, a family doctor in Los Angeles who provides specialized care for the underserved, including the elderly and patients with high-risk illnesses.

148 Years Ago Today: First African-American Lawyer Practices Before U.S. Supreme Court

By goodblacknews on February 1, 2013

Upon the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which formally ended slavery, abolitionist lawyer John Swett Rock became the first African-American admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court on Feb. 1, 1865.
Rock was born free on October 13, 1825, in Salem, New Jersey. He was also an educator and later studied dentistry, graduating from the American Medical College in Philadelphia in 1852. He set up a practice in Boston, where many of his patients were escaped slaves fleeing to Canada through the Underground Railroad.
An outspoken abolitionist in Boston, Rock switched his focus to law and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1861. He served the U.S. Supreme Court for just one year before health problems derailed his career. On Dec. 3, 1866, at age 41, he died from tuberculosis.
article by Britt Middleton via bet.com

Happy Black History Month! Some Ideas on Celebrating with Kids and Family

By goodblacknews on February 1, 2013
Martin Luther King statue
Perhaps you want to share the important history of African Americans with your children, but know you need to brush up on your facts first. So where should you begin?

Define it

The best way to start teaching yourself about Black History Month is to begin with the definition. What exactly is this 28-day tribute in February? Also known as African-American History Month, Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African-Americans in U.S. history. The event used to be known as Negro History Week and was extended to a month-long observance in 1976.

Read up

50 Black WOmen Who Changed America
If your child is school-aged, he’s definitely being taught about the importance of Black History Month in his classroom. But there’s a lot you can do to reinforce the learning at home. To educate your little one — and yourself — about Black History Month, head to the library and check out one of the hundreds of books on the subject. Any of these options (and more) can start an important discussion about racial diversity between you and your child.

Obama Makes National Black History Month Proclamation

By goodblacknews on January 31, 2013
 
 “In America, we share a dream that lies at the heart of our founding: that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter how modest your beginnings or the circumstances of your birth, you can make it if you try. Yet, for many and for much of our Nation’s history, that dream has gone unfilled. For African-Americans, it was a dream denied until 150 years ago, when a great emancipator called for the end of slavery. It was a dream deferred less than 50 years ago, when a preacher spoke of justice and brotherhood from Lincoln’s memorial. This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily — but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible. 
Today, because of that hope, coupled with the hard and painstaking labor of Americans sung and unsung, we live in a moment when the dream of equal opportunity is within reach for people of every color and creed. National African American History Month is a time to tell those stories of freedom won and honor the individuals who wrote them. We look back to the men and women who helped raise the pillars of democracy, even when the halls they built were not theirs to occupy. We trace generations of African-Americans, free and slave, who risked everything to realize their God-given rights. We listen to the echoes of speeches and struggle that made our Nation stronger, and we hear again the thousands who sat in, stood up, and called out for equal treatment under the law. And we see yesterday’s visionaries in tomorrow’s leaders, reminding us that while we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing. 
Today, Dr. King, President Lincoln, and other shapers of our American story proudly watch over our National Mall. But as we memorialize their extraordinary acts in statues and stone, let us not lose sight of the enduring truth that they were citizens first. They spoke and marched and toiled and bled shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary people who burned with the same hope for a brighter day. That legacy is shared; that spirit is American. And just as it guided us forward 150 years ago and 50 years ago, it guides us forward today. So let us honor those who came before by striving toward their example, and let us follow in their footsteps toward the better future that is ours to claim. 
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2013 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.”

article via bet.com

Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton Help Lifetime Celebrate Black History Month

By goodblacknews on January 12, 2013
The Lifetime network is celebrating Black History month by airing three original TV movies in February, the network announced Wednesday.  Among the offerings is Betty & Coretta, starring Mary J. Blige, and Twist of Faith, starring Toni Braxton. 
Betty & Coretta premieres Saturday, February 2, at 8 p.m. ET.  As previously reported, Mary plays Malcolm X‘s widow, Dr. Betty Shabazz, in the movie.  The film focuses on the friendship Shabazz forged with Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s widow, Coretta Scott King — portrayed in the film by Angela Bassett — after the deaths of their husbands.
On February 9, Toni fans get to see her in Twist of Faith, airing at 8 p.m. ET.  In the movie, she plays a single Christian mom, whose love of music brings her closer to an Orthodox Jewish widower.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
article via z93jamz.com

‘Great Blacks in Wax’ Museum Features Black Historical Figures

By goodblacknews on January 8, 2013
Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall in the National Blacks in Wax Museum (Courtesy of Joanne Martin)
Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall in the National Blacks in Wax Museum (Courtesy of Joanne Martin)
With Black History Month just around the corner, there’s a more unique way to learn about the African-American experience besides opening up a textbook.

The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore has been featuring African-American historical wax figures for the past 30 years.
When they opened the first African-American wax museum in 1983, founder Dr. Joanne Martin along with her late husband Dr. Elmer Martin were inspired to create this museum when they realized children in their community felt the color of their skin was a negative trait.
“For children, it becomes as close as we can to help them understand that [these historical figures] were real people who had real challenges, who had to make hard decisions in life,” Martin told theGrio in a phone interview. “[The displays] depict their struggles and hardships in a more tangible way.”
Starting with only four wax figures in their store front in the early 1980s, the museum now has moved into a 15,000 square foot facility and houses over 150 African-American wax figures.
From a scene of Harriet Tubman helping to free a runaway slave to a powerful display of a black man being lynched, Martin’s mission for the museum is to depict compelling, realistic scenes to stimulate a public interest for African-American history.
She believes while children learn about these prominent black historical figures in school, many of them do not know what these men and women look like.
“[Our museum] puts a face on history – brings these people up close and personal,” Martin adds. “As a child growing up, I didn’t even know what Booker T. Washington looked like and I’m from the south! He was one of the most well-known and powerful men during his time. I didn’t know what he looked like until I saw the figure in the museum.”
The museum plans on setting up a national traveling exhibit so other cities can experience these one-of-a-kind wax figures. While the schedule for the exhibit is still pending, Martin tells theGrio that they plan on traveling to Dallas, Jacksonville, and Panama City.
The museum is also hoping to expand again to an even larger, more modern facility in April 2017.
While February or “Black History Month” tends to be the museum’s busiest time, Martin also encourages the community to visit the exhibit throughout the entire year, reinforcing the names of these figures in the minds of young people.
“You’re in a position to teach people history that art, pictures, books or other media won’t allow,” Martin says. “So much history, so much struggle, so many people to be honored, therefore it takes more than a month to be able to do justice to black history.”
article by Brittany Tom via thegrio.com