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Black History Month
#1
So I signed up to be sent emails every day including historical works and history for Black History Month. I plan to share those here!

Day 1:
Dr. Carter G. Woodson created what we know today as Black History Month, but also used independently published media to center the contributions of Black people throughout history in public discourse. Diversifying education and media is just as important now as it was then, and I hope today's work encourages you to keep pursuing new sources to learn and unlearn with.
[Image: Screen%20Shot%202022-01-31%20at%206.47.5...20PM-2.png]Title: Excerpt, The Negro History Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 1

Creator: Woodson, Carter Godwin (1875-1950), editor
Date Created: 1937-10
Publisher: Association for the Study of Negro Life and History
Rights: Credit: Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, F2011.0024
Medium: Newspaper


The "Negro History Bulletin,” started in 1937, was a monthly printed newsletter created by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. It provided a comprehensive overview of Black history during a time where traditional education prioritized anti-Black sentiments.
About Dr. Carter G. Woodson:1875-1950
An educator and scholar, author and historian, Dr. Carter G. Woodson devoted his life to the preservation and education of Black history. His time spent pursuing higher education taught him that the official school curriculum was designed to uphold anti-Black sentiment, only contributing to the inequities in society.
 
He is most known for establishing Negro History Week in 1926, which led to the appointment of Black History Month that we celebrate (and often commercialize) today. Woodson chose the second week in February because it contained the birthdays of two major influences in Black life at the time: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14). Related: Born into slavery, Douglass didn’t know his exact birth date, but he chose to celebrate on February 14th
[Image: carterwoodson.jpeg?width=1120&upscale=tr...odson.jpeg]Portrait of Dr. Woodson, Library of Congress


But that’s only one of his many contributions. He also founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, an organization committed to “collecting records pertaining to Black America’s past and disseminate the truth about African American history” (Willing to Sacrifice” Carter G. Woodson, the Father of Black History, and the Carter G. Woodson Home, NPS). The organization was later renamed the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History in 1973, and is referred to as ASALH for the remainder of this article.
 
At the request of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cook College, advisor to President Theodore Roosevelt, and the first woman president of ASALH from 1936 to 1951 (Women’s History), the ASALH published the “Negro History Bulletin,” a monthly newsletter curated by Black leaders that provided a comprehensive overview of Black history. The resource was designed to provide middle and high school teachers with enough context to create lesson plans for their students. The February 1941 issue, for example, highlights Black history in Central and South America (JSTOR). This work was accompanied by a series of Negro History clubs for Black educators and other individuals passionate about learning their history, annual conventions, and celebrations to honor Negro History Week (“Carter G. Woodson, White Philanthropy and Negro Historiography, JSTOR).

Now referred to as the Black History Bulletin, this publication is still produced and distributed by the ASALH. But its mission remains the same. The publication centers articles on “articles on all aspects of Black history, especially those written with a focus on (1) middle school U.S. history; (2) high school U.S. history; (3) teacher preparation U.S. history methods” (ASALH website). You can purchase the latest Black Family Theme Bulletin Vol 83 #2 2020 on their website.
 
To this day, independent reporting and publishing is still a critical component of preserving and distributing Black history in America. The rise of digital newsletters (like the one you’re reading) makes it easier for journalists, historians, and educators to disseminate useful information directly. Google Docs has proved to be a powerful way to share actionable resources related to protests. Physical bulletins, often referred to as zines, are disseminating critical information on systemic injustices (consider this series on youth incarceration, curated by Mariame Kaba of Project NIA and Lisa Lee of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum). 
 
And it’s necessary because many school curriculums today still fail to provide a comprehensive overview of Black history in the U.S. The growing pushback against teaching accurate history in schools is leading to changes in curriculum that will take years to undo. The work of Dr. Woodson is a reminder that we have to continue intentionally centering Black history beyond Black History Month.


"We should emphasize not Negro history, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate and religious prejudice."-Dr.Carter G. Woodson (1926)

Reflection Questions:
  1. 1. What Black-led media organizations are you subscribed to? How many Black journalists, educators, historians, etc. are you learning from each month?2. How can you continue to center Black history in your own education each month? For your children, peers, colleagues, etc?

Day 2: The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown
Henry Brown was a public speaker and magician whose story and work was critical for the end of slavery in the 19th century. While enslaved, he had himself shipped North in a wooden box to escape.
[Image: service-pnp-pga-04500-04518r.jpeg?width=...4518r.jpeg]The resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, who escaped from Richmond Va. in a bx 3 feet long 2 1/2 ft. deep and 2 ft wide, a lithograph by Samuel Rowse published in 1850

About Henry Brown:

Henry Box Brown was born enslaved on a plantation in Louisa County, Virginia and forced to work at a tobacco factory in the city. His pregnant wife and three children were enslaved on a neighboring plantation – until one day, Brown heard the news that they were to be sold away to a plantation owner in North Carolina.
 
Mourning their loss, Brown was adamant about securing his freedom. He got in contact with the Underground Railroad, a network of Black people and white abolitionists who created pathways for enslaved people to find freedom up north. Many believe that the Underground Railroad worked through secret, underground passageways, but that wasn’t common. Instead, they found various routes to transport people up North undercover. More often, the Railroad inspired enslaved people to forge their own escape. A small, growing pathway at the time was using the mail system. So, they devised a plan to ship Brown up north in a shipping box that was just 3 feet long, 2 1/2 feet deep, and 2 feet wide (Library of Congress).


“Much of what we call the Underground Railroad was actually operated clandestinely by African Americans themselves through urban vigilance committees and rescue squads that were often led by free Blacks.”
--David Blight, Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory
On the day of his escape, Brown spent 27 hours inside the box, which traveled over 300 miles north to Philadelphia via wagon, ferry, and railway. Because many people didn’t know there was a person inside, the box was handled roughly, sometimes being flipped upside down. But he finally made it, arriving in the safe hands of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia and 

William Still, a freed Black man who was known as one of the leaders of the Underground Railroad movement (PBS).
 
Henry Brown could have disappeared; savored his freedom and recovered from his journey. But he didn’t. Instead, he used his story as a testament to ending slavery in the U.S. He adopted the middle name "Box" as a testament to what he overcame and traveled across the Northern U.S. and Europe outlining the horrors of enslavement and the reason for freedom. A drawing of himself emerging from the box, often referred to as The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown, acted as a powerful piece of anti-slavery propaganda in the U.S. As the Library of Congress states, "the box itself became an abolitionist metaphor for the inhumanity and spiritual suffocation of slavery" (LOC),

[Image: YSP007826_Narrative-of-the-Life-of-Henry...-Brown.png]Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself, 1849, Smithsonian

In 1849, he published a first-hand account of his journey. Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown became a powerful narrative recounting the horrors of slavery. Later in his life, he evolved into a magician, disappearing and reappearing out of the same box that liberated him alongside other illusions and magical feats. His work as a performer granted him the freedom to travel and gain economic independence, eventually buying property in Canada and starting a new family. His legacy didn’t just help to end slavery in its form during that time, but created opportunities for other Black entertainers to perform.
Reflection Questions:
  1. 1. Henry “Box” Brown used performance as a way to educate people and encourage them to take action. Consider: Which artist(s) do you admire today? What does their work educate people on? How does their art encourage others to take action?2. Henry “Box” Brown’s narrative was powerful because he told his direct, individual experience with a violent system. Why is it important to listen to those directly impacted by systemic issues? How does their experience differ from those in power?

Day 3: Mississippi Goddam By Nina Simone
“Missisippi Goddam,” written and performed by Nina Simone in 1964, is a testament to the injustices of the Civil Rights Movement and the moment Simone was spurred into public civil rights activism.
[Image: Screen%20Shot%202022-02-03%20at%203.10.5...20PM-1.png]
About "Mississippi Goddam":
Two critical moments in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s inspired Nina Simone to write “Mississippi Goddam”:
 
On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was shot and killed by a white supremacist. An NAACP field secretary and civil rights activist, Evers worked hard to encourage African Americans to register to vote. He was also instrumental in raising awareness of the Emmett Till murder case. Like many civil rights leaders of that time, Evers became a target for those who opposed racial equality and desegregation (History).
 
Months later, on Sunday, September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. As a result, four young girls – Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair – were killed*, and an additional 20 people were injured (Southern Poverty Law Center).
 
In response, Simone channeled her cathartic rage to write and compose this song in under an hour (Story of Song). “Mississippi Goddam” marks a pivotal moment of her career because initially, she shied away from “protest music.” According to American Songwriter, she said, “I didn’t like ‘protest music’ because a lot of it was so simple and unimaginative it stripped the dignity away from the people it was trying to celebrate. But the Alabama church bombing and the murder of Medgar Evers stopped that argument, and with ‘Mississippi Goddam,’ I realized there was no turning back.”

 
 
First you get depressed, and then you get mad. And when these kids got bombed, I sat down and wrote this song. And it’s a very moving, violent song cause that’s how I feel about the whole thing."--Nina Simone

The song caused an uproar and was banned in several Southern states. Simone’s daughter Lisa Simone Kelly describes how boxes of records would return from radio stations around the country cracked in half in a documentary (The Atlantic). Television censors would not let her say “goddam,” so the word was bleeped out every time it came up in the lyrics. But Simone continued to perform it defiantly, never hesitant to show the emotions it brought up at the moment. She also changed the lyrics to fit the current injustices throughout the years, so it always directly reflected the times (Library of Congress).
[Image: Screen%20Shot%202022-02-03%20at%203.07.4...20PM-1.png]"Mississippi Goddam" by Nina Simone during Recording session: Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965,

But more importantly, this song became a rallying cry for a restless generation. After a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964, Jet magazine reported Nina Simone left the audience “with a lot to smoke in their pipes” and that the song “Mississippi”  (the second word of its name often censored in TV and print) was a high point. In a significant moment, Simone performed the song at a concert during the historic Selma March, rallying the crowd from a stage built from coffin crates (Daily Beast). An excerpt from that performance can be viewed on YouTube
 
And this song became one of many protest songs that Simone penned and performed during her time. Songs like “Backlash Blues” (written by Langston Hughes) and “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” call for the necessity of Black liberation. Simone wrote and recorded “Why? (The King of Love Is Dead)” in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, Simone also recorded and released her own version of “Strange Fruit,” made famous by Billie Holiday and featured in this collection.
 
In 2019, "Mississippi Goddam" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" (jazz.fm). But Simone also contributes this song to the beginning of her professional descent, noting that her records and booking opportunities decreased as her political activism increased. 


  1. Reflection Questions1. Consider what music can tell us about that time in history. Create a playlist of songs that have defined 2021 for you.2. Consider: What privilege(s) may you benefit from that allows you to advocate for change while still maintaining your professional career? What have you been forced to sacrifice for the movement for civil rights? How does that compare to those throughout history?3. What are the most defining moments of 2021 for you? What have you done to channel your emotions into change?


Additional Learning:
  • *Four girls died in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, but a fifth girl was present and survived. Sarah Collins Rudolph still suffers from the physical and emotional damage of that day, and is still fighting for restitution. The Alabama governor only issued an apology last fall (NBCW). Read her story in the Washington Post.

  • WATCH: What Happened, Miss Simone? is a 2015 American biographical documentary film about Nina Simone (Netflix).
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#2
Day 4: "A Book on Medical Discourses” by Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. She was also one of the first Black female physician authors. She published “A Book on Medical Discourses in Two Parts” in 1883. The first part focused on infant care, and the second on women’s health. Both sections offered tangible ways to tend to women and children with everyday resources.

[Image: 28DOBH_crumpler_2022_@.png?width=1120&up...2022_@.png]Pictures of the first two pages of Dr. Crumpler's work. The first page outlines details of the book, and the second page says Copyright 1883, Dr. Rebecca Crumpler, M.D. National Library of Medicine

About Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born as Rebecca Davis in 1831. She was raised by an aunt in Pennsylvania who often cared for sick neighbors, which made her want to work “relieve the suffering of others.” In the early 1850s, she moved to Massachusetts and became a nurse (NPS). She graduated from New England Female Medical College in 1864, the first school in the country to train women M.D.s. She became the first female African American doctor with the official degree “Doctress of Medicine” (NPS). 
 
After graduating, Dr. Crumpler remained in Boston to practice. But after the Civil War, she traveled south to Richmond, Virginia to support those closer to the front lines and a space that would “present ample opportunities to become acquainted with the diseases of women and children”. She worked alongside the Freedmen’s Bureau, a short-lived initiative enacted by Congress in 1865 to support recently freed enslaved people to gain safety and security in their newly emancipated lives (History). Throughout her career, she dedicated her time to ensuring that lower-income Black people received quality care that they may not have been afforded otherwise. Her work inspired other Black people to seek professional medical experience.


"In dealing with subjects that bring to mind thousands of premature mortalities, as, for instance, those from cholera infantum or pneumonia, I deem it expedient to speak only of what I know and to which I can testify. I have endeavored to give some domestic or ready palliative reliefs for the several cases described; thereby hoping to avoid the possibility of a remedy's being applied without an acquaintance with the character and phases of the complaint for which it is intended.
 --Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler
[Image: 28DOBH_crumpler_2022.png?width=1120&upsc...r_2022.png]An excerpt from Dr. Crumpler’s book demonstrates how she prescribed relatively easily accessible treatments to help assuage health issues any woman may experience

After returning to Boston, Dr. Crumpler published  “A Book on Medical Discourses in Two Parts” in 1883, decades after she began studying medicine and just 12 years before her death. The book is a compilation of the journal notes she recorded during her lifetime. Unlike other medical texts available at the time, her book focused on speaking to women, knowing that they are often the caregivers and stand in as medical guides when doctors aren’t accessible. The book outlines ways to care for pregnant women, complications during pregnancy, caring for an infant, and caring for women throughout their menstrual cycle. She dedicated the book to “mothers, nurses, and all who may desire to mitigate the afflictions of the human race.”
 
Dr. Crumpler married twice and had one child, Lizzie Sinclair Crumpler. She passed away in Boston in 1895. Her home is featured on the Boston Black Heritage Trail as part of the Boston African American National Historic Site (NPS). There are no existing photos of her. Most of what we know about Dr. Crumpler is what she recorded about herself in her own book.
 
Today, only 5% of active physicians in the U.S. are Black. We still have a long way to go to ensure equitable representation in the medical field, and more comprehensive pathways to accessible, inclusive care.


Reflection Questions

1.What are you an expert in? How can you collect that information and share it with others?



2.Today, there is abundant medical information publicly available – and misinformation, too. Why is it important to check the sources of the medical information we receive online?


3.Do you prefer to work with physicians that reflect a part of your lived experience? Why or why not? Why is it important to have physicians that everyone can feel comfortable with?
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#3
(02-06-2022, 08:39 AM)Pep*Mint*Fluff Wrote: Thank you for sharing! <3
Of course, you're welcome! Heart

Day 5: The High-Five between Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker
[Image: dustyglennhighfive.jpeg?width=1120&upsca...hfive.jpeg]Glenn Burke, left, gives Dusty Baker what’s documented as the first “high-five” celebration, after Baker’s home run in 1977 (Associated Press).

The first-ever instance of “The High-Five” was invented by rookie outfielder Glenn Burke and his teammate Dusty Baker when playing against the Astros on October 2, 1977. Glenn Burke is also known for being the first openly gay player in Major League Baseball.

The Infamous High Five:
Jon Mooallem for ESPN reports: 
"It was the last day of the regular season, and Dodgers left fielder Dusty Baker had just gone deep off the Astros' J.R. Richard. It was Baker's 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four sluggers -- Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Reggie Smith -- with at least 30 homers each. It was a wild, triumphant moment and a good omen as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend at the plate. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked it. 'His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back,' says Baker, now 62 and managing the Reds. 'So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do'."
 
Burke then stepped up and launched his first major league home run. And as he returned to the dugout, Baker high-fived him. From there, the story goes, the high five went ricocheting around the world. (According to Dodgers team historian Mark Langill, the game was not televised, and no footage survives.)
 
--
 
Projected to be the “next Willie Mays'', Glenn Burke had been highly sought out when recruited to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the clubhouse, Glenn was known to be spontaneous and the “soul” of the team. Despite being known and loved by his teammates, the story behind his trade to the Oakland A’s is clouded with suspicion. Rumors indicate that Burke was traded because of his sexuality and close relationship to the then Dodgers’ Manager Tommy LaSorda Sr’s son, Spunky (named Tommy LaSorda Jr.). In his autobiography “Out At Home,” Burke shared that, before the trade, he was offered $75,000 to get married [to a woman], but he rejected it. Despite being an Oakland native and hopeful of a fresh start, he faced further discrimination and harassment for his sexuality by his coaches and teammates – getting very little play (Advocate). 
 
Demoted back to the minor leagues, he decided to retire at 27. His experience as a trailblazer did not rob his love for the sport. When he came out in 1982, Inside Out writer Michael Smith described the high-five “as a defiant symbol of gay pride.” He played in the San Francisco Gay Softball League and Gay Olympics (known now as the Gay Games).


"They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it."
 --Glenn Burke
Burke struggled with drugs. And, after a car accident in 1987, he “lost his athleticism” (ESPN). In 1993, his diagnosis of AIDS went public, and in response, the Oakland A’s organization made arrangements to contribute to his medical and living expenses financially.  By 1994, the Seattle Times described him as someone who “served time in prison, is a panhandler and a street thug, a drug user and a thief” (Seattle Times). Names we would no longer use to describe someone struggling with addiction, homelessness, and financial decline – all due to being robbed of his career.
 
The next year, Glenn Burke died of complications from AIDS at the age of 42. His obituary expressed that the person who invented the high-five no longer could raise his arm at the end of his life. Now, the high-five is still mainly associated with the Dodgers and in their advertising. Even so, Dusty Baker (now manager of the Astros) continues to credit Glenn Burke’s originality for that shared moment in 1977.
[Image: burke-glenn-2017a-by-mark-hundley-ap1.jp...y-ap1.jpeg]Former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke in a Castro District restaurant in San Francisco in 1993 (Mark Hundley/AP, via Washington Post).
Posthumously Glenn Burke was inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2014, he was honored at the 2014 MLB All-Star Game and as an inductee for San Francisco’s Castro District: Rainbow Honor Walk. Nearly twenty years after his passing, on June 17, 2015, the Oakland Athletics held their first Pride Night. It hosted Glenn Burke’s family to witness the A’s honoring Burke with a donation in his name of nearly $25,000 to LGBTQ+ organizations: Our Space, AIDS Project East Bay, and Frameline. They also invited his brother Sidney to throw the first pitch (USA Today). Billy Bean, the MLB’s second (and only other known) openly gay player and then-Ambassador for Inclusion, was there to welcome Burke’s family. Since then, he’s shared a letter with the progress both of his former teams have made (Outsports).  
 
Burke's life echoes the experiences of many gay Black people during that time period. The curatorial team believes this further emphasizes the importance of remembering him for his full legacy.  The high five might seem simplistic, but it's important to remember that this enduring gesture of solidarity and community was popularized by someone who his own peers ostracized.


Reflection Questions:
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#4
Day 6: The Work Tracey "Africa" Norman
[Image: tracey_africa_norman_clairolbox.jpeg?wid...olbox.jpeg]Tracey Norman on the Clairol’s Born Beautiful hair color boxes: No. 512, Dark Auburn.

Tracey “Africa” Norman is an internationally known American model who broke barriers for the Black and brown trans community. Her legacy of work, particularly being the face of Clairol's Born Beautiful (1975), continues to redefine the fashion and beauty industry.
[Image: 83868a04411714b85ad9b6d1611d502b66-11-tr...%20(1).jpg]Clockwise, from top left: At a friend’s birthday party, 1994; the face of Clairol, 1975; in 1994; at a friend’s house in 1995; model card, 1991. Photographs: Douglas Says (Top Right), Courtesy of Tracey Norman (Remaining). via The Cut.

About Tracey "Africa" Norman

Tracey “Africa” Norman is an American fashion model and recognized as the first trans woman to model in the fashion industry. As reported by The Cut, she most notably appeared as the face of Clairol’s Born Beautiful hair color boxes: No. 512, Dark Auburn. Her moment of discovery came after she snuck into a casting in 1975 and was photographed by Irving Penn for Italian Vogue (Vice). Soon after being signed with Zoli agency, she modeled extensively, holding an exclusive contract with Avon.
 
In her interview with the Advocate last year, she clarifies while she understands the terminology around being “trans”, she identifies as a woman:


I’ve always identified as being a woman. It was New York Mag and the London Times and Marie Claire that put the word trans and attached it to my name. I understood the publicity for it and the interest that it drummed up, but I made that very clear in every interview that I never identified as trans. I don't have a problem with people using it. I'm just saying that personally, I've never identified with the word trans or being trans. I guess, because of the time difference. And I didn't grow up around gay people. I only had women around me. I watched how they talked, conversed with each other, how they walked, how they sat. I was just enthralled with the femininity of a woman and that's what I wanted to be.--Tracey Norman in The Advocate
 
[Image: tracey-africa-norman-te-inline3-210528.j...10528.jpeg]Tracey Norman, top right, in an Ultra Sheen Cosmetics ad, via the Today Show.

Everything changed for Norman in 1980 on the set for Essence magazine. Someone on set during the photoshoot outed her, and after that moment, her work stopped the very next day. Norman's feature in The Cut shared how she worked in sales, at a burlesque club, and how she became involved with drag-ball culture -- joining the House of Africa and becoming the Mother (She was inducted in the Ballroom Hall of Fame in 2001).
 
But that feature, published by the newspaper in December 2015, prompted Clairol to re-sign Norman as a model, nudging the world to give her due flowers as a trailblazer (The Cut).

"I have learned over the years that anybody of color who is a trailblazer — and I fall into that category — are the ones that pay the price for other people to benefit from, or to continue the fight. I started realizing that after Martin Luther King. They assassinated him. He was a trailblazer. There are other people that were trailblazers in the art who were blacklisted, like Nina Simone, that were trailblazers in their craft and got destroyed because of their skin color and their beliefs. But they were all trailblazers and they left a door for somebody to follow through." --Tracey Norman in The Advocate

Reflection Questions:


1. Tracey Norman expresses how her mother was a strong supporter of her work throughout the years. How can you honor and celebrate your own children –and/or the children in your life–to help affirm and celebrate their lived experience? You can do this as a grownup or a kid!




2. Consider the courage and bravery it might take to be the first. Consider: how can you ensure that you are not the last person to have the same opportunities that you've had?



3. Norman mentions that being a trailblazer often means "paying the price" for others to continue the fight. Who are the trailblazers that inspire you today? How do you think you can "trailblaze" for others like you?



 
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#5
Day 7: "Sisters of Usefulness" by Eliza Allen
[Image: eliza_allen.jpeg?width=390&upscale=true&...allen.jpeg]A sketch of Eliza Allen from Twenty-five years history of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, 1881-1905, by William Patrick Burrell and D. E. Johnson, pg 42.

Eliza Allen was a leader and organizer who created communities for African-American women to provide mutual aid and generate wealth. She was also the only woman to be listed on the charter of The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers, the first African-American owned bank in the nation.

Eliza Allen was born enslaved in roughly 1840. After being emancipated, she found work as a laundress for wealthy businessowners.  During that time, she also created and organized secret societies for enslaved women. These societies were run as organized acts of benevolence; members would gather to learn that gave enslaved women space to gather and pool resources for whatever their community needed. One of them, called “Sisters of Usefulness,” is rumored to have up to thirty-six members, but she was known to have many, including others named “Consolation Sisters: and “Tabitha” (Banking on Freedom). These societies would often meet on Sunday afternoons, as it was the most ideal time for gatherers to slip away from daily duties.
 
 
“These societies had their officers then, just as we do
now — president, or head; treasurer, secretary, chaplain, or, as they said in those days, "someone to pray," and the sick committee, or "someone to go about and see those who were sick."
--Excerpt from Twenty-five years history of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, 1881-1905, by William Patrick Burrell and D. E. Johnson

 
 She also was the only woman to be listed on the charter of The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers, the first African-American-owned bank in the nation. The bank was founded by Rev. William Washington Browne, a formerly enslaved man.  At its peak, the bank was operating in 24 states and managed $223,500, which is roughly equivalent to $7.5M today (Black Past). The bank provided other support services, too, including “a real estate company, a retirement home, and a youth and children’s division that taught discipline, thrift, and business skills” (Encyclopedia Virginia).
 
Allen’s past work in organizing societies was critical to the development of the first fountains, or branches, of the True Reformers. Her experience of organizing, establishing trust, and creating practices of mutual benefit was critical for transforming forms of benevolent aid common during slavery into economic models of sustainability for African-American people once freed (Columbia University Press Blog).


[Image: 4413hpr_720b8b55bcf69b7-2048x1481.jpeg?w...x1481.jpeg]A photo of the members and affiliates of the True Reformers' network. "Among the enterprises started by the True Reformers and featured on this page are the nation's first black-owned, black-operated bank, a hotel, a printing office, a grocery store, a concert hall, and a real estate office." Encyclopedia Virginia

We often think of philanthropists as wealthy billionaires or powerful corporations that give away large sums of money. But throughout history, small, interdependent forms of giving have provided people safety and security. To this day, Black-women led societies are instrumental to the wellbeing of its members and surrounding community (Lenny). And we see the same type of giving making an impact today. People use platforms like GoFundMe to send money to people in need, or give to mutual aid networks that are helping people in their community take care.

Reflection Questions



  1. Who in your community is looking out for others, and making it easier to access things people may need?

  2. Why is it important to build community with other people you trust? 

  3. When you think of the history of money and finance, which names come to mind? What other stories of contributions throughout history might be missing?
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#6
Day 8: "Atom Smasher" by Jerry Lawson
[Image: 51412-1.jpeg?width=1088&upscale=true&name=51412-1.jpeg]Image of Atom Smasher, the first game under the Video Soft label led by Jerry Lawson (The Games Database)

Atom Smasher was the first game created by Jerry Lawson’s video game development company, likely the earliest Black-owned game development company in the U.S. Before he left to start his own venture, Lawson wrote the Atari video game system on how developers could create their own games to operate on the system. This revolutionized the video game industry, sparking the business model you see with your Xbox or Playstation today.
[Image: 05J5RccUP8gx0c4noxJASFO-2.fit_lim.size_1..._1536x.jpg]Photo of Jerry Lawson, via Global Nerdy

Jerry Lawson was born as Gerald Anderson Lawson in New York City on December 1, 1940 (Biography). He was always interested in electronics; as a kid he operated his own ham radio, and as he got older, he made money by repairing his neighbors’ television sets (Philadelphia Sun). His first-grade teacher told him that one day he could be like Black scientist George Washington Carver, a statement he said he’d never forget. And his parents encouraged his interest in science (Vintage Computing).
 
He started working at Fairchild Semiconductor in 1970, at a time where there were very few Black engineers in Silicon Valley. In his off time, he built Demolition Derby, a coin-operated arcade machine, in his garage. According to an interview in Vintage Computing, Fairchild wasn’t too happy when they found out about Lawson’s game. But they did ask him to build something for them. A few years later, he created and spearheaded their new game division. In 1976, their product, Fairchild Channel F, was released – the first console that allowed players to change out cartridges loaded with different games (Fast Company). Before this point, video games were hardcoded into one unit, so you could only play the game you bought at the time. 

 
 "I
had a secret assignment. Even the boss that I worked for wasn’t to know what I was doing. I was directly reporting to a vice president at Fairchild with a budget."--Jerry Lawson, in conversation with Benj Edwards, Fast Company

This design revolutionized the video game industry, and other makers like Atari and Magnavox moved to make their own cartridge-loaded consoles, too. But all the games for these consoles were created by the companies themselves. There was no way for third-party video game developers to join in without their own console...that is, until a few people from Atari left to create their own video game console company, Activision. Atari sued Activision, claiming that the company was stealing its patents. To settle the lawsuit, Activision had to prove anyone could create games for Atari without stealing their intellectual property. So they hired Lawson to reverse-engineer the Atari and create cartridges that would work with their system (Museum of Play). Because of his work, the company settled the lawsuit and Activision became the company it is today, which just sold to Microsoft for $69B (Bloomberg).
 
Jerry Lawson’s work made it possible for any third-party game developer to create their own cartridges for Atari. Lawson took advantage and launched Video Soft, likely the earliest Black-owned game development company in the U.S. The company created over a dozen games for the Atari 2600 video game console. Their first game, Atom Smasher, “challenged one or two players to shoot atomic particles out an arena’s doors while dodging the moving particles themselves” (Museum of Play). The company shuttered along with the video-game bust of 1983 – 1984 (IGN).

[Image: channel-f-pamphlet.jpeg?width=1120&upsca...phlet.jpeg]Image of Fairchild Channel F Console, via Games Museum

Jerry Lawson passed away in April 2011. He was a pioneer in the video game industry, but often isn't named in its history. And his name isn't listed on the patent for the video game cartridge, despite his clear contributions (Wired).

 
 

"You’ve gotta step away from the crowd and go do your own thing. You find a ground, cover it, it’s brand new, you’re on your own — you’re an explorer. That’s about what it’s going to be like. Explore new vistas, new avenues, new ways — not relying on everyone else’s way to tell you which way to go, and how to go, and what you should be doing."
--Jerry Lawson's advice to Black people considering a career in science or engineering, in conversation with Benj Edwards, Vintage Computing 
 

Reflection Questions

  1. Who are the leaders you might not know about in your industry?

  2. Why is it important to share knowledge with other people in your field?
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#7
Day 9: Ancestral Voices Rising Up: A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
[Image: Bad-Blood%20(1).jpeg?width=696&upscale=t...20(1).jpeg]"Bad Blood," dated September 18, 2012, an excerpt from Ancestral Voices Rising Up: A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Obiora N. Anekwe, Ed.D, M.S., via ethicallyspeaking.net.

In A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Obiora N. Anekwe juxtaposes the tragedy of an unethical human experiment with the possibility of transformation and renewal. Using collages of pictures of the past and present, Obiora "vividly reminds us all that the story of Tuskegee is one of
remembrance, healing, and reconciliation" (via Bookshop).

In 1932, 600 men were invited to participate in a research study with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) to find a cure for syphilis. Participants were offered free medical care for their participation – and many participants, sharecroppers who had never had the chance to receive medical care before, signed up eagerly. Throughout their lifetime, men were monitored regularly by health officials and were assured they were being treated. But in reality, they were part of a sick experiment: the PHS was only watching to track the disease’s full progression untreated. 
 
The men were told they had “bad blood” but not that they had syphilis. They were only given placebos, despite the fact that penicillin was widely available as a recommended treatment in 1947 (History). Researchers provided no effective care as the men “died, went blind or insane or experienced other severe health problems” until an outraged researcher leaked the story to the press in 1972. Public criticism prompted the study to be shut down. By that time, 28 participants had died from the disease. One hundred more passed away from related complications, at least 40 spouses had been diagnosed with syphilis, and the disease had been passed to 19 children at birth (History).
 
This event, along with other acts of medical racism throughout history, has prompted the Black community to be distrustful of the healthcare system, particularly the elderly community. The reverberating impact of the Tuskegee Study, for example, is responsible for “over a third of the life expectancy gap between older black men and white men in 1980” (The Atlantic). As our nation grapples with a global pandemic, vaccine mandates and mask policies, there needs to be more efforts to rebuild trust to keep those most vulnerable safe.

[Image: Brotherhood.jpeg?width=696&upscale=true&...rhood.jpeg]"Brotherhood," dated November 25, 2012, an excerpt from Ancestral Voices Rising Up: A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Obiora N. Anekwe, Ed.D, M.S., via

About Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe:

Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe was born in Tuskegee Institute, Alabama on the campus of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital. A trained bioethicist, he blended his creative and scientific background for this work.

"I wanted to use my artistic ability to translate the themes of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and, in general, discuss ethics, philosophy, and bioethics in a way that everyone would understand."
--Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe interviewed for Columbia University


Reflection Questions


  1. How does historical medical mistrust affect our efforts to address COVID-19 today?

  2. What are other examples of public outrage sparking change within the past year?

  3. What privilege(s) may you benefit from that make it easier to trust the healthcare system? What parts of your identity make you less trustful of the healthcare system?
 
 

 
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#8
Day 10: "Time on Two Crosses: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin"
[Image: 9781627781268.webp]Cover of "Time on Two Crosses: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin", via Bookshop

Bayard Rustin was an openly gay, Black strategist, pacifist, and innovating civil rights activist. “Time on Two Crosses” is a collection of essays and photos that offer his perspective on the civil rights movement of his time.

About Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin was a strategist, pacifist, and innovating civil rights activist. He brought Gandhi's protest techniques to the American civil rights movement and played a deeply influential role in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to mold him into an international symbol of nonviolence.

"[W]e must remember that we cannot hope to achieve democracy and equality in such a way that would destroy the very kind of society which we hope to build. If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end. If we desire a society in which men are brothers, then we must act towards one another with brotherhood. If we can build such a society, then we would have achieved the ultimate goal of human freedom."
--Bayard Rustin, written to the children of Cleveland, Dec. 3, 1969, after a city leader had invited him to write a letter on “the magnificent times in which we live," via Huffington Post.

 

Bayard Rustin is best known as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. At this event, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the exalted “I Have a Dream” speech, considered one of the most influential speeches of the 20th century (NAACP). This event was considered instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the National Voting Rights Act of 1965. Together, these laws outlawed discrimination against Black people and women – and sought to end disenfranchisement by making discriminatory voting practices illegal.



[Image: NMAAHC-2010_45_3_front.jpeg?width=1120&u...front.jpeg]
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Organizing Manual No. 2

National Museum of African American History and Culture


Rustin was also an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era, which brought him significant tension throughout his career. When he was young, he was arrested for being openly gay and forced to register as a sex offender. These charges added additional scrutiny on his role in the movement – from both the general public and other civil rights leaders (Brittanica). 
 
In 1960, Adam Clayton Powell, the minister-congressman from Harlem, threatened to float a rumor that King was one of Rustin’s lovers if King didn’t exile him from his inner circle. King pushed him away, reluctantly, and Rustin resigned from King’s organization (Washington Post). To keep Rustin involved with the March on Washington without inciting more opposition, he was placed “under the leadership” of A. Philip Randolph so he wouldn’t be considered “in charge.” Despite that, three weeks before the March on Washington, South Carolina governor Strom Thurmond attempted to thwart the plan by insinuating Rustin and Martin Luther King, Jr. were in a homosexual relationship (PBS). 
 
To Rustin, asserting his identity as African American went hand-in-hand with identifying as a gay man. "It occurred to me shortly after that that it was an absolute necessity for me to declare homosexuality because if I didn't I was a part of the prejudice," he said. "I was aiding and abetting the prejudice that was a part of the effort to destroy me” (Making Gay History).

[Image: RUSTIN-7-1940s-Lute-Playing-MEDRZ.jpeg?w...MEDRZ.jpeg]
Bayard Rustin, late 1940s. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Estate of Bayard Rustin, via Making Gay History.

Despite the violence and discrimination he faced throughout his lifetime, Rustin never shied away from who he was. He just continued to do his work while avoiding the spotlight. The FBI is said to have a 10,000-page file of Rustin’s participation in dozens of protest causes over his lifetime: segregation, Japanese internees, draft resisters, workers’ rights, chain-gang prisoners, the anti-nuclear movement, and the South African apartheid (Washington Post). Rustin would spend his life fighting for others' rights, even while facing discrimination of his own.
 
On November 20, 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom to honor his tireless work for equality. In January 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom pardoned Rustin’s arrest on “lewd conduct” and “vagrancy” charges – and announced a broader initiative to do the same for other LGBTQ+ leaders (CNN).
 
Apart from his career as an activist, Rustin was also fun-loving, mischievous, artistic, gifted with a fine singing voice, and known as an art collector who sometimes “found museum-quality pieces in New York City trash” (rustin.org). He was survived by his long-term partner, Walter Naegle.

 
 
 

Reflection Questions:
  1. Reflect: How does discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community hinder our efforts for racial equity?

  2. Consider how "intersectionality", or the complexity of our identities based on race, class, gender, sexual identity, etc, influence how we see the world and define liberation.

  3. What other unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, or other movements throughout time, may have been sidelined because of their identity?
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P
#9
as a drunk history major... shame on me for now knowing this much about this...
[Image: gYIxK93.png]
#10
Day 11: The work of the L.A. Rebellion

[Image: Screen%20Shot%202022-02-11%20at%202.30.4...20PM-1.png]Screenshot of “Killer of Sheep" via Milestone Films.

The series of full-length features, shorts, and documentaries created by the L.A. Rebellion, a group of Black filmmakers from the 1960s – 1980s, redefined Black cinema and created a legacy of films that inspire the industry to the present-day.

About the L.A. Rebellion

The L.A. Rebellion is an organized group of young Black filmmakers who studied at the UCLA Film School from the late-1960s to the late-1980s. Although largely ignored by the industry, they created a legacy of Black cinema that redefined the Black narrative in Hollywood.
 
 Work published during this time stood in direct contrast with the 1970’s blaxploitation movies, movies that depicted Black characters with stereotypical roles. Although the era ushered in more representation of Black actors in Hollywood, some felt it exploited the struggles of Black life to generate profit that rarely reached that community (Western Washington University).
 
The group independently funded films that told a more nuanced story of Black life, highlighting class and race issues endemic during that time period. Although many participants are known for their own critically-acclaimed films, many projects resulted from a group effort. Part of the L.A. Rebellion’s success was its cohesion; members train, mentor, and support each other to bring their collective works to life (The Guardian).

 
 
When we call ourselves film-makers it’s because we wrote, produced, knew how to do the sound, operate the camera, to light, and when we took it into post [production] we’d edit our films physically, as well as mix the sound. We were totally immersed in it. We weren’t making films to be paid, or to satisfy someone else’s needs. We were making films because they were an expression of ourselves: what we were challenged by, what we wanted to change or redefine, or just dive into and explore.
 
--Julie Dash, American film director, writer, and producer and part of the L.A. Rebellion, in The Guardian

 
The work of the L.A. Rebellion also influenced the role of music in films. Many of the soundtracks blended classical and rock with jazz, soul, and funk, mixing traditional scores with contemporary tracks that represented the culture and the spirit of the moment (Indie Film Hustle).
 
Charles Burnett is one of the most well-known filmmakers of the L.A. Rebellion, and a notable Black director One of his works, “Killer of Sheep” (1977), followed the everyday working-class struggles of a Black slaughterhouse worker. It was produced on a $10,000 budget. 13 years later, it was one of the first 50 films deemed a national treasure by the Library of Congress (Daily Lobo). Burnett received an honorary Governors Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017. Burnett is gearing up to direct a biopic for Amazon about Robert Smalls, a former slave who freed himself, his crew, and his family during the Civil War (UCLA). Buy or rent “Killer of Sheep” on Milestone Films


[Image: Illusions.jpeg?width=1120&upscale=true&n...sions.jpeg]Lonette McKee in Julie Dash's 1982 student film "Illusions" (UCLA Film & Television Archive).

The L.A. Rebellion was greatly shaped by female filmmakers, who created their own stories that captured the spirit of Black womanhood – focusing on themes including love and loss, sexuality, motherhood, and belonging. Filmmakers like Julie Dash, M. Stormé Bright, Jacqueline Frazier, and Alile Larkin created stories that defied stereotypes of the time period and still create and influence cinema today.  Their work paved the way for the Black female filmmakers of our time, who are still largely underrepresented in the industry (UCLA).
 
 
 

Reflection Questions

  1. Why is it important to create a like-minded community around art? How is that even more important for the marginalized parts of our identities?

  2. Who are the filmmakers that have shaped your movie-watching experience?

  3. Why is it important to watch films made by a diverse set of filmmakers?

(02-12-2022, 03:33 AM)Raider Hanks Wrote: as a drunk history major... shame on me for now knowing this much about this...
What a shame.. I'm kidding. There's always more to learn. Especially when a lot of POC's history isn't even taught in the education system. People want to cover it up.
Pure of Heart  Heart Dumb of Ass :P


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