Democracy Dies in Darkness Sections Home Try 1 month for $1 Username Sign In Account Profile Newsletters & Alerts Gift Subscriptions Contact Us Help Desk Subscribe Account Profile Newsletters & Alerts Gift Subscriptions Contact Us Help Desk Accessibility for screenreader Retropolis by DeNeen L. Brown by DeNeen L. Brown Email the author April 24 at 7:00 AM Email the author MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A white mob yelling “Lynch him!” pulled Matthew Williams from the Negro ward of a hospital in Salisbury, Md., on Dec. 4, 1931. Williams, who had been shot in the leg, was accused of killing the white man he worked for after a pay dispute. Williams denied the allegation, but the 23-year-old was bound in a straitjacket and thrown out the hospital window. The mob stabbed him with ice picks and dragged his body three blocks to the courthouse in downtown Salisbury, a small city on Maryland’s … [Read more...] about ‘Lynch him!’: New lynching memorial confronts the nation’s brutal history of racial terrorism
Unknown black history
Lecture reviews black history
Separating histories into categories can be dangerous, according to British-Nigerian historian and filmmaker David Olusoga. “The division that I’m most interested in — the one that I’ve spent the past couple of years thinking about — is the division between what we call black history and mainstream history,” Olusoga said. Olusoga was the featured speaker at last week’s Ross Horning Lecture, which is hosted annually by the Department of History at Creighton. This year’s lecture, which took place in a nearly full Harper Auditorium, was titled, “Remembering and Forgetting: Black History and the British Empire.” The Ross Horning Lecture Series is a way to remember the life and values of Ross Horning, who taught history at Creighton. Associate professor of history Scott Eastman said that the series of presentations are meant to serve as a reminder of the “enduring value of history and humanistic … [Read more...] about Lecture reviews black history
Jennifer McClellan column: Black History and Women’s History months: The importance of an inclusive narrative for Virginia
Last year — 2017 — marked the beginning of a renewed cultural reckoning where the social and economic challenges that women and minorities face were thrust into the spotlight. The rise of the national #MeToo movement and the racially charged events of Charlottesville forced us to ask some very hard questions as citizens and confront long-standing challenges: What does it mean to be an American? Confucius stated, “Study the past if you would define the future.” The issues currently gripping the nation are not new, but we now have an opportunity to understand their origins and ensure a brighter collective future. As we celebrate Black History and Women’s History months, we have a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the past and assess progress. Every February and March, there is heightened awareness around the experiences of African-Americans and women, but few people are aware that their significant contributions can be traced back 400 years to our … [Read more...] about Jennifer McClellan column: Black History and Women’s History months: The importance of an inclusive narrative for Virginia
Celebrating black heritage cuisine that helps honor the past
“All across America, heritage food is experiencing a renaissance,” writes chef J.J. Johnson in his new cookbook with Alexander Smalls and Veronica Chambers, “Between Harlem and Heaven.”“(Heritage food) brings together everything we’ve developed a passion for: sustainability, farm to table, eating local and thinking global. It’s the kind of food you once could expect to eat only in someone’s home.”In his book, Johnson explores the cuisine of the Afro-Asian diaspora, flavors and techniques he executed with skill at his former restaurants, The Cecil and Minton’s, both in Harlem. Johnson describes his philosophy as “a foodway that reflects the depth and breadth of the African diaspora.”“My grandfather is from Barbados. I used to go to the island as a kid,” writes Johnson. “Plantain, roti, curry: these are the foods that I used to eat. ... Not only could I draw a line from Barbados to West Africa to … [Read more...] about Celebrating black heritage cuisine that helps honor the past
Black church, community not forgotten in Greene County
Updated 3:51 pm, Friday, February 9, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-7', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 7', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: AP Image 1of/7 CaptionClose Image 1 of 7 This March 28, 1984 photo shows the former Bethel AME Church shows the building's collapsed foundation in Waynesburg, Pa. William Davidson wrote a letter last year to Waynesburg council requesting an honorific for the church, which was demolished in 1984, just a year before its 100th anniversary. The foundation was beginning to … [Read more...] about Black church, community not forgotten in Greene County
What looks hot for 2018 arts? ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Angels in America,’ dancing with your DNA
This image released by Disney and Marvel Studios’ shows Chadwick Boseman in a scene from “Black Panther,” in theaters on Feb. 16. (Marvel Studios/Disney via AP) Inductee Jeff Lynne from the band ELO performs at the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center on Friday, April 7, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) The Valkyries prepare to leave for Valhalla to report on the fallen heroes they have gathered, in a scene from the San Francisco Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s “Die Walkure,” Part I of his “Ring of the Nibelung” cycle of operas, Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. (D. Ross Cameron/Staff) bampfa_1919.2.8_1_1, 8/5/05, 2:42 PM, 8C, 5627×7273 (168+276), 100%, Repro 2.2 v2, 1/8 s, R75.5, G65.4, B83.8 Dave Holland’s quintet will perform June 3, 2010 at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center Show Caption of Expand … [Read more...] about What looks hot for 2018 arts? ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Angels in America,’ dancing with your DNA
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2016: Black woman made history when she climbed Mount Everest in 2006
What began as a personal goal for Sophia Danenberg became a historic feat when the Boeing Company analyst became the first black woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. SPECIAL REPORT: UNSUNG HEROES OF CIVIL RIGHTS - PROFILES OF LITTLE-KNOWN INDIVIDUALS WHO HELPED RIGHT DECADES-OLD WRONGS She’s climbed in Switzerland, Tanzania and Argentina, but the famous ascent on Everest in Nepal came on May 19, 2006 at 7 a.m. Danenberg — battling bronchitis, frostbite and a storm — reached the 29,029-foot peak with her guides — brothers Pa Nuru Sherpa and Mingma Tshiring. “Base camp reported unstable conditions and it was really windy, even for that place. We were concerned a squall might form, so we had a decision to make — to continue or turn around,” she recalled for the audience at the “TEDxUChicago: 2015 The Incredible Unknown” event last May. “Below, we could see a floor of … [Read more...] about BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2016: Black woman made history when she climbed Mount Everest in 2006
Here’s what Beyoncé haters get wrong about her Black Panther homage at Super Bowl 50
It may be time for America to tweak its fundamental tagline because "The land of the free, the home of the brave," no longer fits. In the face of the mounting criticism of Beyoncé's Super Bowl performance on Sunday, it sure seems like America has become "The land of the Amnesia Patients." On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense (its original name), Beyoncé crashed Coldplay's rainbow-lit stage to deliver a message: People of color are tired of being killed; tired of being shortchanged; tired of having their feelings being mocked by the very demographic that continues to hold them back. BEYONCE'S 'BLACK POWER' SALUTE DURING THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW IS RAISING EYEBROWS The picked-out afros, the all-black attire, the militant garb (and song to match) had some viewers asking why the NFL allowed Beyoncé to make the radical chic. How quickly we … [Read more...] about Here’s what Beyoncé haters get wrong about her Black Panther homage at Super Bowl 50
History repeats itself: Small Off-Broadway stages will present stories of larger-than-life figures
Trending on Off-Broadway stages this fall: real people. On tap are plays and musicals about historical figures of varying stripes. The season’s stars include married Broadway royalty, two singing sensations and a man who rose to the White House with a little help from his dog. “Ten Chimneys” In the spotlight: Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, considered the greatest American husband-and-wife acting team — ever. Real-life spouses Byron Jennings and Carolyn McCormick star. The focus: Life imitates art in Jeffrey Hatcher’s play, which finds the acclaimed couple at their Wisconsin retreat (Ten Chimneys) readying for a production of “The Seagull.” A young actress, Uta Hagen (yes, that Uta Hagen), sparks an off-stage triangle mirroring events in the Chekhov drama. “It wasn’t necessarily about romance,” says Hatcher. “Lynn didn’t like the special attention Uta was getting.” Runs through Oct. 7 at … [Read more...] about History repeats itself: Small Off-Broadway stages will present stories of larger-than-life figures
Well-versed journalist Evelyn Cunningham writing piece on ‘unknown black history’
She has interviewed and worked with some of the most historically significant people of the past 60 years; Nelson Rockefeller, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Sheriff Eugene (Bull) Connor, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.Yet at 93 years old and after a journalism career that began in 1940 with the Pittsburgh Courier, it's American women of all races who most impress Evelyn Cunningham. "The women in my country, there does not seem to be anything they cannot be," she said. "Presidents, heads of banks, millionaires. In the United States, women seem to gain or get practically everything they want." Seated on an overstuffed chair in the sunny study of her Riverside Drive apartment in Harlem, the television tuned to CNN, Cunningham said "I'm still a reporter, every inch of me." Though she doesn't get out as much as she used to, Cunningham said she's busy. With the help of a group of local college students who do her leg work ("They … [Read more...] about Well-versed journalist Evelyn Cunningham writing piece on ‘unknown black history’