Stewart MagangaMany protest songs are historical artifacts. They are about a specific time, event, movement or person, often without longevity, and make sense only within a specific context. There are a few exceptions. American soul singer Marvin Gaye’s title track from his 1971 album, “What’s going on” is a glowing example.It was released on Motown […]readmore
The annual auction of printed and manuscript African Americana reminds of a time when there was no value placed on Black lives save for the documentation in accounting books and ledgers.Each year brings a new story, a new value to notes, the printed word by or about Black peoplein America. And each year the value […]readmore
JAE JONES blackthen.com Vera Pigee was an American civil rights worker in Clarksdale, Mississippi. She served as branch secretary to the Coahoma County chapter of the NAACP, a chapter she helped organize with civil rights leader Aaron Henry. She was an advisor to the Mississippi state NAACP Youth Council. The group received its charter in […]readmore
by Gloria Dulan-Wilson Back in the day, The Impressions with Curtis Mayfield sang a song entitled “Too Much Love” which said in part, ‘never in this world can there be too much love.’And I certainly felt that sentiment was expressed over and over again at Herbert Von King Park’s 2010 Women’s History Month PHENOMENAL WOMEN […]readmore
Bill Chappell, NPRVernon Jordan, the civil rights lawyer who built a career as a power broker in politics and business, has died at age 85.Jordan “passed away peacefully last evening surrounded by loved ones,” his daughter, Vickee Jordan, said in a statement sent to NPR. “We appreciate all of the outpouring of love and affection.” […]readmore
Mana RabieeReutersMembers of Malcolm X’s family have made public what they described as a letter written by a deceased police officer stating that the New York Police Department and FBI were behind the 1965 killing of the famed Black activist and civil rights advocate.Malcolm X was a powerful orator who rose to prominence as the […]readmore
A. Peter Bailey was a member of Malcolm X’s Organization of African Unity and editor of Blacklash, the organization’s newspaper. He has lectured on Malcolm X at multiple universities and written extensively about Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz). His forthcoming book is, “Brother Malcolm X’s Visionary Strategic Pan-Africanism, Why It Enraged the FBI and the […]readmore
by Christopher MooreNew York’s Seventeenth-Century African Burial Ground in History By Christopher MooreNew York’s African Burial ground is the nation’s earliest and largest known African American cemetery. It has been called one of the most important archaeological finds of our time. But it is more than that: though long hidden and much violated it remains […]readmore