70 years ago, the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education led to the desegregation of schools. However this also led to thousands of Black teachers losing their jobs. "Prior to 1954, there were about 82,000 Black teachers in the United States," write a team of academics for @TheConversationUS. "A decade later, with hundreds of segregated schools closing, more than 38,000 Black teachers had been fired by white school leaders." Read more about the importance of Black teachers and why 70 years after Brown, school educators are still mostly white.
"Flint's Black historical newspapers could easily have been lost to the eroding effects of time. These publications, which ran from the late 1930s to the late 70s, chronicled the lives, perspectives and priorities of Flint's African American community.... these historical publications are not only digitized for posterity but also freely accessible online for the public."
Since people are talking about Kent State, Ohio, 1970, it's a good time to talk about Jackson State, Mississippi, 1970.
Similar situation, except there was no active protest, just a bunch of students hanging out. The mayor of Jackson declared a riot and called in the pigs. Someone threw a glass bottle, not at the pigs, but they still opened fire. Phillip Gibbs, a student at Jackson State, and James Green, a high school student who was walking home from his job, were murdered by cops. Many others were wounded.
Fred Hampton and the Rainbow Coalition
Chicago-style coalition building helped 2 produce the first Black mayor of Chicago & put
it's first Latino representatives in office.But
unbeknownst to many
this form of organizing started in the streets,fifty years ago with what was called the Rainbow Coalition,a progressive, fundamentally,
socialist movement.That set the foundation for
radical ideas and Civil Disobedience in Chicago
Today is the 50th anniversary of the day baseball player Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. Here's a @Flipboard Storyboard to honor the occasion. In the words of announcer Vin Scully: "What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol.”
“The problem is not a general lack of historical knowledge but its disparity along racial lines. Black students do know this history, or at least more of it than their white peers.”
Black women and girls reign supreme at the rodeo, according to Capital B News writer Aallyah Wright. She talked to organizers, competitors, stable owners and young cowgirls about riding, representation, and the pride they feel in Beyoncé's new country album. “Now, she’s finally kicking down the door, whether they like it or not,” says Carolyn Carter, a 65-year-old cowgirl whose daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters all compete in rodeo.
Black country music has existed for decades; according to songwriter, educator and novelist Alice Randall, its recorded origins go back to DeFord Bailey's 1927 harmonica performance of "Pan American Blues" at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Now, its time has come — thanks to Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em, which debuted at the top of the country charts last month. Vox takes a look at the century of country that led to "Cowboy Carter."
A BLACK PHYSICIAN’S UNSPARING examination of the profound impact racism has on healthcare and health outcomes intertwines with stories of her own, her sister’s, and her mother’s lives as doctors. Thoughtful, deep, engaging. A MINUS
Very much enjoyed talking with Joe Coohill, aka Professor Buzzkill, about our project to document all the sites listed in The Green Book. The conversation was phenomenal.
In 1939, the Dongs, a Chinese American family, could not find a house to rent in Coronado, Calif., because of racially restrictive housing laws. Emma and Gus Thompson, a Black couple, allowed the family to rent and later buy their home. Now, the Dongs have sold that house, and are donating $5 million to Black college students. They are also working to have San Diego State University's Black Resource Center named after Emma and Gus, who was born into slavery in Kentucky. Here's more from NBC News.
Nine months before Rosa Parks, when Claudette Colvin was just 15, she refused to give up her seat to a white person in Montgomery, Ala., and was arrested. However, Colvin's case wasn't taken up by the NAACP and her efforts were not publicized by Black leaders because she was young, dark complexioned, and pregnant, she believes. MSNBC tells the story of what happened, and how she and four other women sued the city of Montgomery, leading to its public transport segregation being declared unconstitutional. https://flip.it/OwOSMM
Sculptor Richard Hunt, who died last December, had a career that spanned roughly 70 years, with his work appearing in museums and public spaces across the country, and was the first African American sculptor to have a retrospective at MOMA. Block Club Chicago's Rachel Hinton talked to artists who were inspired by his extraordinary life and work. "I would walk past his monument[s] every day — it’s kind of like the pinnacle of what I wanted to be,” sculptor Faheem Majeed says. “Richard is who I wanted to be at a certain point in my life before I even met him.”
h/t to @horrorboutique, who alerted us to Block Club Chicago's Black History series.
Today is the last day of Black History Month, but we curate our Stories of Black America Magazine all year round. You can follow the Magazine on Flipboard or in the Fediverse. In it, you'll find stories about why presidential candidates aren't better about talking about race, Black history's connection to place, Patrick Mahomes, the "Freaknik" documentary, a trailblazing opera company, and much more.
Editor’s Letter
Frederick Douglass: An American in Ireland (Parts I, II, and III)
“Anti-Racism 101”
“Let’s Talk Black Excellence”
and a quote by Thurgood Marshall
Gentry Jessup allowed a third-inning home run to Jackie Robinson... and that was it in the base-hit department. Cards take 3 out of 4 from Brooklyn at home, winning a pitching-heavy series.