Breaking News! History in the Making
How 2020 (Democratic) Contenders Are Approaching Police Brutality And Criminal Justice Reform
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been criticized by the black community in his city for his handling of a recent fatal shooting by police of a black man. This article relates how Mayor Buttigieg and other Democratic presidential candidates with strong backgrounds in managing law enforcement have handled police.
It’s Juneteenth, and a White Nationalist Is President
With the South rising again on the watch of President Donald Trump, who plans to turn the Fourth of July this year from a celebration of America to a celebration of himself, it’s time for Americans who champion equality to begin celebrating Juneteenth.June 19, 1865 — “Juneteenth” being a combination of June and nineteenth — should remind all Americans of the long and complex fight required to end slavery here.
This police robot could make traffic stops safer
A California man has built a robot that he hopes will take some of the danger out of traffic stops — those anxiety-provoking and potentially deadly encounters between police officers and motorists that play out on American roads more than 50,000 times a day. Such encounters lead to many injuries and deaths each year — particularly among black motorists, who are more likely than their white counterparts to experience violence from police.
Donald Trump Insists People Are On ‘Both Sides’ Of Exonerated Central Park 5 Case
President Trump continues to refuse to apologize for his 1989 ad calling to execute five teenagers who were falsely accused of rape in the notorious Central Park Five case. All five were convicted based on coerced confessions and little evidence. They were exonerated in 2002 thanks to DNA evidence. A new Netflix series “When They See Us” by Ava DuVerney (director of “13th”) re-examines their story.
CNN Highlights Living While Black in Milwaukee
On June 9, 2019 CNN’s “United Shades of America” series with Kamau Bell aired a one-hour segment of interviews with black Milwaukeeans entitled “Living While Black.” Reggie Jackson, Head Griot of ABHM, was featured.
Racial Terror and the Second Repeal of Reconstruction
In the age of Trump white nationalism, hate crimes and acts of domestic terrorism have escalated. Recent acts of violence mirror the years following Reconstruction that resulted in American Descendants of Slavery losing all rights and privileges gained after the Civil War and the imposition of Jim Crow Laws.
The quilts that made America quake: how Faith Ringgold fought the power with fabric
At 88 years of age, Faith Ringgold continues to make and exhibit her “subversive” art. She is best known for her art quilts, such as Bleeding Hearts#2.
Last Known U.S. Slave Ship, the Clotilda, Said to Have Been Discovered In Alabama
The reported last slave ship to bring enslaved Africans to the United States was found in Mobile, Alabama waters. Timothy Meaher made a bet that he could deliver his illegal cargo undetected into the hands of waiting buyers, and he was successful. The Roots Questlove direct ancestors were on this ship.
The Forgotten Tale of How Black Psychiatrists Helped Make ‘Sesame Street’
Dr Chester Pierce, a Black psychiatrist was instrumental in developing Sesame Street. Some critics felt the main beneficiaries of the show were middle class white children but Dr Pierce felt that everyone benefited from seeing ‘an integrated society where everyone was a friend and treated with respect.”
Longest-running housing discrimination case outlives judge
In 1968 Sarah Garrett filed a suit against the city of Hamtramck, Michigan, for racial discrimination in housing. The suit may finally be resolved this year after 50 years. Damon Keith, the judge in the “black removal case” did not live to see his decision completed. He died this week.
When Black Horror Consumes Us
Jordon Peele might be the most recent master of “black horror” but Donald Glover was first with his FX series, Atlanta.
A Black Officer, a White Woman, a Rare Murder Conviction.
In this week’s edition of Race/Related from the New York Times, journalist John Eligon brings us the news out of Minneapolis, where police officer Mohamed Noor has been found guilty by a racially diverse jury for the shooting and killing of Justine Ruszczyk. Despite the relief that the justice system can actually hold its law enforcement officers accountable, some have found the circumstances of the verdict a bit ironic: the officer convicted is a black, Somali, Muslim man, and his victim was a white woman. With the tables of race turned in this case from the usual story (white cop shoots, kills black man), there are those who question whether the guilty verdict in this case can be chalked up to justice or hypocrisy. At the end of the day, all we can do is let the facts of the case speak for themselves – regardless of whose skin is what color – and let justice be served to all under the law, even those whose duty it is to enforce it.
Of Figurative Painting and a First Lady
Amy Sherard was the first African American woman commissioned to paint a first lady of the United States.
Job Announcement: ABHM Seeks New Executive Director!
The Dr. James Cameron Legacy Foundation seeks new Executive Director for its rebuilt America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Deadline to apply: May 17, 2019.
Maryland’s Only Black-Owned Movie Theater Is Drawing Crowds From Across The Country
By Phillip Lewis, The Huffington Post When Anthony Fykes and Robert Wright met, they immediately connected through their love for movies. But the pair never imagined that a shared passion for cinema would lead them to open their own theater together. NextAct Cinema, the only black-owned movie theater in the state of Maryland, opened on March…
The Legacy of Dr. James Cameron: Founder of America’s Black Holocaust Museum
At 16 years of age James Cameron said he escaped being lynched by divine intervention. He dedicated his life to civil rights for black people and went on to found the America’s Black Holocaust Museum.
Was the Real Lone Ranger a Black Man?
Although born into slavery, Bass Reeves went on to gain a reputation for bravery and non-compromising honesty as a law man in Indian Territory after the civil war. The only thing that made him hang up his badge and gun was a new 1907 Oklahoma state law that banned this American Descendant of Slaves from holding office as a deputy marshal. Author Art T. Burton wrote the book, Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves and stated that Bass Reeves might have inspired the story of the Lone Ranger.
This Could Be the First Slavery Reparations Policy in America
Georgetown University under-graduate students are taking the lead in addressing the issue of compensation for American descendants of slaves (ADOS). They will vote to tax themselves (reconciliation fee) to create a fund to benefit the descendants of 272 slaves sold to save the university.
Scholar Jonathan Metzl: White supremacy is literally killing white people
People do not always act in their own self interest. This is evident in Jonathan Metzl’s book, Dying of Whiteness. Life choices appear to be based on racial hierarchy and willingness to do without or die if it keeps non-whites in their place. Racism trumps living the American dream.
Elisa Shankle Is Encouraging Her Community To Be Brave And Heal
As Women’s History Month 2019 draws to a close, Huffington Post journalist Julia Craven brings to us the stories of 11 black women who are strong yet relatively unknown advocates for the encouragement of others in their community. One of these unsung heroes is Elisa Shankle, co-founder of Brooklyn’s “HealHaus,” a smoothie shop and community space where marginalized members of the community are welcome to come in, enjoy a smoothie, and improve their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Though our world is full of many troubles, how encouraging it is to see folks still taking measures to help each other out!
When Civility Is Used As A Cudgel Against People Of Color
Manifest Destiny as a mind-set and working model has made it clear that America has a duty to civilize the rest of the uncivilized world. The uncivilized masses are to be patient and calm and not “rock the boat”,as they await the privileges that come with Christianity and democracy.