Posts Tagged ‘American history’
Many African American last names hold weight of Black history
Black Americans know names hold power, which is why many took care choosing new names after they were free from enslavement. Many of their descendants still bear those names.
Read MoreNASA’s African American History: From Hidden Figures to Artemis
With Dr. Jessica Watkins poised to become the first black woman to set foot on the International Space Station, we take a look at NASA’s push to include more African Americans in the agency’s quest to expore space
Read MoreThe growing movement to save Black cemeteries
Greenwood Cemetery was the first commercial cemetery serving the black community in St. Louis. But without dedicated caretakers, it fell into neglect and attracted vandals. The Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association has taken up the cause, like similar organizations around the nation, of preserving these pieces of history.
Read MoreIn ‘South to America,’ Imani Perry travels below the Mason-Dixon to shed light on the soul of a nation
By Elaina Patton, NBC News In her new book, “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,” Imani Perry engages with the long literary tradition of writing about one’s travels through the South. Joining writers such as Albert Murray, James Baldwin and V.S. Naipaul, the Alabama native charts…
Read MoreWe Still Can’t See American Slavery for What It Was
What is known about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade? We know a great deal about the scale of human trafficking across the Atlantic Ocean and about the people aboard each ship. Much of that research is available to the public in the form of the SlaveVoyages database. A detailed repository of information on individual ships, individual voyages and even individual people, it is a groundbreaking tool for scholars of slavery, the slave trade and the Atlantic world. And it continues to grow. Last year, the team behind SlaveVoyages introduced a new data set with information.
Read MoreAn old Virginia plantation, a new owner and a family legacy unveiled
His roots were deep in this part of Pittsylvania County, and he wanted to buy a place where his vast extended family, many of whom still live nearby, could gather. He didn’t know it had once been a plantation or that 58 people had once been enslaved there. He never considered that its past had anything to do with him.
Read MoreCould Billionaire Robert F. Smith Become the NFL’s 1st Black Owner?
By Jay Connor, The Root The prolific philanthropist and entrepreneur would make our ancestors extremely proud. Apparently, actual billionaire Robert F. Smith—who spends his free time doing things like pouring money into organizations that focus on Black culture, education, and human rights, and paying the entire outstanding balance of student loans for Morehouse’s 2019 graduating class (which, by the…
Read MoreSharon Bowen named first Black woman chair of NYSE Board
By Ny Magee, The Grio.com Her appointment follows senior leadership changes across the company. Sharon Bowen has made history as the newly named board chair of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Bowen, a finance and securities lawyer, is the first Black woman to be appointed to the position. She has been a member of the…
Read MoreNathanial Woods was Sentenced to Death For The Murder of Three Officers He Didn’t Shoot
On March 5, 2020, Nathanial Woods was executed in Alabama for the murder of three white Birmingham police officers. But, he was not the one behind the gun that murdered them…
Read MoreDamian Williams Is the First Black U.S. Attorney to Lead the Southern District of New York in Its 232-Year History
Damien Williams was confirmed by the U.S. Senate this week to be the next United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, the first Black person to lead the office in its 232-year history. The position makes him the most powerful federal law enforcement official in Manhattan at the age of 41 years old.
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