~ Black Moments...#1_2_and 3

...ill be taking these moments to point of the vast ridiculousness that is racism and my perpsective as an multiracial americanized african...here we go...

Only in America...well, not really.

African Americans in Our Gang



The Our Gang series is notable for being one of the first times in movie history that blacks and whites were portrayed as equals, though a number of people, including members of the Black community, do not look favorably upon the characters of the black children today.[3] The four black child actors who held main-character roles in the series were Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, and Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas. Ernie Morrison was, in fact, the first black actor signed to a long-term contract in Hollywood history,[4] and was the first major black star in Hollywood history as well.[5]

In their adult years, Ernie Morrison, Matthew Beard and Billie Thomas became some of Our Gang's staunchest defenders, maintaining that its integrated cast and innocent story lines were far from racist. They explained that the white children's characters in the series were similarly stereotyped: the "freckle-faced kid," the "fat kid," the "neighborhood bully", the "pretty blond girl," and the "mischievous toddler." "We were just a group of kids who were having fun," Stymie Beard recalled.[6] Ernie Morrison stated that "when it came to race, Hal Roach was color-blind".[7] Other minorities, including Asian Americans (Sing Joy, Allen Tong, and Edward Zoo Hoo) and Italian Americans (Mickey Gubitosi), were also depicted in the series, with varying levels of "stereotyping" - commonplace in the stylized, slapstick comedy tradition in which the Our Gang films are firmly rooted.

wiki source here


this week in france...






"In the October issue of French Vogue, which is dedicated to "Supermodels," there are no black models. No Naomi Campbell, no Tyra Banks, no Iman, no Alek Wek, no Liya Kebede, no Chanel Iman. Instead, Dutch model Lara Stone appeared in a 14-page editorial in blackface. Aside from the fact that models of many nationalities have gained a greater presence in the fashion industry and should have been used in this magazine, today in 2009 we should all know that white people dressing in blackface is offensive".

( (read the rest here)






last week in holland...



"Apparently enough time had elapsed since Michael Jackson’s death that a cheeky comic tribute to him and the Jackson 5 seemed in good taste. At least it seemed that way a troupe of Aussie TV performers, who rounded out last night’s performance as the “Jackson Jive” in full-on blackface. The crowd ate it up, but an American judge who knew better ground the show to a halt"...


(read the rest here)

its hard to believe they can be so stupid and think this is a laugh...




tryin to be golden

~Michael jackson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson share a day in History.

Michael started recording the Thriller album in April 1982. Originally to be called Starlight, the album included 4 original songs by Michael, (“Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “The Girl Is Mine”), 3 songs by Rod Temperton (“Thriller”, “Baby Be Mine” and “The Lady In My Life”), a ballad by Toto (‘Human Nature”), and an infectious pop tune by James Ingram and Quincy Jones (“P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”). Amongst the brilliant songwriters Michael collaborated with, he also teamed up with Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on “Beat it”, Vincent Price for a rap on “Thriller” and his sisters, LaToya and Janet Jackson for additional vocals on “P.Y.T”.


On February 7th, 1984, Michael attended and collected a massive eight Grammy Awards from a staggering twelve nominations. Michael Jackson still holds the record for receiving the most Grammy Awards in a single year by an individual. He received seven awards for Thriller alone and one for The E.T. Storybook. Among the eight awards he received, he picked up “Record of the Year” for “Beat It”, “Album of the Year” for Thriller, “Best Pop Performance” for Thriller, and “Producer of the Year” for Thriller.



also today in black history...


Edmund Lincoln Anderson (September 18, 1905 – February 28, 1977), often known as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comic actor who became famous playing "Rochester van Jones" (usually known simply as "Rochester"), the valet to Jack Benny's eponymous title character on the long-running radio and television series The Jack Benny Program. Anderson also owned Burnt Cork, a Thoroughbred racehorse that ran in the 1943 Kentucky Derby.

He was born in Oakland, California, USA on September 18, 1905 into a family of performers, Anderson began his show business career at age 14 in a song-and-dance act with his brother Cornelius and another performer. They billed themselves as the Three Black Aces. At a young age, Anderson permanently damaged his vocal cords (he had to yell loudly for his job selling newspapers), leading to his trademark raspy voice.


Among the most highly-paid performers of his time, Anderson invested wisely and became extremely wealthy. Despite this, he was so strongly identified with the "Rochester" role that many listeners of the radio program mistakenly persisted in the belief that he was Benny's actual valet. One such listener drove Benny to distraction when he sent a scolding letter to Benny concerning Rochester's alleged pay, and then sent another letter to Anderson, which urged him to sue Benny. A similar letter came from a correspondent in the South who was angered that on an episode of the radio show where Benny was sparring with Anderson, that Benny allowed himself to be struck by Anderson. Benny retorted in a letter that it would not have been humorous the other way around.

Anderson died in 1977 due to heart disease at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, California.[1][2] He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2001.

its been a great Black History Month...
...see ya next year =)

Be Golden

~Marian Anderson, Opera singer Born Today...

Be Golden

~Happy Born Day Erykah Badu...

...lets celebrate her bday by bumpin some neo-soul goodness...

btw, her new album is awesome...New AmErykah!

Be Golden

~Ida Cox Jazz Legend, Born Today!

Ida Cox (c. 25 February 1896 – 10 November 1967) was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings.

Cox was born in February, 1896 as Ida Prather in Toccoa, Habersham County, Georgia (Toccoa was in Habersham County, not yet Stephens County at the time), the daughter of Lamax and Susie (Knight) Prather, and grew up in Cedartown, Georgia, singing in the local African Methodist Church choir. She left home to tour with traveling minstrel shows, often appearing in blackface into the 1910s; she married fellow minstrel performer Adler Cox.

By 1920, she was appearing as a headline act at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia; another headliner at that time was Jelly Roll Morton.[1]


After the success of Mamie Smith's pioneering 1920 recording of "Crazy Blues", record labels realized there was a demand for recordings of race music. The classic female blues era had begun, and would extend through the 1920s. From 1923 through to 1929, Cox made numerous recordings for Paramount Records, and headlined touring companies, sometimes billed as the "Sepia Mae West", continuing into the 1930s.[2] During the 1920s, she also managed Ida Cox and Her Raisin' Cain Company, her own vaudeville troupe.[1]



Be Golden

~Today in 1996 Bernard Harris , First Black to walk in space...

Trip to the stars rooted in history
harris
First black astronaut to walk in space sees vast importance of space exploration

February 24, 1996
Web posted: 3:35 p.m. EST

From Correspondent Kathy Nellis

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- In February 1995, Bernard Harris, Jr., made history. One of only seven black astronauts, he was the first black astronaut to walk in space.

A year later, as the U.S. celebrates Black History Month, Harris reflected on his accomplishment, and pondered the future of space exploration.
harris

"To be the first was great, it really was," he said. "But to me, it signifies that there would be many more behind me.

For Harris, the experience was a high point of a journey that began years ago. From the time he was eight-years-old, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut.

On the way to his dream, he reached many other personal goals -- pilot, flight surgeon, scientist, mission specialist. As Harris explained, his dream -- his trip to the stars -- had its roots in history.

"I think it's kind of ironic," he said. "When we look at history itself, you realize that astronomy -- the study of the stars -- that whole origin ... (was) being done by people from Africa. And now I get to fly amongst those same stars."


Be Golden

~W.E.B. Dubois..Born today

Be Golden

~Like Dr. J , If I could be Like Dr. J.....

Julius Erving Date of birth: February 22, 1950


Julius Erving was born in Hempstead, Long Island. His father left the family when Julius was only three. His mother worked as a domestic to support her three children. The family lived in a public housing project, and life was difficult, but Mrs. Erving worked to instill a sense of self-worth in her children, and young Julius realized his gift for basketball could be a ticket to a better life. By age ten, Julius was averaging eleven points a game with his Salvation Army team. When Julius Erving was 13, his mother remarried, and the family moved to the nearby town of Roosevelt. There, Julius maintained a high academic average and played on the high school team, all-county and all-Long Island teams competing in state-wide tournaments. Erving acquired the nickname "the Doctor" while still at Roosevelt High. His teammates would later alter this to "Dr. J."




easily one of the best players to ever play and change the game of basketball..


Be Golden

~Happy Bday Nina Simone!

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone. (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was a Grammy Award-nominated American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist.

Although she disliked being categorized, Simone is generally classified as a jazz musician. Simone originally aspired to become a classical pianist, but her work covers an eclectic variety of musical styles besides her classical basis, such as jazz, soul, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop music. Her vocal style is characterized by intense passion, a loose vibrato, and a slightly androgynous timbre, in part due to her unusually low vocal range which veered between the alto and tenor ranges (occasionally even reaching baritone lows). Sometimes known as The High Priestess of Soul, she paid great attention to the musical expression of emotions. Within one album or concert she could fluctuate between exuberant happiness or tragic melancholy. These fluctuations also characterized her own personality and personal life, worsened by bipolar disorder with which she was diagnosed in the mid-1960s, but was kept secret until 2004 after her death.[1]

Jazz Lovers have a listen...




Be Golden

~Today 100 yr Anniversary of Matt Henson/Peary Artic Expedition...Happy Bday Sidney Poitier!

Legendary African-American Arctic explorer Matthew Henson was born into poverty, ran away from home and went to sea at age 12. Yet he grew up to become a famous American hero whose long term partnership with Robert E. Peary allowed them to discover the North Pole in 1909.
Today Matthew Henson is remembered as a truly remarkable and well loved man; one who helped others, never spoke unkindly or harbored anger, was enthusiastic, and highly skilled in many disciplines. When men were starving and no food could be hunted, Henson declared he would find game - and he returned with fresh meat to keep them alive. When others could not go on, he carried them home. When even the indomitable Peary felt they were going to die he gained courage when he looked at Matthews face.

Henson's partnership with the Inuit people contributed to the astounding success of the 1909 North Pole expedition. The Inuit people made a legend of Henson, whom they called "Matthew the kind one." However, what should have been a glorious public reception was turned into a bitter nightmare of controversy when hoaxer, con artist, and later Federal Prisoner # 23118, Dr. Frederick Cook, claimed he reached the Pole a year earlier. The public was bitterly confused and divided by Dr. Cook for several months until Cook's lies became his downfall. Permanent damage had been done to the honor of the 1909 expedition team.



The public of 1910 had no place for an African-American hero; so Henson was never given the recognition he earned through the 18 years and 7 highly dangerous, difficult Arctic journeys he endured with Peary. His rewards and recognition came gradually. In the 1930's he was made a member of the New York Explorers Club of which Peary had once been the President. All the other famous explorers knew how valuable Matt had been at the North Pole. Freuchen, Stefansson, MacMillan, Bartlett and others kept close friendships with him.



also today....

a Special happy Bday to Actor Sidney Portier




Sidney Poitier Biography (1927- )

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RELATED WORKS

* Films
* 1955 The Blackboard Jungle
* 1958 The Defiant Ones
* 1963 Lilies of the Field
* 1967 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

» More works

Actor, director. Born February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida. Born prematurely on the high seas en route to Miami, Poitier grew up in The Bahamas. His youth was filled with delinquency, and his parents eventually sent him to live with his brother in Florida in 1941. Poitier served a short stint in the United States Army before moving to New York to pursue an acting career.

A student at the American Negro Theater in New York City, Poitier appeared on stage and in films before making his Hollywood debut in 1950. Cast mainly in supporting roles, he won an Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1963). The win marked the first Oscar awarded to a black actor and made Poitier cinema's first African American superstar, one who consciously defied racial stereotyping. Handsome and unassuming, he brought dignity to the portrayal of noble and intelligent characters, including Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night (1967). Other notable films include The Defiant Ones and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).

Poitier, Sidney (1927- )


Related Works

* Films
* 1955 The Blackboard Jungle
* 1958 The Defiant Ones
* 1963 Lilies of the Field
* 1967 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
* 1967 To Sir, With Love
* 1967 In the Heat of the Night
* 1970 They Call Me Mister Tibbs!
* 1971 The Organisation
* 1988 Shoot to Kill
* 1988 Little Nikita
* 1992 Sneakers
* 1997 One Man, One Vote
* 1997 The Jackal
* Director
* 1972 Buck and the Preacher
* 1977 Uptown Saturday Night
* 1980 Stir Crazy
* 1990 Ghost Dad

...I had the pleasure of reading this great book "The measure of a man" last year..please find the time to pick it up...you will be humbled and enlightened....




Be Golden

~Happy Bday Smokey Robinson!

Picture Source

Smokey Robinson (vocals; born February 19, 1940)

Save for founder Berry Gordy, no single figure has been more closely allied with the Detroit-based recording empire known as Motown than William “Smokey” Robinson. In addition to leading the Miracles, Robinson served as a Motown producer, songwriter, talent scout and Gordy’s most trusted confidant and right-hand man.

”He reminded me of me - so excited and passionate about his music,” Gordy wrote in his autobiography, To Be Loved. Robinson’s Miracles were the second act signed to Gordy’s management and production company. Everything at Motown was a family affair in those days. The Supremes (first known as the Primettes) wound up auditioning at Motown because Diana Ross was a neighbor of Robinson’s, and Primettes guitarist Marv Tarplin became an accompanist, arranger and cowriter in the Miracles.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles scored twenty-seven pop-soul hits at Motown between 1960 and 1971, including the classics “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Going to a Go-Go” and “I Second That Emotion.” They also explored the sweeter side of soul with a string of exquisite ballads sung by Robinson in a satiny falsetto. The Miracles’ brightest moments on record - “Ooh Baby Baby,” “The Tracks of My Tears” and “The Tears of a Clown” foremost among them - still kindle memories for those who came of age in the Sixties.

Essential Songs

The Tracks of My Tears
Tears of a Clown
Ooh Baby Baby
Going to a Go-Go
I Second That Emotion
The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage
You Really Got a Hold on Me
Shop Around
Being With You
Cruisin’

(note: the first eight songs are credited to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)


Be Golden

~Happy Bday Toni Morrison!

what a beauty...


Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford, the second of four children, to George and Ramah Wofford on February 18, 1931. Both of her parents came from sharecropping families who had moved North in pursuit of better living conditions in the early 1900s, and her father’s family had faced a great deal of discrimination. Due to these bitter memories and the racial troubles he endured during his childhood, he maintained a strong distrust of whites throughout his lifetime. Morrison’s parents instilled the value of group loyalty, which they believed was essential to surviving the harsh realities of racial tension during that era. As an African-American in a town of immigrants, she grew up with the notion that the only place she could turn to for aid and reassurance would be within her own community in Lorain, Ohio. Here, Morrison had "an escape from stereotyped black settings -- neither plantation nor ghetto".
Morrison’s parents encouraged her passion for reading, learning, and culture, as well as a confidence in her own abilities and attributes as woman. They educated Morrison before she was sent to school, and as an adolescent she became enthralled by classic literature, including Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Leo Tolstoy. In an interview with Jean Strouse, Morrison described her childhood experiences with literature: "Those books were not written for a little black girl in Lorain, Ohio, but they were so magnificently done that I got them anyway -- they spoke directly to me out of their own specificity.” Morrison was especially impressed by the ability of her favorite authors to identify with and present their own cultural roots.

Morrison graduated high school with honors in 1949 and went on to attend Howard University in Washington D.C. It was during this time that Morrison changed her name from ‘Chloe’ to ‘Toni’, (derived from her middle name, Anthony) so that her name would be easier to pronounce. Morrison was also a member of the Howard Repertory Theatre; their trips to perform gave her the opportunity to observe the African-American experience in the South. In 1953, she graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Classics. Morrison went on to pursue graduate studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1955, she completed her master's thesis on the works of Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner and received a Master of Arts.

...a distinguished icon.



I discovered Toni Morrison's Bluest Eye about ten years ago...it was a fantasic read, and was very hard to put the book down. Ive yet to read any of her other books, but im sure i will ,and convinced the will be as well written and entertaining as Bluest Eye.

~Happy Bday Michael Jordan

Full Name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan
Born: 2/17/63 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
High School: Laney (Wilmington, N.C.)
College: North Carolina
Drafted: Chicago Bulls (1984)
Transactions: Signed with Washington Wizards, 9/25/01
Height: 6-6; Weight: 216 lbs.

Honors and awards

Main article: List of career achievements by Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan and Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill game honoring the 1957 and 1982 men's basketball teams.

* Olympic Gold Medal: 1984, 1992
* NBA Champion: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
* NCAA National Championship: 1982
* NBA MVP: 1987/88, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1995/96, 1997/98
* NBA Finals MVP: 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* NBA Leading Scorer: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* All-NBA First Team: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* All-NBA Second Team: 1984/85
* NBA All-Star Game: 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03
* NBA All-Star Game MVP: 1987/88, 1995/96, 1997/98
* NBA All-Defensive Team: 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
* NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1987/88
* NBA Rookie of the Year: 1984/85
* NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner: 1987, 1988
* ACC Freshman of the Year: 1982
* ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year: 1984
* USBWA College Player of the Year: 1984
* Naismith College Player of the Year: 1984
* John R. Wooden Award: 1984
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: 1984
* Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: 1991
* Ranked #1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 75 Players of All-Time
* Ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century


believe you can fly?
I do
Be Golden

~Happy Bday Lavar Burton!

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957, in Landstuhl, West Germany), professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley. He is also well-known for his portrayal of Geordi La Forge on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as the host of the PBS children's program Reading Rainbow.

I would watch this daily in the summers of the 80's...
I had many favorite episodes, but this was my favorite and prolly the most memorable...



Read a book
&
Be Golden

~Today in 1941 Duke Ellington records the ever-popular "Take the A Train"

"Take the A Train," the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, was recorded on this day in 1941. The song marked the beginning of a decades-long partnership between Ellington and a shy young songwriter named Billy Strayhorn.

You live in New York, you don't own a car, you ride the subway. And if you're really unlucky, you have to ride the A train, which ranks at the bottom of the 20 subway lines in the city. It's the line most prone to breakdowns, dirt and delays. But it has one advantage over all the other lines: It's the quickest way to Harlem and the district of majestic mansions where Harlem's royalty once reigned, called Sugar Hill.

"Take the A Train" was written by a kid who lived in Pittsburgh named Billy Strayhorn. Strayhorn was a soda jerk and drugstore delivery boy by day, a musician by night, and a composer all the time.

In 1938, Strayhorn was introduced to Duke Ellington, who asked the young musician to play for him after a show.




A beautiful timeless jazz song...

take a listen
Be Golden

~Feb 13th 2005, a Posthumous Ray charles wins 8 grammy Awards

Feb 13th 2005,

The late Ray Charles has topped this year's Grammy Awards by chalking up eight wins.

Charles scored his multiple successes with his duets album Genius Loves Company, which was recorded during the final months of his life.

He won album of the year, record of the year and best pop collaboration for his ballad with Norah Jones, Here We Go Again, as well as best pop album.




September 23, 1930 - Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, GA.
1937 - Living in Greenville, FL, is stricken with glaucoma, which results in blindness.
October, 1937 - Enrolls in Florida's State School for Deaf where he studies composition, classical piano, organ, trumpet, alto sax and clarinet.

1946 - Begins his professional career playing with local bands around Jacksonville, FL.
1948 - Moves to Seattle, WA and using the stage name R.C. Robinson, forms light jazz and blues combo The Maxim Trio.
1949 - Changes his professional name to Ray Charles and releases his first single, the self-penned "Confession." Several singles follow on the Swingtime Record label.



I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
-Ray Charles

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.
-Ray Charles


Be Golden

~Today in 1962 the Bus boycott of Macon Georgia begins...

February 12, 1962, William P. “Daddy Bill” Randall was speaking at a mass meeting (most likely held at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in east Macon). A prominent spokesperson and community leader for Macon’s black population, Randall was one of the city’s most influential civil rights activists. He actively served as a chief board member of Macon’s NAACP and as chairman of the Negro Citizens Negotiating Committee, an African American civil rights organization established in the city during the early 1960s.

In early 1962, seven years after the Montgomery bus boycott led by the Reverend Dr. King and Jo Ann Robinson, Randall spearheaded a campaign to end segregation on city and county buses and to increase the employment of black American workers as bus drivers and mechanics. On February 7, in collaboration with several other African Americans--Walter Davis, the president of Macon’s NAACP; Ruby Williams, president of the City Federation of Women’s Clubs; and Rev. A. J. Shaw, president of Macon’s Evangelical Ministers Alliance--Randall mailed a letter demanding equal treatment to Linton D. Baggs, who headed the Bibb Transit Company which owned the city buses. Baggs and other city officials ignored their letter, prompting Randall to call for a bus boycott by the black community. Addressing the audience in this clip, he uses the religious rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement to urge them to keep fighting and refusing to ride the buses until equal rights have prevailed in Macon.

The boycott of the Bibb Transit Company officially began February 12, 1962, and it lasted for three weeks. Despite a series of court decisions in other Georgia cities that had declared segregated transportation unconstitutional, Macon’s African American residents still faced massive resistance to integration attempts. As was the case with the Albany students who attempted to desegregate the city's downtown Trailways bus station, arrests swiftly ensued when student protesters and ministers attempted to sit in the front seats of Bibb Transit's buses.


Be Golden

~Today they Freed Nelson Mandela

On February 11, 1990, after 27 years of incarceration, Mr Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison outside Paarl, following the relaxation of South Africa’s apartheid laws by the then ruling National Party and President FW de Klerk.

Mr Mandela was accompanied by his wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and was greeted at the gates of the prison by thousands of waiting supporters. From there, Mr Mandela was taken in a motorcade to Cape Town City Hall, where he addressed a 50 000-strong crowd and millions of television viewers in South Africa and worldwide from the balcony. Before he began his speech, Mr Mandela greeted the world with “Amandla!” (“Power!”), an expression used as a rallying cry by activists and organisations through the decades of racist policies and persecution by the apartheid government.



Nelson Mandela spent 27 years as a political prisoner in South Africa before becoming the country’s first black president. Mandela was a leading member of the African National Congress (ANC), which opposed South Africa’s white minority government and its policy of racial separation, known as apartheid. The government outlawed the ANC in 1960. Mandela was captured and jailed in 1962, and in 1964 he was convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison. Instead of disappearing from view, Mandela became a prison-bound martyr and worldwide symbol of resistance to racism. South African President F.W. de Klerk finally lifted the ban on the ANC and released Mandela in 1990. Mandela used his stature to help dismantle apartheid and form a new multi-racial democracy, and he and de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Mandela was elected the country’s president in 1994. He served until 1999, when he was succeeded by his deputy Thabo Mbeki. Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, was published in 1994.



27 in prison as a political prisoner...A Hero Indeed.


Be Golden

~Leontyne Price Opera Superstar b. feb10th

As Cleopatra...




A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Mary Violet Leontyne Price decided on a singing career after graduation from the College of Education and Industrial Arts, Wilberforce, Ohio, in 1948. Four years at the Juillard School of Music, with Florence Page Kimball guiding her as she would continue to do, led to her 1952 debut on Broadway. Ira Gershwin, based on that performance, chose Price as Bess in a revival of Porgy and Bess that played New York City 1952-54 and then toured both nationally and internationally.

In 1955, Leontyne Price was chosen to sing the title role in a television production of Tosca, becoming the first black singer on a television opera production.

In 1957, she debuted in her first stage opera, the American premier of Dialogues of the Carmelites by Poulenc. She performed in San Francisco until 1960, appearing in Vienna in 1959 and Milan in 1960.

Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1961 was as Leonora in Il Trovatore. Quickly becoming a leading soprano there, Leontyne Price made the Met her primary base until her retirement in 1985.


Quotes by L.Price

" The way I was taught, being black was a plus, always. Being a human being, being in America, and being black, all three were the greatest things that could happen to you. The combination was unbeatable."

Keep that PMA

Be Golden

~Today is Alice Walker's Born Day

"Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth and last child of Willie Lee and Minnie Lou Grant Walker, who were sharecroppers. When Alice Walker was eight years old, she lost sight of one eye when one of her older brothers shot her with a BB gun by accident. In high school, Alice Walker was valedictorian of her class, and that achievement, coupled with a "rehabilitation scholarship" made it possible for her to go to Spelman, a college for black women in Atlanta, Georgia. After spending two years at Spelman, she transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and during her junior year traveled to Africa as an exchange student. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1965."


Novels and short story collections

* The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970)
* Everyday Use (1973)
* In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women (1973)
* Roselily (1973)
* Meridian (1976)
* The Color Purple (1982)
* You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down: Stories (1982)
* Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self (1983)
* Am I Blue? (1986)
* To Hell With Dying (1988)
* The Temple of My Familiar (1989)
* Finding the Green Stone (1991)
* Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992)
* The Complete Stories (1994)
* By The Light of My Father's Smile (1998)
* The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart (2000)
* Now Is The Time to Open Your Heart (2005)
* Devil's My Enemy {2008}


Be Golden