TheEvolutionofaBlackGirl'sThoughts

Sometimes, it can be a bit much

2011-09-11T12:12:00.000-05:00

If any of you know me, you know that I am a true journalist. A media junky of sorts. I knew at the age of 17 that I wanted to be in the media. After obtaining two degrees and working in the field in various capacities for a combined total of 14 years, I have come to notice an alarming trend that effects everyone. The media, in its quest to get the highest ratings, will show, post, report on the biggest stories of the day. For instance, today is 9-11. Of course, it is a very solum day and one that will be engrained in our minds forever. I totally get that. However, documentaries are being shown on every channel, its on the cover of newspapers and magazines, and broadcast live during every newscast. Which it should, because rules 1 and 2 of ensuring that a story is newsworthy are timeliness (10 year anniversary) and impact (effects everyone). Now don't get me wrong: the 10th anniversary of anything this massive should definitely be reported on. However, when it gets to the point where that's all the media is covering leading up to that event, then it becomes a problem. Sensationalism is a real thing. Think about all of the "natural" disasters going on in the world around us. Haiti, wildfires in Texas, flooding and earthquakes in the east coast, etc. It's too much!!! We don't need to see everything. Some people can't handle it. A 911-responder spoke on TJMS Friday and said that she didn't plan to watch any of the documentaries or shows on the event because it has truly taken a tole on her. She has PTSD since the event and everyday is a struggle, not just 9-11. People are haunted by this event every day of their lives. Things Think about the Hurricane Katrina footage. I'm sorry, but I could not stand to see another dead body floating in the water, or the scores of people that were left for dead at the Superdome or the true disregard for human life in a city that many of us have come to love and enjoy. I remember thinking, as I did at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time on 9-11-01, "This can't be real. God, please tell me, this can't be real!" And then as I watched CNN, MSNBC, CBS, FOX, the Weather channel and surfed the web and listened to the radio and talked to my friends that evacuated, I realized, yes Kristyn, this is very real. Much realer than you could ever imagine. It does something to you to be there to see that happen, but I also feel that it does something to you mentally to see it played it in front of you, over and over and over again. It has to take a really evil person to not feel some sort of way after seeing something like that. It does something to you. And just when you thought that was over, Hurricane Rita happend. And though not as catastrophic in the sense of Katrina, it was damaging enough, as many of us came home to what was once a house and now was a shell of its former self. When we had to evacuate, we had nothing but the internet, the radio and an account of the events courtesy of a screaming Geraldo from the P.A. seawall. After I heard him say that the city was engulfed with water, I had to turn off the radio. I had to power down the computer and shut off my phone (which was only able to receive text messages at that time) because I was getting so involved in what the media was reporting that it was effecting me mentally. We were miles from home, we had been traveling for over 19 hours to get to a place that was less then 5 hours away, and we were just not prepared to hear anything like that. Then there were the earthquakes in Haiti, where we saw people living in squalor, children crying in the streets, women and men covered in blood and dust. Again, it does something to you. It's played over and over again. When we watch the news, you see nothing but negativity. Negativity about our POTUS and the government? Check. Dead bodies in your local neighborhoods, complete with the chalk white-out around the body, bloodied sheet covering the body or the coroner carrying the body out? Check. Parents killing kids or kids killing parents? Check. Screwed up economy that may never rebound? Check. Oh and to sum it all up, here's where you can adopt a pup that was being abused by his owner!!! Check check check! While at a 9-11 ceremony today, where my sorority gave a plaque to the city, I watched and listed as a survivor of the vicious attacks spoke about his life then and today. He said that we should honor those who lost their lives and grieve today, but tomorrow is a new day. A day in which we have been given another chance to do better and be better. We can't sit in sadness and grief forever. We have a world out there to protect. And he's right. The pain still lingers and it hurts. The world is a scary place. You don't know what can happen when you back out of your driveway, head to your job or drop your child to the airport for a class trip to Washington,D.C. But at the end of the day, what we know is that we will never know what could happen. Only God knows that. And that in itself can be a scary thing; to trust in someone other than yourself. Those people who went to work that day had no idea that that would be the last time they would kiss their loved ones. Those children on that plane had no idea that day would be the end of their short lives on earth. Those people in New Orleans had no idea that what was a routine evacuation to the Superdome would turn into hell on earth for 4 days, with no food or water. Those people in Haiti had no idea that simply walking to the neighborhood market, that they would not see fresh food nor water for weeks. WE DON'T KNOW. Again, I want you to understand that I do think this type of information should be reported. However, as technology improves, the public has more access to the news in an instant. Instead of waiting for the 5 p.m. news, you can see the info on Twitter or Facebook or live on the media's website or blog. Though that's good for many reasons (such as what NJ Mayor, Corey Booker, displayed during the recent floods) it can also get to the point where people see so much despair and destruction that they either become desensitized (many of our children are-think about all of the killings we've seen by children as young as 11) or they become engulfed by it and thus become over anxious and afraid of the world at every corner. As a member of the media (so to speak) I do believe that there is a way to tell the story without beating it half to death. Before there were ratings and awards, there was the reporter whose only job was to tell the story and tell it well. I want the media to get back to that place. Stop worrying about who is going to one-up you on the coverage of 9-11, Beyonce's baby, Kim Kardashian's hen-pecked husband, or the 2012 election. Just tell the damn story. We can't be so stuck in the past that we can't move forward and many times, that is what happens. Be fair and balanced and do what you were called to do.

The End of an Era

2011-05-16T14:11:00.003-05:00

As I've said in posts before, I am a graduate of an HBCU. In fact, Southern University is the ONLY HBCU that is in it's own system: SUBR, SUNO, SUSBO and the SU Law School. Now that's something to shout about! Ever since the inception of the first HBCU, Cheyney University, established in Pennyslvania in 1831, the world has often questioned the authenticity and purpose of such schools, as if to say that by purposefully not educating people of color, the world would be a better place. We can see by the way things are going now, that isn't true. So I don't find it odd that there is serious talk and contemplation of merging one part of my alma mater's school system, SUNO, or for those of you that have been living under a rock, Southern University-New Orleans, with the University of New Orleans. True, the campuses are within walking distance of each other, but they serve 2 totally different populations. For one, SUNO is located in the historical Ponchatrain Park neighborhood. This was the first all-Black, middle-class neighborhood established in the NO, but it most recently known because of the damage sustained during Hurricane Katrina. What many don't know is that Southern University was established in the NO in 1881. This was when the capital of Louisiana was New Orleans. But when that changed and the campus grew, it was decided to move to a larger location on the bluff of the bayou in Baton Rouge, now known as the main SU campus or SUBR. This was done in 1914. Southern University has a long-standing tradition in the Louisiana community as well as with the world, so again, I am not surprised that someone that isn't a native of the state or a supporter of HBCU's, would be willing to end that legacy for his own political party gain. Yes, I am talking about Louisiana's own, Governor Bobby Jindal. An Indian-American, who is as white-washed as they come. I'd hate to tell him that the same people that claim to be on board with him are probably at home telling some really nasty Ghandi jokes on his expense. But I digress.

Jindal and his band of thugs believe that the graduation rate at SUNO is too low and thus, by merging with the PWI (predominately white institution) UNO, that it will be a better alternative for the greater NO community. This, coming from someone that knows absolutely nothing about Louisiana, other than the fact that he's the governor. He didn't grow up there, he doesn't communicate with anyone from there and I'm sure his kids go to private school. He doesn't know about the city, besides seeing some numbers on a page. He can't relate to the struggle of African-Americans for equality in education. It was not too long ago that Thurgood Marshall argued to the Supreme Court for the Brown vs Board of Education case that made segregation in education illegal. But even before then, people of color had little to no access to higher education other than that of their own institutions. Yes, it's true that the graduation rate is low. However, what we are talking about is an institution where the majority of its students are first-time, first-generation. (As a college instructor, I know what I'm talking about.) At SUNO, the majority of the students are adults, aged 28 and up, with kids and full-time jobs, so no, they aren't going to graduate in 4 years or even 5. But SUNO has allowed them the opportunity to obtain a degree in their own time. Who are you, Bobby Jindal, to say that their time is too long? SUNO's population don't come from a privileged background and cannot afford to attend classes at any other institution. The professors are caring, the class sizes are small and it is the perfect place for a student that is too young and naive to go far from home or for a working father who has three kids, a wife and 2-hour free window to take a class for a job promotion. So what's so wrong for keeping it open? It sustained heavy damage from Katrina and though it's not back to 100%, the students and staff appreciate how far they have come. Who is to say that merging the campus with UNO is best anyway? UNO's graduation rate isn't tip-top either, but it services a totally different community. Essentially, they are both doing what they have to do, but by merging them, Jindal isn't making the problems go away, but in fact, may make them worse.

SU Alumni from across the country have rallied together to ensure that the legacy of our beloved SU System does not die because of the political agenda of one such, Bobby Jindal and his band of merry Republican thieves. I shudder to think that if this SUNO-UNO merger becomes final (voting began today at 2 p.m.) what that will mean for other HBCU's around the country. This is just the first step in a series of moves to ensure that the voices of people of color are silenced by a political party with a history of racial oppression. By merging SUNO and UNO, Jindal is ensuring that the state of Louisiana continues to lag behind significantly in education. In a city where the majority of its children are at least 2-3 grade levels behind, they cannot afford to suffer another setback. As a proud alumnus of Southern University, I can only do so much from Texas. But I pray that I can count on my fellow Jaguar Nation members in Louisiana and HBCU supporters around the globe, to ensure that this doesn't happen to anyone else.

Be careful who you vote for. Folks are selling wolf tickets these days.

Mother Tuskegee

2011-04-25T14:54:00.003-05:00

One of my closest college friends, Cinnamon (yes, that's her real name, no, she's not a stripper and she's more of a chocolate than cinnamon) passed through Tuskegee on her way to Atlanta for her spring break last week. As I saw her posts on Facebook about how much campus has changed and how she felt passing through her old stomping grounds, I felt a little twinge in my heart. She gave me the idea of blogging about what Mother Tuskegee means to me and what a great idea that was!
You see, I didn't originally plan to attend Tuskegee. I wanted to go to Spelman (window air conditioning units and not enough majors); Paul Quinn (colors were purple and gold but it looked more like a high school in the hood), Howard (folks said it was too far away and hell no to the cost-even though it was a few thousand less than Skegee) and THEN Skegee. But after visiting Skegee during high school visitation day during my senior year in high school, I realized it was the place for me. I am a big history buff; I love cities like D.C., Atlanta and New York because they have so many historical sites to visit. To visit the home where Booker T. Washington lived gave me such a sense of pride. It wasn't a replica, but the real thing! I had only seen it in books but now I was standing where this former slave lived and built a life for himself, his family and for a city. What an accomplishment that is! The George Washington Carver museum was amazing. He made so many things from peanuts!
I saw so much Black love on campus that I knew this was the place for me. I came back to Abraham Lincoln High School with a Skegee t-shirt and a sense of pride that I was accepted to attend a university that only others could dream of. The day my caravan of cars (2 of them filled to the brim with stuff that I could barely fit into my room; half of it had to be taken back) pulled up to Olivia Davidson Hall on the campus of Tuskegee University, I knew that I would make friends forever, though I needed a little convincing after looking at the dorm room! I cried when my folks left me so hard that I ran after the car and fell over the speed bump! My dorm mates Chasity and Paulette laughed at me for weeks and still won't let me forget that day! But after I got over my bruised knees and ego, I dusted myself off, walked up to my room, and made some friends. What else was a skinny girl from little ole Port Arthur, Texas to do? I popped in my screw tape and got to enjoying my time in college!
For the next two years, I met friends from Atlanta, D.C., California, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Orleans and every other place you could think. These friends are more like my siblings and I'm still close with many of them for almost 14 years. However, my time at Tuskegee was short. My father was diagnosed with chronic diabetes during my sophomore year and couldn't travel very far. As I didn't have a car, I had to move closer to home. Though it hurt me terribly, I transferred to Southern University, where the majority of my family attended, and I later graduated 2 years later; right on time with my class.
Each year, I attend homecoming with my friends and it's as if I never left. Yes, the campus has changed. In fact, it has evolved in a mighty way. Each year, I see something different that we didn't have as 18-year-old kids, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
My mother asked me the other day which college did I enjoy most and I honestly have to say Tuskegee because this is where I began. This is where I laid my roots. Yes, I have love for Southern because it's my alma mater and it's where I spent every summer with my family; it's sort of a tradition. But Mother Tuskegee is and will always be #1 in my heart. When I would drive from UGA home, I would get excited to pass the highway marker that said "Tuskegee University: National Landmark." And even now, almost 14 years after I started my college career, my heart still pumps a little harder when I hear the words, "Tuskegee, the pride of the swift growing south."
My years at Tuskegee made me the person I am today. The people I met at Tuskegee have helped to make my life a little brighter. The experiences I had at Tuskegee helped to shape my life and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. When I hear people question the importance of HBCU's, I tell them, you must have never been to Tuskegee. That thought would have never crossed your mind.
So I dedicate this blog to my friends from Skegee. There are too many to name, but know that I love you dearly and i know that my life wouldn't be the same had I not met you. And big thanks to Booker T. Washington for making his vision of education for all a reality.

Gluttony is a sin

2011-04-04T09:58:00.003-05:00

I always look forward to the fair. Even as a naturally thin person, I look forward to indulging in Southern delecicies such as fried oreos, fried cheese, shrimp and pork on a stick and a funnel cake. Don't forget the candy apples and cotton candy! This is a cavity's dream! If you have ever been to a fair or carnival, you know what I'm talking about. Just walking through the fair to the smells of onions and bell peppers on the grill, kettle corn and crawfish pistolettes makes me all giddy inside.

I remember watching an episode of "Bizarre Eats" and the host, Andrew Zimmerman, went to the Texas state fair in Dallas. There, he ate fried butter and fried coke (I know! google it!) and had his first taste of alligator; something we take for granted in my neck of the woods. It was then and there that I realized what a hot commodity food is. Not just for nourishment; I mean truly LOVING food to the point where it can completely disfigure your body. Case in point. I know many will say that just because I'm thin I don't know anything about the trials and tribulations of being a larger person and you're right. However, we both have the same dilemma: we love food! I can't help being thin and depending on what medication you're on, you may not be able to help being a little on the large side. And contrary to popular belief, there is no "big-boned" gene. Since we're adults, we are both able to do whatever it is we want to do, but when it spills over into our children, I have a problem with that. I can't tell you how many obese children I saw at the fair, eating more in an hour than I could in one sitting. You're killing them before they've even had a chance to live! It was a muffin top smorgasbord! Parents and children walking hand in hand towards gluttony glory and here I am trying to stuff this last piece of fried oreo down my throat without throwing up. (I'm sorry, but we are in a recession and I refused to throw away $4 worth of "food.")

Seeing that brought me back to the term "acceptance." Our culture accepts a lot of things that aren't deemed "normal." We accept Charlie Sheen and all his antics. (But not really since he bombed in Detroit this past weekend.) We accept an oversexualized Hollywood scene. We accept that the Kardashians actually have a meaningful career and actually tune in for that foolishness every Sunday! And we accept overfeeding our children. We often believe there are no consequences, but there are. I remember reading that Sarah Palin (I'm so sorry for doing this to my readers, but I must talk about her. Sigh.) was dissing our FLOTUS once again and this time it was about Mrs. Obama's healthy eating campaign. Now, what person in their right mind would be against healthy eating, especially with children, I'll never know. But I digress. Palin was speaking to a group of uniformed Americans and encouraged them to feed their children all the sweets and unhealthy things they wanted because "the government should not control what and how you feed your children." Oh, but I beg to differ. You see, the choices we make today WILL effect us tomorrow. The more unhealthy foods your children (and you too) eat now, the more health problems you'll encounter later. Where do you think diabetes, cancer, cholesterol and heart disease problems come from? The tooth fairy? No! We do that when we eat all those fatty foods everyday of the week. Our foods are pumped with hormones that make our children bigger than they should be, on top of the fact that they don't eat any fresh fruits or veggies. Those medicines that they'll eventually have to take cost money. And if they are getting them through the government it is costing the tax payers. (That would be you my dear readers.) I know it's cute to see a "chunky monkey" (In the words of Chelsea Handler) baby. I love them too! But when they make it on episode of Maury Povich because they are too big, there's a problem. (You know you've seen the "Fat Baby" episode when the kids are 1 and 2 and can only wear adult diapers and a wife beater. Sad.) That mystical "baby fat" has to fall off before they reach puberty.

Now, I'm not saying to become a vegan or vegetarian, because trust, I'm not. But I do think that we have to start thinking rationally about what we are putting into our bodies. With the soon-to-be budget cuts in education, many districts are being forced to cut physical education and with that, our children's only time to be physically active. I couldn't imagine being in school and not having my time on the playground, but that may soon be a reality for our kids. Instead of overindulging them with everything sweet and greasy, give them an alternative. Now, I know that healthier foods can be more expensive, but I've seen way too many "parents" (I'm using that term very lightly) that are dressed to the 9's and their kids are looking less than stellar. I'm a firm believer that people spend their money on what they want. Simple and plain.

Folks, we have to do better. I'm not saying that thin is in and fat is wack. Not at all. Quite the opposite. Folks around the world are now embracing what Black women have had for years; curves. Hell, I've been trying to get curves for all of my 32 years on Earth! But what I am saying is that whatever it is that you are overindulging on (food, shopping, gambling, sex (Larry Holmes), goddesses (Charlie Sheen) or reality TV) you may want to reconsider, especially when those indulgences can potentially hurt you, your seed and me (if I'm paying for it with my taxes.)

Thank You For Being a Friend

2011-03-30T09:09:00.003-05:00

Wow! I'm officially one year older. A grand ole age of 32. Yesterday went a lot better than I expected. I truly feel loved. For every person that called, text, emailed, facebooked, tweeted or told me "Happy Birthday" in person, I thank you from the bottom of my heart because you didn't have to do it. I don't take birthdays lightly as there are so many people that are 6 feet under that will never get a chance to celebrate their birthday on this side of life.

What made this birthday even more so special was that 32 years ago, my birth mother made the (what I deemed to be) the difficult decision to give me up for adoption. Just a little background info, my birth mother was a 22-year-old graduate student from an affluent family and my father was a 24-year-old carpenter. She knew that she couldn't take care of me, so her parents encouraged her to make the decision to give me up for adoption. I couldn't imagine what it feels like to carry someone inside of you for 9-10 months, give birth to them, then right after the baby takes its first breath, they are whisked away from you so that you won't become attached and change your mind. I often wonder how that made her feel. I've seen a few episodes of "16 & Pregnant" that showed this very scenario and I was crying like a baby. I was at the Edna Gladney Foster Home for a very short time, then I stayed with my foster parents, who happend to be white, until my parents, Madelyn and Travis, were able to get me at 2 months. Ironically, my momma, Madelyn, was 32 years old when they became my parents. And thus, I became Kristyn Eunecia Hunt on that day in May of 1979.

I often think about how my life would be if I were still with my biological parents. Would I have had a great life like the one I have now or would I have been brought up in a life of struggle? What about brothers and sisters? Extended family? I wonder if they think about me each year as my birthday passes or have they forgotten that I even existed? I was raised as any only child, so I don't think I really miss having siblings because my friends have become my family. But I do wonder if I've ever passed my biological family during my many travels around the U.S. and if I should take the initiative to try and locate my birth mother once again. I'm still not 100% sure of what I'm going to do but what I do know is that I can no longer be angry at her for her decision because had she not made that decision, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't have been afforded these wonderful opportunities and have met these great people that have impacted my life both positively and negatively. So if she is out there, I'd like to tell her thank you for making the decision to see her pregnancy through to the end and having the courage to let me go so that I could grow to be a better person. Hopefully one day I'll get the chance to tell her just that face-to-face.

Lessons I've Learned

2011-03-28T14:25:00.002-05:00

I'm turning 32 tomorrow. Before I start, let me first say "Thank God" because I could easily be 6 feet under, pushing daisies. But the older I get, I realize that I'll be eventually getting to that place where I'll have more behind me then in front of me and to be honest with you, it scares me. It scares me because I realize how much of my life I have lived. I mean, I think I'm pretty well off for an almost 32 year old in less than 24 hours, but I want more. Not so much in the greedy way, though all of us could do with more cash, but more so more depth to my life. Do you know what I mean? I've been working more than one job since I began working professionally almost 7 years ago and it seems as if that's all I do. Again, I'm not complaining but because I work so much, I often feel as if I'm missing out on something. I wonder if I wasn't working so much would I have time to date? But the reality of it all is that the pickings are slim and I work to keep myself from getting bored. Is that an oxymoron? But as I work myself into a frenzy, I'm not only hurting myself health wise (I've been sick at least twice this year and it's only March) but I often think I'm hurting myself personally because I'm not really living, but existing. Sure, I travel. An occasional trip out of town coupled with the monthly visits to Houston but I want MORE!! I desire more living in my life. I enjoy spending time with my friends, but let's face it, how many single friends will I have at the age of 32? Most of them are married, shacking, have kids, and don't really have time for the girl's trips, which is totally understandable. I don't knock their hustle at all. But before I get left behind (another post for another day) I think I better start reevaluating what's important in my life. I know why I have to grind so hard but I think I'm going to have to find another way to channel my energy. I want to live to see another 32 years and at this pace, it likely, but it's going to be tough.

Guess Who's Bizzack

2011-01-19T11:37:00.004-06:00

Hello world! I am officially back on the blog. I've been gone for almost a year. Time has gotten away from me. It's amazing how busy one can get when you're doing too much. But thanks to my bestie of almost 14 years, Paulette bka Gummi, I realized that I have to make time to express my thoughts in a creative manner, so here I am! I vow to never take this long to update my blog. So here we go!!!!

One Man, One Vision

2010-02-17T10:03:00.002-06:00

(My earlier post spoke on the history of UNCF and the Tuskegee University president, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, that conceived of the idea. I decided to post the letter who wrote below to show that there is no room for mediocrity. He lived in a time when the technology we take for granted today was never dreamt of. Never allow the conveniences of today prevent you from working as hard as you could for a good cause. Enjoy!)

(Reprinted courtesy The Pittsburgh Courier)
(Reprint from Southern Viewpoint By Dr. F.D. Patterson Pittsburgh Courier Saturday, January 30, 1943)

Would It Not Be Wise For Some Negro Schools To Make Joint Appeal To Public For Funds?

One of the most sever catastrophies of the present war, so far as the American people are concerned, is what is happening to our private colleges throughout the length and breadth of our nation today. They are receiving a double assault- that which comes from the loss of the majority of the male student population and that which comes through inability to receive adequate support through the taxing program now necessary to fight this war and to insure the broad social programs upon which this nation has engaged for the past seven or eight years.

If this is true of private colleges in general where it may be said that these colleges have a definite constituency upon which upon which they place a financial claim, the situation is trebly more grave with the Negro colleges of a private nature which heretofore have relied largely on gifts from substantial members of the white race for their support and maintenance. There is occasion therefore for serious alarm as to what may happen to such institutions as Atlanta, Fisk, Dillard, Morehouse, Hampton and Tuskegee to say nothing of a large number of smaller church schools.

Is Public Interested?

The handwriting is on the wall so far as substantial northern support is concerned. The question remains as to whether or not these institutions have sufficiently impressed their worth on the general public and there has been sufficient growth in the public conscience to permit the quality of widespread, if small, individual generosity that is necessary to offset the substantial gifts of the past.

The general public probably does not realize that most of the substantial progress for human betterment has come through the aegis of private and charitable institutions. In the case of education the freedom to experiment and blaze new trails was a pioneering service responsible for much of the progress we know in this field today. Even now, this service is needed because of the more or less fixed pattern which governs the educational programs of most publicly supported educational institutions. In not a few instances the political pot boils s incessantly that anything beyond the merest traditional routine is out of the question.

Unified Appeals

Private colleges for Negroes have carried the brunt of our educational effort for the better part of this experience. They yet educate to the extent of their means nearly 50% of those who receive college training. They have provided the bulk of the educational leadership administering to colleges both public and private. They, too, have pioneered in areas, until recently, hardly possible in few if any state supported institutions.
These Negro institutions may well take a cure from the general program of organization which seems to involve most charitable efforts today. Various and sundry drives are being unified with a reduction in overhead for publicity and in behalf of a more purposeful and pointed approach to the giving public. The idea may not be new but it seems most propitious at this time that the several institutions which they are spending for campaign and publicity and that they make a unified appeal to national conscience.

How to Split Gifts

The first question which naturally arises is who will get how much of the funds collected. The only reasonable way to handle this would be to work out certain range limits of individual budgets and then see that the given percentage of a dollar that went to any institution was in terms of this range in its ratio to the whole. If there is included approximately ten institutions this should not be a too difficult mathematical problem. A given institutional range could be determined for a base period similar to that used in the cotton allotment program so as to be sure that a fair estimate of the operating budget is taken.

Negroes Should Start

Such a campaign might well begin with Negro people of America. There are few of us who have any sort of employment who haven’t enough intelligence and interest, I am sure, to appreciate the importance of a such a program to these institutions of higher learning. The fact that all types of education would be involved would overcome the objections which might result if a single institution were to make an appeal. In addition to this there would be the savory feeling that this contribution would be made so that a large number of individuals would benefit regardless of their educational choice.

It is also possible that by starting with the Negro people in a campaign of this kind each individual institution could continue to appeal to the donors and special friends it had developed over a period of years. The nominal contribution of one dollar per person could be sought over this wider range without any important conflict. At least during these critical times, a unified financial campaign for several Negro colleges seems to be an idea worth toying with.

(uncf.org)

"I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

UNCF History

2010-02-17T09:57:00.003-06:00

(The United Negro College Fund is so important to our communities because it has allowed the most African-American students to attend HBCU's that otherwise, would have never had a chance to go. We must continue to support the UNCF and its endeavors, to ensure that the ideals and principles of these institutions never leaves our memories. Enjoy!)

A Look at UNCF History

In 1943, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, president of what is now Tuskegee University, urged his fellow black college presidents to raise money collectively through an "appeal to the national conscience." The next year, on April 25, 1944, Dr. Patterson, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and others incorporated the United Negro College Fund with 27 member colleges. Early supporters of the UNCF included President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. That first effort raised $760,000, a sum that would be worth approximately $8.6 million today.

Over the years, the idea and mission of UNCF have attracted hundreds of thousands, who through their gifts and their goodwill have helped us to keep our students focused on achieving their college degrees. Numbered among our friends was Sen. John F. Kennedy, who later became president of the United States. In 1959, he donated the proceeds from his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, to UNCF.

In 1972, Forest Long, an executive at Young and Rubicam, the renowned ad agency, created the UNCF tagline "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." He explained that it represented a "plea to everybody to reject the prejudices of the past and consider the inner person." The tagline has become one of the most recognized slogans in advertising history.

Buoyed by the whole-hearted support of individuals, foundations, organizations, groups and corporations who have generously volunteered their time and donated their resources, our schools have achieved inordinate successes. Graduates of UNCF schools have made lasting contributions to our nation by building successful careers, supporting their families and changing their neighborhoods. They now enjoy freedom and independence that only a great education can provide.

(uncf.org)

"Our most widely known scholars have been trained in universities outside of the South." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

The Pride of the Swift Growing South

2010-02-17T09:48:00.003-06:00

(For those that don't know, I was blessed enough to have received an education from two of the most well-known universities in HBCU history-Tuskegee University and Southern University. I received a grant to attend Tuskegee University and was there for the first two years of my collegiate career, until a family illness brought me closer to home. I love both schools, but Tuskegee is most near and dear to my heart because this is where I started. Below, you will find information about the "pride of the swift growing south" and home of the UNCF; where ironically, Lionel Richie, the newest UNCF award winner, was born, raised and where he attended college. Enjoy!)

History of Tuskegee University

Founded in a one room shanty, near Butler Chapel AME Zion Church, thirty adults represented the first class - Dr. Booker T. Washington the first teacher. The founding date was July 4, 1881, authorized by House Bill 165.

We should give credit to George Campbell, a former slave owner, and Lewis Adams, a former slave, tinsmith and community leader, for their roles in the founding of the University. Adams had not had a day of formal education but could read and write. In addition to being a tinsmith, he was also a shoemaker and harness-maker. And he could well have been experienced in other trades. W. F. Foster was a candidate for re-election to the Alabama Senate and approached Lewis Adams about the support of African-Americans in Macon County.

What would Adams want, Foster asked, in exchange for his (Adams) securing the black vote for him (Foster). Adams could well have asked for money, secured the support of blacks voters and life would have gone on as usual. But he didn’t. Instead, Adams told Foster he wanted an educational institution - a school - for his people. Col. Foster carried out his promise and with the assistance of his colleague in the House of Representatives, Arthur L. Brooks, legislation was passed for the establishment of a "Negro Normal School in Tuskegee."

A $2,000 appropriation, for teachers’ salaries, was authorized by the legislation. Lewis Adams, Thomas Dryer, and M. B. Swanson formed the board of commissioners to get the school organized. There was no land, no buildings, no teachers only State legislation authorizing the school. George W. Campbell subsequently replaced Dryer as a commissioner. And it was Campbell, through his nephew, who sent word to Hampton Institute in Virginia looking for a teacher.

Booker T. Washington got the nod and he made the Lewis Adams dream happen. He was principal of the school from July 4, 1881, until his death in 1915. He was not 60 years old when he died. Initial space and building for the school was provided by Butler Chapel AME Zion Church not far from this present site. Not long after the founding, however, the campus was moved to "a 100 acre abandoned plantation" which became the nucleus of the present site.

Tuskegee rose to national prominence under the leadership of its founder, Dr. Washington, who headed the institution from 1881 until his death at age 59 in 1915. During his tenure, institutional independence was gained in 1892, again through legislation, when Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute was granted authority to act independent of the state of Alabama.

Dr. Washington, a highly skilled organizer and fund-raiser, was counsel to American Presidents, a strong advocate of Negro business, and instrumental in the development of educational institutions throughout the South. He maintained a lifelong devotion to his institution and to his home - the South. Dr. Washington is buried on the campus of Tuskegee University near the University Chapel.

Robert R. Moton was president of Tuskegee from 1915 to 1935. Under his leadership, the Tuskegee Veteran’s Administration Hospital was created on land donated by the Institute. The Tuskegee V.A. Hospital , opened in 1923, was the first and only staffed by Black professionals. Dr. Moton was succeeded in 1935 by Dr. Frederick D. Patterson. Dr. Patterson oversaw the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee . Today, nearly 75 percent of Black veterinarians in America are Tuskegee graduates.

Dr. Patterson also brought the Tuskegee Airmen flight training program to the Institute. The all-Black squadrons of Tuskegee Airmen were highly decorated World War II combat veterans and forerunners of the modern day Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Patterson is also credited with founding the United Negro College Fund, which to date has raised more than $1 billion for student aid. Dr. Luther H. Foster became president of Tuskegee Institute in 1953.

Dr. Foster led Tuskegee through the transformational years of the Civil Rights Movement. Student action, symbolized by student martyr and SNCC member Sammy Younge, as well as legal action represented by Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960), attests to Tuskegee ’s involvement in The Movement.

Current President, Dr. Benjamin F. Payton, began his tenure in 1981. Under his leadership, the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site were launched. The General Daniel " Chappie " James Center for Aerospace Science and Health Education was constructed - the largest athletic arena in the SIAC. The Kellogg Conference Center , one of 12 worldwide, was completed as a renovation and expansion of historic Dorothy Hall.

Tuskegee attained University status in 1985 and has since begun offering its first doctoral programs in integrative biosciences and materials science and engineering. The College of Business and Information Sciences was established and professionally accredited, and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Physical Sciences was expanded to include the only Aerospace Engineering department at an HBCU.

At the time of Washington’s death, there were 1,500 students, a $2 million endowment, 40 trades, (we would call them majors today), 100 fully-equipped buildings, and about 200 faculty. From 30 adult students in a one room shanty, we have today grown to more than 3,000 students on a campus (the main campus, farm and forest land) that includes some 5,000 acres and more than 70 buildings.

Dedicated in 1922, the Booker T. Washington Monument, called "Lifting the Veil," stands at the center of campus. The inscription at its base reads, "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry." For Tuskegee , the process of unveiling is continuous and lifelong.

(tuskegee.edu)

"One can cite cases of Negroes who opposed emancipation and denounced the abolitionists." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Who dat knows about the Mardi Gras Indian?

2010-02-17T09:43:00.003-06:00

(As you can tell, I'm really on this Mardi Gras kick. New Orleans is one of my favorite places to visit and having grown up in neighboring Baton Rouge and attending Southern University, I have a ride or die affinity for the crescent city. Another krewe that has a strong historical context during the Mardi Gras season is the Mardi Gras indian. If you have ever seen these brightly-colored costumes, you know what I'm talking about. Enjoy!)

Mardi Gras Indian

Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel. Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes". Many of the tribes also parade on the Sunday nearest to Saint Joseph's Day on March 19 ("Super Sunday") and sometimes at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. There are about 38 tribes. They range in size from a half dozen to several dozen members. The tribes are largely independent, but a pair of umbrella organizations loosely coordinate the Uptown Indians and the Downtown Indians.

Mardi Gras Indians have been parading in New Orleans at least since the mid-19th century, possibly before. The tradition was said to have originated from an affinity between Africans and Indians as minorities within the dominant culture, and blacks' circumventing some of the worst racial segregation laws by representing themselves as Indians. There is also the story that the tradition began as an African American tribute to American Indians who helped runaway slaves. These slaves married into the tribes on occasion. An appearance in town of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the 1880s was said to have drawn considerable attention and increased the interest in masking as Indians for Mardi Gras.
When Caribbean communities started to spring up in New Orleans, their culture was incorporated into the suits, dances and music made by the "Indians".

In the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century, the tribes had a reputation for violent fights with each other. This part of Mardi Gras Indian history is immortalized in James Sugar Boy Crawford's "Jock O Mo" (better known and often covered as "Iko Iko"), based on their taunting chants.

As the 20th century progressed, physical confrontation gave way to assertions of status by having better suits, songs, and dances. Generations ago when Mardi Gras Indians came through neighborhoods, people used to run away; now people run toward them for the colorful spectacle.
A tradition of male-only tribes ended in the late 20th-century as women began appearing in costume as well.

Generally each "Indian" makes his own suit, assisted by family and friends to sew elaborate bead and feather work —A chief's suit can weigh up to 150 pounds (68 kg) and cost up to U.S. $5,000 — and traditionally a new suit is required each year. Beads and materials were once reused from one year's suit on the next.

On St. Joseph's night the Indians would come out and parade their suits one last time before taking them apart and burning anything they didn't reuse. In recent years, however, there has been a market for selling suits after they are worn for display by museums and private collectors.
[edit]Hierarchy

The Mardi Gras Indians play various traditional roles. These include the "chief", the "spy boy" who goes out in front of the group, the "flag boy" who bears the tribe's standard and uses it to communicate between the chief and the spy boy, and the "medicine man".

Long-time Mardi Gras Indian "Chief of Chiefs" Tootie Montana on Indian hierarchy:
"You've got first chief, which is Big Chief; First Queen; you've got Second Chief and Second Queen; Third Chief and Third Queen. First, Second, and Third chiefs are supposed to have a queen with them. That's just tradition. I found them doing that. Your fourth chief is not called fourth chief, he's the Trail Chief. From there on it's just Indians, no title. You also have your Spy Boy, your Flag Boy and your Wild Man. Your Spy Boy is way out front, three blocks in front the chief. The Flag Boy is one block in front so he can see the Spy Boy up ahead and he can wave his flag to let the chief know what is going on. Today, they don't do like they used to. Today you're not going to see any Spy Boy with a pair of binoculars around his neck and a small crown so he can run. Today a Spy Boy looks like a chief and somebody carrying a big old stick. It's been years since I seen a proper flag. Today everybody has a chief stick. The Wild Man wearing the horns in there to keep the crowd open and to keep it clear. He's between the Flag Boy and the Chief."

Tribes of the Mardi Gras Indian Nation

7th Ward Hard Headers
7th Ward Hunters
9th Ward Hunters
Black Cherokee
Black Eagles
Black Hawk Hunters
Black Feathers
Black Seminoles
Blackfoot Hunters
Carrollton Hunters
Cheyenne Hunters
Comanche Hunters
Congo Nation
Creole Osceola
Creole Wild West
Fi-Yi-Yi
Flaming Arrows
Geronimo Hunters
Golden Arrows
Golden Blades
Golden Comanche
Golden Eagles
Golden Star Hunters
Guardians of Flames
Hard Head Hunters
Mohawk Hunters
Morning Star Hunters
Red Hawk Hunters
Red White and Blue
Seminole Hunters
Seminole (Mardi Gras Indian Tribe)
White Cloud Hunters
White Eagles
Wild Apache
Wild Bogacheeta
Wild Tchoupitoulas
Wild Magnolias
Wild Mohicans
Yellow Pocahontas
Young Navaho
Young Brave Hunters
Young Monogram Hunters
Young Cheyenne

(wikipedia.com)

"If the negroes are to remain forever removed from the producing atmosphere, and the present discrimination continues, there will be nothing left for them to do." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Who dat knows about the Krewe of Zulu?

2010-02-17T09:34:00.002-06:00

(While the majority of the world is coming down from their Mardi Gras high, many don't know the historical context behind one of the most important parades of the season, the Krewe of Zulu parade. If you have received a coconut, you know what I'm talking about. Enjoy!)

History Of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club

Early in 1909, a group of laborers who had organized a club named "The Tramps," went to the Pythian Theater to see a musical comedy performed by the Smart Set. The comedy included a skit entitled, "There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me," about the Zulu Tribe...

That is how Zulu began, as the many stories go...

Years of extensive research by Zulu's Historian staff seem to indicate that Zulu's beginning was much more complicated than that. The earliest signs of organization came from the fact that the majority of these men belonged to a Benevolent Aid Society. Benevolent Societies were the first forms of insurance in the Black community where, for a small amount of dues, members received financial help when sick or financial aid when burying deceased members.

Conversations and interviews with older members also indicate that in that era the city was divided into wards, and each ward had its own group or "Club." The Tramps were one such group. After seeing the skit, they retired to their meeting place (a room in the rear of a restaurant/bar in the 1100 block of Perdido Street), and emerged as Zulus. This group was probably made up of members from the Tramps, the Benevolent Aid Society and other ward-based groups.

While the "Group" marched in Mardi Gras as early as 1901, their first appearance as Zulus came in 1909, with William Story as King.

The group wore raggedy pants, and had a Jubilee-singing quartet in front of and behind King Story. His costume of "lard can" crown and "banana stalk" scepter has been well documented. The Kings following William Story, (William Crawford - 1910, Peter Williams - 1912, and Henry Harris - 1914), were similarly attired.

1915 heralded the first use of floats, constructed on a spring wagon, using dry good boxes. The float was decorated with palmetto leaves and moss and carried four Dukes along with the King. That humble beginning gave rise to the lavish floats we see in the Zulu parade today.

On September 20, 1916, in the notorial office of Gabriel Fernandez, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club was incorporated. Twenty-two of the organization's officers and members signed the first official document.

The Geddes and Moss Funeral Home, located on Washington Avenue, played an integral part in Zulu's beginning, and has continued to do so throughout the years. The first official toast of King Zulu and his Queen is held at this establishment each year.

Zulus were not without their controversies, either. In the 1960's during the height of Black awareness, it was unpopular to be a Zulu. Dressing in a grass skirt and donning a black face were seen as being demeaning. Large numbers of black organizations protested against the Zulu organization, and its membership dwindled to approximately 16 men. James Russell, a long-time member, served as president in this period, and is credited with holding the organization together and slowly bringing Zulu back to the forefront.

In 1968, Zulu's route took them on two major streets; namely, St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, for the first time in the modern era. Heretofore, to see the Zulu parade, you had to travel the so-called "back streets" of the Black neighborhoods. The segregation laws of this period contributed to this, and Zulu tradition also played a part. In those days, neighborhood bars sponsored certain floats and, consequently, the floats were obligated to pass those bars. Passing meant stopping, as the bars advertised that the "Zulus will stop here!" Once stopped at a sponsoring bar, it was often difficult to get the riders out of the establishment, so the other floats took off in different directions to fulfill their obligations.

Zulu has grown tremendously over the years. This continual growth is credited to the members for their love, loyalty and dedication to this organization. In 1978, the organization opened its doors to their new home located at 732 North Broad Street. The two-story frame building houses a lounge downstairs for members and guests to enjoy themselves, and administrative offices upstairs. In addition, the "Walter Coulon Memorabilia Distribution Center" is located at 734 N. Broad Street, which houses over 100 items for members, visitors, and float riders to purchase throws or replenish their collection. This building was named after deceased member Walter Coulon who formany years was the custodian of the organization's memorabilia.

Of all the throws to rain down from the many floats in the parades during carnival, the Zulu coconut or "Golden Nugget" is the most sought after. The earliest reference to the coconut appears to be about 1910 when the coconuts were given from the floats in their natural "hairy" state. Some years later there is a reference to Lloyd Lucus, "the sign painter," scraping and painting the coconuts. This, in all likelihood, was the forerunner to the beautifully decorated coconuts we see today.

With the proliferation of lawsuits from people alleging injury from thrown coconuts, the organization was unable to get insurance coverage in 1987. So that year, the honored tradition was suspended. After much lobbying, the Louisiana Legislature passed SB188, aptly dubbed the "Coconut Bill," which excluded the coconut from liability for alleged injuries arising from the coconuts handed from the floats. On July 8, 1988, then-governor Edwards signed the bill into law.

Through the adversity, the Zulu organization has persevered. The dedicated and involved members are constantly seeking ways to improve Zulu. In the 1970s, the Zulu Ensemble (the organization's choir) was formed. An organ was donated by long-time member and past Vice President Oliver Thompson. They receive many invitations each year to perform at local churches, Gospel Concerts, schools, funerals, the Jazz & Heritage Festival, and Christmas in the Oaks sponsored by City Park of New Orleans. We in Zulu are very proud of this choir.

Zulu community involvement has been well received. During the Christmas season, the organization gives Christmas baskets to needy families, participates in the Adopt-a-School program (where one elementary school was named after one of its deceased members (Morris F.X. Jeff, Sr. Elementary School; formerly McDonogh #31) contributes to the Southern University Scholarship Fund, and donates funds and time to other community organizations.

The Zulu organization is proud of its standing in the local community, but also takes pride in its national and international standing. The Zulu organization has been the subject of numerous television documentaries and newsprint and magazine articles. King Zulu 1949, Louis Armstrong, graced the pages of Time Magazine that year. Essence devoted a full half-hour segment of their weekly television series to Zulu's impact on Carnival. Hordes of feature stories and photo essays have been done by international publications.

The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club Inc., is the everyman club. The membership is composed of men from all walks of life--from laborers, City Mayor, City Councilmen, and State Legislators, to United States Congressman, educators, and men of other professions.

Zulu's history is illustrious and at times colorful, and could fill volumes. It is also continual, with chapters being written constantly. This is an attempt to afford the reader insight on who and what we are.

(*Researched and compiled by the Historian Committee: Clarence A. Becknell, Chairman; Thomas Price, Assistant Chairman;
Don Short. All information used from: kreweofzulu.com)

"Let us banish fear." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Selena Sloan Gomez

2010-02-17T09:25:00.002-06:00

(I've been so busy that I haven't updated in awhile. Here's to playing catch up! Today is the 101st anniversary of the PTA. The PTA has played a very influential part in all of our lives, but many had no idea that the organization was started by three women, one of them black. Below you will find the biography of one of the great founders of the PTA. Enjoy!)

Selena Sloan Butler (ca. 1872-1964)

Selena Sloan Butler organized the first National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (NCCPT) and Selena Sloan Butlercofounded the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, which is now a part of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). She centered her life's work on improving the educational environments and upholding the rights of all children, regardless of their race or situation.

Butler was born in Thomasville to William Sloan and Winnie Williams on January 4, probably in 1872. Her father was white, and her mother was of mixed descent, half Indian and half African American. She started life with her mother and sister but without her father's presence, although she did receive his monetary support. She attended a missionary-operated elementary school in Thomas County and studied at Spelman Seminary (later Spelman College). At the age of sixteen Butler graduated from Spelman and began a teaching career in Atlanta. She married Henry Rutherford Butler, a prominent African American doctor in Atlanta who had studied medicine at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Butler began to harness her energies toward protecting the rights of children after her son, Henry Jr., was old enough to attend school.
Butler was active in her community not only as a teacher of English and elocution but also as an organizer. She cofounded the Spelman College Alumnae Association, organized the Phyllis Wheatley Branch of the Atlanta YWCA, and was the first president of the Georgia Federation of Colored

Selena Sloan ButlerWomen's Clubs. In 1929-30 she served on the Committee on the Education and Training of the Infant and Preschool Child for U.S. president Herbert Hoover's White House Conference on Child Health and Protection.
The first chapter of the NCCPT was founded at Yonge Street Elementary School in Atlanta in 1911, and by 1919 many other chapters had been formed across the state. At that point the local chapters banded together and became the Georgia Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. It closely followed the model set up by Alice Birney and Phoebe Hearst, who founded the National Congress of Mothers. The NCCPT and the Congress of Mothers worked closely with each other to improve the conditions in schools for all children as well as for teachers. The Congress of Mothers merged with the NCCPT in 1970 to form the current National PTA.
After the death of her husband in 1931 Butler lived in England for a short time while working in the Nursery School Association. Later she moved to Arizona and then to Los Angeles, California, to be with her son and his wife. Henry Jr. practiced medicine just as his father had.
Butler died of congestive heart failure on October 7, 1964, and was buried beside her husband in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. Her portrait now hangs in the state capitol. In 1995 Butler was inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement.

(courtesy of Georgia Encyclopedia of History)

"In fact, the confidence of people is worth more than money." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Who dat knows about the Congo Square??

2010-02-09T13:13:00.003-06:00

With all the hoopla surrounding the New Orleans Saints victorious win in the Super Bowl, I would be remiss if I didn't hit you some New Orleans history. Enjoy!

Congo Square (taken from Wilkipedia)

Congo Square is an open space within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The Tremé neighborhood is famous for its history of African American music.
In Louisiana's French and Spanish colonial era of the 18th century, slaves were commonly allowed Sundays off from their work. They were allowed to gather in the "Place de Negres", "Place Publique", later "Circus Square" or informally "Place Congo" [1] at the "back of town" (across Rampart Street from the French Quarter), where the slaves would set up a market, sing, dance, and play music.
The tradition continued after the city became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase. As African music had been suppressed in the Protestant colonies and states, the weekly gatherings at Congo Square became a famous site for visitors from elsewhere in the U.S. In addition, because of the immigration of refugees (some bringing slaves) from the Haitian Revolution, New Orleans received thousands of additional Africans and Creoles in the early years of 1800s. They reinforced African traditions in the city, in music as in other areas. Many visitors were amazed at the African-style dancing and music. Observers heard the beat of the bamboulas and wail of the banzas, and saw the multitude of African dances that had survived through the years.
Townsfolk would gather around the square on Sunday afternoons to watch the dancing. In 1819, the architect Benjamin Latrobe, a visitor to the city, wrote about the celebrations in his journal. Although he found them "savage"[1], he was amazed at the sight of 500-600 unsupervised slaves who assembled for dancing. He described them as ornamented with a number of tails of the smaller wild beasts, with fringes, ribbons, little bells, and shells and balls, jingling and flirting about the performers' legs and arms. The women, one onlooker reported, wore, each according to her means, the newest fashions in silk, gauze, muslin, and percale dresses. The males covered themselves in oriental and Indian dress and covered themselves only with a sash of the same sort wrapped around the body. Except for that, they went naked.

Congo Square today
One witness noted that clusters of onlookers, musicians, and dancers represented tribal groupings, with each nation taking their place in different parts of the square. The musicians used a range of instruments from available cultures: drums, gourds, banjo-like instruments, and quillpipes made from reeds strung together like pan flutes, as well as marimbas and European instruments such as the violin, tambourines, and triangles.
White Creole composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk incorporated rhythms and tunes he heard in Congo Square into some of his compositions, like his famous "Bamboula".
As harsher United States practices of slavery replaced the more lenient French colonial style, the slave gatherings declined. Although no recorded date of the last slave dances in the square exists, the practice seems to have stopped more than a decade before the end of slavery with the American Civil War.
In the late 19th century, the square again became a famous musical venue, this time for a series of brass band concerts by orchestras of the area's "Creole of color" community. Toward the end of the century, the city of New Orleans officially renamed the square as "Beauregard Square" in honor of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard. While this name appeared on maps, most locals (especially in the African American community) continued to call it "Congo Square".
In the 1920s New Orleans Municipal Auditorium was built in an area just in back of the Square, displacing and disrupting some of the Tremé community.
In the 1960s a controversial urban renewal project leveled a substantial portion of the Tremé neighborhood around the Square. After a decade of debate over the land, the City turned it into Louis Armstrong Park, which incorporates old Congo Square. The city renamed the square as the traditional "Congo Square".
Starting in 1970, the City organized the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and held events annually at Congo Square. As attendance grew, the city moved the festival to the much larger New Orleans Fairgrounds. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, Congo Square has continued to be an important venue for music festivals and a community gathering place for brass band parades, protest marches, and drum circles.

"In the long run, there is not much discrimination against superior talent." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Orangeburg Massacre

2010-02-08T13:59:00.001-06:00

The Allstar Bowling Lane

*On this date in 1968, the Orangeburg Massacre occurred. Three South Carolina State students were killed and 27 injured during a fourth night of segregation protest in Orangeburg, SC.

The All Star Bowling Lane, Orangeburg, South Carolina's only bowling alley played a pivotal role in the "Orangeburg Massacre" on the campus of South Carolina State College. That year, the segregated bowling alley was a rarity in Orangeburg because most public places in the city were integrated. Since the 1964 Civil Rights Act, local Black leaders and members of the white business community had tried to persuade the All Star to reconcile. Their efforts and simultaneous appeals to the U.S. Justice Department failed. All Stars’ manager claimed that bowling alleys were not covered under the Act.

Local African-Americans argued that since All Star had a snack bar, it was certainly covered under the Act specifically, under the interstate commerce provision in the public accommodations section. On February 6, a group of Black students from nearby South Carolina State and Claflin Colleges came to the bowling alley and refused to leave. The next night, another group returned and 15 were arrested. On February 8th, students started a bonfire on the state college's campus. Authorities moved in to put it out, and one officer was injured by a piece of a railing that was thrown at him. The crowd facing the officers began to grow, and then the shooting began because a highway patrolman fired his carbine in the air a couple of times, intending it as warning shots, and others started shooting as well.

Three were killed, Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond, SCSU students, and 17 year old Delano Middleton; a local high school student. While the student demonstrators worked their way back to the colleges, they broke car and store windows, and Governor Robert E. McNair mobilized a National Guard unit. Nine Highway Patrol officers faced federal charges in connection with the shootings. All were acquitted. The "Orangeburg Massacre," between students and police was the most violent incident in South Carolina's civil rights history and were typical of the tense times in the period leading up to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Early in 2001, the school held a ceremony honoring the victims of the shooting.

Reference:
The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0

Why are you still taking care of your family?

2010-02-05T09:28:00.002-06:00

So..if you didn't know, I love "reality" TV. Not the so-called reality TV of certain channels, but REAL reality TV. I happened to switch the channel to BET (I know, don't judge me) last night and I caught the tail end of "The Michael Vick Project." Now don't get me wrong, Michael Vick is a great athlete and not too bad on the eyes, but as I continued to watch this show, I realized that it was no different than any other reality show on TV. You have the child that grew up under horrible circumstances to become the stand-out not only in their own families, but communities as well. They climb up the ladder of success, based on their own God-given talents, only to feel some sort of guilt for achieving success and end up taking care of their lazy family members. Now, I understand wanting to take care of your mother or father. I get that. Hopefully, they did a good enough job of raising you and your siblings that you wouldn't mind telling them to clock at 9:30 a.m. and never turn back. I get it! But do I find it acceptable to take care of a parent who raised their stand-out child to be a meal ticket? Uh, no!!!! But I digress.

What I find funny is that on these shows chronicling the lives of Michael Vick, Fantasia and Keyshia Cole, their stories are the same. Lazy siblings that feel that they are entitled to the gifts and riches that are only because of their talented siblings. Even the baby-mothers and other money-grubbing long-lost fourth cousins removed feel they are entitled to something. Vick's baby mother just about killed me last night. She stated that Neiman Marcus and Saks would shut down the stores for them to shop and send her clothes to her home to choose from. Seriously? Well, let's think about this. Instead of shutting the doors to Neiman Marcus for you and your gang of home girls to shop on Vick's dime since we know good and doggone well you didn't work, how about you and Vick go the courthouse and shut the doors to get married since you have a gang of kids? Oh, was I not supposed to say that?

And that brother was a hot mess. He said that he was angry at Vick for pleading guilty and going to jail and leaving him to take care of all of the women in the home, which included his mother, Vick's baby momma and their breed of little children. Seriously dude? He took the fall for you first of all. And secondly, what do you do anyway? You better pay your way if you're gonna ride on his coat tails like most siblings of famous people do.

I'm not a man, so I can't sit here and say what a man should do. But as a man, you should want to pull your own weight. You have to know that that money will not last forever. Take a look at many of our so-called famous celebrities. Nicolas Cage is fighting a losing battle against tax evasion, just like Wesley Snipes, Sinbad, Dionne Warwick and countless others. Save up fora rainy day and have you a side gig that isn't illegal.

I can't bring myself to watch all of Fantasia's show. I don't know if it's her voice or the Vh1 subtitles, but I always end up with a serious migraine. But nonetheless, she's supporting her entire family, including her lazy brother. He pisses me off royaly every show. He feels he's entitled to have the things that Tasia worked so hard for and daggone near lost. Get a job and stop banking on your sister's fame!!! As you can recall, she just about lost it too.

And poor Keyshia. Lord, I have to pray for the girl because her mother clearly has substance abuse issues. I truly think that Keyshia had good intentions for wanting to take care of her mother and have all of her siblings near her in Atlanta. They had a difficult upbringing and weren't all raised around each other, so she took an opportunity to change their surroundings. That's good. But once she bought them all homes, things took a turn for the worse. It was always funny to me how Frankie and Neffie kept screaming from the rooftops that they worked hard for everything they had. With what? Oh that's right, Frankie got a quick $1000 for walking through the club in North Carolina. LOL. I see why Keyshia has cut them off. They were truly getting out of hand. And I guess they don't really need her if they have their own shows,right? Neffie is still having more children (what number is she at now? 6?), Frankie "works" for V-103 and Elite is supposedly coming out with her own show with their hair stylist (fail).

Even Kim Kardashian has issues. Khloe and Kourtney and even Kris want a piece of Kimmy Kakes' shine. Though their show is heavily scripted, don't you just feel the resentment spewing from Khloe and Kourt? Though Kim does nothing but take good pics and perfect the art of holding onto one of the sexiest Black men on the face of the planet (slightly jealous), the others still want that shine so badly. Can Kim help that she got the better part of the Kardashian genetic pool? Or that her high-priced plastic surgeon does a better job than the one Khloe and Kourtney and Kim used at the mall kiosk? No! It's not her fault!

And that's my point today people. These shows are just showing us how real sibling rivalry is as well as how unfortunate it is to be the stand-out in the family and have people resent you for it. Beyonce has a God-given talent. Though I'd enjoy it more if she's just sit down somewhere, it's still her talent. Fantasia, Keyshia, Vick and others all were given this talent crafted from God. That talent takes a lot of sacrifice. It's not all fun and games and glitz and glamour as we would like to think. No! They work hard for their money often times at the sake of not having time for themselves or to enjoy smelling the roses.

So I say this to those siblings and other family members and friends who feel that they deserve something because they have a successful sibling; get a clue and get a job like the rest of us. Though your talent may not bring you fame or fortune, you will be successful in your own right. Stop being so trifling and mooching off of other people! Stop test driving $100,000 cars when you don't have a license nor a job!!! Get it together!!

"If the Negro in the ghetto must eternally be fed by the hand that pushes him into the ghetto, he will never become strong enough to get out of the ghetto." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

RE: My Color Complex

2010-02-04T15:50:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I love movies! At one time, I wanted to be a movie director, but let that dream go to my cousin, Adrienne, who attend UCLA Film School. Well, one of my favorite movies came on the other day; Jungle Fever. I adore Spike Lee and I think he's one of the best directors of our time, having directed over 40 movies, many of them critically-acclaimed, but largely ignored by the mainstream media because the movies were "too black." (Whatever that means.) But I digress.

One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Gator's wife finds out he's cheated on her with a white woman and has a pow-wow with her fellow sisters. Ladies, we know about those pow wow's don't we? When your man does you wrong, you find out he's cheating or anything of the sort, we call the girls together for a pow wow over Miscato and a Papa John's pizza with The Works and hash it out! What I loved most about this scene is how the women discussed not only race, but the color complex. Spike Lee made it a point to subliminally discuss this hush-hush topic in his movies. I believe he did this deliberately to make all of us uncomfortable-blacks because we HATE to air out our dirty laundry and whites because they either BELIEVE or are totally OBLIVIOUS to the fact that this exists. Nonetheless, at the time, I found it odd how Gator's wife, a mulatto (mixed) woman could say that she had problems accepting her skin color because she was teased because of it. I had never heard of such a thing! I understood the plight of the dark-skinned sisters in the group. To be teased as a child is one thing, but to be teased for something that you have no control over is another, particularly moreso as a female. To be considered only a "friend" and not the "girlfriend" because you're too dark could drive anyone insane! That topic may have been taboo in 1991, but in 2010, it's clear who has the upper hand in the "mainstream of things."

Beyonce and Halle Berry. Both beautiful in their own right, receive more mainstream endorsements than any other African-American females. Though Kelly Rowland, Angela Bassett, Nia Long and Queen Latifah have had endorsements, they are typically for the "Black" line of products such as hair relaxers, Ambi and the Cover Girl "Queen" Collection. Why do you think that is? Is there a reason why most music videos in the past 15 years have had primarily light-skinned, mulatto or other mixed race females primarily as the leads?

Think about it for a minute. What is the mainstream media trying to tell us? You hear many men of many different races lusting over Beyonce, Halle and Rihanna. Do you hear them lusting after Nia Long? (Who in my opinion, is even more beautiful than she was 20 years ago in "Boyz in da Hood." ) No, you don't. And you won't. Because the mainstream media has made us believe that you're not as beautiful if you're not fitting into their standards, which primarily cater to white men. Sure, having "booty" is now becoming mainstream because of Kim Kardashian (I'll talk about her on a later post), J. Lo (I'm gonna get her too) and a host of so-called others. But how many of us know a big booty chick from our neighborhood? We all do! But People magazine isn't going to talk about the big booty chick around the corner. Their gonna waste space on Kim Kardashian and her attention-loving mother, Kris.

In retrospect, I see how I had color complex issues. I had several of my family members that were much lighter than me. My cousin always tells the story of how I called her and her fair-complected mother and brother white and her much darker-skinned father, black because that's what I believed them to be. I also spent every first part of the summer in Baton Rouge, LA. Louisiana has its own history of segregation of the colors and every summer, I experienced it. Though I loved it (and later returned to the city to pursue my degree at Southern University) I wasn't oblivious to the fact that my very fair-skinned cousin got all the attention and I didnt.

It wasn't until I attended grad school and took a "Race and Culture" course that I realized I had a color complex. I would never admit that I would cry myself to sleep at night wishing I was lighter and thicker and prettier. I would never admit that I secretly harbored a resentment towards my lighter friends and family for something that was just as much out of their control as my color was in mine. No, I would never admit that! But I couldn't hide it either. My professor knew. And we had many discussions about not only my hangups on color, but others as well. He suggested I read, "The Color Complex: The Politics of Skin Color Among African-Americans," by Kathy Russel, Midge Wilson, Ph.D. and Ronald E. Hall. (Available on amazon.com used for $1.33-A MUST READ!) Wow! This book spoke to me! I began to understand why I felt the way that I felt and began to explore ways to change my thought process. But what also motivated me to read this book was that I wanted to change the way others felt about the way they looked as well. I knew I wasn't the only one who didn't like the color of her skin or felt it was a curse.

Just like those women in the movie, I had hang-ups about my skin color. And though the mainstream media doesn't want to admit it, they do too. Look at your major news shows. The darkest woman anchor is Al Roker's wife, who is subjected to being broadcasted only on the We channel. We as a people have to realize that the mainstream media is not looking out for our best interest. Hell, sometimes I feel WE aren't looking out for own best interests. They only want to show bafoonery and coonery, like "Frankie and Neffie" instead of quality programming. It is clearly evident that it's going to be up to us (those of us who think it's an issue) to change the way we are shown in the media outlets.

So as Laurence Fishburne so eloquently put it at the end of "School Daze" WAKE UP!!!!!!!

""If race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Cheyney State University

2010-02-04T15:44:00.000-06:00

Our Nation's First HBCU (taken from cheyney.edu)

Founded in 1837 as the Institute for Colored Youth, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the oldest of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America. The founding of Cheyney University was made possible by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist who bequeathed $10,000, one tenth of his estate, to design and establish a school to educate the descendents of the African race.

Born on a plantation in the West Indies, Richard Humphreys came to Philadelphia in 1764. Having witnessed the struggles of African Americans competing unsuccessfully for jobs due to the influx of immigrants, he became interested in their plight. In 1829, race riots heightened and it was that year Richard Humphreys wrote his will and charged thirteen fellow Quakers to design an institution: "...to instruct the descendents of the African Race in school learning, in the various branches of the mechanic Arts, trades and Agriculture, in order to prepare and fit and qualify them to act as teachers...."

The school began in Philadelphia as the Institute for Colored Youth and successfully provided free classical education for qualified young people. In 1902, the Institute moved to George Cheyney's farm, 25 miles west of Philadelphia. In 1913, the name was changed to Cheyney State Teachers College; in 1921, the State Normal School at Cheyney; and in 1959, Cheyney State College. In 1983, Cheyney joined the State System of Higher Education as Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

Today, Cheyney University students represent a variety of races, cultures, and nationalities who receive education instruction beyond the vision of Richard Humphreys. Cheyney graduates still become teachers, but students also enter careers such as journalism, medicine, business, science, law, communication, and government service. The university offers baccalaureate degrees in more than 30 disciplines and the master’s degree in education.

Cheyney University is proud of its more than 10,000 graduates. Well known alumni include journalist Ed Bradley of the CBS program “60 Minutes;” Robert W. Bogle, publisher and CEO of the Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest newspaper continuously owned an operated by an African American; Gladys Styles Johnston, Chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney; Congressman Curt Weldon who represents the 7th Congressional District (which includes Chester and Delaware Counties); State Representative Michael Horsey who represents the 190th district in Philadelphia County; State Representative Thaddeus Kirkland who represents the 159th district in Delaware County; Robert L. Woodson, Founder and President of the National left for Neighborhood Enterprise (NCNE), Washington, D.C.; Samuel J. Patterson, CEO of Shepard Patterson Systems and Information Consulting Firm; and Ambassador (retired) Joseph M. Segars.

"And thus goes segregation which is the most far-reaching development in history of the Negro since the enslavement of the race." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Oldest HBCU's

2010-02-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

OLDEST HBCUs (information used from soulofamerica.com)

4-Year Public and Private Institutions

The history of Black colleges and universities dates back to 1837 when Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist from Philadelphia, started the Institute for Colored Youth to counter the prevailing practice of limiting or prohibiting the education of Blacks. Though the institute began as a high school, it began offering its first college degrees in the late 1930's. Today, that school is known as Cheyney University.

Today, 103 recognized Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are dotted across the country in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the US Virgin Islands. Alabama has the most with 14.

1837 Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (Cheyney, PA)
1854 Lincoln University of Pennsylvania (Lincoln University, PA)
1856 Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, OH)
1857 Harris-Stowe State College (St. Louis, MO)
1862 LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, TN)
1865 Bowie State University (Prince Georges County, MD)

OTHER HBCU MILESTONES

1865 - Virginia Union University was founded in Richmond, Virginia.

1867 - North Carolina's Barber-Scotia College in Concord, Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, Morgan State University in Baltimore, and St. Augustine's College in Raleigh were all founded.

1867 - MeHarry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, has trained more than one-third of the Black physicians and dentists practicing in the U.S. today

1887 - Spelman College in Atlanta, is the nation's oldest liberal arts college for Black women

1881 - Tuskegee University was founded by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama

1925 - though founded as N.C. College for Negroes, N.C. Central University in Durham, North Carolina became the nation's first state-supported liberal arts college for Blacks

1944 - The United Negro College Fund incorporated to raise money and provide services for private Black colleges.

"Even schools for Negroes, then, are places where they must be convinced of their inferiority." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Black History Month

2010-02-04T15:31:00.000-06:00

Though Black History Month started on Monday, I'm going to play catch up with some history facts. Enjoy!!

Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) devoted the remainder of his life, after leaving Howard University because of differences with the president, to historical research. He worked to preserve the history of African-Americans and accumulated a collection of thousands of artifacts and publications. He noted that African-American contributions "were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of textbooks and the teachers who use them." Race prejudice, he concluded, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect t hat the Negro never has contributed anything to the progress of mankind." In 1926, Woodson single-handedly pioneered the celebration of "Negro History Week," for the second week in February, to coincide with marking the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The week was later extended to the full month of February and renamed Black History Month.

"As another has well said, to handicap a student by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless is the worst sort of lynching." - Dr. Carter G. Woodson

RE: No More Procrastinatin'!

2010-02-04T15:10:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I'm so excited! For those of you that know me very well, know that I love to write. That's one thing that I'm good at. And for those of you that know me, you also know that I've been known to rant a time or two on facebook, twitter, yahoo, etc. I've been told that I should turn my rants into a blog, but I've never really had the time to do it. I planned to start it last month, but you know how work pulls you in another direction. Then I planned to launch on February 1st, the start of Black History Month, but I got tied up then too! Well, as one of my favorite quotes goes, "Excuses are tools of incompetence used to build monuments of nothing..." LOL. I've stopped procrastinating and here I am! I hope you enjoy my thoughts; my perspectives on the world and everything in it, including pop culture, education, black history and anything else that comes to mind. I hope that you encourage your friends to visit this site as well. So enjoy!!

--Kris