29 Days of Black History, Day 29

"Henrietta Lacks was a poor, Black tobacco farmer whose cells (which could be kept alive and grown) -- taken without her knowledge in 1951 (from a cancerous tumor) -- became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the BILLIONS, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance." (Source)

An awesome, awesome book was written about her story called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Oprah is reportedly planning to make a movie on the story, as well!

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29 Days of Black History, Day 28

Originally, I had planned to do a post about grassroots organizations started by young, black teenagers. However,  upon further research, I stumbled across the black youth project which has a super comprehensive list of black organizations all across the United States. Peep the video (below) and their website HERE. If any of you have an organization that you would like to pub, hit up the comments section and I'll update the post to include it!

BYP.com overview from Black Youth Project on Vimeo.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 27

Congrats to Diddy for becoming the first Black producer to win an Academy Award last night, for his documentary Undefeated!

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29 Days of Black History, Day 26

While watching an episode of Say Yes to the Dress the other day, I noticed that one of bridal customers kept requesting a dress with a lot of "bling-bling". It made me reflect on hip-hop's influence on American culture and around the world. The term "bling-bling" was first popularized in the hip hop community, appearing in Super Cat's song "Dolly My Baby" (featuring Notorious BIG) in 1993 and later made popular in B.G. and Lil Wayne's song "Bling-Bling" in 1999. Now, it has spread beyond hip hop culture and into mass culture. "Bling" was added to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in 2002 and to the Merriam Webster dictionary in 2006.

Hip-hop has influenced more than just the way we speak. It has changed the way people dress, what they believe, how they shop, and how they act--both positively and negatively. It begs the age-old question: How much is hip-hop responsible for many of the downfalls (crime, violence, drugs, etc.) in the black community?  Someone shared with me an interview that loosely relates to this particular question and I had to pass it along. Click HERE to peep the discussion between Ebony Magazine's Dream Hampton and rapper, Too Short.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 25

Did you know that Black buying power is expected to reach over $1 trillion by 2015, according to a study conducted by Nielsen and the National Newspaper Publishers Association? With such a large buying power, if African-Americans were a country, we'd be the 16th largest country in the world.

The study, which focuses on black spending, media habits and consumer trends, reported that the percentage of African Americans attending college or earning a degree has increased to 44 percent for men and 53 percent for women. It also found an increase in the number of African American households earning $75,000 or higher by almost 64 percent. (source)

We are "over-indexed" in smartphone purchases, television viewing, and grocery-store trips. Also, there's a complete lack of investments/production occurring. So, if we create more, SAVE more, and support more black-owned businesses, we win. Right? Anywho, click here to read more about the study.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 24

What does this popular show have to do with Black History month, you ask? Hit the read more link for the scoop!


Shonda Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is the creator, head writer, and executive producer of ABC's hit show Grey's Anatomy (and it's sister show, Private Practice)! Rhimes earned her Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth University and obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television. She won the Best Drama TV Series Golden Globe award in 2007 for Grey's Anatomy.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 23

Arlington National Cemetery is a military cemetery situated directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was originally built as a memorial to George Washington and later purchased by Congress in 1883. It is the burial site of former U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Taft, and serves as the burial site for veterans and military casualties from each of the United States' wars (American Civil War through Afghanistan and Iraq wars).

In regards to black history, there are around 3,800 former slaves buried in the cemetery, whose head stones are easily recognizable because of the inscriptions "citizen" or "civilian". According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, "There is one man in the cemetery who was also born on the property. His name is James Parks and he was a slave there that dug some of the very first graves in Arlington National Cemetery. Parks is buried in section 15." (Source)

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29 Days of Black History, Day 22

It really creeps me out amazes me when I Google someone from the 1800s and a picture pops up. From the 1800s, b? I just feel like we shouldn't have images from that long ago. But anywho...hit the read more link for the scoop on Mr. Martin R. Delany!

Martin Delany (May 6, 1812 – January 24, 1885) was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, physician, and writer. In 1865, he became the first black line field officer in the U.S. Army and achieved the highest rank an African American would reach during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him major in the infantry in charge of recruiting soldiers for the all-Black unit of the Union Army.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 21

I know it seems like I'm being lazy with all these videos and I am but as far as I'm concerned, THIS is black history. Classic. May he R.I.P.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 20

You don't have to spend more than a minute in the magazine aisle at the grocery store to realize that when it comes to fashion mags, black models are disproportionately represented. Our culture is often borrowed from, but seldom are we given credit or the opportunity to showcase our beauty and creativity first-hand.

In 2008, Vogue Italia released The Black Issue featuring only black models from cover to cover. Every. single. page. g. It was the very first time anything like that had ever been done by a major fashion mag. The issue flew off the shelves worldwide and it has become an annual thing for Vogue. That's great! Some argue that by cramming all the black models in one issue, it makes it easy for us to be ignored otherwise. While I think there is still a lot to be done, I respectfully disagree with the notion that we are ignored except for one month out of the year...but that's another post for another day.

Anywho, hit the read more link to see an interview with the editor of vogue, Franca Sozzani, where she explains how The Black Issue is the "proudest moment in her career".  She also discusses how the issue was not well-received in one particular country. There's a link to photos from that 2008 issue under the drop, as well. Peace!


Peep the pictures HERE.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 19

Funky Four Plus One (aka Funky 4+1) is the first rap group from The Bronx, New York to receive a recording deal. They were also the first rap group to perform live on National TV, Saturday Night Live to be exact, on Valentine's Day. How sweet.

"The original members were The Voice of K.K. aka K.K. Rockwell (Kevin Smith), Keith Keith (Keith Caesar), Sha Rock (Sharon Green), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams). Rahiem later left the group to join Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. Sha Rock temporarily left as well, and they were replaced by Lil' Rodney C! and Jazzy Jeff, who became the 'New' Funky Four and with the return of Sha Rock who became the Plus One More."

Shout out to them for paving the way for Cash Money, Maybach Music, Bad Boys and Junior Mafia, Wu-Tang, 2 Live Crew, Naughty By Nature, Three 6 Mafia, Goodie Mob, The Fugees, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, NWA, Run DMC, and every other historical rap "group" that you can think of!

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29 Days of Black History, Day 18

Sheila Holt-Orsted is a former aerobics instructor and fitness trainer. She was also named Miss Tennessee Bodybuilding Heavyweight and Mixed Pairs Champion in 1991. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in 2003 after a manufacturing company dumped deadly chemicals near her family's farm...chemicals that eventually contaminated her family's water supply.

After Holt-Orsted, her father, aunt, and two cousins were all diagnosed with cancer, she did some investigating and discovered that the company had sent letters to white families in the area warning them about the potentially hazardous water.

Holt-Orsted filed a lawsuit against the company, which eventually went bankrupt. After hearing about Holt-Orsted's story, Hillary Clinton invited her to speak at the United States' first environmental justice meeting. Today, she travels to different college campuses speaking about environmental racism. Hit the read more link to watch a video about her story.


Shout out to my big sister for the heads up about this story!

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29 Days of Black History, Day 17

Courtesy of my little brother.
ENJOY!

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29 Days of Black History, Day 16

Click here to check out a great article about Jim Wallace, a UNC graduate, who photographed the Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill while working for the school's award-winning newspaper.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 15

 
When I'm not watchin' ESPN, I'm usually flippin' back and forth between WEtv and the FoodNetwork. ESPECIALLY the FoodNetwork, g. So, it's only right that I share Rufus Estes' story, as I was very excited when I stumbled across it last night. Hit the read more link for the scoop!

Estes was born a slave in Murray County, Tennessee in 1857. After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, his family relocated to Nashville, Tennessee where he began working in a restaurant to support his family at the age of 16.

In 1883, Rufus had relocated to Chicago and got a job working for the Pullman Private Car Service. He spent 14 years with there, working on the "private railroad cars that carried celebrities, presidents, and the very wealthy back and forth across the continent".  Around 1907, he became chef of the executive dining room at the Chicago division of the U.S. Steel Corporation (the first billion-dollar corporation in the world).

The kicker:

In 1911, Rufus became America's first, black chef with a cookbook, which was called Good Things To Eat as Suggested by Rufus. It has 22 chapters and contains up to 591 recipes, g! And look at that cover (pictured above)?! From slave to schwaaaag, I 'clare.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 14

The Nobel Prize has been described as the "most prestigious award available in the fields of literature, medicine, physics, chemistry, peace and economics". It was first awarded in 1901. Since then, there have been over 800 recipients, or laureates, 15 of them being black people.



Ralph Bunche, political scientist and diplomat, was the first black person to receive the Nobel Prize (for Peace, in 1950) because of his mediation work in Palestine



Toni Morrison, novelist and professor, was the first black woman to receive the Nobel Prize (for Literature, in 1993) for her contributions to American literature



Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest black person (age 35) to win the Nobel Prize (for Peace, in 1964) for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means

Other recognizable, black recipients include President Barack Obama (Peace--although I don't quite understand this one), Desmond Tutu (Peace), Trey Washington (Swagger) and Nelson Mandela (Peace)

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29 Days of Black History, Day 13

Domestic violence (which can be physical, psychological, sexual or financial) is a harsh reality in the black community. According to the American Bar Association, African-American women ages 20-24 experience significantly more domestic violence than white women in the same age group and the #1 killer of African-American women ages 15-25 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Hit the read more link to learn more about Wambui Bahati (pictured above) and what she is doing to combat this serious issue in our community.

Wambui Bahati is a speaker, author, entertainer and holistic mental health and "empowerment over domestic violence" advocate. She studied theater at New York University School of the Arts and went on to perform in the Broadway productions of Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Today, Bahati tours all around the world entertaining and empowering others through her custom presentations, with topics ranging from racial injustice to homelessness. She wrote, produced and stars in the one-woman show called I Am Domestic Violence and has received national recognition for her efforts in advocacy. To learn even more about her and her shows, click here.

Also, to learn more about domestic violence, how it effects black women specifically, and what to do if you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence, click here.

Everyone has a right to peaceful coexistence, the basic personal freedoms, the alleviation of suffering, and the opportunity to lead a productive life..." _Jimmy Carter

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29 Days of Black History, Day 12

RIP to Whitney Houston, dead at the age of 48

"According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Whitney Houston was the most awarded female artist of all time with an astounding 415 career awards as of 2010."

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29 Days of Black History, Day 11

Meet Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958). She was raised by a single mother in a New York city housing project. Nevertheless, she went on to obtain a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU in 1980 and a master of science in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University a year later. See if you can guess what Burns is best known for today, my g's:
     a) founder and lead developer of Tumblr, which became the first blogging platform to host President Obama's blog
     b) Fortune 500 CEO, listed as #14 on Forbes most powerful women in the world
     c) editor-in-chief of ESSENCE Magazine and renowned public speaker

Hit the read more link for the answer!

The answer is c). Burns is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She got her start at Xerox Corp. as an intern in 1980 and worked her way all the way up to president in 2002. In 2009, Forbes rated her the 14th most powerful woman in the world! Schwaaaag.

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29 Days of Black History, Day 10

Guess who?
In 2001, he became only the second black performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first being Sidney Poiter of course. He's been in over 30 movies, has won two Oscars and one Golden Globe Award. Hit the read more link for the answer.


It's none other than my big cousin, Denzel Washington, Jr. He has a new movie called Safe House which drops today! Go see it!

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