history Category Archives
The Boondocks: Return of the KING
Published on 17 Jan 2011 at 2:28 pm.
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Filed under television, history.
Back during season 1 of the revolutionary anime The Boondocks, Aaron McGruder dropped Return of the King - a controversial interpretation of a 21st Century Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. See if you can catch the references to The Last Poets “Niggers Are Scared of Revolution” in King’s final speech, which drew the ire of […]
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Everybody Hates Chris. Columbus Day Remixed.
Published on 11 Oct 2010 at 12:48 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under history, violence, war.
Happy Columbus day. A national holiday dedicated to one of the most insidious agents of colonialism, genocide, theft and enslavement. I came across a video beckoning us to reconsider Columbus day and introduce a national Indigenous cultures holiday. Trust me my Indigenous brothers and sisters - black folks have a whole month, yet that doesn’t […]
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June 2010 Interview: Mark Anthony Neal
Published on 15 Jun 2010 at 11:59 pm.
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Filed under black culture, music, history, popular culture, Hip-Hip.
This Black Music Month our interview is with professor and public intellectual Dr. Mark Anthony Neal. We discuss the role of the public intellectual, Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks and Dr. Neal’s contribution to Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas’s Illmatic. Enjoy!
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial
Published on 19 Apr 2010 at 3:14 pm.
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Filed under black culture, history, education.
This April marks the 42nd anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the good folks at Build the Dream (dot org) are working on building a National Memorial in his name. They have raised over $100 million dollars and are only about $14 million away from their goal. The memorial will […]
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via NYT: Black Women, Abortion, Accusations of Eugenics
Published on 28 Feb 2010 at 2:27 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Uncategorized, men's issues, women's issues/feminism, black culture, sexuality, black image, history, technology, health, healing, family.
I apologize for my absence in what seems like almost a year. Teaching high school english and history, freelance photography, and getting a non-profit up and running is 90-100 hour a week commitment . I am much better with saying “no” and have carved out more time for writing.
I’ve had a lot […]
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Old Ideologies Die Hard: The Persistence of “The Talented Tenth”
Published on 15 Nov 2009 at 4:27 pm.
12 Comments.
Filed under news/politics, black culture, entertainment, poverty, black image, radical politics, history, racial rhetoric, President Obama.
Historicizing “heroes” has proven to be a tricky business for black folk in America, that is, when we choose to undertake the endeavor at all. Oftentimes, our proclivity to re-imagine our icons is nothing more than a static idolatry that fails to account for the full complexity of the individuals we claim to acknowledge. We […]
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What Would You Tell Your Former “Master” If He Asked You To Return to the Peace and Serenity of His Ohio Plantation?
Published on 19 Jun 2009 at 10:44 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under history, economy, enslavement.
Emancipation day, or Juneteenth, celebrates the announcement of the “abolition” of enslavement in the state of Texas. I use the term abolition loosely because the Emancipation Proclamation did little to improve the lives of enslaved (or formerly enslaved) Africans and African Americans. Issued in September of 1862, the Proclamation was not legally effective until January […]
Hip Hop: Black Political and Cultural Crossroads - Free & D. Noble on Urban Progressive Radio Tonight!
Published on 4 Jun 2009 at 10:25 am.
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Filed under black culture, history, popular culture, Hip-Hip.
Tonight - June 4th @ 9pm, Pierce Freelon and Olokun Shangol Olugbala aka. D. Noble will be guests on Urban Progressive Talk Radio’s broadcast of Our Common Ground with host Janice Graham. You can listen live at: www.ustalknetwork.com and call in: 954-530-2068.
Our Common Ground is alternative, interactive, activist talk radio programming exploring global and community […]
John Hope Franklin, One of the Great Minds of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Dies At 94
Published on 25 Mar 2009 at 5:48 pm.
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Filed under academia, history.
John Hope Franklin was not just a historian. He was the historian. From his 3.5 million copy best-seller, From Slavery to Freedom to his autobiography Mirror to America, Franklin has given us unparalleled insight into the dynamics of the African American experience. John Hope Franklin was a trailblazer, icon, inspiration, mentor, father, professor and […]
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Scottish Claim They Created Rap Music
Published on 29 Jan 2009 at 11:59 pm.
11 Comments.
Filed under music, history.
The other day one of my former college roommates sent me a link to an interesting article entitled: Rap Music Originated in Medieval Scottish Pubs, Claims American Professor. At first glance I thought that my old friend, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, was playing some sort of nationalistic prank on me. However, after further investigation, […]
