Black History Month: Day 25 – The Woman Who Showed Us the Stars

I've been watching a lot of Star Trek recently.  One reason is because every other weekend I volunteer at Seattle's MoPOP, where I have the honor of talking to people about the amazing Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibit.  The other reason is because it's never failed to inspire me to embrace a future where … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 25 – The Woman Who Showed Us the Stars

Black History Month: Day 24 – The Death of a Revolutionary

The city of Chicago is a very interesting city with respect to American History. The third largest city, it experienced significant growth in the early 1900s due to an industrial boom, railroad expansion, and the 1893 World's Fair. When the economy boomed during World War I and after, the increase in jobs brought in a … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 24 – The Death of a Revolutionary

Black History Month: Day 22 – Lady Day Sings of Lynching

The song "Strange Fruit" was originally a poem written and published in 1937.  It was written by English teacher Abel Meeropol under his pen name Lewis Allan.  Inspired by the photograph of two African American men who were lynched while surrounded by a large crowd of White Americans, it protested American racial violence (specifically lynching). … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 22 – Lady Day Sings of Lynching

Black History Month: Day 20 – The Founder of Milestone Comics

While the world's population is made of a diverse background of people with different cultures and personalities, much of the representation of people in visual media has been monochromatically white.  This has been especially true in comic books and graphic novels.  Pioneering a new era of diversity in the comic book industry, Dwayne McDuffie helped … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 20 – The Founder of Milestone Comics

Black History Month: Day 19 – Tulsa’s Black Wall Street

In the early 1900s, Tulsa Oklahoma  was home to a prosperous African district known as Greenwood.  This district was so successful that a dollar would stay within the district an estimated nineteen months before being spend elsewhere.  Home to many successful black businesses, the "colored district" of Tulsa was much more prosperous than its white … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 19 – Tulsa’s Black Wall Street

Black History Month: Day 18 – The Indomitable Marshal

Rarely do stories of the Wild West and cowboys involve people of color, aside from indigenous Americans who were either targets or passive companions.  However, in the 1800s there were plenty of African Americans in the Wild West.  Among these unsung pioneers was a man who by all accounts was the greatest law man in … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 18 – The Indomitable Marshal

Black History Month: Day 17 – The Pioneer of African-American hair care.

Although her story is not as well known, Annie Turnbo Malone was the businesswoman and chemist that founded the first line of African-American hair care products and America's first black millionairess.  Her pioneering efforts were in the creation of her hair care products, as well as her modern distribution system that would be emulated by … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 17 – The Pioneer of African-American hair care.

Black History Month: Day 16 – The Man Who Told Our Story

John H. Johnson is a familiar name to nearly every African-American family. As the founder of Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazine, his publications were in nearly every African-American household in America. His vision to provide news and stories relevant to black people made him one of the most significant businessman and … Continue reading Black History Month: Day 16 – The Man Who Told Our Story