What your teacher told you: John Brown was an insane antiracist who hated himself and others white people. He was delusional. Abraham Lincoln free the slaves, so therefore he can't be racist. The Truth: 1. "Just as textbooks treat slavery without racism, they treat abolitionism without idealism. Consider the most radical white abolitionist of them all, John Brown.” 2. … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: Lies My Teacher Told Me
Friday Open Thread
Friday Open Thread: Gil Scott Heron
Death Scott-Heron died on the afternoon of May 27, 2011, at St. Luke's Hospital, New York City, after becoming ill upon returning from a European trip. Scott-Heron had confirmed previous press speculation about his health, when he disclosed in a 2008 New York Magazine interview that he had been HIV-positive for several years, and that he had been previously hospitalized … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: Gil Scott Heron
Friday Open Thread: Black Burlesque and Vaudeville Performers
Toni Elling is a black American burlesque performer and said to be the inspiration for Duke Ellington’s Satin Doll. Elling was born Rosita Sims in 1928, and was one of the premier ecdysiast of her day. Her stage name Toni Elling is an anagram of her friend and mentor’s name Duke Ellington. According to Elling, she had a friend named Rita Revere that was a dancer who encouraged … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: Black Burlesque and Vaudeville Performers
Friday Open Thread: African-American Astronomers and Astrophysicists
Astronomer Derrick Pitts was born on January 22, 1955 in the Tioga-Nicetown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a child, Pitts was fascinated by outer space and rockets. After graduating from Germantown Academy, he received his B.S. degree in geology from St. Lawrence University in 1978. Pitts began working at The Franklin Institute as a young college student. He was … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: African-American Astronomers and Astrophysicists
Friday Open Thread: Black Pirates
This week's open thread highlighted black pirates and their plight. Today I will highlight several unknown black pirates. In 1731 Juan Andres (Andresote) was the leader of some runaway slaves and Indians. These villains plundered and murdered along the coast of Venezuela. Authorities assumed he had died when two years later the attacks ceased. In reality, he merely moved to … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: Black Pirates