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Saturday, February 8, 2014

Augusta Savage, Sculptor (February 29, 1892 – March 26, 1962)


Augusta Fells (Savage) was born in Green Cove Springs (near Jacksonville), Florida. She began making clay figures as a child, mostly small animals, but her father would beat her when he found her sculptures. This was because at that time, he believed her sculpture to be a sinful practice, based upon his interpretation of the "graven images" portion of the Bible. After the family moved to West Palm Beach, she sculpted a Virgin Mary figure, and, upon seeing it, her father changed his mind, regretting his past actions. The principal of her new school recognized and encouraged her talent, and paid her one dollar a day to teach modeling during her senior year. This began a lifelong commitment to teaching as well as to art.




An excellent audio bio on Augusta Savage given by Ashley Remer 
as part of the Chick History #HerStory project.




The Harp
Inspiration for this piece was
Lift Every Voice and Sing
The African American National Anthem

 Savage posing with her sculpture.

Identification on verso (handwritten and stamped): Art Service Project; 137 E. 57th Street, New York City;
Location: 137th St. and Edgecombe Ave.; DAte: 6/10; Negative No. 1060I; Photographer: Herman.
Identification on accompanying note (typewritten): Augusta Savage

Friday, February 7, 2014

The Black Phalanx;


The Black Phalanx; A History Of The Negro Soldiers Of The
United States in the Wars of 1775-1812, 1861-'65 (1888)






Author: Wilson, Joseph T. (Joseph Thomas), 1836-1891
Publisher: Hartford, Conn. : American Publishing Company
Year: 1888
Language: English
Call number: 1908413
Digitizing sponsor: University of British Columbia Library
Book contributor: University of British Columbia Library
Collection: ubclibrary; toronto

Link here https://archive.org/details/blackphalanxhis00wils

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Black Heritage Discovered

 I "Discovered" a web site called DISCOVER BLACK HERITAGE. Now I believe it's going to become one of my favorite web sites, not only does it contain tons of information regarding the Black experience in America. It is also well written, well illustrated and easy to navigate. This web site is geared towards travellers, in that they feature different regional attractions all across the country, as well as some international spots, the topics include;

  • Black Colleges
  • Exhibitions
  • Festivals
  • Good Eats
  • Heritage Tours    
  • Museums
  • News
  • Readings
  • Sites



 The graphics and and photos are wholesome and upbeat and in my opinion are suitable for the use with even younger students. Another plus is the fact that so many businesses as well as artistic and cultural institutions catering to the interests of Black people are being promoted. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Their URL is posted below.
http://discoverblackheritage.com










1895 Textbook - A School History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1890

[electronic resource]: with a short introduction as to the origin of the race : 
also a short sketch of Liberia (1895)

This is a perfect selection for Black History Month. Written to address the
lack of historical texts created for Black students, it was presented in a way
that certainly holds the interest of the African American reader.

This book is in the public domain. It has been digitized and is available
for free in several electronic formats. Get it now!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Within Our Gates by Oscar Micheaux


Movie Info

"This film is one of the earliest surviving examples of a film by an African American filmmaker. Sylvia Landry is engaged to a black soldier, but her rival Alma Pritchard arranges for him to catch Sylvia in an innocent but compromising situation. No longer engaged, she moves to the South to work as a teacher in an all-black school. When the school has financial problems, she returns to Boston to raise money for it. There, she is befriended by a white doctor, Dr. Vivian, who falls in love with her. In a flashback, her rival tells the doctor how Sylvia lost her family. Sylvia's father was unjustly accused of murder, and her parents were lynched. Micheaux was not a great artist, but his films are important because they dealt with issues that the mainstream "white" studios ignored. The only surviving print of Within Our Gates was found in an archive in Spain, and the titles had been rewritten in Spanish. When translated back to English, plot points may have been lost. On the other hand, the last third of the film is a haunting flashback to the death of Sylvia's parents. The scenes of the lynch-mob beating one man to death and hanging Mr. and Mrs. Landry are still powerful today, and the film is highly critical of blacks who betray their race to earn favor with the white dominant society." ~ Bruce Calvert, Rovi


The Refugee, or, The narratives of fugitive slaves in Canada (1856)




Author: Drew, Benjamin, 1812-1903
Subject: Slavery; Slavery; Blacks; Esclavage; Esclavage; Noirs
Publisher: Boston : J.P. Jewett; Cleveland : Jewett, Proctor and Worthington
Language: English
Digitizing sponsor: University of Alberta Libraries
Book contributor: Canadiana.org
Collection: microfilm; additional_collections
Notes: Film/Fiche is presented as originally captured.

Rosa Parks Passes, Tuesday, October 25, 2005 - Democracy Now! Broadcast

The following is a "Democracy Now!" broadcast which aired the day after
the death of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
It features some highlights of Rosa Parks' role in the movement.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Langston Hughes

James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet,
 social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of
the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the period that "the negro was in vogue" which was later paraphrased as "when Harlem was in vogue"

No presentation of modern Black American History could be complete without
discussing Langston Hughes.







Sunday, February 2, 2014

Desegregation in Corporate America: African-American Civil Rights Moveme...

There was a time when the government and corporate interests needed
workers so badly that they encouraged cooperation in the workplace.
This doesn't always seem to be the solution they seek unfortunately.
More recently the shortage of workers is solved by importing skilled
people from other countries, rather than developing the labor force at home.
On the other hand unskilled workers are allowed to slip in, leading
to the saturation of low paying work. This often places African Americans
in a precarious situation as far as job opportunities are concerned.