Thursday, April 4, 2013

Martin Luthor King Assassinated April 4, 1968

Dr Martin Luthor King
Rev. Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. Dr. King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05PM that evening.

Dr. King was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader of the African-American civil rights movement and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who became known for his advancement of civil rights by using civil disobedience. His leadership in the movement was greatly missed.

In his memory I will post the following video presentation.

MLK: A Call To Conscience p2 - Tavis Smiley - 2010



Today this speech is acknowledged to be one of the most powerful ever written by Dr. King and Smiley deconstructs the meaning of the speech, as well as put it in a contemporary context, particularly in light of our nation's current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. * 

This movie is part of the collection: Community Video


Saturday, March 23, 2013

We Have A Song, Let's Sing It!

The Harp by Augusta Savage
     Lift Every Voice and Sing
 — was publicly performed first as a poem as part of a celebration of Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900, by 500 school children at the segregated Stanton School. Its principal, James Weldon Johnson, wrote the words to introduce its honored guest Booker T. Washington. The poem was later set to music by Johnson's brother John in 1905.



Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers died
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered;
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.[5]



see also Augusta Savage, Sculptor


Friday, March 22, 2013

R.I.P. Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe (born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, 16 November 1930 – 22 March 2013)  was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic.

Taken from The Terrordome - November 11, 2009 "Chinua Achebe on Things Fall Apart - Ep 1933"

Mr. Achebe's talk begins about 10 minutes into the audio file.

Artist/Composer: The Terrordome
Keywords: Terrordome; Africentric; Radio; CJSR; News; Edmonton; Minister Faust
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

also see previous article;

Chinua Achebe - Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic.



Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Role of Black Women in American History continued

This is the continuation of the talk by Dr. John H. Bracy on the role of Black Women in American History. You won't want to miss these next 3 segments of this informative and insightful talk.
(See parts 1&2 here)


Dr. John H. Bracey, Jr.: The Role of Black Women in American History 3



Dr. John H. Bracey, Jr.: The Role of Black Women in American History 4



Dr. John H. Bracey, Jr.: The Role of Black Women in American History 5