Why Celebrate African American History?

History is the foundation of our culture. It can make us proud or shameful. It can strengthen us and challenge our perspective. Most important history gives us a road map of where we come from and provides important lessons to learn.

Celebrating African American history Month has been an important part of bringing our story to light. After centuries of struggle through slavery, abolition, emancipation, and civil rights, the story of African Americans has just begun to be told. Even while this story begins to unfold, there are people and organizations like the Tea Party who are trying to rewrite history and create their own version of the slavery experience. See the Huffington Post article.

Will truth prevail? The truth will prevail if we pass on the stories and history of African America to our children.  The truth will prevail if we support the writers, educators, filmmakers and entrepreneurs who are working to bring our history to light.  

CNN has a wonderful story about a project by Lauranett Lee, curator of African American History at the Virginia Historical Society who is working to archive the untold story of slaves in Virginia.  Now families can use this information to learn more about their history and trace their genealogy.  

February reminds us how dynamic and interesting African American History is.  We celebrate our stories and share the lessons with a new generation. Yet we know this is just the beginning of a long but fascinating journey.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

This morning my grand nephews woke me up singing Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day to you.  I can't help but think how things have changed since Dr. King cast his shadow on this earth. When my son was growing up in the eighties, I remember sending a note to his school asking why they did not celebrate Black History Month.  His school library had special exhibits each month on different cultures from Asia to Russia to South America but Black History Month came and went without any mention. The powers that be sent me a message that they had a picture of Martin Luther King Jr on the bulletin in the back of the lunchroom. It never dawned on them how insensitive they were to the young Black children who attended the school.  I really wanted to organize a sit down MLK Jr. style at his school instead I wrote a letter giving a history of Africa going back some forty thousand years explaining that although Dr. King is one of the most important figure in African American History, he is part of long historical legacy.

We have come a long way.  Today my nephews celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Black History Month and Kwanzaa in school.   Fortunately, for a new generation the story of Martin Luther King still stands out as a beacon and a catalyst for change.  How appropriate that people now celebrate his birthday as a day of service. Did you volunteer for any special services today?

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Kwanzaa!

Kwanzaa is part of the holiday season but the principles are also a way of life. Let the wisdom and the principles guide this new year.

The Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa are:

Unity: Umoja (oo–MO–jah) -to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

Self-determination: Kujichagulia (koo–gee–cha–goo–LEE–yah) - to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Collective Work and Responsibility: Ujima (oo–GEE–mah) - to build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Cooperative Economics: Ujamaa (oo–JAH–mah) - to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Purpose: Nia (nee–YAH) - to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Creativity: Kuumba (koo–OOM–bah) - to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Faith: Imani (ee–MAH–nee) - to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Best of 2011 Nora Chipamaurie Tells Her Story

This has been a year of wins and lost but this week we focus on the Best of 2011.  Here we feature the best efforts and intentions that inspired us to bring forth our A game.

Artists gift us with wonderful stories through their music, dance and writing. Here Nora Chipamaurie tells the story of her youth in dance; from the young to the old she enlists dancers of all ages to tell her compelling story in this short featured in the third season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange. Her story will inspire you to move your dancing feet.

Best of 2011 - "The Medium is the Message?"

This has been a year of wins and lost but this week we focus on the Best of 2011.  Here we feature the best efforts and intentions that inspired us to bring forth our A game.


“Anything can be beautiful when you look at it with love”  What a wonderful message for the new year.  Thanks to the Gibbs sisters of Adopted by Aliens who discovered this gem of a mural created by German graffiti artists, Herakut and Case on the corner of 42nd and Vermont, in the heart of South Central Los Angeles.  “The beauty and message of the mural beckoned us to round the corner and lavish it with photographs.” 

Best of 2011- SULE AND THE CASE OF THE TINY SPARKS (U.S.)

This has been a year of wins and lost but this week we focus on the Best of 2011.  Here we feature the best efforts and intentions that inspired us to bring forth our A game.

Congratulations to the Gibbs sisters, Shawnee and Shawnelle for winning the Best Animated Short Film in 2011 at the Montreal International Black Film Festival for SULE AND THE CASE OF THE TINY SPARKS (U.S.).  Sule is based on a proverb with a humanitarian message inspired by Nelson Mandela.  In the opinion of the jury: “The story of this film is as magnificent as it is inspiring. Proof that a small short can depict huge and beautiful moments.” Earlier the sisters created a mini series called Adopted by Aliens, see their blog.  Now they are working on a graphic novel for young girls. So planning on seeing more of them in 2112.

Ashley Smith Tackles the Stigma of Mental Illness in Black Families

For many African American families discussing mental illness is a hush hush subject, which can compound the problem of people suffering with of mental illness.  If you can't talk about it, research it,  or understand the effects that illness has on the family, there is no way to solve the problem.   Young people like Ashley Smith who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 20 are trying to dispel this stigma.

Ashley was unaware of her illness until she stole a military truck and went on a high-speed chase with the police. She was jailed and later hospitalized for that crime. Later she learned about the mental illness that ran in her family.  Now she is in recovery with the support of family, treatment teams, peers and her faith.  To help other families and young people, she started Embracing My Mind, Inc.   "I want to help reduce stigma, change perceptions, and encourage an open conversation about mental illness."  Her story is being featured on CNN.  Learn more about her work at https://embracingmymind.org/Home.html.

For more stories of success and support visit http://blacksnob.com/ or read Black Pain by Terrie M. Williams. For referrals and help try www.lifenet.org.