Brooks is considered to be one of the most revered poets of the 20th century. She was the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize (in 1950, for Annie Allen), and she served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress, becoming the first Black woman to hold that position.
Continue reading “Gwendolyn Brooks”
Continue reading “A cappella Friday (Salvation Belongs To Our God)”
Waters first entered the entertainment business in the 1920s as a blues singer and then became a Broadway star. Later in life, she made history for her work in television—she was the first African American to star in her own TV show, The Ethel Waters Show, and she was nominated for an Emmy in 1962.
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“Happy Thursday! Greet your problems and decisions with peace and calm.” –Tracey Edmonds
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Without Abbott’s creative vision, many of the Black publications of today—such as Ebony, Essence, Black Enterprise, and Upscale—wouldn’t exist. In 1905, Abbott founded the Chicago Defender weekly newspaper.
Continue reading “Robert Sengstacke Abbott”
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering” (1 Peter 5:8-14).
Continue reading “PREY For The Devil”
Despite being the first licensed Black pilot in the world, Coleman wasn’t recognized as a pioneer in aviation until after her death. Though history has favored Amelia Earhart or the Wright brothers, Coleman—who went to flight school in France in 1920—paved the way for a new generation of diverse fliers like the Tuskegee Airmen, Blackbirds, and Flying Hobos.
Continue reading “Bessie Coleman”
Bridges probably had no idea that the bold act she committed in 1960 would set off a chain reaction leading to the integration of schools in the South. She was just 6 years old when she became the first African American student to attend William Frantz Elementary in Louisiana at the height of desegregation. Now the Ruby Bridges Foundation exists to “inspire the next generation of leaders to end racism together one step at a time.”
Continue reading “Ruby Bridges (1954- )”
After being diagnosed with cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, a sample of Lacks’s cancer cells were taken without her consent by a researcher.
Continue reading “Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951)”
Jesus was betrayed in Matthew 26:14-16 and in Matthew 27: 11-25; few examples. We too will be betrayed in words, thoughts and deeds.
Continue reading “Smiling Faces Do Sometimes Tell Lies”
Hailed the “godmother of the women’s movement,” Height used her background in education and social work to advance women’s rights. She was a leader in the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and the president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for more than 40 years.
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The Selma, Alabama, native played a crucial part in the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement. But it wasn’t until Oprah played her in the 2014 Oscar-nominated film Selma that people really took notice of Cooper’s activism. She is lauded for punching Alabama Sheriff Jim Clark in the face, but she really deserves to be celebrated for fighting to restore and protect voting rights.
Continue reading “Annie Lee Cooper”
Continue reading “Sweet Sounding Saturday”
“I always tell young people to hold on to their dreams. And sometimes you have to stand up for what you think is right even if you have to stand alone. Back then, as a teenager, I kept thinking, why don’t the adults around here just say something?” — Claudette Colvin
Continue reading “Claudette Colvin (1939- )”
Continue reading “A cappella Friday (Purer In Heart / O The Blood)”
MRS. T’S CORNER 