The stained cotton sack dates back to the mid-1800s. From 2016 to 2021, it was displayed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, on loan from Middleton Place, a historical landmark in South Carolina. According to the description embroidered on the sack by a Ruth Middleton in 1921: “My great grandmother Rose…
It takes many hours to click one’s way through the New York Times online, especially on the weekends. And with this being African American History Month, there is a treasure trove of articles and profiles to explore. One can burrow down a warren of links and prompts through literary riches. A series of Times articles,…
They met in 1962, in the Albany, GA jail, two of the hundreds of marchers, including the largest mass arrest of religious leaders, all protesting segregation. When Rabbi Seymour “Si” Dresner reached through the bars of the adjoining cells to shake hands with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a lifelong camaraderie was born. (Dresner…
One of the benefits of the recent December holiday, coupled with the restrictions of a resurging pandemic, was lots of free time to stay in and catch up on my TV viewing. One of the series in which I indulged was The Chef’s Table. It took me a long time to tune in. I…
With the recent passing of Sidney Poitier, tributes and reflections have been pouring in for this man among men. I, too, have a Sidney Poitier story. The year was 1992. I was a young mid-level executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City, CA. That was the year that the American Film Institute gave Mr.…
From Sarah to A’Lelia – A Family Legacy In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating a woman who has lovingly carried and promoted her family’s legacy for the benefit of the Culture. A’Lelia Bundles is a journalist, producer, and the biographer of Madam C.J. (Sarah) Walker, America’s first self-made female millionaire. Bundles is also…
In her new book, The Calling, author and founder of Move the Crowd, Rha Goddess, proclaims this the Age of the Citizen, and discusses what it means to be an empowered citizen. It served as a cross-reference as I read the names of some of the nominees for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Nominations for…
Photo Courtesy Jonathan Ernst/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, NY Times 1/22/21 When I first heard of Amanda Gorman, she was 17 years old. A tiny slip of a girl who’d become the nation’s first Youth Poet Laureate. She had begun making her mark on the literary world long before that, and her words had already…
The world’s attention is on Washington, D.C. this week to witness this hallmark of democracy – the peaceful transition of power. With the words “I solemnly swear,” the 46th president will be sworn in to lead the United States of America. This particular inauguration is fraught with conflicting intentions, heightened emotions and intensified preparations, placing…
The souls of history are rampant in our country right now. Can you feel them? They are stalking our every step. Although relegated to the annals of the past, their spectral presence reminds us that every good-bye ain’t gone, and while lifetimes are short, Life is long. African-ancestored people hold the circle of…