Saturday, March 14, 2015

Friday, March 13, 2015

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Monday, March 9, 2015

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Sojourner Truth Speech of 1851, “Ain’t I a Woman”

On April 28, six NWHM Board Members and Advisors attended the dedication of the Sojourner Truth bust in Emancipation Hall of the new Capitol Visitor Center. She becomes only the 10th statue of a woman to stand in the U. S. Capitol building, out of 211 statues. The Hall was filled with excitement and pride. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that the event was long past due, Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged standing on the shoulders of the women who came before and Michelle Obama said that as a descendant of slaves, Sojourner Truth must be pleased to see her standing there as first lady. House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke in honor of the dedication – good speeches but not near so impassioned as the women’s. The female speakers understood the indebtedness that they owed Truth. They had a vested interest and it showed.
One of the highlights was Cicely Tyson’s reenactment of Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech. It brought the house down. She made the words – and Truth – come alive.
More here. (Note: This is our last post in honor of Black History Month. Please take 4 minutes to listen to this speech)

Friday, February 27, 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Toni Morrison Refuses To Privilege White People In Her Novels

“Toni Morrison has always taken for granted the centrality of Blackness in her novels. She has refused throughout her writing career to privilege “Whiteness” in her literary works. In this clip, Toni Morrison discusses the way she felt when interview Bill Moyers asked her when she would write about white people, as if this was something she should be interested in doing. She refuses to accept the idea that writing about Black people is not “real writing,” and that Black writers must engage with White characters or the White world in order for their writing to be legitimate. She will not privilege White people, nor will she explain things to White readers.”

More here. (Note: One post throughout February will be dedicated to Black History Month.)

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Miles Davis & John Coltrane – Kind of blue

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s: he played on various early bebop records and recorded one of the first cool jazz records; he was partially responsible for the development of hard bop and modal jazz, and both jazz-funk and jazz fusion arose from his work with other musicians in the late 1960s and early 1970s; and his final album blended jazz and rap. Many leading jazz musicians made their names in Davis's groups, including pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist John Coltrane, saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and guitarist John McLaughlin. As a trumpeter, Davis had a pure, round sound but also an unusual freedom of articulation and pitch. He was known for favoring a low register and relatively sparse playing that served the song rather than display flashy playing, but Davis was also capable of highly complex and technically demanding trumpet work.

More here. (Note: One post throughout February will be dedicated to Black History Month.)