Black History International

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The importance of knowing, discovering and sharing our history as African people.

President Obama has been in office for one year. What does this mean for African American people?

Click here to listen to audio interviews with Zhana.

Click here for loads of books about Black history and Black achievers.

International Significance 

It is important for us to celebrate our African heritage internationally - in the U.S.A., the UK, Africa and the Caribbean, and everywhere African people reside. .

Click here to listen to an interview about the need for us to work together internationally
. (It's in the second half of the show, so please be patient!)

BHM 2010 Events 

Schomburg Center Events - Black History Films
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York presents a new film series to empower youth audiences with the knowledge of the global black experience during Black History Month.

Weekday showings give priority to school groups and youth organizations.

Seating is limited. Registration is required. Contact schomburged@nypl.org to request a film listing and a registration form.

These include: Monday 8th February

10 a.m. Our Friend, Martin: An Adventure Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King
(DIC Entertainment, 1999, 60 mins.)
What begins as a routine project for a sixth-grade class turns into a time-traveling adventure they'll never forget! Historic footage and colorful animation come together in this inspiring film about civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Featuring an all-star cast, Our Friend, Martin is a fun, new way for your family to share Dr. King's inspiring message of hope and courage which changed the course of our nation's history.

12 p.m. The Great Debaters
(A film by Denzel Washington/The Weinstein Company, 2007, 124 mins.)
Inspired by a true story, a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African American college students into an historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite.

Tuesday, 9th Febrary
12 p.m. When the Spirits Dance Mambo
(Caribbean Cultural Center, 2002, 40 mins.)
When The Spirits Dance Mambo, the critically acclaimed film co-directed and produced by Bobby Shephard and Dr. Marta Moreno Vega. Tracing the role of sacred African thought and practices in the formation of Cuban society, culture and music, the documentary is a tribute to the spiritual energy that traveled form West Africa to Cuba and New York. The film was shot over a three month period in Cuba and New York. "When the Spirits Dance Mambo" documents the roots of the sacred African religion, La Regla de Ocha (known as Santeria).
Pre- & Post- Screening Discussion about Yoruba and African spiritual traditions with Shantrelle Lewis, Director of Programs at CCADI

And many more.

Seating is limited. Registration is required. Contact schomburged@nypl.org to request a film listing and a registration form.
Black History Month at the Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is proud to continue the tradition of presenting exhibitions, performances, and educational programs devoted to artists of African descent. Events include:

Creative Art-Making: Collage
Renowned artist Javaka Steptoe leads a collage-making workshop for adults that explores the legacy of Romare Bearden. Registration is required, please e-mail: creative.art.making@brooklynmuseum.org.
Saturday, February 9, 2-4 p.m.

Music: Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and Brooklyn Museum present Taj Mahal
Two Brooklyn institutions collaborate to present blues legend Taj Mahal in a special concert celebrating Black History Month. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.bqcm.org or call (212) 209-3370.
Saturday, February 9, 8 p.m.

And lots more.
Calgary Public Library BHM Events
Drumming, spoken word, a panel discussion and more.
The White House Black History Concert
One of a series of events being screened by PBS during February 2010. Historic concert with R&B stars John Legend, Smokey Robinson and more. February 11th on PBS 8:00 p.m.

For more about Smokey Robinson, see Celebrating The Legend that Is Motown.
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The History of Black History Month/African Heritage Month 

Black history is the history of people of African heritage. Stolen from Africa, our ancestors were taken to the United States, the Caribbean and Europe.

Our culture was stolen from us. We were told we were no longer Africans, that we had no history or culture.

But we remained Africans and we are rediscovering and reclaiming our culture. We celebrate this in Black History Month/African Heritage Month.

Black History Month began as Negro History Week. Founced by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the son of former enslaved African American people, its aim was to document and celebrate the contributions of African American people.

The identity of a people is dependent upon that people's knowledge of its history. In Africa, the griots were responsible for keeping the stories of the people, spinning them, weaving them into a cloth which preserved the collective memories for future generations. Black History Month can be seen as a continuation of this tradition.

Black History UK 

October is Black History Month in the UK. Check out these links about people of African heritage in the UK and Europe. A film based on Zhana's choreopoem, "Harriet", was screened as part of the festival.
Black History Month 365
The premier all year round independent comprehensive portal; Celebrating and highlighting Caribbean and African activities, with profiles, articles and news.
Queen Charlotte Sophia
The consort of George III, this German princess had African blood and is an ancestor of Elizabeht II. .
Black History with Tony Warner
Blog about Tony Warner of London Black History Walks. Includes link to radio shows.
From War to Windrush - Imperial War Museum
Extended due to popular demand.

To mark the sixtieth anniversary of the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush in Britain in 1948, this exhibition tells the personal stories of the involvement of Black men and women from the West Indies and Britain in the First and Second World Wars.

Among the exhibits on display are pages from the MV Empire Windrush passenger list; the RAF flying logbook of Cy Grant, a navigator in Bomber Command, who was shot down over The Netherlands during the Second World War and spent the rest of the war in German prisoner of war camps; the MBE belonging to Sam King, who returned to Britain on the Windrush after serving in the RAF and was later the first Black mayor of Southwark; and the telegram announcing the death of Walter Tull, the first Black British Army officer.

Click here for a list of upcoming events at the museum with Tony Warner.
History of the Slave Trade - Liverpool International Slavery Museum
Liverpool was one of the main ports involved in the Transatlantic trade in African people.

Includes a good, but short description of The Middle Passage. Fails to mention the fact that even healthy, able-bodied people were thrown overboard so that the ship owners could claim the insurance.
Black Bristolians- People Who Made a Difference
Study materials for schools. Young people felt invisible in the schools curriculum and considered that there was an overemphasis on slavery and the Transatlantic trade. They wanted to learn more about the achievements of Black people throughout history, to the present day. This project is the result.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Race, Law, and American Society: 1607-Present (Criminology and Justice Studies)

Amazon Price: $35.59 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

When We Ruled: The Ancient and Medieval History of Black Civilisations

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Soul Survivors (Black Classics)

A collection of narratives by women in the U.S.A. and the Caribbean about their experiences during slavery. This book spans over 100 years of the history of enslavement in the African Diaspora.

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Black History Questions 

Questions from Black History

These will be updated frequently during Black History Month.

1. What relation was the Black Queen, Charlotte Sophia, to Queen Victoria?

2. The African American inventor Benjamin Banneker designed the final layout of which U.S. city?

3. Banneker also built the first what in North America?

For answers, see below.

Black History Answers 

These will be updated frequently during Black History Month/African Heritage Month.

Nubian Jak's Book of World Facts: The Ultimate Source on Black History and Achievement

All of these Black History questions and answers were taken from Nubian Jak's Book of World Facts. To read an interview with the author, Nubian Jak, inventor of the Nubian Jak Black history board game, buy Black Success Stories (see below).

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Black Success Stories Volume 1

To read an interview with Nubian Jak, author of Nubian Jak's Book of World Facts and inventor of the Nubian Jak Black history board game, buy Black Success Stories.
To read more about this book, see Do You Think Like a Success?

Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Black Women in Antiquity (Journal of African Civilizations ; V. 6)

1. Grandmother.

Sources:

Black Women in Antiquity, Ivan Sertima Ed.

Nature Knows No Color Line by J.A. Rogers, 3rd edition, 1952

Amazon Price: $21.42 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Nature Knows No Color-Line: Research into the Negro Ancestry in the White Race

1. Grandmother.

Sources:

Black Women in Antiquity, Ivan Sertima Ed.

Nature Knows No Color Line by J.A. Rogers, 3rd edition, 1952

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

The Black American Reference Book

2. Washington, D.C.

Source: The Black American Reference Book, Mabel M. Smythe Ed.

3. Clock.

Sources:

The Black American Reference Book, Mabel M. Smythe Ed.

The Life of Benjamin Banneker by Silvio A. Bendini

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Black History/African Heritage Blogs 

The Importance of History
A blog about why it is important for us to know and share our history.
Black Victims of the Germans and Nazis
Blog about a Black history presentation with Tony Warner of London Black History Walks
Caribbean Thinkers
A great course I attended about the link between African and African Diaspora history.

Celebrating the Positive 

It's important to celebrate the positive aspects of our history whilst we commemorate the struggle and the suffering we have endured.

Positive cultural identity is key to our self-esteem and sense of self-worth. For more on this, see:

The Key to Confidence

Success Strategies for Black People

Learning history can be fun. This was the idea behind the Nubian Jak board game. Its creator, Jak Dodd, is interviewed in the book Black Success Stories. For more on this, see Do You Think Like a Success?

Black History Lenses 

Celebrating the achievements and positive contributions of people of African heritage.

Black Heroes and Sheroes Lenses 

Lenses that Celebrate the Black heroes, sheroes and freedom fighters who laid the groundwork so we could have better lives.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela : With Connections (HRW Library)

Mandela talks of his life and places his commitment to liberate South Africa from apartheid squarely within his family and tribal traditions.

Amazon Price: $14.60 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Harriet Jacobs's narrative of being born into slavery and later escaping her slavemaster by holing up in an attic for seven years.

Amazon Price: $23.99 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm Little describes his life as he goes from petty criminal to Black Muslim and inspirational African American leader.

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

The autobiography of Paul Rusesabagina, who sheltered refugees during the Rwandan genocide.

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Soul Survivors (Black Classics)

Narratives by women about their experiences during slavery in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Amazon Price: (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Hotel Rwanda 

Hotel Rwanda tells the story of one man, Paul Rusesabagina, who stood up and, with extraordinary courage, protected people during the Rwandan genocide.

Black History Films in London 

Black History Presentations with Tony Warner

In London, Tony Warner, the founder of Black London Walks, gives free audiovisual and film presentations examining and celebrating the lives of African Caribbean people.

During the Second World War, people of African heritage from the United States, the Caribbean and Africa signed up to fight for the Allied powers. After the war, many Black people chose to settle in London and other UK cities, which they considered to be their home. England was seen as the "mother country", but it did not welcome its Caribbean children with open arms. For more information, see

Black History Films

Hidden Histories: Black People in WWII

Click here for the next Black history presentations with Tony Warner.

See also: Africa and Africans on Film.

Black Writers and Artists 

Celebrating African American literary and artistic traditions.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Song of Solomon

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Sula

Amazon Price: $9.89 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston's classic of a young woman discovering herself.

Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... And Then Again: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader

Edited by Alice Walker

Amazon Price: $11.21 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose

Alice Walker's collection of essays on rediscovering personal African American history and Black women's creativity.

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 02/08/2010) Buy Now

Resources 

Black History Arts Project
Kuumba-Survivors: interviews with artists of African heritage about their responses to the bicentenary of the end of the slave trade
Hidden Histories: Black People and World War II
Often, we are not told about aspects of our history. Every time I attend one of Tony Warner's presentations, I learn more valuable information.
Black History on Amazon
Books about the achievements of people of African heritage.
Black History on Amazon UK
Books about the achievements of people of African heritage.
Next Black History Events
Lists future Black History events with Tony Warner.
African People's Self-Liberation
Blog about how African people liberated ourselves in Africa, the Caribbean, the U.S. and the UK.

Black History Lenses 

Reader Feedback 

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