TIBH: Coretta Scott

On this date in 1927 Coretta Scott was born in Marion, Al. She would go on to marry Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1953 and be an integral part of his civil rights movement in the 50's and 60's. After her husband's assassination, Coretta continued to play a role in the fight for the rights of blacks and women in America.

"Ah ha hush that fuss, Everybody move to the back of the bus"

On this day in 1913 Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. She would go on to know as the "Mother of the modern-day civil rights movement" for here role in the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. As the story goes, Parks refused to give her seat up to a white passenger and was arrested and taken to jail for her actions. This caused a year long boycott known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott which was lead by a young baptist minister named Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK Memorial At the Smithsonian Near Completion

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial was an idea created by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to erect a monument of the late civil rights leader. The fraternity wanted to build something after his death, and their efforts gained momentum in 1986, after King's birthday was designated a national holiday. The project cost a reported 120 million of which 108 million has been raised. Construction of the memorial began in December of 2009. King is the first black man honored with a memorial in the National Mall area and the third non-president.



Find out more about the memorial HERE.

Today In Black History: Ella Baker

On this date in 1903 Ella Baker is born in Norfolk, Virginia. The cause of her people was instilled in her from a young age. As a young girl, Baker listened to her grandmother tell stories about slave revolts she witnessed. Baker would go on to attended Shaw University, graduating as class valedictorian. Baker was a civil rights worker who directed the New York branch of the NAACP. She also became executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1960's during student integration of lunch counters in the southern states. Ella Baker played a key role in the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and its voter registration drive in Mississippi.

Documentary of Fela Kuti: Music Is the Weapon [Video]

This documentary which profiles the life of composer, Afro-beat pioneer, and human rights activist Fela Kuti was shown at The National Museum of African Art this past Saturday. The film is a mixture of footage from Fela performing as well as glimpses of his life and interviews. The piece is a little under a hour and will be well worth your time.

Peace and ENJOY!!!!!

Malcolm And Martin Mondays

"When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire or preserve his freedom." - Malcolm X


“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others? Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." - Martin Luther King, Jr”

And He Was Ordained...

On this date in 1948 Martin Luther King Jr was ordained as a Baptist minister. At that time he served as assistant to his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. King would go on to become pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama when he was twenty-five years old in 1954. Martin was the son, grandson and great-grandson of black Southern Baptist preachers.

Malcolm and Martin Mondays

"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole."
- Malcolm X



Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

RIP Howard Zinn: The Voice of The Forgotten Man (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010)

The great Howard Zinn died yesterday at the age of 87 in Santa Monica, Calif, where he was traveling. The Boston University historian and political activist who wrote "A People's History of the United States," made the young and old rethink the way textbooks had taught us the American experience for year in our school systems. I was personally was introduced to Mr. Zinn in 11th grade by my AP US History teacher. I actually still have my book from that class and often reread it. His way of thinking was not one that you often saw from his generation. Reading his book had a powerful influence on many of the books I read after and how I read the standard textbooks I had to read. Zinn challenged regular history with how he charged Christopher Columbus and other explorers with genocide, picked apart presidents from Andrew Jackson to Franklin D. Roosevelt and celebrated workers, feminists and war resisters.

Malcolm and Martin Mondays

I thought these two guys should always be around at the beginning of each work week reminding us how far we have come, but also how far we need to go. I don't know how long I'm going to keep this but we shall see.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The date Martin Luther King Jr. was born on was actually Friday, but since its not observed until the third Monday of January I thought this would be a great time to commemorate the rev’s born day.

YEBies Birthday: Julian Bond

On this date in 1940 Julian Bond was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Bond would go on to attend Morehouse College where he would help found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). After college along with Dr. King, Bond helped as a leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. Bond was also elected to both houses of the Georgia Legislature, where he served a total of 20 years.

Today In Black History - Civil Rights Movement

On this date in 1956 the African American community of Montgomery, Alabama voted unanimously to end its 385 day bus-boycott. The Alabama Bus Company lost over $750,000 during the year long boycott. This boycott caused a federal ruling in the United States Supreme Court that declared the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional.

Today In Black History - Martin Luther King Jr

On this date in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed the law designating the third Monday in January Martin Luther King Jr Day. It was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.

Senator Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina) led opposition to the bill and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor. He also criticized King's opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing "action-oriented Marxism". Ronald Reagan was also opposed to the holiday, citing cost concerns.[10] He threatened to veto the King Day bill but recanted after Congress passed it with an overwhelming veto-proof majority (338 to 90 in the House of Representatives and 78 to 22 in the Senate). Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was one of thoese who voted against the creation of the holiday to honor King.

Today In Black History - Bombing In Birmingham

On this date in 1963 Addie Mae Collins, Carol Robertson, Denise McNair, and Cynthia Wesley, were all killed at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. A bomb which was thrown into the building which caused the structure to collapse and kill the four girls. Robert E. Chambliss, a white supremacist, was later convicted of the racist attack. Thomas E. Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry were also charged in their deaths on May 17, 2000.

Happy 48th Birthday President Obama.

Happy 48th and god bless you with many more. The President is a ideal Y.E.B.

What a difference a year makes. The effects of having the most powerful job in the world

The Death of A Martyr - Medgar Evers

On this date in 1963 Medgar Evers was murdered by Byron De La Beckwith in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi house. At the time of his death, Evers was a huge activist in the fight against Jim Crow south. The 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi directed by Rob Reiner tells the story of the 1994 retrial of Beckwith, in which prosecutor Robert DeLaughter of the District Attorney's office secured a conviction.





Musician Bob Dylan wrote his 1963 song "Only a Pawn in Their Game" about Evers and his assassin.

Thursday Throwback Movie: Wattstax

The 1973 documentary was based around the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the black community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The concert was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and organized by Memphis, Tennessee Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax was seen by some as "the Afro-American answer to Woodstock. To enable as many members of the black community in L.A. to attend as possible, tickets were sold for only $1.00 each. The Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the invocation, which included his "I Am - Somebody" poem.

Happy Black History Month...

Head Of State...

Jay-Z - My President is Black