black history
At Oakland’s 50th Annual Black Cowboy Parade & Heritage Festival, history came alive to honor the real cowboys of the American West—many of whom were Black. Historians estimate that one in four cowboys in the 19th century were Black, yet Hollywood’s version of the frontier erased them. The festival featured riders, historians, and groups like […]
Artists like Minnie “Gracie” Gadson and Anita Singleton-Prather are preserving the Gullah Geechee heritage through sacred songs and performances. These songs, rooted in enslaved African traditions, served as coded messages and tools of resilience. Gadson performs nationally in the Gullah Creole language, while Singleton-Prather integrates storytelling and theater. Programs like Gullah Geechee Futures bring students […]
Robert Smalls, a Civil War hero and political pioneer, will become the first African American honored with a statue on South Carolina’s Capitol grounds. The bipartisan decision follows years of advocacy, including efforts by Smalls’ descendants, and reflects a shift away from monuments honoring Confederate figures. Born into slavery, Smalls gained national fame in 1862 […]
The Tenement Museum in New York City has debuted a permanent exhibit centered on a Black family in the 1870s, titled A Union of Hope: 1869. The exhibit responds to years of public requests to recognize the Black experience alongside that of immigrants. Curated by Marquis Taylor, it showcases life in post-emancipation New York through […]
A four-day event in Jackson, Mississippi, honored what would have been the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Medgar Evers. Held at the Jackson Convention Complex, the “Medgar Evers at 100” celebration featured panels, workshops, and reflections from activists, students, and Evers’ family. His daughter Reena Evers-Everette and other civil rights leaders spoke on his […]
July 2nd is Austin Steward Day, one of Rochester’s first Black business owners and a prominent abolitionist. Organized by the Community Justice Initiative, the celebration takes place at the Arnett Library and includes community discussions, reenactments, and the presentation of the Austin Steward Award to three local changemakers. Steward, a freed slave, played a pivotal […]
A Bold Reclamation of Jazz Legacy BOOP! The Musical, now on Broadway, reimagines the iconic Betty Boop as a Black woman, played by Tony-nominated Jasmine Amy Rogers. The character is loosely based on Esther Jones, a Harlem jazz singer whose influence had long gone uncredited. View this post on Instagram A post shared […]
June Bacon-Bercey was a pioneering African American meteorologist and one of the first women to hold a significant role in the field of weather science. Born in 1932, she made history in 1959 as the first African American woman to earn a degree in meteorology. She later became the first African American woman to work […]
In Florida, students are voluntarily attending Saturday classes to learn African American history lessons not comprehensively covered in public schools. Programs at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach and similar community efforts address topics like slavery, segregation, civil rights activism, and Florida’s Black history. These initiatives, often supported by Black churches and advocacy […]
Clay Cane, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, is set to release Burn Down Master’s House, a powerful historical fiction novel exploring forgotten stories of enslaved individuals who rebelled against their oppressors. Scheduled for publication by Dafina Books in February 2026, the novel draws inspiration from real acts of defiance, such as poisoning […]
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