Black History News
Third World Press Foundation: “Fearlessly Publishing About the Black Experience for 50 Years!”
Third World Press Foundation (TWPF) has big plans for its 50th anniversary, themed “Fearlessly Publishing About the Black Experience for 50 Years!” TWPF50 is a weeklong celebration from Saturday, September 30 – Saturday, October 7 with Black literary and artistic luminaries including Danny Glover, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sonia Sanchez. Founded in 1967 by Chicago poet…
Read MoreAT&T Contributes $250,000 to International African American Museum’s Founders Fund
The International African American Museum (IAAM) today has announced a $250,000 leadership investment from AT&T. The contribution to the IAAM’s Founders Fund brings the museum one step closer to meeting its private fundraising goal. “It is a great honor to have the support of AT&T,” said former Charleston Mayor and IAAM board member Joseph P.…
Read MoreMississippi Courthouse Keeps Emmett Till’s Memory Alive
By Frederick H. Lowe (TriceEdneyWire.com) – The Emmett Till Interpretive Center, which was founded to keep alive the memory of Emmett Till, has restored Sumner Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where an all-white male jury acquitted two men for the brutal murder of the 14-year-old on September 23, 1955, 62 years ago this month. The jury…
Read MoreSC African American History Calendar September 2017 Honoree: Myra Singleton Thompson
Charleston native Myra Singleton Quarles Thompson joined Mother Emanuel AME Church as a young child, beginning a lifetime of devotion to the church and its members. Her deep faith and love for the church’s members led her to study to become a minister, and just before her death, her preaching certificate was renewed. One of…
Read MoreJohn Caldwell Calhoun REVISITED
By Professor Damon L. Fordham, MA With all of the controversy over the statue of John Caldwell Calhoun that is in Marion Square in downtown Charleston, I think that before considering if it is appropriate to be there, we should at least learn something about who this man really was and what he really represented.…
Read More54 Years After the March on Washington, We’re Far From Racial Pay Equity
By Sarita Gupta Fifty-four years ago this week, on Aug. 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of people gathered for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The event marked a turning point in our society in recognizing the need for civil rights and equality for African Americans. But it’s painfully clear we have yet…
Read MoreHistoric Columbia Presents the 39th Annual Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture on Sept. 16
Join Historic Columbia at Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. Now in its 39th year, this free outdoor festival brings musician, artisans, dancers and storytellers together to celebrate South Carolina’s black history and culture on the grounds of the Mann-Simons Site. This year’s festival…
Read MoreAllen, Powers Weigh-In On Confederate Monuments
By Barney Blakeney As battles over the proposed removal of Confederate monuments and markers rage across the country, I asked two local historians to share their views. Michael Allen, Community Partnership Specialist at the National Park Service, and College of Charleston History Prof. Bernard Powers shared their thoughts about Confederate monuments and the call to bring…
Read MoreGwendolyn Brooks Won the Pulitzer Prize While Living in a Housing Project
By Erick Johnson (Chicago Crusader/NNPA Member) Gwendolyn Brooks’ apartment was dark on May 1, 1950. The brilliant, award-winning Black poet, who wrote about life on Chicago’s South Side, had not paid her electric bill. With no electrical power, little money and a nine-year old son to feed Brooks made headlines around the world while living…
Read MoreA Life of Challenge and Adventure: 11 Facts About Service Woman Cathay Williams
For Buffalo Soldiers Day, Wounded Warrior Project®(WWP) lists 11 facts about Cathay Williams, the only known female member of the famed Buffalo Soldiers. “I wanted to make my own living and not be dependent on relations or friends.” – Army service woman, only known female Buffalo Soldier Cathay Williams 1. Family Tree – Cathay was born…
Read More