Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #BlackHistoryISAmericanHistory

Most recents (20)

1/10: This #Juneteenth, we confront a horrific but essential part of American history:

The brutal exploitation of enslaved Africans, whose unpaid labor fueled the rise of the United States as an economic powerhouse. #BlackHistoryIsAmericanHistory Image
2/10: From the early 1600s, millions of African people were forcibly brought to the U.S. and exploited for their labor.

They were the engine that powered America’s rise as an agrarian economy, particularly in the South. #slavery Image
3/10: Enslaved Africans were integral to lucrative industries such as tobacco, indigo, and rice in the 17th & 18th centuries.

However, it was the cotton industry in the 19th century that turned the U.S. into an economic colossus. #EconomicHistory Image
Read 11 tweets
1/7
#BlackHistoryIsAmericanHistory
This Day in Black History: March 14, 1977

Voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer died on March 14, 1977, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi.

By: Natelege Whaley Image
2/7
Fannie Lou Hamer, an activist who spent her career encouraging African-Americans to register to vote and to fight racial segregation, died of cancer in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, on March 14, 1977.
3/7
Hamer was born on Oct. 6, 1917, in Montgomery County, Mississippi, and was the youngest of 20 children. Her parents were sharecroppers in the Mississippi Delta area. At the age of 12, she dropped out of school & helped her family on a plantation where they worked full time.
Read 7 tweets
1/5
#BlackHistoryIsAmericanHistory

This Day in Black History:
March 12, 1917

The first Black Girl Scouts troop was formed on March 12, 1917.

By: Dominique Zonyéé Image
2/5
Although the Girl Scouts began as an all-white organization in 1912, a Black Girl Scouts Group emerged not long after on March 12, 1917, most likely in the New York area.
3/5
The formation of the Black troops well before the civil rights movement solidified the Girl Scouts place in the desegregation movement as it also pushed to unify girls of all colors. In 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. described the Girl Scouts as "a force for desegregation."
Read 5 tweets
For Black History Month @TLM is highlighting Octavia Butler, an incredible visionary. A Black author of science-fiction, Octavia Butler challenged the genre that has historically been written by white men.
Butler opened up readers to alternate futures, challenged both gender and racial stereotypes, and reshaped the genre of science fiction.
The TLM employee who was inspired by Octavia Butler’s work shared, “Butler's books are great as imaginative, futuristic worlds that make insightful connections to our own, in particular with regards to systems of oppression, and resistance to them.”
Read 4 tweets
#OTD in 1884 the Chicago Tribune reported on Senate hearings regarding the Danville Massacre in Virginia. The massacre took place on November 3, 1883. The Chicago Tribune’s reporting highlights the tension between white Democrats, Black Republicans and voting at the time. Image
The Danville Massacre (also referred to as the Danville Race Riot) was a violent white backlash to bi-racial democracy in Virginia during the Readjuster movement. The Readjuster Party supported legislation to help alleviate the state's debt incurred during the Civil War.
Danville had thriving majority Black population by the 1880s. Many whites in the area described Black political power as "Negro rule." The Tribune's report quoted a white witness who stated that the Readjusters imposed "the worst rule any people were ever cursed with."
Read 17 tweets
February 1st marks the beginning of #BlackHistoryMonth and we will be dedicating much of our #OTD posts to Black history throughout the 19th century, particularly during the Civil War Era. You can read about the origins of Black History Month here: asalh.org/about-us/origi…
With that said, #OnThisDay in 1865, Dr. John Rock became the first African American admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court. This occurred the same day President Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment. #History #HistoryMatters #USHistory #AmericanHistory
John Rock lived an extraordinary life. He was a teacher, a prolific abolitionist writer and speaker, a dentist, medical doctor, and lawyer. Rock was born a free man in New Jersey in 1825 and became a teacher at age 19 while studying medicine. #Abolitionist #Teacher
Read 10 tweets
#OTD in 1865 the Thirteenth Amendment passed the House of Representatives, sending it to the states for ratification. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States “…except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."
The amendment ended race-based chattel slavery in America, but did not rid the nation of forced labor, which exists through America’s prison system today. #13thAmendment #Constitution #slavery #HistoryMatters #CivilWar #USCivilWar #AmericanCivilWar #PoliticalHistory #knowhistory
Congress abolished slavery in Washington D.C. in 1862. The Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery in rebelling states Jan. 1, 1863 and former rebel states were forced to ban slavery in new state constitutions. Republicans in Congress still wanted a Constitutional Amendment.
Read 9 tweets
Many of yall are awaking to a day off for a holiday you never celebrated before.
I've celebrate #Juneteenth #JubileeDay my entire life. I love the parades that many major cities have, but we also had personal family traditions too. Here's my family's approach.
We start by hanging two Juneteenth flags. First, the official Juneteenth flag is red, white, and blue with 1 star burting through. Second the variations flag that comes in red, black, and green, colors that remind us of Africa.
We talk about the colors both flags represent.
The traditional flag has the colors of America, because we are American. This country is prosperous because of 400 years of unpaid or underpaid labor from our ancestors. We are as American as it gets, and our contributions are what made America the force that it is.
Read 16 tweets
Before we get started on our applied epi journey, I want to give honor to a great epidemiologist. Today is the second anniversary of his death, Dr. Bill Jenkins. At one point, it was said that 50% of Black US epis could track their career back to him. I'm one of those.
If Bill has had a positive impact on your career or life, I'd love to hear your #BecauseOfBill story.
Dr. Bill Jenkins started as a statistician in the United States Public Health Service in the 60s. Within 1 yr of working there, he learned of the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. He brought it to the attention of his supervisors and was told to drop it.
Read 8 tweets
#BlackHistoryMonth Yesterday's letter was E for excellence.
I was tired last night & just wanted the children to go to sleep, but they came to me asking, "who's our example of Black Excellence mom?"
So, I mustered all the energy I could to enthusiasticly discuss @MichelleObama
Mrs. Obama, are 44th First Lady is the epitome of Black Excellence, and became this was as a result of hard work, parents love, community support, quest for knowledge.

My children were impressed to learn that her mother, Mrs. Robinson stayed home with the children and taught
them so much during their early years, that both Mrs. Obama and her brother skipped 2nd grade. We talked about Mrs. O early academic achievements that led her to one of the top high schools in Chicago. How she traveled by bus 1 hour each way to obtain a good education.
Read 13 tweets
#BlackHistoryMonth Today's letter is D- for drive.
I had an entire plan, but my children wanted to learn about Ruby Bridges.
They said that someone had to DRIVE her to school😆, so, I went with their selection.
Ruby Bridges, born in 1954, the same year as my mother. My children were shocked to hear that when their gma was a child, integrated schools were resisted.

My children learned about how even with laws in place, people made up creative ways to ensure segregated schools.
In New Orleans, Black children had to take an extremely hard placement test in order to get into the White school. 6 kids passed the test at Ruby's school, 2 of the children remained at the Black school, 3 Black girls went to McDonogh school and Ruby went to Frantz on her own.
Read 8 tweets
#BlackHistoryMonth Today's value- "C" is for creative. This was hard to narrow down, so I selected two people to discuss with my family.
1- Issachah James Savage @SavageTenorJI. I read a quote about him once that said "His name is Savage. His sound is sophisticated."
Philly born opera singer, Issachah possesses an expansive, take-notice tenor that has propelled him to the front of orchestras such the Los Angeles Philharmonic and on stages such as Houston Grand Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.
It's a voice both refined and deep in its range, in that rare category known as a heldentenor, and he is using it to crush Verdi and Wagner roles here and abroad.

He's won: The Seattle International Wagner Competition in 2014
The 2012 Marcello Giordani International Competition
Read 8 tweets
#BlackHistoryMonth - today's value is bold.
I talked with my girls about the boldness necessary to be "Unbought and Unbossed", Shirley Chisholm's slogan when she became the first woman and first Black woman to run for nomination of a major party as its candidate for President.
Shirley Chisholm was born in 1924 and died in 2005. She was relentless in breaking political barriers with respect to both race and gender. In 1968, Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, representing New York’s 12th for 7 terms from 1969 to 1983.
As both a New York state legislator and a congresswoman, Chisholm championed the rights of the least of us, fighting for improved education; health and social services, including unemployment benefits for domestic workers;
Read 9 tweets
#BlackHistoryMonth - today's value is adventure.
I talked to my children about some of our best adventures, then I introduced them to Guion Stewart Blufort Jr, born Nov 22, 1942 (in Philly Woot Woot!). He's the first African-American man in space.
Bluford was 1 of 35 individuals selected in 1978 from 10,000 applicants in NASA’s first competition to become space shuttle astronauts. 8/30/1983, he rode into Earth orbit on the shuttle orbiter Challenger on the STS-8 mission. The crew deployed an Indian communication satellite.
The shuttle returned to Earth on September 5. Bluford’s next mission, 10/30/1985 carried a scientific laboratory in the ship's cargo bay. Dr. Bluford & 5 other astronauts performed more than 70 experiments in Spacelab.
Read 5 tweets
As you're contemplating getting the vaccine or not, there's 3 important people I'd like you to learn more about. 🧵
1. The first person to introduce vaccines to the United States was a West African born, American enslaved man name Onesimus. He introduced a West Africa custom where you introduce a little bit of the virus to your body to help your body learn to fight off the virus...
At the time, people in Boston were dying left and right from smallpox. He saved lives by teaching those around him about inoculations. This is the basis of modern day vaccines.
Read 10 tweets
This is the #DemPartyPlatform for 2020. This part is called: Achieving Racial Justice and Equity/Only one party has a specific plan for healing the wounds of systemic institutional racism & the legacy of slavery and for achieving equity-the other party denies they still hurt 1/12
Historic wrongs & abuses against Native Americans, 2 1/2 centuries of slavery, a 100 yrs of Jim Crow & a history of exclusionary immigration policies have created profound & lasting inequities in income,wealth,education,employment, housing,environment & health care for #POC 2/12
#Democrats are committed to standing up to racism and bigotry in our laws, in our culture, in our politics, and in our society, and recognize that race-neutral policies are not sufficient to rectify race-based disparities. 3/12 #DemPartyPlatform #racialjustice #WealthGap
Read 12 tweets
in #BlackHistoryIsAmericanHistory, I'll share a personal story of a White friend of mine. Her Grandfather, while fighting in the war, made friends with a Black solider from his town. Upon returning home, they both recieved their GI Bill and purchased a home for $8k each.
Laws forbade the Black vet from purchasing in certain areas. The White vet purchased in an upscale area. The Black vet purchased on the Black side of town. My friend went on to tell me that he grandfather's house was long paid off and worth over $1 million today.
While homes on the side of town the Black vet purchased never increased higher than $125k. My friend told me that everyone in her family recieved loans from the equity in granddads house to attend college, and use as down payments for their first homes.
Read 8 tweets
Happy #JuneteenthDay2020 !!

After talking with a couple neighbors, it became apparent that this holiday is new to many non-Black citizens.

Some info via @8645ASAP for anyone interested on this important, fun holiday!

#JuneteenthDay #JUNETEENTH2020 #June19th #freedom

1/
An annual #holiday, #juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It has been celebrated by African-Americans since the late 1800s.

Some (very general) common traditions include:

2/
❤️ Dressing in your ‘Sunday Best’ and/or wearing the color red; also common in some areas is wearing all white clothing.

❤️ Rodeos, block parties, cook-outs, parades, concerts, singing and dancing.

#celebratefreedom #JuneteenthDay #JUNETEENTH2020

3/
Read 8 tweets
Today we celebrate Juneteenth! What is that?

Juneteenth commemorates the arrival of Union army general Gordon Granger in the city of Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865 proclaiming that all enslaved persons in TX were now free.
1/8
The Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them ~2.5 yrs earlier & the Civil War had ended in April, but TX was the most remote of the slave states, w/ a low presence of Union troops.
2/8
So, many enslaved Black persons did not know they had been formally freed, nor did they have the federal protection needed to claim their freedom.
3/8
Read 11 tweets

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