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Joseph Henry Douglass (1869-1935) was the second child of Charles Douglass and his first wife Libbie. With moral and financial support from his grandfather Frederick Douglass, he studied violin at the Boston Conservatory and became a renowned violinist. Joseph Douglass, grandson of Frederick Douglass, was the first nationally-known black concert violinist. His interest in music stemmed from his father and grandfather, both of which played the violin. Douglass was also the first black violinist to tour the world as a performer.

When he was 22 years old, Joseph Douglass performed at the Chicago World’s Fair, which was a day to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World. He shared the lineup that day with poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar. It was the beginning of his career that spanned over three decades. Joseph Douglass was born in the Anacostia area of Washington D.C. in 1869 to Charles and Mary Elizabeth Douglass. He was the only child of the couple that would live to be an adult. He received his formal musical training from conservatories in New England and Boston. Joseph Douglass was the first violinist of any race to record music for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1914.

He performed for several U.S. presidents, including William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, and Howard Taft. By 1910, he was performing at Carnegie Hall. Douglass also appeared at the Grand Military Concert sponsored by the U.S. Marine Band in Washington to commemorate the presidential inauguration of Grover Cleveland. Unfortunately, his recordings with the Victor Talking Machine Company were never released. Aside from his work in music, Douglass was a conductor at Howard University. He often played slave spirituals that he learned as a child for family members. Douglass’ widow, Fannie Douglass, donated his violin (which was a copy of the German Stradivarius) to the U.S. Dept of Interior after his death in 1935

Hatshepsut, born around 1507 BC, was a remarkable leader who left an indelible mark on Ancient Africa, demonstrating that the continent produced great leaders in ancient times. She was a true blessing to Egypt and beyond. Hatshepsut’s ambitions were grand and visionary. She aspired to be more than just a pharaoh; she aimed to bring prosperity and stability to Egypt.

Her dreams were centered around building a prosperous and powerful Empire through trade, diplomacy, and architectural achievements. Her leadership style was characterized by wisdom and diplomacy. She sought to maintain peace and strengthen Egypt’s relationships with neighboring nations rather than pursuing aggressive wars.

Instead of focusing on conquest, she dedicated herself to the well-being of her people.Under Hatshepsut’s rule, Egypt flourished economically and culturally. She initiated extensive trade expeditions to the land of Punt, bringing back valuable goods like incense, myrrh, exotic animals, and precious woods. These voyages enriched Egypt economically and culturally.She also oversaw ambitious building projects, including the famous Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri and the construction of impressive obelisks at Karnak.

The structures stand as a testament to her commitment to art and architecture, contributing to Egypt’s rich cultural heritage.Hatshepsut passed away in 1458 BC, leaving behind a legacy of stability, prosperity, and cultural richness.Her reign laid the foundation for Egypt’s continued greatness in the centuries to come. She challenged gender norms and became one of the most successful female pharaohs in history, proving that leadership knows no gender boundaries.

Her legacy endures as a testament to the heights that great leaders from Africa can achieve, inspiring generations to come. After the death of Hatshepsut, her stepson and nephew, Thutmose III, succeeded her as the pharaoh of Egypt. Thutmose III is often referred to as one of Egypt’s greatest military pharaohs.During his reign, he expanded Egypt’s empire through a series of military campaigns and solidified its position as a dominant power in the ancient world.

14 black football players at the University of Wyoming were kicked off the team for trying to protest against Brigham Young University because of the Mormon Church ban on Black men in the priesthood. The players protested playing a game with Brigham Young University (BYU) because of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS ban on black men holding the priesthood in the church, and other racial restrictions. Mormons believe black people are cursed with the mark of Cain.The Wyoming Cowboys had won three consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships, and they were considered as the best football team to ever play for the university in 1969

The protest began on the 15th October 1969, after Willie Black, a math graduate student & head of Wyoming’s Black Student Alliance (BSA), brought a letter titled “We Must Protest,” to university administrators. The letter described the race issues of the Mormon church, including the priesthood restriction and other prohibitions, such as barring all black men and women from participating in temple rituals. 2 days before the game, the 14 players discussed options for how they might protest & they eventually settled on wearing black armbands but nonetheless compete in the game.

On 17th oct, a day before the game, Coach Eaton ordered the players to the bleachers where he expelled them from the team, revoking their athletic scholarships. Having dismissed all the black players, the Cowboys became an all-white team.First, the UW Student Senate passed a resolution which said in part, “The actions of coach Eaton and the Board of Trustees were not only uncompromising, but unjust and wrong.” In response a number of athletes of all races wore black armbands in support including the entire San Jose State Team. The protest of the Fourteen eventually sparked nationwide focus on LDS church practices and other protests by student athletes.Despite their dismissal, several of the fourteen players received college degrees from Wyoming and other institutions.

The potato chip was invented in 1853 by George Crum. Crum was a black American chef at the Moon Lake Lodge resort in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. French fries were popular at the restaurant, and one day a diner complained that the fries were too thick. Although Crum made a thinner batch, the customer was still unsatisfied. Crum finally made fries that were too thin to eat with a fork, hoping to annoy the extremely fussy customer. The customer, surprisingly enough, was happy and potato chips were invented! Crum’s chips were originally called Saratoga Chips and potato crunches.

They were soon packaged and sold in New England Crum later opened his own restaurant. William Tappendon manufactured and marketed the chips in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1895. In the 1920s, a salesman named Herman Lay sold potato chips to the southern USA (selling the chips from the trunk of his car). In 1926, Laura Scudder (who owned a potato chip factory in Monterey Park, California) invented a wax paper potato chip bag to keep the chips fresh and crunchy. With further technology, innovation, and a countless number of variations and flavors, potato chips have only grown in popularity over the years!

The Jieeng or Dinka people are a Nilotic tribe from South Sudan, but they do have a significant community in the diaspora. They live mostly along the Nile, from Mangalla to Renk, in Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (formerly two out of three Sudanese Southern Provinces) and Dinka Ngok of Abyei Area in South Sudan.

When one hears the term ‘corset’ we immediately associate it with a woman’s item of clothing, right? Well here is some interesting insight, the MEN of the Dinka tribe; a South Sudanese largest tribe, would opt to differ.Among the Dinka, corsets, known as “Malual” are worn by men as a form of daily attire which primarily symbolize a man’s age group as well as his wealth within the community.

The wealth of a Dinka is measured according to the height of the back of a corset; the higher the projection, the richer the wearer is.Wealth is usually calculated in terms of their cattle and herd number. These corsets are initially sewn around a Dinka tribe member at a very tender age.Removal of the beaded garments, which serve as a great representation of the tribes creative abilities, is not initiated until the wearer reaches a certain age, usually when he is ready for marriage.

The ‘malual’ can therefore usually worn for over 15 -20 years before removal and are raised in height ever so often.Different colour combinations featured on individual corsets signify a wearers age bracket. Red and blue cominations indicated a man of fifteen to twenty years of age whilst blue and yellow would usually be worn by men of thirty years and above.

Dinka herders of a younger age group can be identified by the height of their corsets.The Dinka traditionally view the body as a focal point for artistic expression and what better way to be expressive then adorn ones body with carefully crafted pieces like these beaded corsets.

The beauty of the Dinka corsets have influenced fashion and costume designs worldwide. Interpretations of the Dinka corset have been worn by characters in the musical stage adaptation of world known animated film,”The Lion King”.

As well as this, prominent fashion house Christian Dior adapted the dexterity and bold design behind these corsets to create pieces for his Haute Couture 1997 collection.This definitely serves as proof of how African traditional culture has been adapted, interpreted and recognised world wide

In 1898, the federally appointed postmaster for Lake City, South Carolina, Frazier Baker, was lynched, along with his baby daughter, Julia. This was a lynching by bullets, which also hit his wife, Lavinia and four of their children. The crime which incensed the white mob that descended on their house (also the town post office)? That of being a black postmaster - no more, no less. And no one was ever convicted. White supremacists all over the South were infuriated at President McKinley's postings of Black federal employees; he had spoken out against lynching in order to secure the Black vote when he was running for president.

This sentiment led directly to the massacre in Wilmington later that year, which destroyed the Black prosperity in that North Carolina port and turned the previously majority-Black town majority-White, practically overnight. It also dismantled the rising and theretofore successful Fusionist party, a coalition of working class Blacks and Whites.

People love to talk about 'get over it' and 'slavery was so long ago' and 'Black people love to be victims' - when the issue is truly systemic and not dismantled in a day. We will be fighting the results of how our society was formed (and how that formation is protected by white supremacy to this day) for a long time. And let's not forget that the white poor (and that of every other race) also get left behind in this scheme which only benefits the few.

It was formed in Winston-Salem to serve the black neighborhoods due to segregation and operated till 1972. Thirteen Black men put together their life-savings and purchasing shares of stock for $100,000; forming Safe Bus Co, Inc. on May 26, 1926, Safe Bus Co became the largest African-American owned bus company in the nation. The company grew large and fast and was at one point named the largest black-owned transportation company in the world. In 1955, Safe Bus grossed $825,000. At it’s prime, the company carried 15,000 fares a day, grossed $18,000 a week and had 75 employees. Fares started at five cents in the early operating days and grew as the company expanded.

The number of buses expanded as well, from 35 to 42. Safe Bus operated in 20 percent of the city. Black bus drivers made, around $1.60 to $2.50 an hour. “That was more than school teachers were making then.” By 1968, Safe Bus provided transportation to all city residents. The company took on more routes, but finding drivers proved difficult. Despite more routes, after integration, Safe Bus started to lose money. Old attitudes about segregation made it difficult to make a profit, and the company lost 60 percent of riders, according to the Winston-Salem Transit Authority. “When the whites started riding Safe Bus, they thought they had to go to the back,”. After integration Black people Started riding on white-owned buses so they could sit up front with white people. Stockholders voted to sell the company to the city in 1972. The Winston-Salem Transit Authority became responsible for all public.

He earned a master's degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He taught at Howard University (1917-1928) and Fisk University (1929 – 1946) and traveled West Africa, identifying over 300 (Mende, Vai, Fulani) Gullah loanwords and 4,000 personal names. He published his findings in his book “Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1949). —Lorenzo Dow Turner was an African American linguist who headed the English department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. from 1920 to 1928, and later headed of the English department at Fisk University (1929 to 1946). His accomplishments within his career in academia include the creation of the African Studies curriculum at Fisk University in 1943 and participation in the early African Studies program at Roosevelt University, beginning in 1946.

Turner is best known for his research on the Gullah language or dialect, a provincial language spoken by descendants of African slaves in coastal South Carolina and Georgia. Later in life, Turner played a role in founding the training program for Peace Corps volunteers going to Africa. Lorenzo Dow Turner was born on October 21, 1890 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His parents, Rooks Turner and Elizabeth Freeman emphasized the importance of education while raising Turner and his three brothers. Rooks Turner earned a Master’s degree from Howard University, and two of Lorenzo Dow Turner’s brothers also earned graduate level degrees in the 1940s (?) which was unusual for that time. Lorenzo Dow Turner earned a Master’s degree from Harvard University in Massachusetts in 1917, before enrolling in the University of Chicago in Illinois where he earned a Ph.D. in English Literature in 1926. From 1917 to 1928 Turner taught at Howard University. After leaving Howard University, Turner unsuccessfully tried to establish the Washington Sun newspaper, which closed within a year. In 1929, Turner first heard Gullah speakers while teaching at South Carolina State University. This experience would lead him down a long journey of research discovery into the Gullah language and its origins. Eventually he would be known as the “father” of Gullah studies. Turner’s research which began in the South Carolina and Georgia Low Country would eventually extend to Sierra Leone in Africa, and Brazil in South America (along with other areas, nationally and internationally where creole and African languages were influential). Turner investigated the influence of African languages on the dialect spoken by Gullah speakers in their isolated communities. By doing so, he exposed the complexities of the African diaspora in America, and how it pertained to cultural assimilation. In 1949, Turner published his most well-known work, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect. His arguments were so convincing, that his thesis (Gullah speakers are influenced by African languages) faced little criticism. To this day this classic work is a symbol of Diaspora influence among African descendants in America. Turner’s research also solidified his reputation as a founding figure in American linguistics and African American studies. Lorenzo Dow Turner retired from Roosevelt University in 1970. He died in Chicago, Illinois on February 10, 1972 of heart failure. He was 81.

Fritz Pollard became the first black head coach in the NFL in 1921. He was also the first black person to play professional American football for a major team, the Akron Pros, in 1920. He coached and played the game at the same time. —Fritz Pollard was born in January 1894. He was a Black American football player and coach in the National Football League. Frederick Douglas "Fritz" Pollard grew up in Chicago. By the time he graduated from high school, he was a talented baseball player, running back and a three-time Cook County track champion. He briefly played football for Northwestern, Harvard and Dartmouth before receiving a scholarship from the Rockefeller family to attend Brown University in 1915. It was here where Pollard led their squad to a 1916 Rose Bowl game. He was the first African American to play in the Rose bowl, and the second to be named an All-American in college football.

After leaving Brown, Pollard briefly pursued a degree in dentistry, worked as director of an army YMCA, and coached football at Lincoln University. He signed to play for the Akron Pros in the American Professional Football League (APFA). Pollard lead Akron to a championship in 1920, was named head coach in 1921 and continued to play for the Pros as well. The APFA was renamed the NFL in 1922, making Pollard the first African American coach in NFL history. Pollard coached Akron until 1926, and went on to coach NFL teams in Indiana and Milwaukee. He retired from football in 1937 to pursue a career in business, remaining the only Black to have coached in the NFL until the 1990s. Fritz Pollard died on May 11, 1986 in Silver Springs, MD.

In France, she found fame and freedom after fleeing racism in America. At the height of her career, she led a double life. She became a spy informing on the Nazis. A talented dancer and singer, in 1927, Baker caused a sensation by performing at the Folies Bergère in Paris in a skirt made from bananas. In 1934 she also became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture. Her ongoing popularity in Paris in the forties gave her access to parties, embassies and ministries where high-ranking officials gathered. Rather than simply enjoy her position and focus on her career, Baker used her access to extract valuable top-secret information and pass it on to French military intelligence.

Once the Nazis occupied France, Josephine moved to the South of France and worked with the French Resistance, sheltering refugees and supplying them with visas and other support. Among other ingenious methods, she smuggled military secrets out of Nazi-occupied France and forwarded them to England, written in invisible ink on her sheet music.Nazi guards were so star-struck by Baker, known in various circles as the "Black Pearl," that they let her slip across the borders with no issue. No one suspected that her sheet music was covered with messages written in invisible ink or that her dress contained hidden photographs.

She had many close calls during her time as a spy, but Baker reportedly laughed off the danger, saying, “Who would dare strip-search Josephine Baker?”Her work with the French Resistance earned her the Croix de Guerre and the Lègion d’honneur.The Croix de Guerre, (French: “War Cross”), is a French military decoration created in 1915 and 1939 to reward feats of bravery , either by individuals or groups, in the course of the two World Wars.The National Order of the Legion of Honour, formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour, is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Josephine Baker also became the first Black woman laid to rest in France's Pantheon mausoleum, the storied tomb of heroes.