Looking Black – Radio One Celebrates Black History Month

From TheGrio.com:

By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

Once again RNC Chairman Michael Steele has taken his rhetoric a bit too far.

In 1950, Brooks was the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize. Brooks did more than illuminate the Black experience; she transcended racial boundaries, paving the way for transformative Black figures like Barack Obama.

During 1991, Clarence Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court to replace retired Justice Thurgood Marshall. His appointment caused controversy in the Black political sphere. Meanwhile, the groundbreaking John Singleton film “Boyz N The Hood” was released.

Ralph Bunche was America’s first African-American ambassador to the world. Our 44th President follows that legacy of diplomatic service, blazing Bunche’s trail into the new century.

Even with slavery so deeply entrenched in the American psyche during the 19th century, it was difficult to ignore a voice as strong and as bold as the one of Sojourner Truth.

Check out this gallery of black history events from the year 1988! It includes Jesse Jackson’s near victory in the Democratic National Convention and the indisputable victories of Black Olympians Carl Lewis, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

From The Root:

It’s Black History Month yet again. With several years of university teaching under my belt, I’ve begun to wonder what black history my students have actually learned during this month or any month before entering college.

In the 1960s, being Black and exercising your right to vote meant losing your job, being beaten or even lynched. But for Fannie Lou Hamer, voting rights activist and civil rights leader, there was no point in being scared.