African American History Month

Julian Bond – Quote

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“Good things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who agitate!” -Julian Boyd.

What a powerful quote by civil rights activist, politician, and educator Julian Bond. Bond was born in 1940 in Nashville, Tennesse. He met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr while attending Morehouse College. While at Morehouse, Bond worked with other students to desegregate lunch counters in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1960, he helped establish the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which mobilized students in the fight for civil rights.

Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives from 1967-1975. He also served in the Georgia Senate from 1975-1987. In addition to his political service, Bond served as the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center from 1971-1979. Following his tenure at the Southern Poverty Law Center, he was president of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association For The Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1978-1989. He then served as the chairman of the national NAACP from 1998-2010.

Throughout his lifetime, Bond was also a staunch advocate for voting rights. Bond died in 2014 from complications related to vascular disease at the age of 75.

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February 27, 2023 0

The Second Emancipation Proclamation (1962)

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Welcome To The Black Mail Blog and Podcast! At Black Mail, we bring you, Black History: Special Delivery.

Our topic today is the 1962 Second Emancipation Proclamation.

In 1962 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders urged President Kennedy to issue a Second Emancipation Proclamation Order. The first Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, to free the enslaved. This second proclamation was being prompted as a call to action for ending racial segregation.

King announced the idea in a New York City press conference in 1961. At the press conference, King reminded the crowd of President Lincoln’s statement that the United States could not exist being “half-slave and half-free.” Bringing the issue forward to the present-day, King asserted that the Kennedy administration should recognize that the nation cannot continue being half segregated. and half segregation free.

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February 2, 2022 1

Ancient African Roots Of Dentistry & The Discovery of Diabetes

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Located in northern Africa, ancient Egypt is considered to be a pioneer in the fields of medicine. The Egyptians were also very intentional about dental care. Hesy-Ra was the first recorded dentist and is regarded as a pioneer of some of today’s dental techniques. He was not only a dentist but also a physician and a scribe.

Hesy-Ra lived during Egypt’s third dynasty, around 2600 BC. He served under pharaoh Djoser. Hesy-Ra may be earliest physician and dentitst identified by name. He was given the title “Chief of Physicians and Dentists” by Pharoah Djoser. This title seems to indicate that dentistry was recognized as a specialty even back then. Ancient records reflect that a portion of Hesy-Ra’s dental practice focused on laborers who were building the pyramids. Records indicate that some of his treatment methods included drilling holes in the teeth of his patients. This is quite remarkable when we know that the first dental instruments to perform modern-day root canals were not invented until the 1830’s. The drilling procedures performed by Hesy-Ra would have been excruciatingly painful for patients because anesthesia had not yet been invented.

Hesy-Ra’s tomb was discovered by French archaeologists Auguste Mariette and Jacques de Morgan in Saqqara. Wooden panels in the tomb were inscribed with titles that denoted his official duties, including being a physician, dentist, and scribe. Hesy-Ra is also believed to be the first physician to speculate about the condition of diabetes. He observed that it caused “frequent urination,” which we now know is a primary symptom of the illness.

Sources:

https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3180

https://www.ancient.eu/article/50/ancient-egyptian-medicine-study–practice/

Meet Dr Hesy-Ra

February 21, 2021 1

The Hidden History Of Slavery In Michigan

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Image result for gateway to freedom memorial — Gateway To Freedom Memorial in Detroit, MI, by African American artist, Ed Dwight

Detroit, MI is known for being an important stop on the Underground Railroad. You may not know that people were also enslaved in Detroit and surrounding areas prior to Michigan obtaining statehood. Many roads, schools, and other institutions in the Detroit area are named after wealthy slave-owning families. If you live in or near Detroit, you will recognize these names, Macomb, Campau, Beaubien, McDougall, Brush, Cass, Hamtramck, Dequindre, Groesbeck Livernois, Rivard, and many others. From its founding in 1750, slavery existed during Detroit’s existence as a French, British, and then American settlement. The Burton Collection of the Detroit Public Library has an original ledger book of William Macomb. The ledger lists his property and includes over 20 enslaved individuals. The first mayor of Detroit, John R. Williams, who has two streets in Detroit that bear his name, also owned slaves along with priests of the Catholic Church in Detroit. The men who financed the Detroit Free Press were also former slave owners. The Free Press used its platform to support slavery prior to the Civil War.

People of African and Native/Indigenous descent were both enslaved in Detroit. Enslavement of native peoples occurred first. Slavery played an integral role in the relationship between European settlers and Native tribes. The Native system of enslavement involved taking captives to settle conflicts or build alliances. This would occur by women and children of rival factions being exchanged or given to confirm an alliance or settle a dispute. When the French arrived, they also adopted this practice to establish trade alliances with Native peoples as well. Native women were victims of labor trafficking and sexual violence. The enslaved were used as pawns to help bolster trading alliances between European settlers and Native tribes. Slavery continued to exist in the Northwest Territory (which included Michigan) even though it was abolished in 1787. Slave owners used loopholes or flat-out ignored the law to maintain their ownership of the enslaved.

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February 20, 2021 0

Jason Wright: 1st Black President & General Manager Of An NFL Team

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In August 2020, Jason Wright (1982 – ) was hired as the Washington Football Team president, making him the first Black president of an NFL team. Wright is also currently the youngest president of an NFL team. He spent seven years as a running back with the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns. Wright earned an MBA from the University of Chicago. He then spent seven years at McKinsey and Company, where he focused on helping to turn around struggling companies.

Wright’s key focus in his new role will be improving team culture, addressing allegations of sexual harassment, and advancing its legacy after its name change. Wright is confident about his ability to make a positive impact. He states that the “psychological and emotional well-being” of his employees is his top priority. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Wright’s mother was a flight attendant, and his father was a civil rights activist and entrepreneur in the insurance industry. Wright is married and has two children

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/01/23-black-leaders-who-are-shaping-history-today.html

Meet Jason Wright, the man behind the Washington Football Team’s culture change

NFL’s First Black Team President, WFT’s Jason Wright, Talks Interim Name, Systemic Racism, More (Watch)

https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/nfl/washington-nfl/washington-football-team-black-gm-martin-mayhew-black-team-president-jason-wright-jennifer-king/65-3c97e0fe-ad03-4840-a5ca-947b8a09cbfd

February 18, 2021 1

Esteban Hotesse: The Tuskegee Airmen’s Forgotten Afro-Latinx Pilot

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Esteban Hotesse (1919 – 1946) is the only known Latinx member of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen was a black military unit that saw combat during World War II. Hotesse was born in Moca, Dominican Republic and immigrated to the U.S. with his mother and younger sister in 1923. The family settled in Manhattan. Hotesse enlisted into the Army Air Corp in 1942. He was first assigned to the 619^th Bombadier Squadron, which later merged with the 477^th Bomdadier Group M in 1944. The 477^th was one of the Tuskegee Airmen squadrons that remained stationed in the U.S. and did not see combat overseas. The 477^th did, however have to combat racism and discrimination on U.S. soil. The 477^th and 619th merged after the military leaders began receiving pressure to provide more opportunities for black soldiers to fill key positions in the air corp.

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February 13, 2021 1

Acupuncture & Activism: Dr. Mutulu Shakur & The People’s Drug Program

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Established on 1970, The People’s Drug Program was launched at Lincoln Hospital in New York by the Young Lords, the Black Panther Party, and other community activists. The Young Lords is a Puerto Rican liberation organization founded in 1968. The Black Panther Party was Black power political organization founded in 1966. Instrumental in this cause was Mutulu Shakur, a member of the black liberation group, the Republic of New Afrika. Shakur was interested in the use of acupuncture to treat addiction. Shakur became aware of acupuncture when his son received it after a car accident. Shakur received training and began to practice acupuncture as part of the People’s Drug Program in 1971 along with Walter Bosque and other community volunteers.

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February 3, 2021 0

Help Us Reach Our Goal

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February 28, 2019 0

The National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty, and Pension Association Of The United States

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Following the end of slavery in the U.S., many formerly enslaved people felt betrayed by the government because they received no financial or material assistance as they exited slavery. The National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty, and Pension of the United States was chartered in 1898 to advocate for the payment of pensions to the formerly enslaved. The pensions were to serve as reparations for the economic robbery of slavery and, would also help with burial costs. Formerly enslaved woman, Callie House became a nationally recognized leader of the organization. The group claimed to have a membership in the hundreds of thousands who made financial donations to fund the organization. It unsuccessfully sued the government for access to money gained through a tax on cotton confiscated during the civil war. Continue reading “The National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty, and Pension Association Of The United States” →

February 19, 2019 0

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