HOUSTON (AP) — Martha Whiting-Goddard believes there’s power in voting — she’s seen it firsthand. Her great-grandfather, the Rev. John Henry “Jack” Yates, was one of a handful of freed slaves who founded Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in 1866, Houston’s oldest African American Baptist church. The church has historically helped shape the city’s political discourse, […]
TUCSON, Arizona (AP) — When Oprah Winfrey chose the novel “American Dirt” for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialog about the narrative, which follows a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the United States. Instead, Winfrey ended up organizing a show that put the book, author Jeanine Cummins and […]
Since September, the California African American Museum (CAAM) has been showcasing its largest selection of works by Southern vernacular artists through their exhibition titled Dust My Broom: Southern Vernacular from the Permanent Collection. Paying homage to the 1930s Blues song “Dust My Broom” by Robert Johnson, the exhibit’s artworks were created by mostly self-taught artists […]
Women’s History Month is upon us, and TIME Magazine is honoring women who have often been overshadowed by men and other circumstances throughout the years. For over seven decades, TIME named a Man of the Year. It wasn’t until 1999 that the magazine changed it to a more politically correct title, “Person of the Year,” […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Authors James Patterson and Kwame Alexander are teaming up on a book for young people about Muhammad Ali. “Becoming Muhammad Ali” is being called a “biographical novel” by the rival imprints JIMMY Paterson Books and HMH Books for Young Readers, which will jointly publish the book and announced it Monday. “Becoming […]
NEW YORK (AP) — The spreading coronavirus canceled several touring performances from A-list musical artists, but those acts have found a new venue to sing: their living rooms. John Legend, Bono, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Pink, John Mayer, Keith Urban and more have held virtual concerts from their homes as the world continues to practice social […]
TV’s medical dramas such as The Good Doctor, New Amsterdam, and Station 19 have been using their production hiatus for an excellent cause by donating their costumes and medical supplies for hospitals and fire stations to utilize as the number of COVID-19 cases increase rapidly. Station 19 donated nearly 300 N95 masks to their local […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Madam C.J. Walker may be one of America’s most successful “pull yourself up by your own bootstrap” stories, but many have never heard of her. However, that’s changing, thanks to the recent release of a Netflix limited series starring Octavia Spencer. “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” […]
Through her annual New York-based event The Unapologetic Art Expo, Kiana Calder provides Black artists with an essential platform to expose and sell their work, free of charge. According to the website, The Unapologetic Art Expo “was created to capture the essence of the complicated beauty, joy, and pain that is Black culture.” Launched in […]
Fred “Curly” Neal, the dribbling wizard who entertained millions with the Harlem Globetrotters for parts of three decades, has died. He was 77. The Globetrotters said Neal died in his home outside of Houston on Thursday morning. “We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known,” Globetrotters general manager […]