Black History Timeline - From Ancient Egypt Thru Today

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY TIMELINE “Whispers From The Past, Voices Of The Future”

By: Joseph Campbell In order for you to know your future, you must understand the present. To understand the present, you must learn from the past.

African History More than 3000 years before Christ and the Christian era, in a time before the European and Asian Invasions, Arab Expansion, British Colonization and Slavery, Ancient Egypt was the home to 30 Egyptian Dynasties from 2920 BC – 332 BC before finally falling to the Roman Empire. Nubians were the first human race on earth and rulers of the Kingdom of Kush (Nubia). The ancient Egyptians adopted most of the Kushite customs and traditions. Nubians lived in Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt along the Nile River. The Egyptian Pyramids are one of the 7 wonders of the world. Egyptians were Africans and their skin was Black just as that of the Nubians. Once upon a time, Africans were the Kings and Queens of Egypt and Nubia. The Egyptian pyramids were built to be tombs of the Pharaohs while Nubian pyramids were symbols of wealth and stature. The pyramids were aligned with the four corners of the compass in order to reach the heavens and were the influence for the pyramids found in China, Peru, Mexico, Indonesia and the tower of Babel in Iraq. The greatness of Egypt is still being talked about and studied to this day. Be proud of your heritage. Be proud of your history. Be proud of being Black because we are the children of the 1st and greatest civilization that has ever lived. Joseph Campbell - 2003

A Partial List of African & Nubian Kings, Queens and Pharaohs Affonso – King of the Congo Ahmose – Pharaoh of Egypt Akhenaten – Pharaoh of Egypt – Creator of Monotheism = One God Altanersa – Nubian King Amani- Astabarqa – Nubian King Amina – Queen of Zaria Amaninatake – Nubian King Amanishakheto - Nubian Queen Amenhotep – Pharaoh of Egypt (4 took this name) Analmaaye – Nubian King Askia Toure – King of Songhay Aspalta – Nubian King Ay – Pharaoh of Egypt Baskakeren – Nubian King Behanzin Bowelle – West African King – The King Shark Candace – Empress of Ethiopia Cetewayo – King of the Zulu’s Cleopatra – Queen of Egypt - Kemet (7 took this name) Dahia-Al Kahina – Queen of Sudan Djedefre – Pharaoh – Builder of Pyramid at Giza Djoser – 1st Pharaoh viewed as a living God by the people Esop – The Great Story Teller Hannibal – Ruler of Carthage and Conqueror of Spain and Italy Harisiotet – Nubian King Hatshepsut – Queen of Egypt; 1st Female Pharaoh and female builder Horemheb – King of Egypt Idris Alooma – Sultan of Bornu Imhotep – Father of Science & Medicine and World’s 1st known Genius Ja Ja – King of Opobo Kamose – King of Egypt Khafe – Pharaoh and builder of the Great Sphinx at Giza Khama – King of Bechuanaland Khufu – Great Pyramid builder known as the father of building Kiya – Queen of Egypt Makeda – Queen of Sheba Malewiebamani – Nubian King Mansa Mussa – Ruler of Mali Menelek – King of Abyssinia Mentuhotep – Egyptian King Moses – Prince of Egypt Moshoeshoe – King of Basutoland Mutato – King or Zimbabwe Nandi – Queen of Zululand and mother of Shaka Narmer – Founder of Kemet (Egypt) Nasakhma – Nubian King

Nastagen – Nubian King Neferatari – Nubian Queen of Egypt Neferatiti – Queen of Egypt Nehanda – Ruling Queen and spiritual Grandmother of Zimbabwe Nzingha – Amazon Queen of Matamba Osei Tutu – King of Asanti Ramses – Pharaoh / Prince and builder of Egypt (11 took this name) Samory Toure – King of the Sudan Senworsert – Pharaoh of Egypt Senusret – Egyptian King Seqenenre Taa – King of Thebes Seti – Pharaoh of Egypt (2 took this name) Shabaka – Nubian King Shaka – King of the Zulu’s Shamba – King of Peace Sisaspiqu – Nubian King Sesostris – Pharaoh, Warlord & Fortress System builder Snefru – Pharaoh & Builder of Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid Sunni Ali Ber – King of Songhay Taharka – Nubian King Taharqa – Nubian King Talakhamani – Nubian King Tenkamein – King of Ghana Thutmose – Pharaoh of Egypt (4 took this name) Tiye – Nubian Queen of Egypt and mother of King Tutankhamen Tutankhamen – Pharaoh of Egypt (the boy King) Yaa Asantewa – Queen of the Ashanti Empire Zenobia – Queen of Palmyra The Kingdom of Kush The Kingdom of Kush located in Sudan was a great kingdom that ruled over Egypt at the height of Egypt’s strength and power but eventually was colonized by Egyptians. Kush was ruled by Nubians who passed on their way of life and customs to the Egyptians. Kush and Egypt fought and traded with each other on a regular basis. Kush and Egypt were parallel kingdoms that acted like competitive twin brothers. Kush had city capitols in Kerma, Napata and Meroe. Nubian Kings and Egyptian Kings shared a way of living and rivaled each other in wealth, power and cultural development including art, philosophy, and learning leading to what became 30 Egyptian Dynasties. The Egyptians took the foundation of the Nubians and expanded it and built upon it to become a world super power during its time. The Kingdom of Kush was the greatest civilization of its time but it stayed in the shadow of Egypt as the Nubians organized their society along Egyptian lines of royalty, architecture and art.

Nubians Influenced the Egyptians Ancient Egypt is the first major civilization in Africa for which records are abundant. It was not, however, Africa’s first kingdom. A March 1, 1979, New York Times front-page article, written by journalist Boyce Rensberger, reported: ”Evidence of the oldest recognizable monarchy in human history, preceding the rise of the earliest Egyptian kings by several generations, has been discovered in artifacts from ancient Nubia.” The artifacts, including hundreds of fragments of pottery, jewelry, stone vessels and ceremonial objects such as incense burners, were initially recovered from the Qustul cemetery by Keith C. Seele, a professor at the University of Chicago. Bruce Williams, a research associate at the University of Chicago, said it was the picture on a stone incense burner that indicated it was the tomb of a king. Williams added that “the majestic figure on the incense burner is the earliest known representation of a king in the Nile Valley. His name is unknown, but he is believed to have lived approximately three generations before the time of Scorpion, the earliest-known Egyptian ruler…”

Nubian hunters and warriors excelled as archers, and their weapon became a symbol for Nubia. “Land of the Bow” is the meaning of TaSeti, an ancient Egyptian term used to denote Nubia for thousands of years in antiquity. Hunters using bows and arrows appear in Nubian rock art as early as the Neolithic period, and hunting provided subsistence for Nubians throughout much of their history. Some of Nubia’s most important trade products, like animal skins and ivory, came from the hunt. Nubian archers, who formed the core of victorious Nubian armies, were so skilled that they were used as valued members of the military forces of other lands, such as Egypt and Persia. Some of their pottery and burial talismans predate similar discoveries in Egypt, indicating Nubia may have influenced the Egyptians rather than the other way around. At the height of their culture, Nubian kings are said to have ruled Egypt from 750 to 650 B.C. French archaeologists have found exquisite ceramic figurines, bowls and funerary objects at sites that date from at least 8000 B.C. predating prehistoric finds in Egypt by a staggering 3,000 years. The Nubian Kings Who Reigned Over Egypt Were Among Its Greatest Rulers. Not until the latter part of the 20th century did ancient Nubia begin to get its due among scholars, who were finally able to move past the racism of previous generations of White scholars who refused to believe that the Nubians could possibly be Black. Now the “Negro” kings from Nubia who ruled Egypt for a century as Egypt’s 25th Dynasty are recognized as having sponsored an important renaissance of Egyptian art and culture; they developed an almost scholarly interest in ancient Egyptian traditions and language and have been called “the first Egyptologists.” The empire over which they presided was greater in extent than any ever achieved in antiquity along the Nile Valley. Their kings were said never to have condemned prisoners to death; they forgave their enemies and allowed them to retain their offices; they also actually gave public credit for achievement in their inscriptions to individuals other than themselves. Such characteristics among other ancient monarchs of Egypt or the Near East are unheard of, and we can only assume these were native Nubian qualities.

Wisdom of the Egyptians and What They Created * Medicine – Basis of the mummification processes. * Astronomy – Basis of the 12-month calendar, which we use today. * Mathematics – Development of Geometry to build the pyramids. * Literature & Art – Tells about Egyptian life “Tale of Sinuhe.” * Speech - The first words by humans were spoken by Africans. * Painting & Sculpture – Portrays and tells of what was important. * Metallurgy and Tools - Advances in metallurgy and tool-making were made across the entirety of ancient Africa. * Architecture and Engineering - The African empire of Egypt developed a vast array of diverse structures and great architectural monuments along the Nile River. * Egyptians also created Black Ink, Paper, Ox-drawn plows, Organized labor, Boat Sails and Hieroglyphics as the 1st system of writing, mining of minerals, navigation, law, religion, philosophy, international trade. * Nearly 2,000 Years Before the West, Nubians Used Antibiotics. Human use of antibiotics began not 80 years ago, but nearly 2,000 years ago along the banks of the Nile River in Nubia. They got tetracycline out of fermented grain that they used to brew beer, which everyone drank, starting as early as age 2. Scientists found large doses of tetracycline embedded in the bones of ancient African mummies. While the modern age of antibiotics began in 1928 with the discovery of penicillin, the new findings suggest that people knew how to fight infections much earlier than that. Egyptian Gods & Goddess

Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Amon-Ra - King of the Gods Amon – Sun God of creation linked to Ra Anubus – God of mummification, embalming and netherworld Atum - Self created and one of the first gods Bastet – Goddess of cats Bes – God of childbirth and children Geb – God of the earth Hathor – Goddess of love, birth, death and music Heh – God of eternity Horus – Sky God and son of Osiris and Isis Isis – Queen of Goddess and mistress of magic and love Khnum – God of fertility who shapes men on the potter’s wheel Maat – Goddess of truth and justice Min – God of fertility Neith – Goddess protector of the king Nekhbet – Mother Goddess who protects the king Nut – Goddess of the sky Osiris – God of agriculture and ruler of the dead Ptah – Creator God and patron of craftsmen Ra – God of the sun – merged with Amon to become Amon-Ra Sekhmet – Goddess of war and destruction Seth – God of the desert, disorder, storm and violence Shu – God of air and light Sobek – God of kingship, action and violence Tefnut – Goddess of rain, clouds, wind and air Thoth – God of the moon, writing, counting and wisdom Wadjet – Goddess protector of the king Egyptian Social Class vs. Current Society * * * * *

Pharaoh (the King) = The President High Priests (Advisors) = The White House staff Nobles (Warriors) = The Military Merchants, Scribes & Artisans (Working class) = The Middle Class Peasant Farmers (Commoners) = The Poor and the Immigrants

Ancient Egypt is a “vector for symbols.” Those symbols include durability, permanence, wisdom, art, architecture, mathematics, agriculture, astronomy and eternal life. Ancient Egypt inspired people around the world to build monuments, museums, memorial gardens, temples, amusement parks, hotels, theatres and more dedicated to the Egyptian motif using symbols, culture and heritage of ancient Egypt.

4.5 Billion BC * Planet Earth is formed from cosmic dust and meteor showers. This is NOT to support or oppose GOD, creation or evolution. I believe in GOD but I needed a starting point for the timeline to give it perspective. 2.5 Billion BC * Stromatolite structures form in the oceans as blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) begins oxygenation of the water and atmosphere. 1.0 Billion BC * Continental drift occurs thru tectonic plate movement. 700 Million BC * The first ice age begins. 600 Million BC * The earliest date to which fossils can be traced. 240 Million BC * Dinosaurs evolved and ruled the planet. 65 Million BC * 75% of all life disappears when the six mile wide Chicxulub Meteor hits the Mexico coast causing a massive dust cloud coinciding with violent volcanic activity to end the Cretaceous period. 50 Million BC * Mammals begin to evolve and occupy the land. 4.4 Million BC * Skeletons of pre-humans have been found that date back between 4 to 5 million years. The oldest known ancestral type of humanity is thought to have been Australopithecus Ramidus. 2.5 Million BC

* Homo Habilis (skillful man) appears in Africa. 2 Million BC * Earliest stone tools in Ethiopia and East Africa are used. 1.8 Million BC * Homo Erectus (upright man) appears in Africa. 195,000 BC * The human race comes from African origin. The oldest known skeletal remains of anatomically modern humans (homo sapiens) were excavated at sites in East Africa. Human remains were discovered at Omo in Ethiopia that were dated at 195,000 years old and are the oldest known in the world. 150,000 BC * Homo Sapiens spread across Africa expanding migration. 90,000 BC * Africans organize fishing expeditions in northeastern Zaire. 70,000 BC * Neanderthal man appears in Africa using fire and advanced tools. 50,000 BC * Upper Paleolithic Efflorescence occurs. 43,000 BC * Cro-Magnon man appears in Africa. 35,000 BC * Africans begin iron mining in the Nile Valley. 33,000 BC * The Grimaldi Negroids expand into Europe. 30,000 BC

* Africans of Monomotapa create the 1st sculpture of a human figure. 25,000 BC * Africans develop basic arithmetic. 20,000 BC * Intensive grass seed gathering of barley and wheat occurs and the first Cro-Magnon appears in Europe. 15,000 BC * Migrations across the Bering Straits into the Americas begin and the domestication of cattle occurs. 12,000 BC * Sebelian II rules in Pre-Dynastic Kemet. Africans cultivate crops. 10,000 BC * Africans of the Nile Valley introduce the 1st calendar. 9,000 BC * Africans mummified their dead. 8000 BC * Early spread of agriculture and first settlements in the Nile Delta. Sebelian III rules in Pre-Dynastic Kemet. 7000 BC * Earliest cave drawings are drawn in the Sahara. The Great Sphinx of Giza was fashioned with the head of a man combined with the body of a lion. 6000 BC * River people emerge along the Niger and Congo Rivers. 5000 BC

* People begin to settle along the Nile River near Egypt. 4500 BC * Ancient Egyptians begin using burial texts to accompany their dead, first known written documents. Ancient Egyptians called their land Kemet (Land of the Blacks). 4400 BC * The Badarian culture forms and the people practice agriculture, pottery and domesticate cattle, sheep and goats. 4100 BC * The first solar calendar is introduced by Kemet and Kush. 4000 BC * Amratian Society of Upper Egypt forms displaying the first signs of a hierarchical civilization. Black Kingdoms form along the Nile River. 3800 BC * The Nubian civilization emerges in the Sudan. 3758 BC * The first religious principals of right and wrong are written by the Kushite King Ori. 3500 BC * The first documented evidence of Egyptians using boats with sails appears on pottery. The boats were made of wood probably imported from Lebanon and covered with papyrus. 3400 BC * The Nubian Kingdom of Ta-Seti (Kush) is founded in the Sudan. 3200 BC * Hieroglyphics are developed as a form of written communication.

3150 BC * Upper and Lower Egypt combine into one kingdom with the capitol at Memphis under King Menes (Narmer). The Egyptian empire is formed. Kemet begins after which 30 dynasties would follow. 3000 BC * Irrigation of farmland is developed and the people begin to worship the sun. Complex societies develop in Nigeria. * The Olmec civilization began in Mexico. The Olmecs built the first pyramids in Mexico and used the Olmec calendar, which was made by Africans who migrated from Africa who had a connection to Egypt. The language, art, customs and sculptures found from the Olmec civilization closely resemble that found in Africa to include dark skinned people. The step pyramids found in Mexico resemble the step pyramids of Egypt and Kush. The pyramids of Mexico were made flat on top to facilitate human sacrifices and offerings to the gods while Egyptian pyramids are pointed on top to point the way to heaven. 2980 BC King Khasekhemuwy rules Kemet (Egypt).

30 Egyptian Dynasties began in 2920 BC and Ended in 332 BC. They Lasted over 2500 Years Before Falling Forever To Foreign Invaders and Conquerors.

The Early Dynastic Period 1st Dynasty (2920-2770 BC) 150 years – 10 Kings Ruled * * * * * *

Papyrus was invented as paper and writing was used. Wooden coffins are made and corpses are wrapped in resin. Kush invades the Kingdom of Elam in the Empire of Persia. The Grand Lodge of Luxor was built at Danderah by Khufu. The two ends of Egypt are merged at the capitol Memphis. The Nile River is damned to reclaim the land.

2nd Dynasty (2770-2649 BC) 120 years – 10 Kings Ruled * A rivalry for the throne occurs between King Hetepsekhemsy & King Khasekhemwy over which God, Horus or Seth, was in power. Disorder erupted and a civil war may have occurred. * King Djoser is the 1st Pharaoh to use stone to build pyramids. * Menkaure builds the 1st pyramid made of granite. * The red pyramid is built using smooth outer sides. 3rd Dynasty (2649-2575 BC) 74 years – 9 Kings Ruled * Imhotep builds the first step pyramid and Saqqara complex. * Egypt was invaded by Hyksos, Semitics, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, French & British who mixed the original Black population into what it is today.

The Old Kingdom 4th Dynasty (2575-2467 BC) 110 years – 7 Kings Ruled * The pyramids, sun temples & mortuaries at Giza & Dahshur are completed. * The art of embalming started. * People prayed to the Sun God Ra. * The first religious words and inscriptions were written on the walls of the royal tombs. * King Userkaf builds a sun temple for Ra at Abusir. * Civilization develops in India in the Indus Valley. 5th Dynasty (2465-2323 BC) 142 years – 9 Kings Ruled * High officials came from outside the royal family. * Record keeping of goods begins. * Pyramid texts describe Osiris.

* Pyramid texts are inscribed in the tomb of King Unas. 6th Dynasty (2323-2152 BC) 173 years – 6 Kings Ruled * * * *

Records of trading expeditions begin. Egypt experiences cultural upheaval until 2043 BC. The capital of Egypt moves to Herakleopolis. King Patesi rules Mesopotamia (Gudea).

7th & 8th Dynasties (2150-2130 BC) 20 years - 11 Kings Ruled * The political structure of the old kingdom collapses. Famine, civil disorder and a high death rate occur. * The Nile river dries up causing many years of famine.

The First Intermediate Period 9th & 10th Dynasties (2134-1970 BC) 164 years – 18 Kings Ruled * Egypt splits into north at Herakleopolis and south at Thebes. * Prosperous period with much foreign trade. * Jewelry making begins and large building projects start. 11th Dynasty (2074-1938 BC) 136 years – 11 Kings Ruled * Egypt was unified under King Mentuhotep. * Egypt is reunited by King Mentuhotep II * Trading with Asia and the Aegean begins. * The capitol is moved to Thebes (Waset). * The Kingdom of Kush begins in the Sudan at Kerma. * The Nubians are the first race to build castles and forts at Buhen. All other races of the world copied the concept.

The Middle Kingdom 12th Dynasty (1938-1756 BC) 182 years – 8 Kings Ruled * The capitol is moved back to Memphis. * The Faiyum irrigation system is built. * King Amenemhat builds the great Kemetic Labyrinth and founds a new royal residence near Memphis. * The Hyksos invade Egypt. * Senworsert I is said to be the founder of Athens and conquers lower Nubia. * Classical period of art and literature flourish. Amenemhat III begins the use of the Valley of the Kings.

The Second Intermediate Period 13th –17th Dynasties (1756-1540 BC) 216 years – 50+ Kings Ruled * * * * * * * * * *

Kings were born as commoners and social structure breaks down. The Hyksos seize power in the north. Diagnostic medicine begins. The capitol moved back to Thebes and much building begins. The “Book of the Dead” appears. War erupts between Thebes and the Asiatic kingdom. King Ahmose defeats the Hyksos and sends them from Egypt. Thutmose I conquers Persia and Iraq. Agricultural revolution begins in the Sahara. Periods of ruler ship are controlled by the Hyksos.

The New Kingdom 18th Dynasty (1539-1295 BC) 244 years – 12+ Kings Ruled * King Thutmose I & Queen Hatshepsut make Egypt a super power. * King Amenhotep II began the artistic revolution. * King Akhenaten & Queen Nefertiti begin a one-god religion. * King Tutankhamen rules Egypt at age 10 until age 18. * King Thutmose I begins military campaigns into Persia and Iraq. * King Amenhotep III builds the Temple of Luxor. * Society changed from polytheism to a monotheistic system. * Queen Hatshepsut becomes the first female Pharaoh. * Egypt is at the height of its military power. * Seti I builds the great tombs in the Valley of the Kings. * Egypt destroys the Kushite Kingdom and occupies Nubia. * The Sankore University is formed in the city of Timbuktu. * Mandingo voyages to the Caribbean. * King Thutmose III strengthens the sovereignty of Kemet. * Queen Tiye becomes one of the most influential queens to rule Egypt through trade and protection of her borders. * The Valley of the Queens is formed. 19th Dynasty (1295-1186 BC) 109 years – 8+ Kings Ruled * King Seti I rules. * Ramses II builds the Per-Ramesse city and mortuary temple on the west bank near Luxor and rules for 67 years. * Many battles and treaties were completed between Egypt and the Asiatic powers. * The Hebrew people leave Egypt after 430 years of slavery under Egyptian rule.

* Egypto-Nubian explorers land in Olmec, Mexico sent by Ramses III. * African explorers reach North America. * Queen Nefertiti helped to unify upper and lower Kemet. 20th Dynasty (1186-1069 BC) 117 years – 10+ Kings Ruled * * * * *

King Setakht restored order to the country. Ramses III becomes a great king and ensures stability. The Royal Tombs in the Valley of the Kings are plundered. Period of great social, political & religious decline occurs. The kings weakened and Egypt was no longer a world power.

The Third Intermediate Period 21st Dynasty (1070-945 BC) 125 years – 7+ Kings Ruled * * * * * * * * * *

Civil war and foreign invaders tear Egypt apart. The capitol is moved between several cities. Kingdom of Kush forms an independent kingdom at Napata. Mummification techniques improve. King Osorkon becomes the first Libyan Pharaoh. The Nok culture forms in Nigeria. Queen Makeda of Sheba rules as the symbol of remarkable beauty. Disunity and Libyan settlement occurs. The Nubians conquer Egypt. Evidence of Afro-Phonecians is found in Central America.

22nd – 25th Dynasties (945-653 BC) 292 years – 20+ Kings Ruled * Nubian Kings Kashta & Piankhy remove all foreigners from Egypt. * The Nubians are conquered by an Assyrian invasion. * The Greeks help to re-establish order. * King Taharqa of Nubia invades and conquers Spain and Palestine. * Kings from Sais began a revival in the arts returns to the Old Kingdom style. * The kingdom is in a constant state of chaos or war. * African explorers reach the Americas and Mexico. * Persia conquers Egypt.

The Late Period 26th Dynasty (664-552 BC) 112 years – 6 Kings Ruled * King Psamtek I defeats the Assyrians and the Kushite kings. * Pharaoh Necho commissions Hanno to circumnavigate Africa. * Nekau I begins a canal from the Nile River to the Red Sea.

* Babylon falls to the Persian armies. * The decline of the kingdoms continues. 27TH Dynasty (525-404 BC) 121 years – 5 Kings Ruled * The secret temple of the system of Delphi is burned down. * The Persians invade and rule Egypt and form a Persian dynasty. * Cambyses defeats the Egyptians at the Battle of Pelusium. * King Dauius completes the canal started by Nekau I. * The Cambyses army of 50,000 men sent to attack the Temple of Amun is lost in a cataclysmic sandstorm. 28th Dynasty (404-399 BC) 5 years – 1 King Rules * Amytravios retakes Egypt from Persia. * Egypt independence begins again. * The decline and fall of Egypt is all but complete. 29th and 30th Dynasties (399-332 BC) 67 years – 7 Kings Rule * Artaxerxes I retakes Egypt. * Persians form a second dynasty in Egypt. * Alexander the Great defeats the Persian army and conquers Egypt. * The last period of rulership by native-born Egyptian Kings. * Alexandria is founded in Egypt. * Queen Candace of Ethiopia held off Alexander in battle and prevented the conquest of her empire by her reputation alone as a legendary military commander.

Macedonian Period (332-323 BC) Alexander the Great occupies Egypt and refurbishes the ancient temples at Alexandria.

The Ptolemaic Period (305-30 BC) * Alexandria became the new capitol of Egypt and was the home to the greatest library of the ancient world now under Greek/Roman rule. * General Ptolemy of Rome takes over Egypt and becomes king. * Queen Cleopatra VII was instrumental in making Kemet a world superpower at the time and helped Julius Caesar overthrow Ptolemy. * The temple of Isis was built on the island of Philae on the Nile River. * Africans in Kenya developed a complex calendar system based on astronomical reckoning. * The Rosetta Stone is carved.

* Hannibal Barca, ruler of Carthage, leads his army and 37 elephants across the Alps through Spain and Italy to challenge and defeat Rome in three separate crushing battles before he returned to Africa without destroying Rome. Hannibal was always outnumbered but managed to kill over 115,000 Romans in three battles. Hannibal was the ruler of Carthage for 16 years and by the age of 27 had inflicted massive casualties on Rome. In 146 BC Carthage fell to Rome and was destroyed during the Punic wars. Hannibal is known as the greatest military strategist to have ever lived and his tactics are still being used to today in modern military schools around the world. * Queen Cleopatra VII and Mark Anthony, Caesar’s successor, are defeated by Octavius. They both go on commit suicide rather than face capture. She was one of the greatest Queens to rule Egypt. * Roman rule is complete, as Egypt becomes a province of Rome. Egypt does not have another ruler for 2000 years.

5 Eurocentric Myths About Black History 1) It Was Europeans Who Carried Civilization to ‘Primitive Africans'. Not only were African people the first people on the planet, but there is plenty of evidence to show that Black people built and maintained many of the world’s earliest and most magnificent civilizations. The Greeks are considered by many EuroAmerican scholars to be the first civilized Europeans. But a preponderance of evidence demonstrates that this Mediterranean society has the Black Africans of the Nile Valley to thank for their contributions to Grecian art, architecture, math and science. The Greeks passed on this acquired culture to the Romans who ultimately lost it, thus initiating the Dark Ages that lasted for 500 years. Civilization was again restored to Europe when another group of Black Africans, the Moors, brought the Dark Ages to an end. 2) Black People Created No Great Monuments. Even if one refuses to give Black people credit for their architectural feats in Kemet (Egypt), it should be known that for centuries after Egypt fell to invaders from the north, Nubia continued the tradition of marking royal tombs with pyramids, like the ones in Meroe. Today, Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt. 3) Black Africans Were Illiterate and Only Had Oral History. The Nsibidi set of symbols is independent of Phoenician, Roman, Latin or Arabic influence and is believed by some scholars to date back to 5000 B.C. It’s most notably used by the Uguakima and Ejagham (Ekoi) people of Nigeria and Cameroon, but it was also used by the nearby Ebe, Efik, Ibibio, Igbo and Uyanga people.

4) Africa Built No Institutions of Higher Learning Before Europeans Came. In the 12th century, while Oxford and Cambridge were just getting founded, Timbuktu in Mali already had three thriving universities and more than 180 Quranic schools. 5) Africans Made No Worthwhile Contribution to Mathematics. The earliest numerical record found to date, about 37,000 years old, comes from the Lebombo Mountains between Swaziland and South Africa. It is a fossilized piece of baboon bone with 29 welldefined notches. The notches are evenly spaced and appear to represent a lunar calendar. About 25,000 years ago, on the shores of Lake Rutanzige between Zaire and Uganda, a pattern of tallies was carved on a bone by the Ishango people. This Ishango pattern suggests some understanding of the principle of multiplication and division by two and prime numbers. An analysis by Dr. Stephen Chrisomalis, PhD of McGill University in Montreal suggested the Greeks borrowed their number system, alphabetic numerals from Egyptian demotic numerals, used in Egypt from the late eighth century B.C. until around A.D. 450. The ancient Greeks did not invent was the counting system on which many of their greatest thinkers based their pioneering calculations by the mathematician and physicist Archimedes, the scientific philosopher Aristotle and the mathematician Euclid, amongst others. Professor David Joyce, PhD, a mathematician at Clark University in Worcester, US, said he had not examined Dr Chrisomalis' research, but thought the link was plausible.

Roman Period (30 BC – 395 AD)- The Old World * Africans in Tanzania produce carbon steel in blast furnaces. * Egyptians are given Roman citizenship. * Roman and Egyptian culture existed peacefully and prospered together as religion and institutions were refurbished until Byzantine Roman Emperor Theodosius became ruler. Emperor Theodosius destroys all Egyptian temples and non-Christian books at the library in Alexandria and wipes out the last remnants of the once great Egyptian culture. 40,000 of its 70,000 books and manuscripts are destroyed. Christianity appears in Alexandria along with the rise of Axum (Ethiopia). * The rise of Christianity begins in Egypt. At the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the official state religion and the doctrine of the Trinity was declared to be the Orthodox Christian belief. The first bible was written by ancient Egyptians about the inhabitants of Africa

modeled after the one-God religion created by King Akhenaten & Queen Nefertiti of the 18th Egyptian dynasty. The bible was not written about Europe or Europeans as it did not exist 6,000 years ago as it is thought of today. The modern bible was translated into English in 1611 by, NOT written by King James I of England. Modern Christianity was largely influenced by African theologians and African Popes. It was the Egyptians that changed their belief in multiple Gods to a one God system. It is believed that the original shapes of the biblical script go back to Egyptian hieroglyphs, though the phonetic values are instead inspired by the Acrophonic principle. The common ancestor of Hebrew and Phoenician is called Canaanite, and was the first to use a Semitic alphabet distinct from the Egyptian one. One ancient document is the famous Moabite Stone written in the Moabite dialect; the Siloam Inscription, found near Jerusalem, is an early example of Hebrew. The Hebrew bible was inspired by the texts written by the ancient Egyptians following the one God system. The modern day cross was modeled after the Egyptian Ankh.

* Mauritius of Thebes, later known as Saint Maurice (Morris), the legendary Black Commander of the Roman Theban Legion is executed in 287 along with 6000 of his men for defying Emperor Maximian Herculis after refusing to quell a Christian revolt. Maurice is believed to have carried the Spear of Destiny which is said to be the Holy Lance that pierced Jesus’ side on the cross during the crucifixion by Roman soldier Longinus. St. Maurice inspired the knight’s code of chivalry and honor to which all other knights followed.

* Victor I becomes the 1st Black Pope as the 15th Pope (189-199 A.D.) and is the reason Easter Day is celebrated on Sunday. Victor served during the reign of Emperor Septimus Serverus who was one of several African emperors that led the Roman Empire. * St. Miltiades becomes the 2nd Black Pope as the 32nd Pope (311-314 A.D.) and led the church to a final victory over the Roman Empire that allowed Christians to worship without persecution. * Gelasius I becomes the 3rd Black Pope as the 49th Pope (492-496 A.D.) and took steps to establish a secure future for the Church. 600 * A great African trading empire is formed in Ghana. 610 * The advent of Islam occurs. 641 * Egyptian hieroglyphic writing is no longer used. * Muslem Arabs conquer Egypt and Sudan and introduce Islam after 300 years of Christianity. 642-1290 * Arab rule, expansion and Moorish Dynasties flourish across Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Algeria and Morocco for the next 648 years. * Arab slave trade flourishes as approximately 14 million African slaves are sold and exported to North Africa.

* Moors (Islamicized Africans) invade Spain developing Spain into the center of culture and learning in Europe for almost 800 years. * Zimbabwe forms a great trading empire which lasts 400 years. * Sundiata forms the Sudanese Empire at Mali. * In western Africa, a few miles from the Niger River, a well was dug and a camp created for people trading salt for gold and other goods. The camp became Timbuktu. * Slavery is abolished in Iceland. * Queen Dahia-Al Kahina fiercely fought Arab intrusion and the spread of Islam into North Africa and Western Sudan by trying to save Africa for Africans. Her rule was filled with violence and conflict with Arabs even though she chose not to support Christians or Muslims. After her death some of her people chose suicide rather than fall under Arab rule and Islam. * The Zanj Rebellion took place near the city of Basra, located in present-day southern Iraq, over a period of fifteen years (A.D. 869–883). The insurrection is believed to have involved enslaved Africans (Zanj) who had originally been captured from the African Great Lakes region and areas further south in East Africa. Basran landowners had brought several thousand East African Zanj people into southern Iraq to drain the salt marshes in the east. The landowners forced the Zanj, who generally spoke no Arabic, into heavy slave labor and provided them with only minimal subsistence. The harsh treatment sparked an uprising that grew to involve over 500,000 enslaved and free men who were imported from across the Muslim empire. The Arab trade of Blacks in Southeast Africa predates the European transatlantic slave trade by 700 years. * Beginning in year 1037, King Tenkamenin of Ghana forms a successful gold trade route across the Sahara desert into West Africa. Tenkamenin’s empire flourished and built its power on government for the people. Tenkamenin believed in democracy, justice and religious tolerance which formed one of the great role models for African people. * Sunni & Shiite ideological views of the Muslim religion struggle with each other to become the dominant religion of the area around Egypt to as far as Iraq.

* Black Madonna (Black Virgin Mary) statues and paintings appear in Europe during the medieval period of (12th to 15th centuries). The Black Madonna's are generally found in Catholic countries. The pictures are usually icons which are Byzantine in style, often made in 13th or 14th century Italy. There are about 450–500 Black Madonna's in Europe.

1300 * Slave trade expands to northwest Africa from Muslems using Africans as slaves to carry their goods and gold across the desert. 1307 * King Mansa Mussa takes the throne of Mali and builds the Great Mosque at Timbuktu. He is best known for his pilgrimage to Mecca with 72,000 people and conquest of the Songhai Kingdom. 1311 * Islamic historians have recorded histories of voyages west from Mali in West Africa to Mexico during the reign of Mansa Bakari II. * Malian sailors reached America 181 years before Columbus. An Egyptian scholar, Ibn Fadi Al-Umari, published this around 1342. 1324 * On a pilgrimage to Mecca, Malian ruler, Mansa Musa brought so much money with him that his visit caused the collapse of gold

prices in Egypt and Arabia. It took 12 years for the economies of the region to stabilize. 1415 * Portuguese traders battle Moors in Morocco. The Black Holocaust – The Sankofa Project * The “Black Holocaust” is probably the most under-reported tragic event in human history. Millions of African lives were lost over the centuries to slavery, colonization and oppression. Millions of African men, women and children endured untold horrors, cruelty and brutality throughout their forced dispersion. They suffered the worst elements of human treatment and displayed the strongest elements of human survival. From 1418-1911 it is estimated that almost 20-25 million Africans were forced into slavery while an estimated 280 million were never born because of slavery. From 1650-1900, Africa’s population grew from 100 million to 120 million as compared to 400 million for Europe and Asia during the same time period.

1418: Slavery Begins For Africans in Europe 1440 * King Mutato recognizes that European expansion into Africa would bring terrible consequences for African people. Mutato begins a plan to unify all of Africa into one vast country to resist Europeans. After 30 years of struggle Mutato achieved partial unity by forming the empire of Monomotapa in 1480. * Prince Henry of Portugal, son of King John I, sent Portuguese traders to Africa to look for gold. Traders called West Africa the "Gold Coast." Portuguese traders were the 1st people to begin

capturing and shipping African slaves from West Africa to Europe and selling them to work for rich Europeans as indentured servants. Ever since Mansa Musa, the king of Mali, made his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325, with 500 slaves and 100 camels (each carrying gold) the region had become synonymous with such wealth. There was one major problem: trade from sub-Saharan Africa was controlled by the Islamic Empire, which stretched along Africa's northern coast. Muslim trade routes across the Sahara, which had existed for centuries, involved salt, kola, textiles, fish, grain, and slaves.

* The Atlantic Slave Trade was the result of, among other things, labor shortage, itself in turn created by the desire of European colonists to exploit New World land and resources for capital profits. Native peoples were at first utilized as slave

labor by Europeans, until a large number died from overwork and Old World diseases. Alternative sources of labor, such as indentured servitude, failed to provide a sufficient workforce. Many crops could not be sold for profit, or even grown, in Europe. Exporting crops and goods from the New World to Europe often proved to be more profitable than producing them on the European mainland. A vast amount of labor was needed to create and sustain plantations that required intensive labor to grow, harvest, and process prized tropical crops. Western Africa (part of which became known as 'the Slave Coast'), and later Central Africa, became the source for enslaved people to meet the demand for labor. The basic reason for the constant shortage of labor was that, with large amounts of cheap land available and lots of landowners searching for workers, free European immigrants were able to become landowners themselves after a relatively short time, thus increasing the need for workers. 1442 * Portuguese traders buy African prisoners of war from other African tribes on the west coast of Africa. 1444 * The 1st slaves are shipped to Portugal. As the Portuguese extended their influence, they created trading posts. Rather than becoming direct competitors to the Muslim merchants, the expanding market opportunities in Europe and the Mediterranean resulted in increased trade across the Sahara. In addition, the Portuguese merchants gained access to the interior via the Senegal and Gambia rivers, which bisected long-standing trans-Saharan routes. * There was a very small market for African slaves as domestic workers in Europe, and as workers on the sugar plantations of the Mediterranean. However, the Portuguese found they could make considerable amounts of gold transporting slaves from one trading post to another, along the Atlantic coast of Africa. Muslim merchants had an insatiable appetite for slaves, which were used as porters on the trans-Saharan routes and for sale in the Islamic Empire. 1450-1800: Slavery and Rebellion * African participation in the slave trade. Africans themselves played a role in the slave trade during the 15th – 19th centuries. The Africans that participated in the slave trade sold their captive or prisoners of war to European buyers. Selling captives

or prisoners was common practice amongst Africans and Arabs during that era. The prisoners and captives that were sold were usually from neighboring or enemy ethnic groups. These captive slaves were not considered as part of the ethnic group or 'tribe' and kings held no particular loyalty to them. At times, kings and businessmen would sell the criminals in their society to the buyers so that they could no longer commit crimes in that area. Most other slaves were obtained from kidnappings, or through raids that occurred at gunpoint through joint ventures with the Europeans. Some African kings refused to sell any of their captives or criminals. With the rise of a large commercial slave trade, driven by European needs, kings enslaving their enemy became less a consequence of war, and more and more a reason to go to war. The map shows the Major Slave Trading Regions of Africa during the 15th–19th centuries.

* Between 1450 and 1850 at least 15-20 million Africans were shipped from Africa across the Atlantic Ocean through the notorious “Middle Passage” primarily to colonies in North America, South America and the West Indies. 80% of these kidnapped Africans were transported during the 18th century. At least 10-20% of them died horrible deaths in cargo holds en-route to their intended destinations. The dead were thrown overboard with at times living

slaves when slave ships came across other rival ships at sea or reached the shore of their home port if their catch would not turn a profit for that delivery. At least 4 million captured Africans died from slave wars and forced marches en-route to the slave ships from villages in Africa. Slave trade precipitated migrations: coastal tribes fled slave-raiding parties and captured slaves were redistributed to different regions in Africa motivated by trade with White slave traders and for self survival. This became a true example of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".

* It is estimated that 20-25 million Africans were forced into slavery from the first captured African forced into slavery until the practice stopped. African slave trade and slave labor on plantations, in seaports and within families transformed the world. Slave trade stimulated global expansion, trans-Atlantic commerce and agriculture while supporting the booming capitalist economies of the 17th and 18th centuries. * As the slaves were captured, they were branded like cattle and then shackled together before being loaded onto the slave ships. Slave traders would torture and kill slaves aboard the ships as an example to the others to keep them submissive and cooperative. Whenever the ships ran short of food to feed the slaves, the traders would tie the slaves together with ropes weighted on one end and throw the slaves overboard or just let them starve to death in the cargo hold of the ship. Slaves remained shackled together below the deck in the dark without clothing or blankets while eating and sleeping in their own feces, urine and vomit.

Disease and dehydration was a frequent cause of death for slaves aboard ships. Slaves were fed rotten food and given rancid water to drink. The women were used as sex slaves for their White captors while the men were beaten.

It's was impossible for slaves to run away and escape their masters with shackles and hooks attached to their bodies because they would get caught in the dense brush and trees of the area.

* The end of the fifteenth century was marked for Europe by Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to India and the establishment of sugar plantations on Madeira, Canary, and Cape Verde Islands. Rather than trading slaves back to Muslem merchants, there was an emerging market for agricultural workers on the plantations. By 1500 the Portuguese had transported approximately 81,000 slaves to these various markets. The era of European slave trading was about to begin... * The slave ships could carry anywhere from 200 to 600 slaves at a time in their cargo holds depending on the size of the ship. Historical documents reveal that many times, captured slaves would kill themselves shortly after capture or will themselves to death through starvation and depression aboard the ships rather than leave their home of Africa. Slaves would even jump overboard and drown themselves at the sight of their homeland growing smaller on the horizon from aboard the deck of the ships.

1469 * Isabella of Spain marries Ferdinand of Portugal and the two countries form an alliance to unify Spain. Years later this would become a devastating event for Africans and the spark that would start another chapter of slavery. 1471 * The Portuguese arrive in the African Gold Coast. 1482 * The Portuguese build the “Elmina” Castle on the Gold Coast of Africa. The castle is a slave fortress used to hold captured Africans while they await the arrival of slave ships for their journey through the middle passage. Thousands of Africans died in the cells awaiting transport aboard ship. By the beginning of the colonial era there were forty such forts operating along the coast. Rather than being icons of colonial domination, the forts acted as trading posts - they rarely saw military action - the fortifications were important, however, when arms and ammunition were being stored prior to trade. The Portuguese sailed the length of Africa’s west coast from Morocco to South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope setting up their forts.

1492 * Queen Isabella of Spain declared that all indigenous people in her lands that Christopher Columbus discovered were her subjects. Columbus mistakenly landed in America in his search for India. His mistake opened a new world of discovery and conquest for the Europeans and a world of devastation for the native Americans and Africans. This decree saved Native Americans from becoming slaves but it meant Spain would have to look elsewhere for cheap labor. By 1501 Spain and Portugal were shipping Africans as slaves to the Americas. By 1650, there were over 200,000 Africans in Mexico and Peru alone. * Black navigator Pedro A. Nino travels with Christopher Columbus on his first expedition to the new world and reaches Haiti. * King Askia Toure begins unification of the Sudan and establishes a governmental system which resembles our modern day system having governors, judges and a legal system. 1500 * In the 1500’s, more than 240,000 Africans were sent to the Caribbean as slaves. * Portuguese trading becomes vigorous with Africans in the Congo. Portugal begins exporting slaves by kidnapping them in mass. 1501 * The King of Spain allows the introduction of enslaved Africans into Spain’s American Colonies. 1505

* Portuguese warships attack key African ports in order to control trade and keep other countries away. * Portuguese forces burned down the Swahili cities of Kilwa and Mombasa. Kilwa Kisiwani is a city on an island off the southern coast of Tanzania. In 1331, Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta described the city of Kilwa as “one of the most beautiful and well-constructed cities in the world, the whole of it is elegantly built.” 1510 * Slaves are shipped to the Spanish colonies in South America via Spain. 1511 * The first enslaved Africans arrive in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic / Haiti). 1513 * 30 Africans are taken as slaves for labor and accompany the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa to the Pacific Ocean. 1517 * The Turks of the Ottoman Empire conquer Egypt. * Bishop De Las Casas petitions Spain to allow the importation of 12 slaves for each household immigrating to America’s Spanish colonies. 1518 * King Charles I of Spain allows the Spaniards to begin importing slaves for plantation labor and the Atlantic Slave trade is started. Slaves are shipped directly to the Americas and the Caribbean from Africa to replace American Indians who died from harsh working conditions and diseases from Europe. Prior to this time, Africans were brought to Europe first.

1519 * The first African slaves are taken to Mexico via the port of Veracruz to a villa which was turned into a slave town and fortress. The salves had to work on sugarcane plantations and act as personal servants of their masters. It is estimated that between 250,000 – 500,000 slaves were transported to Mexico. As the colonial period in Mexico unfolded, in particular during the 16th and 17th centuries, the indigenous population became decimated by disease. To make up for this labor shortage, African slaves were brought to Mexico to toil in sugar fields and work in underground mines. Worth four times more than their indigenous Indian counterparts, these African slaves were highly prized for their reported physical endurance and stamina in the hot, tropical sun. Maroon communities developed as early as 1523 in Oaxaca. Maroon is the name given to an escaped slave; hence, these communities were composed of slaves who fled from slavery. These communities were established in remote areas, where maroons could resist the attacks of armies and slave owners. Many of these communities were eradicated, but some did survive and succeeded in getting official recognition as legal communities. From their mountain enclaves, the maroons sometimes attacked nearby plantations and released enslaved Africans.

1520’s * African slaves were taken to and used as laborers in Puerto Rico and Cuba. 1521 * Slaves are taken to Peru. Over the course of the slave trade, approximately 95,000 slaves were brought into Peru, with the last group arriving in 1850. 1522 * Slaves revolt on Hispaniola (Haiti / Dominican Republic). 1526 * Spaniard Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon attempted to create a settlement in South Carolina near the mouth of the Pee Dee River and a community which became Georgia. He brought in 100 African slaves to build it, but they rebelled, killed some of their captors and sought refuge with Native American Indians becoming the first non-native settlers of what will become the United States. By then only 150 Spaniards survived, and they retreated to Haiti which shares the island with the country that would become the Dominican Republic, a Spanish settlement. * King Affonso I of the Congo asks Portuguese King John to put a stop to the kidnapping of his people for slavery. King Affonso was the first ruler to resist the European slave trade. * Patron Saint Benedict the Black was born a slave in Italy. At age 18 he gained his freedom and entered the church hood where he was taught by the friars of Palermo. Upon his death, King Phillip III of Spain paid for a special tomb to burry the saint. 1527 * Estevanico, a Muslim slave from northern Africa, explores the Southwestern US. By 1539 he has traveled from The Dominican Republic to Florida along the coast to Texas across to Mexico and upwards to Arizona and New Mexico. 1529 * Muslems declare a Jihad (holy war) against Africans in Ethiopia.

1538 * The Portuguese began shipping slaves to Brazil. 1540 * Africans serve in the expedition of Coronado and Hernando De Alarcon. 1541 * Ethiopia defeats the Muslems and expels them from the region. 1543 * King Charles I of Spain allows the importation of slaves to Spain’s American colonies. 1550 * Portuguese slave trade expands in Brazil as African slaves are forced to work the sugar plantations in developing the newly formed colony of Brazil. European discoverers needed more human resources to use in the new continent, as the numbers of native indigenous peoples began to decline. It is estimated that over 3 million slaves were taken to Brazil. 1562 * An expedition to Hispaniola led by John Hawkins, the first Englishman to become a slave trader, sparks English interest in slave trade. Hawkins also brought attention to Sierra Leone thru his travels. * 300 slaves are purchased by the British and taken to Haiti. 1565 * Pedro Menendez De Aviles takes slaves to St. Augustine and establishes a community in what would later become the state of Florida. * King Idris Alooma begins re-uniting the two African kingdoms of Kanem and Bornu creating a lasting peace that lasted for generations.

1571 * Portuguese forces invaded the city and destroyed the Mutapa Empire. Munhumutapa was a Shona kingdom that was between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers of southern Africa in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In 1629, Emperor Mavhura took over on behalf of Spain. 1582 * King Philip II of Spain sends slaves to work in San Agustin, FL. * Queen Nzigha of Matamba begins her rule by waging a 30 year war against European slave hunters and Portuguese slave traders. Nzigha was also a visionary leader that unified ethnic groups to resist slave trade and form alliances to fight European expansion. After her death in 1663, Portuguese slave trade had little resistance. 1588 * Queen Amina of Zaria begins her reign by establishing a successful trade route and being very involved her empire’s daily life and politics after the collapse of the Songhai Empire to the west. Amina also became a skilled military warrior that brought her great wealth and power. Over her 34 year reign she built a massive empire and proved she was just as capable as any man or king in ruling her people. 1593 * Moroccans defeat the Muslems and expel them from the region. The University of Sankore in Timbuktu is destroyed by Arabs and 1600 books are lost. 1596 * Askia Nuh forms a resistance against Arab occupation. 1600 * The Congo Kingdom comes to an end due to tribal wars started by the Portuguese because of slavery. A divide and conquer strategy. * Records indicate there are approximately 900,000 slaves in Latin America. 1607

* English settlers from England formed the first colony in the New World and called it Jamestown, Virginia. Soon there would be 13 English colonies stretching from Massachusetts to Georgia where slavery would flourish. The 13 colonies were still under the rule of England until the end of the American Revolution in 1783. 1612 * Colonist John Rolfe discovered and invented a process of “curing” to make tobacco taste better. Europeans wanted this better tasting tobacco, which caused an increase in slavery in the colonies to harvest the crops to sell to Europe. 1619 – The Start of Black History and Slavery in America * A Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of 20 Africans for food in the Jamestown harbor. These 20 Africans would be the 1st Blacks sold to the English Colonies. These Africans became indentured servants, similar in legal position to many poor Englishmen who traded several years of labor for passage to America. The race-based slave system did not develop until the 1680’s, as indentured servitude was phased out and replaced by slavery.

Working conditions for slaves in the fields was very harsh. Many slave owners forced enslaved women to continue working even when they became pregnant. Some enslaved women had to keep working until they were less than a week away from giving birth and were required to return to the field shortly after giving birth. Enslaved women who worked in the fields were required to return to the field shortly after giving birth, so they had to balance the

duties of being a field worker with being a mother as well. Enslaved women would take very short breaks to nurse their children before returning to hours of grueling labor. Slave owners showed no concern for whether an enslaved person was male or female. Enslaved women were expected to lift and carry the same heavy tools and loads that enslaved men carried. Enslaved men and women who worked in the fields were given extremely sparse food rations for the sole purpose of keeping them alive. The small weekly food rations usually consisted of nothing more than corn meal, lard, molasses, peas, flour, greens and a small amount of meat. Enslaved people who worked indoors also received food rations but were often able to steal some of the leftovers from their master’s meals. Enslaved people would work together in task groups to complete work, but the presence of a Black driver sometimes created division in the community of enslaved people. Some slave owners would have an enslaved person oversee the work of the others in a task group and make this person responsible for carrying out punishments on other enslaved people. By the time enslaved children reached the age of 12, and sometimes even earlier than that, they were treated as adults. They were expected to work just as long and as hard as enslaved people more than twice their age. Enslaved people worked horrendously long days in the field. Many times, they averaged an astounding 18 hours every day and only worked slightly shorter days on Sundays. How Slavery Affected Black Families and Impacts Blacks Today. African family traditions, which varied according to national origin and religion, could not be replicated in the New World after Africans were forced into slavery. The slave trade was responsible for breaking up African families. Husbands, wives and children could be sold separately because U.S. law did not legally recognize their families. Enslaved Black people were denied a secure family life. Because they were property and could not legally marry, a permanent family could not be a guaranteed part of enslaved people’s lives. They had no right to live or stay together, no right to their own children, and it was common for enslaved parents and children to live apart. Schooling was not an option for enslaved children, and, in most states, it was illegal to teach enslaved Black people to read and write. The use of unpaid labor to produce wealth lay at the heart of slavery in America. Enslaved people usually worked from early in the morning until late at night. Women often returned to work shortly after giving birth, sometimes running from the fields during the day to feed their infants. Enslaved families were also divided for

inheritance when an owner died, or because the owners’ adult children moved away to create new lives, taking some of the enslaved people with them. More than one-half of Black infants died before they were 1 year old. This mortality rate was almost double that of whites. Although the survival rate improved after enslaved children reached a year of age, their mortality rate continued to be double that of Whites until they were 14 years old. During the Civil War, approximately 180,000 Black soldiers served in the Union army. The families of these soldiers frequently camped in makeshift villages near the army to be near their husbands, sons and fathers. The soldiers assisted them as they could - sharing food and clothing from their own military rations when possible. Slave women were constantly sexually abused by White men, and they had no legal right to resist that abuse. “To oppose the rape of Black women in effect meant opposing slavery. A Black woman’s body was not considered her own. Control over her body was passed from White person to White person along with a bill of sale.” * A lithograph is found but made by an unknown artist depicting a slave ship sailing between Africa and America thru the middle passage. * During the Atlantic slave trade from the 16th to 19th century, slave owners and traders used or invented torture devices against Africans involved in uprisings and insurrection as a means to keep the others subdued. Some devices had other purposes while some were invented just to inflict pain and punish slaves. The device names were: Cotton Screw, Thumbscrew, Metal Mask, Metal Neck Collar, Wooden Collar, Whip, Blades / Axes, Branding Irons, and Hanging Rope. 1623 * Queen Nzingha of Angola declares war on the Portuguese. 1624 * William Tucker is the 1st Black recorded birth in the American Colonies. Tucker was baptized in Jamestown, Virginia. 1626 * The Dutch West India Company imports 11 male slaves into the New Netherlands. 1630

* Runaway slave Gaspar Yanga founded the first free Black township in Mexico after 50 years of fighting Spanish colonists. The town of “Yanga” or San Lorenzo de los Negros de Cerralvo was founded in the Veracruz province. Said to be a member of the royal family of Gabon, Yanga came to be the head of a band of revolting slaves near Veracruz around 1570. Escaping to the difficult highlands, he and his people built a small free colony. For more than 30 years it grew, partially surviving by capturing caravans bringing goods to Veracruz. However, in 1609 the Spanish colonial government set itself to regain control of the territory. Yanga was made a national hero of Mexico by the diligent work of Vicente Riva Palacio. The influential Riva Palacio (grandson of Mexico’s “Black President”, Vicente Guerrero) was a historian, novelist, short story writer, military general and mayor of Mexico City during his long life.

1635 * The French, arrived in the Polynesian islands. The native Carib Indians were eliminated and African slaves were imported. Guadeloupe was one of France's most valuable possessions while sugar was an important crop during the 17th century. 1636 * Colonial North America’s slave trade begins when the first American slave ship “Desire” is built and launched in Massachusetts. 1638 * An African man could be sold for about $27.00 dollars and serve his entire life as a slave. In contrast, an indentured White

European laborer could earn as much as $0.70 cents a day toward paying off his debt and ending his servitude in about 7 years. 1640 * Whipping, branding, and torture began to be inflicted on slaves in America as they were viewed as property and not human beings.

* The 1st Black Codes are introduced in Boston used to control Blacks by denying them rights or freedom. * John Punch is the 1st documented slave for life. 1641 * The Massachusetts becomes the first colony to legalize slavery. 1644 * The 1st Black legal protest in America occurs when 11 Blacks successfully petition the government of New Amsterdam for their freedom. 1645 * The slave ship “Rainbowe” sets sail for Africa to bring Africans back to America as slaves. This was the first slave ship made in the colonies. 1650

* Laws about Black indentured servants began to change to the detriment of Blacks as slavery was on the increase due to its popularity. * The average price of a slave was about $200.00 dollars. * Connecticut legalizes slavery. * The Yoruba Oyo Empire forms in what would later become Nigeria. 1652 * The Dutch establish a colony at the “Cape of Good Hope” in southern Africa. 1655 * 1500 slaves flee into the Jamaican mountains and form a free community. 1657 * Virginia passes a fugitive slave law. 1660 * The Trans-Atlantic slave trade begins producing one of the largest forced migrations in history. Almost 12 million Africans were forcibly taken from their homes in Africa and forced into slavery. From the time of the first slave being captured in 1418, a total of almost 20 million Africans were captured and forced into slavery until the practice stopped in the early 1900’s.

* The American colonies began enacting laws that defined and regulated slave relations, including a provision that Black slaves, and the children of women slaves, would serve for life. 1661 * Virginia passes a slave law making Blacks slaves for life and ending indentureship. 1663 * The 1st known slave revolt occurred in Gloucester County, Virginia. The conspiracy was between Black slaves and indentured servants. The servants betrayed the slaves and the revolt failed. This however, would only be the 1st revolt of many more to come in the future. * Maryland legalizes slavery and follows Virginia’s example. 1664 * Slave owners gave a great deal of attention to the education and training of the ideal slave. In general, there were 5 steps in molding the character of a slave: strict discipline, a sense of his own inferiority, belief in the master’s superiority, acceptance of the master’s standards and a deep sense of his own helplessness and dependence on the master. * New York & New Jersey legalize slavery. 1666 * Maryland passes a fugitive slave law. 1668 * New Jersey passes a fugitive slave law. 1672 * King Charles II of England forms the Royal African Company for slave trading. During its 40-year business, more than 100,000 slaves were brought to the new world. 1676 * Bacon’s rebellion occurs when Blacks rise up against the Colonial government in Virginia.

1680 * Virginia passes a law preventing Blacks from gathering in large groups or carrying weapons. * King Osei Tutu of the Asante Empire (Ghana) begins his rule and unites six different nations, under his leadership, into one and triples the size of the Asante Empire. The Asanti Empire would flourish for two centuries. 1688 * Quakers in Philadelphia make the first protest against slavery. 1691 * South Carolina passes the first comprehensive slave codes. 1695 * The Portuguese kill King Zumbi of Palmares. 1700 * Slavery became legal in all English colonies and the practice of making Blacks indentured servants was exchanged for slavery. * Between 1701-1810, more than 7 million Africans were sent to the Americas as slaves. During that time period more Africans were made slaves than during any other time period of slavery. * The Ashanti Empire begins to supply British and Dutch traders with slaves in exchange for weapons to further their own expansion and avoid war with the slave traders. 1705 * Virginia passes slave codes which allow slave owners the right to own slaves like property. 1708 * A slave revolt occurs in Long Island, New York. Seven Whites are killed. After the incident, one Black is burned alive while two Blacks and a Native American Indian are lynched.

1712 * 23 slaves' revolt 21 of the 23 slaves suicide. Paul Cuffe killed 9 Whites and

and burn down their owner’s house in New York. were caught and executed. Six others committed set his master’s house on fire. The insurgents wounded at least 6 others.

* Pennsylvania passes a law preventing the importation of slaves. 1720 * A slave revolt occurs in South Carolina. 23 slaves were arrested, 6 convicted and 3 executed. * The Dahomey Kingdom expands. 1721 * Onesimus, an African slave and medical pioneer, was responsible for the inoculation procedure used to treat small pox and had his method described of the African method of inoculation against smallpox, which was later used to protect American Revolutionary War soldiers. New England theologian and minister of Boston’s Old North Church, Cotton Mather used information he had learned five years earlier from his former slave to combat a devastating smallpox epidemic that was then sweeping Boston. In a 1716 letter to the Royal Society of London, Mather proposed “the method of inoculation” as the best means of curing smallpox and noted that he had learned of this process from his Negro-Man Onesimus, who is a pretty intelligent fellow. Onesimus explained that he had undergone an operation, which had given him Small-Pox, and would forever preserve him from it, adding, That it was often used among Africans and whoever had the Courage to use it, was forever free

from the fear of the contagion. Onesimus described the operation to me, and showed me in his arm the scar. 1724 * Thomas Fuller an African slave and mathematical genius was shipped to America. Familiarly known as the Virginia Calculator or "Negro Tom", was a native of Africa. At the age of 14 he was stolen, and sold into slavery in Virginia, where he found himself the property of a planter residing about four miles from Alexandria. He did not understand the art of reading or writing, but by a marvelous faculty was able to perform the most difficult calculations. He had remarkable powers of calculation, and late in his life was discovered by antislavery campaigners who used him as a demonstration that Blacks are not mentally inferior to Whites.

1731 * Benjamin Banneker is born into a family of free Blacks in Maryland. Banneker learns reading, writing and arithmetic from his grandmother and a Quaker schoolmaster. Later, he teaches himself astronomy and publishes an Almanac on his astronomical calculations for weather prediction. 1732 * Slaves aboard a ship from New Hampshire kill the Captain John Major and crew, then seize the vessel and its cargo. 1733 * The 1st successful slave rebellion takes place in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Slaves defeat the Danish Army, taking over the island and flying their own flag. The victory lasted for 6 months before reinforcements from Europe could be sent to re-take the island.

1739 * 44 Slaves revolt in Stono, South Carolina, killing 2 guards and seizing weapons in what’s known as the “Stone River Rebellion.” The slaves commence an armed march to Spanish ruled Florida. A White militia was formed and stopped the revolt after several days of fighting. The 44 slaves were killed. 1741 * A large group of slaves revolt and plan to burn down a New York town. The revolt was prevented before it could be carried out. 200 Blacks were arrested, 18 Blacks were lynched and 13 Blacks were burned at the stake. 1745 * Olaudah Equiano was born in Nigeria, Africa. He was captured as a slave as a young boy and sent to a Caribbean island. An Englishman bought him and named him Gustavus Vassa. Vassa learned to speak, read and write English. He learned how to buy and sell goods in Philadelphia and earned enough money to buy his freedom. After becoming free, Vassa wrote about his life as a slave and told people that slavery must end. He published his autobiography in 1789. 1746 * Lucy T. Prince composes the 1st poem written by a Black woman called “Bars Fight”. It first appeared in print in 1855. 1754 * Benjamin Banneker builds the 1st clock, made of wood, in the United States. The clock kept correct time for 40 years. He was one of America's best scientists.

1758 * Francis William graduates from Cambridge University becoming the 1st Black college graduate in the western hemisphere. 1760 * Jupiter Hammon writes an autobiography considered to be the 1st written by a slave. He also wrote a poem “An evening thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries.” 1762 * James Derham, the 1st Black physician in America, is born a slave in Philadelphia. Derham was owned by a doctor who encouraged him to practice medicine. Working as a medical assistant and apothecary, Derham saved enough money to buy his freedom in 1783 and he opened a medical practice in New Orleans and became a leading physician by 1788. 1765 * Jenny Slew files suit in Massachusetts for her freedom and wins back wages. 1770 * Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave, became the 1st Black and one of the 1st casualties of the American Revolution when he was shot and killed by British soldiers during an argument in Boston, Massachusetts that erupted into the Boston Massacre.

1772 * Jean-Baptist-Point Du Sable, a Black fur trader, built the 1st house and trading post on the Chicago River near lake Michigan. This post became the city of Chicago. 1773 * A group of Blacks in Massachusetts tried to win their freedom by writing a letter to the Colonial Government. The letter said, "We have no property! We have no children! No city! No country!" The government ignored their request for freedom. * Phillis Wheatley became the 1st famous Black poet and Black women to have a book published. 1774 * The British set up a colony at Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa. 1775 * Black soldiers of the American Revolution fight in battles of Bunker Hill, Concord and Lexington. * Peter Salem, a Black Patriot, fights at Lexington and Concord. * Anthony Benezet of Philadelphia founds the Abolitionist Society. 1776 * Congress allows Blacks to join the Colonial Army to fight against the British during the American Revolution, which ended in 1783. Black soldiers were given their freedom after the war for fighting for both the British and American Armies.

* Prince Whipple and Oliver Cromwell took part in George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. 1777 * Thomas Jefferson came up with a plan for freeing slaves and sending them back to Africa. The plan did not work but some Northern Whites liked the plan as a way a getting rid of free Blacks who were bad examples for slaves. * Vermont becomes the 1st state to abolish slavery. * 5000 Africans fight in the Revolutionary war. * The 1st Black church forms in Savannah, Georgia called the “First African Baptist Church.” 1778 * The 1st Black U.S. military regiment forms called the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. 1779 * A series of wars, lasting 100 years, known as the Cape Frontier Wars is fought between White colonists and the Xhosa people of South Africa. * 500 free Haitian Blacks fought for American independence at the siege of Savannah, Georgia. 1780 * Pennsylvania makes slavery illegal. 1781 * By the end of the war, over 5000 Blacks had served in the American Continental Army. * Massachusetts abolishes slavery. 1782 * Captain Luke Collingwood of the slave ship “Zong” was carrying slaves from Liverpool to Jamaica and incurred a very high death

rate among the slaves in the hold of the ship. Upon reaching the sight of the coastline he panicked and threw 97 dead bodies overboard. Another 36 were close to death and scheduled to be thrown overboard but they showed resistance. Collingwood had them shackled together and thrown overboard while they were still alive. Collingwood returned to Liverpool stating the slaves died due to lack of water, which raised suspicion among the insurers of the ship who gained little profit from the venture. 1783 * Emancipation takes place in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. * The American Revolution ends. The war of independence waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a fledgling, largely disconnected nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time. * The 1st Black to formally practice medicine in the U.S. is James Derham, who did not hold an M.D. degree. * The "Book of Negros" is compiled by the British Navy to document the 3,000 or so inhabitants of British North America of African descent who fought alongside British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War. Many were slaves held by Patriot rebels, and decided to fight with the British in exchange for the Crown's promises of freedom. After the war, these 3,000 "Black Loyalists" were evacuated by the British from New York to Nova Scotia, Canada. Within five years, almost half had left Nova Scotia to resettle in Sierra Leone. 1784 * Emancipation takes place in Rhode Island and Connecticut. 1785 * John Morront, an ordained Methodist, becomes the 1st Black missionary to work with Native Americans and converts a Cherokee Chief to the Christian faith. * New York and New Jersey outlaw slavery. 1786

* Lemuel Haynes, who was an American Revolution Minuteman, becomes the 1st Black minister of a White congregation. * Quakers in Pennsylvania organize the Underground Railroad. It operated mainly in the free states according to “Pathways to Freedom,” an extensive study on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive enslaved people were largely on their own until they crossed the Ohio River or the Mason-Dixon Line, where they reached the socalled free states. It was then that the Underground Railroad and its “conductors” or “engineers” could take effect. According to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio an estimated 40,000 - 100,000 enslaved people traveled via the Underground Railroad to freedom.

1787 * Slavery was made illegal in the Northwest Territory being: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. * The U.S. Constitution is approved, extending slavery for 20 years. The Constitution viewed slaves as property and valued Blacks as 3/5th the value of a White person. * Prince Hall forms the 1st Black Masonic Temple to lobby against slavery and discrimination. * King Naimbana of Temnes allows a British colony to settle due to a treaty with a local British Governor. * The “Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery” by Quobna O. Cugoano is published.

1789 * The autobiography of former slave Olaudah Equiano aka: Gustavus Vassa is published. Vassa was a prominent African in London and a freed slave who supported the British movement to end the slave trade. His autobiography attracted wide attention and was considered highly influential in gaining passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which ended the African trade for Britain and its colonies.

1790 * The first U.S. census records 757,181 Blacks to reside in the U.S. of whom 59,557 are free. * The colony at Sierra Leone fails due to disease and destruction by the local people. 1791 * Toussaint L’Ouverture leads a rebellion in Haiti that overthrows British, Spanish and French forces and frees Haiti. Haiti becomes the 1st Black ruled country in the Western Hemisphere. There may be no man more important in the Haitian Revolution than Dutty Boukman. A native Jamaican, his name literally meant “Dirty Bookman,” a likely reference to a secret book of Voodoo occult lore he always kept close. He was an educated man, although a slave, who was sold by his British master to a French plantation in Haiti. Dutty Boukman would teach other slaves to read as well as instruct in closely guarded Voodoo lore. But his fame would come in August 14, 1791 at the Bwa Kayman ceremony. Boukman was the leading Voodoo Priest and called for sacrifice and slave rebellion.

* Thomas L. Jennings, a tailor in New York City, is credited with being the 1st African American to hold a U.S. patent. In 1821, he was given patent for a dry-cleaning process. * Slaves begin work on and build the Presidential White House. * Benjamin Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson saying it is time to eradicate racial stereotypes. While expressing doubts about the merits of slavery in his notes, Jefferson expressed his belief in the inferiority of Africans. Banneker also wrote the 1st almanac by a Black and is appointed to survey Washington D.C. by President George Washington in order to formalize plans to build the Capitol. 1792 * 1100 slaves who were freed by the British during the Revolutionary War formed Freetown, Sierra Leone in West Africa in the Back-to-Africa movement. Another 1200 escaped slaves retuned to Africa to settle in Sierra Leone. * Virginia Statesmen George Mason opposes slavery and says that it is a disgrace to mankind, which will corrupt the future of politics. 1793 * Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, which increases U.S. cotton planting and produces greater demand for slave labor to pick the cotton in the South. The machine removed the seeds from the cotton faster than the slaves could do by hand. He would patent his machine by 1798.

* The Federal Fugitive Slave Act is enacted, providing for the return of slaves who had escaped and crossed state lines. It also made it a crime for anyone to harbor a slave or prevent the arrest of a runaway. * The Haitian Revolution occurs when slaves defeat the French making Haiti the 1st free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere by 1803. * The 1st Black Methodist Episcopal Church is formed called Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. 1794 * The French attack Sierra Leone. * Congress prohibits slave trade between the U.S. and foreign countries. 1795 * During a period of religious revivalism know as the “Second Great Awakening,” slaves convert to Christianity in large numbers for the first time. This would last until about 1820. 1797 * President George Washington writes,”I wish from my soul that the legislature of Virginia could see a policy of a gradual abolition of slavery”. Two years later, Washington revised his will, providing for his slaves to be freed after his death. 122 of 314 slaves at Mount Vernon were freed; the rest were owned

Martha Washington and by law were owned by her heirs. Washington left instructions for the care and education of his former slaves, including financial support for the young and pensions for the elderly. * Sojourner Truth, a nationally known speaker on human rights for slaves and women, is born Isabella Baumfree, a slave in Hurley, New York. 1798 * Napoleon Bonaparte of France invades and conquers Egypt. * Blacks fought in the American Revolution, but the Secretary of War for the Army and Navy prohibits Blacks from serving. 1799 * Emancipation takes place in New York. * Richard Allen becomes the 1st ordained Black minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. * The “Rosetta Stone” is found by Napoleon Bonaparte’s army in the Delta in the African village called Rosetta. The stone contained the written language of hieroglyphics used by the ancient Egyptians. 1800-1863: The Fight for Freedom 1800 * Gabriel Prosser and Jack Bowler planed a slave revolt in Virginia with 1000-armed slaves. The two were arrested because they were betrayed and their plan was revealed to the Whites. Both Prosser and Bowler along with 35 slaves were lynched. From the colonial times to 1800 there were about 250 slave revolts. * Slaves in Philadelphia petition Congress to end slavery. 1801 * War begins in Sierra Leone between British slave traders and Africans and lasts until 1807. 1803

* America buys a large portion of land from France west of the Mississippi River known as the “Louisiana Purchase.” This area would go on to become the great plains of the Midwest. 1804 * The Ohio Legislature enacts the 1st of the Black Laws restricting the rights and movements of Blacks. Other Western states soon follow suit. Illinois, Indiana and Oregon later have anti-immigration clauses in their state constitutions. * New Jersey passes an emancipation law. All states north of the Mason-Dixon Line now have laws forbidding slavery or providing for its gradual elimination. However, slaves remain in New Jersey up to the Civil War. * A Black explorer known only as "York" was the 1st Black of the frontier. York belonged to explorer William Clark who traveled with explorer Meriwether Lewis. Together, Lewis and Clark explored the land bought in the “Louisiana Purchase.”

* Emancipation begins in New Jersey. * Haiti becomes the first Black Country to gain its independence. Francois Toussaint L'Ouverture, the grandson of an African chief, became the military leader of former slaves and led his country to victory over French General Charles Leclerc in a revolution of the slaves against French forces. * The British began to slaughter, kidnap and enslave the Black people of Tasmania, located two-hundred miles off Australia’s southeast coast. The colonial government itself was not even inclined to consider the aboriginal Tasmanians as full human beings, and scholars began to discuss civilization as a unilinear

process with White people at the top and Black people at the bottom. Black women were kidnapped, chained and exploited as sexual slaves. White convicts regularly hunted Black people for sport, casually shooting, spearing or clubbing the men to death, torturing and raping the women, and roasting Black infants alive. Between 1803 and 1830 the Black aborigines of Tasmania were reduced from an estimated 5,000 people to less than 75 as Whites were authorized to kill Blacks on sight.

1805 * Henri Christophe, a former African slave, became the 1st Black King in the Western Hemisphere by proclaiming himself as the King of Haiti. Christophe builds the Citadel fortress which is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere. The Citadel, along with two dozen other mountaintop forts was built and designed to keep the newly-independent nation of Haiti safe from French incursions to ensure the Haitian people never returned to slavery.

1806 * Norbert Rillieux is born. The son of a French planter and a slave in New Orleans, Rillieux was educated in France. He developed an evaporator for refining sugar, which he patented in 1846. Rillieux’s evaporation technique is still used in the sugar industry and in the manufacture of soap and other products. 1807 * England abolishes slave trade because of the efforts of politician William Wilberforce under the "Slave Trade Act of 1807" or the "Abolition of the Slave Trade Act" which was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom with the title of "An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade". The act abolished the slave trade in the British Empire, in particular the Atlantic Slave Trade, and also encouraged British action to press other European states to abolish their slave trades, but it did not abolish slavery itself. Many of the Bill's supporters thought the Act would lead to the death of slavery, but it was not until 26 years later that slavery itself was actually abolished. * The U.S. prohibits the importation of Africans for slavery. 1808 * North America abolishes slave importation and trade but the law is ignored and not enforced by the government. Smuggling and kidnapping of slaves continues. 1810 * The Afro-American insurance company is formed by three Black men. 1811 * Slaves revolt in Louisiana. Charles Deslondes, Kook and Quamana, led the march from the sugar plantations into the city of New Orleans. Enlisting additional slaves along the way, 500 men armed with cane knives, axes, and guns, left a path of devastation as they burned down mansions and set fire to crops, in their goal to establish a free black republic.

* Paul Cuffe begins transporting Blacks from North America back to Africa. 1812 * Free Blacks enlisted and fought in the war of 1812. * During the War of 1812, most Naval ship crews were 10-20 percent black, and as many as one-quarter of the Navy seamen were black. 1813 * Sweden abolishes slave trade. 1814 * The Dutch outlaw slave trade. 1816 * Richard Allen becomes the 1st Black Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. 1815 * Paul Cuffe, a rich Black ship owner, took 38 Blacks to West Africa believing they could live better lives in Africa. * King Moshoeshoe of Basutoland begins his rule by uniting many diverse groups into a peaceful society where law and order prevailed. He often avoided conflict through skillful negotiations.

1816 * Andrew Jackson ordered the attack of Fort Gadsden, located along the Apalachicola River, Florida. The abandoned fort, from the war of 1812, was home to runaway slaves known as Prospect Bluff Fort or “Negro Fort.” Warships fired 24-pound red hot cannon balls into the fort which ignited the fort’s black powder supply killing 270 Blacks. 1817 * Northern Black leaders spoke out against the idea of Black colonization in Africa. Blacks wanted to stay in America but with equal rights to Whites and ending slavery in the South. 1818 * The American Colonization Society was formed by Southern slave owners. The society bought land in West Africa and formed a Black colony called Liberia for free Blacks to colonize. Only about 15,000 Blacks settled in the new African colony. By 1820 most African Americans had been born in the United States. * African American leader and statesman Frederick Douglass is born. Douglass was one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War. * King Khama, the good king of Bechuanaland, was a peace loving king who enriched his people with technological innovations that increased his country’s wealth and prestige. * King Shaka of the Zulu’s begins his rule by revolutionizing Bantu warfare tactics and weapons. Over time, Shaka’s army of over a million strong had such a deadly reputation that they would cause fear to any opposing force causing them to run away. Shaka was able to unify many different ethnic groups to fight European colonialism. 1819 * Florida became a territory of the U.S., but before that it was a Spanish territory. Florida became a U.S. state in 1845. Spain did not recognize the legality of slavery as it was practiced in the U.S., therefore, many slaves escaped to Florida, where Spain freed them and gave them land. A large Native American, Seminole

community had existed in Florida since 1750. Blacks and Seminoles inter-married, worked together, and formed a community. The existence of freed slaves angered Whites in neighboring states, and the U.S. Army, acting on their behalf, waged war against the Black-Seminole alliance in 1816-1818. An uneasy peace after the war ended when a second war occurred in 1835-1838 against what had become a mixed-race community. Many were killed. About 500 slaves were returned to captivity, and many of the Seminoles, forcibly, were moved west to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. The Seminoles were uneasy living in the Territory because they were regarded as blacks and subject to capture and sale. The mixed race nation moved again, and this time to Mexico. The fighting abilities of the Seminole Black Indian nation were legendary. The fighters became known as Buffalo Soldiers because their matted hair resembled the matted hair of buffaloes. In 1856, Mexican President Ignacio Commonfort hired Seminole fighters to protect the state of Coahuila from Comanches, and they were also recruited and paid to fight against the Kickapoo Indians.

1820 * The Western world was thrilled to hear news of the rediscovery of the monuments of ancient Nubia or “Kush” as it was called in the Bible. The descriptions and glorious illustrations of temples and pyramid fields delighted scholars and reawakened interest in this mysterious African kingdom. But the discovery also unleashed a torrent of racist conclusions by the White scholars and researchers of the day, who didn’t believe such a brilliant and superior society could have been created by Blacks. When American diplomat Bayard Taylor visited Sudan and gazed upon the temple carvings of sumptuously clad gods and rulers with clearly African

features, he asserted they must have been created by Egyptians or by immigrants from India or Arabia, or, in any case, “by an offshoot … of the race to which we belong.” The stunning city of Meroe, which was the royal capital of ancient Nubia, was long ignored by scholars, who because of their racism assumed it was merely an offshoot of a more-advanced Egyptian culture.

* Harriett Tubman is born. Tubman helped hundreds of slaves escape along a secret route to freedom known as the “Underground Railroad.” Underground Railroad members used code names and words to hide their work. They were called “conductors” who were mostly free Blacks. Runaway slaves were called “passengers” who sought passage to safe houses called “stations.” The slaves hid during the day and followed the North Star at night. Born a slave herself, Tubman fled from Maryland to freedom in Philadelphia in 1849. For the next 10 years she made repeated secret trips back to Maryland, leading more than 300 escaped slaves to freedom in Canada. She became known as the "Moses of her People." Between 1810-1850 about 100,000 slaves escaped to the North on the Underground Railroad.

* Congress passed the “Missouri Compromise” in which an imaginary line was drawn dividing the Louisiana Territory and the original states. The line was called the “Mason-Dixon Line.” States north of the line (latitude 36*30’) would be free States. States south of the line would be slave States. * The 1st organized immigration back to Africa begins when 86 free Blacks leave New York on the Mayflower of Liberia bound for the British colony of Sierra Leone, Africa. This was done by the American Colonization Society. * Spain declares slave trade illegal. 1821 * Thomas L. Jennings becomes the 1st Black to hold a U.S. patent by inventing a dry cleaning process. * King Ja Ja of Opobo begins a fierce resistance to European expansion into Africa near the Nigeria river. Ja Ja was later captured by the British and sent to the West Indies. Ja Ja never saw his kingdom again. * An Italian physician and tomb robber Giuseppe Ferlini, who destroyed over 40 pyramids in a quest for treasure, accompanied an Ottoman invasion in Sudan and discovered exquisite gold amulets, signet rings and necklaces by blasting open the pyramid of Queen Amanishakheto, one of Nubia’s most powerful rulers. Ferlini tried to sell the treasure when he returned to Europe, but collectors would not believe such treasure could come from Black Africans. Nubia was also the gateway through which luxury products like incense, ivory and ebony traveled from their source in sub-

Saharan Africa to the civilizations of Egypt and the Mediterranean. 1822 * Denmark Vesey, a freed slave in South Carolina, is implicated in the planning of a large uprising of slaves to revolt and was executed along with almost 50 others. George Wilson told the plan to White slavers. The case led to more stringent slave laws known as “Slave Codes” in many Southern states to prevent slaves from revolting and attempting escape. * Liberia is founded as a colony for Blacks fleeing America. The “Rosetta Stone” is translated by Jean Francis Champollion. The black stone tablet contains the translation of hieroglyphic inscriptions, which led to the unraveling of and understanding of hieroglyphic writing. The stone was discovered in 1799 by Napoleon’s army.

1823 * Mississippi enacts a law prohibiting the teaching of reading and writing to Blacks and meetings of more than 5 slaves or free Blacks at one time in the same place. * Alexander L. Twilight graduates from Middlebury College and becomes the 1st Black college graduate in the U.S. 1825 * Argentina, Peru, Chile and Bolivia abolish slavery.

1827 * The “Freedom’s Journal” is the 1st African American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. The Journal was published weekly in New York City from 1827 to 1829 and edited by John Russworm. * Mary R. Boegues forms the 1st Black congregation of Catholic nuns, the Oblate Sisters of Providence. * George M. Horton writes a book of poems called “The Hope of Liberty” which becomes the first book of poems published by a Black man in the U.S. * England declares slave trade to be piracy. 1829 * Mexico abolishes slavery and becomes a refuge for fugitive slaves. 1830 * Benjamin Bradley is born. A slave, Bradley was employed at a printing office and later at the Annapolis Naval Academy, where he helped set up scientific experiments. In the 1840s he developed a steam engine for a warship. Unable to patent his work, he sold it and bought his freedom with the proceeds. * Drawing of a cross-section of a slaver ship in Brazil, from a book by Robert Walsh, an Irish clergyman, historian, writer and physician.

* Tice Davids escaped from his master in Kentucky by jumping into a river and disappearing into the brush. Davids vanished so quickly that the slave owner said he must have used an underground road. This phrase would go on to be known as the Underground Railroad as the route slaves used to escape to the South. Many slaves joined the Seminole Indians in the Florida everglades. * During the 1830’s, Black Abolitionist, Frederick Douglas gives speeches and starts an anti-slavery newspaper called the “North Star” which was named after the star that guided slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. During this time there were many White abolitionists that stood with Blacks protesting slavery. Many of them are killed by other Whites who wanted slavery to continue. * King Samory Toure of the Sudan begins his rule which quickly forces him into a conflict with the French after his mother is captured. Toure would endure an 18 year conflict with the French which brought constant frustration for the Europeans with his military tactics and strategy which brought him worldwide respect. During the conflict Toure, was able to unify many African states into one empire. * The slave population in the U.S. reaches 2 million. * The “Trail of Tears” migration begins. Indians were not allowed time to gather their belongings and as they left, Whites looted their homes in which 2500-6000 of the 16,543 Cherokee people died of cold, hunger and disease on their way to the western lands known as Oklahoma. An estimated 1/3 of the Indians were of African-American descent as escaped slaves found refuge among Indian populations. It is thought that a new tribe name of "Blackfoot" emerged from the mixing of Cherokee Indians and escaped slaves. The darker skinned children from the mixing were called Blackfoot as a term to identify them. This is not the same Blackfoot tribe that lives in Montana. President Andrew Jackson signed legislation that forced the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole Indians off their land in the South Eastern United States. In 1802, the U.S. Army reported that 512 Blacks lived in the Choctaw Nation. By 1837, 46,000 Native Americans from the southeastern states had been removed from their homelands, thereby opening 25 million acres for White settlement.

1831 * Nat Turner, “The Black Prophet” of South Hampton County, Virginia, led a 2-day free will slave revolt of 70 slaves and killed 60 Whites because he believed God wanted him to free the slaves. Afterwards, hundreds of Blacks were caught, arrested and tried. Turner and 30 of his followers were hung. * William Lloyd Garrison, a White abolitionist, prints the 1st copy of the anti-slavery newspaper “The Liberator.” * Between 1831-1861 an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 slaves escape to the North and freedom using the Underground Railroad. White sympathizer would help and shelter slaves along the way to the free states. * The Underground Railroad is given its name. 1832 * The anti-slavery Abolitionist Party is founded in Boston Massachusetts. 1833 * Oberlin College is founded in Ohio, becoming the first college in the U.S. with the mission to educate African Americans. 1834

* Henry Blair of Greenross, Maryland becomes the 1st Black to be granted a patent from the U.S. patent office for a seed planter. * The British Empire outlaws slavery. 1835 * In the second Seminole Indian War, Blacks fight alongside Native Americans against U.S. forces. 1836 * The Mexican army under General Santa Ana begins attacking the Alamo in Texas. The Mexican government was shocked by the rising rate of White immigration and disgusted by their use of slavery. The Mexican government started imposing restrictions, which were ignored by the settlers. The battle of the Alamo was fought over issues like federalism, slavery, immigration rights, the cotton industry and money. The Mexicans regarded “Texans” as murderous barbarians who were mostly Southerners who believed in and practiced slavery. Sam Houston defeated Santa Ana and Mexico recognized Texas independence and pulled out all of its troops. * Alexander L. Twilight becomes the 1st Black elected to public office and to serve in a state legislature after being elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. 1837 * The Institute for Colored Youth is founded by Richard Humphreys. It later became the Cheyney University after being called the Cheyney State Training School. * James McCune Smith becomes the 1st recognized Black doctor after graduating from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. 1838 * The “Mirror of Liberty”, published in New York, becomes the 1st African American magazine. * England finally abolishes slavery. 1839 * Portuguese sailors abducted a group of Africans and shipped them to Cuba where they were purchased by two Spanish men and placed

aboard the ship “La Amistad”. Joseph Cinque led the Africans to seizing the ship and killing the crew in their attempt to sail back to Africa. The ship ended up off the coast of Long Island. The slaves were placed on trial for murder for killing the crew. John Quincy Adams argued that the slaves were in fact free men and not guilty of murder. 35 slaves were returned to Africa. This incident would be made into a movie in 1997.

1841 * Frederick Douglass becomes an abolitionist speaker against slavery. * Africans revolt aboard the slave ship “Creole” and flee to the Bahamas. * William Liedesdorff becomes the 1st Black millionaire. * King Behanzin Bowelle of West Africa begins his strong resistance of European intervention into his country by having a standing army including 5000 female warriors. Bowelle was known as the King Shark who was fond of music. 1842 Josiah Henson, a runaway who became a conductor, set up the Dawn Settlement in Dresden, Canada. Here former slaves learned new skills and trades that helped them get started in their new lives. 1843 * Henry H. Garnet was a popular Black speaker who spoke at a Black convention in Buffalo New York. He asked that the 4 million Blacks

living in America rise up and act against slavery by saying that “It is better to die free than to live as slaves”. * The term “Jim Crow” was created by minstrel entertainer Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice. Rice would cover his face with burnt charcoal, known as “Blackface” then sing and dance a caricature routine of a silly Black person to portray Black inferiority. By 1900, the term was identified with racist laws and actions that deprived Blacks of their civil rights.

* Former runaway slave Isabella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth and became a public speaker against slavery along with Frederick Douglass and Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. 1844 * Elijah McCoy, the son of escaped slaves from Kentucky, is born. McCoy was born in Canada and educated in Scotland. He settled in Detroit and invented a lubricator for steam engines that was patented in 1872. McCoy established his own manufacturing company and acquired 57 patents. * Richard T. Greener becomes the 1st Black to graduate from Harvard University. * Norbert Rillieux receives the patent for refining sugar. * Macon B. Allen becomes the 1st Black lawyer formally admitted to the bar and allowed to practice law in the U.S. after passing the state bar exam in Worcester, Massachusetts.

* The autobiography of Fredrick Douglass is published. * King Menelek II of Abyssinia unites many independent kingdoms into one state becoming Ethiopia. Menelek was a leader in world affairs and his stunning victory over in Italy in 1986 at the battle of Adwa made him a great world leader. 1845 * Dr. James Marion Sims, a surgical pioneer considered the father of modern gynecology, operated on female slaves without anesthesia in the mid-1800s even though it was available as he was trying to find the cure for a painful post-birth condition known as vesicovaginal fistula. He carried out experiments on Black women because they were slaves who couldn't say no. He eventually found a surgical cure, by using silver sutures and speculum from performing a number of trial and error procedures on slave women who suffered extreme pain with some dying from his procedures. 1846 * Rebecca Cole is born in Philadelphia. In 1867, Cole became the 2nd Black woman to graduate from medical school. She joined Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the 1st White woman physician, in New York and taught hygiene and childcare to families in poor neighborhoods. * The Wilmot Proviso written by Democratic Representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania attempts to ban slavery in the territory gained by the Mexican War. The proviso is blocked by Southerners, but continues to enflame the debate over slavery. * Sweden abolishes slavery. 1847 * David J. Peck graduates from Rush Medical College, becoming the 1st Black to graduate from an American Medical school of medicine. * Joseph J. Roberts, the son of free Blacks, is elected the 1st president of Liberia to become the 1st Black president of any nation. * Frederick Douglas begins publishing the anti-slavery newspaper “North Star” in New York. 1848

* Lewis H. Latimer is born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Latimer learned mechanical drawing while working for a Boston patent attorney. He later invented an electric lamp and obtained a patent for a carbon filament for light bulbs. Latimer was the only African American member of Thomas Edison’s engineering laboratory. * Mary E. Pleasant, born a slave, moved out west during the California gold rush. She started a restaurant / hotel in San Francisco and helped change the law that wouldn't let Blacks speak in court. She also led the fight that won Blacks the right to ride on the San Francisco streetcars. * The California gold rush started the era for Blacks to get their freedom in the West and the right to business and land ownership. Although they still faced prejudice, they had much more freedom than they did on the East coast. * The French abolish slavery. 1849 * Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland and becomes a leader in the Underground Railroad. She would later help over 300 slaves escape and come to be known as the “Moses of her people.” * A slave named Henry Hill escaped by hiding in a box and mailing himself to the North earning himself the name of “Box Brown”. * Charles L. Reason becomes the 1st Black university professor by teaching mathematics at New York Central College. 1850 * Congress created the Fugitive Slave Law. California wanted to join the U.S. as a state, but it was too far from the Mason-Dixon Line. Congress decided that California would be a free state, which satisfied the North. In order to satisfy the South, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law, which said everyone in the U.S., had to help catch runaway slaves a.k.a. fugitives. * The Compromise of 1850 is passed which states the territory gained in the Mexican War should be open to slavery. California becomes a free state while Utah and New Mexico are left to be decided by popular sovereignty. Slave trade in Washington D.C. is prohibited, but a much stricter fugitive slave law is passed than the original in 1793.

* In the late 19th and early 20th century, many children's books were developed in the United States and the United Kingdom to propagate the devaluation of Black people in their relative societies. While hundreds existed, these are a few of the most disturbingly racist and offensive: Let’s Hurry or We’ll Miss the Public Lynching, Ten Little Nigger Boys, The Story of Little Black Sambo, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Ten Little Niggers, The Secret Garden, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, The Strange Tale of Ten Little Nigger Boys. These type of books, which were released in the early 20th century, were thought to be harmless “fun” and were once common.

* Slave trade is forbidden in the District of Columbia. * Emperor Tewodros II led campaigns against Egyptian intruders. * Queen Yaa Asantewa led the last major war in Africa by a woman against the British before her capture. She gave a speech to her people vowing to fight all White men and resist the European expansion into her country. Her story is woven throughout the history of Ghana. 1851 * Sojourner Truth gives her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Truth would travel throughout the Midwest speaking out against slavery.

1852 * Edward A. Bouchet is born in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1874, Bouchet became the 1st Black to graduate from Yale College. In 1876, he received his Ph.D. in physics from Yale, becoming the 1st Black to earn a doctorate. Bouchet spent his career teaching college chemistry and physics. * Harriet Beecher Stowe writes a book protesting slavery by detailing the cruelty of slave owners and the suffering of slaves. The book is called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The book sold over 300,000 copies in the 1st year, focusing national attention to slavery, which turned thousands of people against slavery. * James Healy of Boston becomes the 1st Black to be ordained a Roman Catholic Priest. 1853 * The 1st novel written and published by an African American is a work by William W. Brown, entitled Clotel: A Tale of Southern States. Brown also wrote The President’s Daughter. * Elizabeth T. Greenfield, “The Black Swan” becomes the 1st Black concert singer who also sang for Queen Victoria. * Solomon Northup wrote and published a memoir, "Twelve Years A Slave". He lectured on behalf of the abolitionist movement, giving more than two dozen speeches throughout the Northeast about his experiences to build momentum against slavery. Northup's memoir was adapted and produced as the 1984 PBS television movie "Solomon Northup's Odyssey".

1854 * Ashmun Institute charted in Oxford, Pennsylvania becomes America’s 1st Negro college founded in the U.S. to educate Blacks. It was later renamed Lincoln University in 1866. * The Kansas-Nebraska Act is passed which said people living in Kansas or Nebraska could decide for them selves whether to own slaves. This repeals the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and renews tensions between anti and pro slavery factions. 1855 * The 1st Black newspaper in the West was started. * John M. Langston of Brownhelm, Ohio is elected to political office and becomes the 1st Black to serve in the U.S. government * The sale of African slaves continues. Males are called Bucks while females are called Wenches. The descriptions are derogatory.

1856 * Wilberforce University, the 1st Black school of higher learning in the United States, is founded by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. * Biddy Mason won her freedom from slavery, worked as a nurse/midwife and then became a successful entrepreneur and a generous contributor to social causes. She was born August 15, 1818 in Mississippi, as a slave on a plantation owned by Robert M. Smith and Rebecca (Crosby) Smith. She had three daughters, Ellen, Ann and Harriet, whose father was reputedly Smith himself. Mason moved to California in 1851 which had been admitted to the Union in 1850 as a free state and that slavery was forbidden there where she became a successful real estate developer. * Granville T. Woods is born in Columbus, Ohio. Largely selfeducated, he was awarded more than 60 patents. One of his most important inventions was a telegraph that allowed moving trains to communicate with other trains and train stations, thus improving railway efficiency and safety. * Daniel H. Williams is born in Pennsylvania. He attended medical school in Chicago, where he founded Provident Hospital in 1891. Williams performed the 1st successful open-heart surgery in 1893. * Booker T. Washington was born in Franklin County, Virginia. 1857 * The Supreme Court rules on the “Dred Scott Case” which denied slaves of any rights by law. Dred Scott, a slave, claimed his freedom on the basis of 7 years of residence in a free state and a free territory. But 7 out of 9 Justices on the Supreme Court ruled that no slave or descendant of a slave could be a citizen. The court said Scott had no rights and was still a slave. The decision sharpened the national debate over slavery.

1858 * Senate hopeful, Abraham Lincoln gives a speech about slavery saying, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure half salve and half free. It will become all one thing, or all the other.” * William W. Brown publishes the 1st Black drama titled “A Leap for Freedom”. 1859 * John Brown, a White man, raided the Federal arsenal along with 21 other Blacks and Whites at Harper’s Ferry Virginia to obtain arms for a slave insurrection. The raid failed when Colonial Robert E. Lee captured Brown and his followers. Brown was hanged for treason. * Martin Robison Delany was a surgeon, the highest ranking Civil War soldier and the "Father of Black Nationalism" an African American abolitionist, the first African American Field Officer in the U.S Army, and one of the earliest African Americans to encourage a return to Africa. Delany led an emigration commission to West Africa to explore possible sites for a new black nation along the Niger River, “We are a nation within a nation, we must go from our oppressors,” he wrote. Delany published The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States, Politically Considered, claiming that even abolitionists would never accept Blacks as equals and thus the solution to the Black condition lay in the emigration of all African Americans back to Africa. * The last ship to bring slaves to the United States, the “Clothilde”, arrived in Mobile Bay, Alabama.

* Harriet E. Wilson, author of “Our Nig”, becomes the 1st Black female novelist published in the United States. Wilson wrote about racism in the North before the civil war. * It was common for a slave to be subordinated sexually to the master–even men with enslaved males. It was part of the enslaved man’s function as an “animated tool,” an instrument of pleasure. * To combat the high rate of death among the enslaved, plantation owners demanded females start having children at 13. By 20, the enslaved women would be expected to have four or five children. As an inducement, plantation owners promised freedom for enslaved females once she bore 15 children. That however turned out to be a lie just to make the women submit to the sexual advances of their masters.

1860 * George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Missouri. Carver later earned a degree from the Iowa Agricultural College. The director of agricultural research at the Tuskegee Institute from 1896 until his death, Carver developed hundreds of applications for farm products important to the economy of the South, including the peanut, sweet potato, soybean and pecan. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population is 4,441,790 being 14.1% of the U.S. population. * The 1st African American baseball team to tour the country is called the Brooklyn Excelsior’s. * 11 Southern States secede the Union after Abraham Lincoln becomes President and announces his opposition to slavery. The Southern States become the Confederate States of America. 5 slave States side with the Union during the Civil War and are called the

Border States. Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that he had no intention to interfere with the institution of slavery but to protect the Union should the South secede from the government. * 18% of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole and Creek Indian tribes were of African descent. * Isaac Myers begins organizing the Colored National Labor Union. * The average price of a slave is about $2000 dollars. Families were often separated at auction, never to see each other again.

* The slave population in the U.S. reaches 4 million. * Often, plantation owners would entertain their friends by forcing the enslaved Blacks to have orgies and multiple pairings having sex in front of them. The White men often would participate in the debauchery raping Black women in front of their mate and children. * When enslaved males turned 15 years old and younger in some cases they had their first inspection. Boys who were underdeveloped, had their testicles castrated and sent to the market or used on the farm. Each enslaved male was expected to get 12 females pregnant a year. The men were used for breeding for five years. One enslaved man name Burt produced more than 200 offspring. * The fertility of enslaved women was examined by owners to make sure they were able to birth as many children as possible. Secretly, slave owners would impregnate enslaved women and when the child was born and grew to an age where he could work in the fields, they would take the “very same children (of their) own blood and make slaves out of them”.

* If an enslaved woman was considered “pretty,” she would be bought by a plantation owner and given special treatment in the house, but often subjected to horrifying cruelty by the master’s wife, including the beheading of a Black children because he was the product of an enslaved women and master affair. 1861 * The Confederacy is founded when the South secedes from the Union and the American Civil War begins, pitting the slave States of the South against the Free States of North. Jefferson Davis becomes president of the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy fires upon Ft. Sumter at Charleston South Carolina. The Confederate 1st Louisiana Native Guard becomes the 1st U.S. military unit to have Black officers. * 75,000 Blacks volunteered for the Union Army and were rejected for fear of alienating pro-slavery sympathizers in the North and the Border States. With time, though, this position weakened, and African Americans, both free Northerners and escaped Southerners, were allowed to enlist. By the end of the war four years later, more than 186,000 African American soldiers had served, including several officers, making up 10 percent of the Union army. More than 38,000 lost their lives, and 21 were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, including Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood. * John S. Rock becomes the 1st Black lawyer to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court to end slavery. * Nicholas Biddle becomes one of the 1st Blacks wounded during the Civil War. * William C. Nell is appointed postal clerk in Boston, Massachusetts becoming the 1st Black to hold a federal civilian post. * Harriet Jacobs’ “Incidents in the life of a slave girl” becomes the 1st published autobiography of a Black woman. * Pickney Pinchback, born of a slave, runs the Confederate blockade on the Mississippi River and recruits volunteers for the Union Army called the “Corps d’Afrique”. 1862

* Edmonia Lewis discovered a talent for art after attending Oberlin College in Ohio. She would go on to become a famous sculptor who sculpted the head John Brown. Brown was a White man who was killed because he tried to free some slaves. One of Lewis’s famous sculptures is named “Forever Free.” * Elizabeth Keckley becomes the first Black designer for the White House after spending 38 years as a slave before buying her freedom for $1200. Keckley became the personal dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln, President Lincoln's wife. * Robert Smalls and the Black crew of the Confederate steam ship the “Planter” capture the ship near Fort Sumter as General Roswell Ripley and his officers went ashore to attend a party. Smalls later surrendered as he came upon the Union ship, the U.S.S. Onward. * Slavery is abolished in the District of Columbia and outlawed in U.S. territories when the Compensated Emancipation Act, is signed ordering all slaves in the District of Columbia, totaling 3,128, to be freed. It was the first time the U.S. government had officially liberated any group of slaves – and unlike the Emancipation Proclamation, it permitted their former masters to petition the government for compensation in exchange for their slaves’ freedom. * Mary J. Patterson becomes the 1st Black woman in the U.S. to graduate from an American college by earning a Master of Arts degree, from Oberlin College. * Ida B. Wells is born. 1863 * President Abraham Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation” took effect, freeing over 4 million slaves from the Confederate South. 800,000 Blacks remained slaves in the 5 Border States between the North and the South. * President Abraham Lincoln visits a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of the worst battles of the Civil War had been fought there. Thousands of soldiers on both sides died. Lincoln gave a speech known as the “Gettysburg Address.” Lincoln said the country must “bring about a new birth of freedom.” * Blacks are allowed to enlist in the Union Army to fight the South. More than 186,000 Blacks joined the Union Army; 38,000 die

in service. White Union soldiers did not want to fight alongside Blacks. Confederate soldiers hated Black Union soldiers and would kill them while taking White Union soldiers as P.O.W.’s. Blacks had to fight Racism in the North and South and they were called “contraband of war”. * Harriet Tubman led Union gunboats up the Combahee River, in South Carolina, where troops disembarked and gave a prearranged signal for slaves to abandon nearby plantations. More than 700 slaves were freed. Tubman became the 1st woman to lead a U.S. Army raid. * The New York City draft riots occur. Anti-Conscription riots last for 4 days, during which hundreds of Blacks were killed or wounded. Stemming from deep worker discontent with the inequities of the first federally mandated conscription laws. In addition, the White working class feared that emancipation of enslaved Blacks would cause an influx of African-American workers from the South.

* Henry M. Turner becomes the 1st Black chaplain appointed in the U.S. Army. * Phillip Reid and other slaves comprise the workforce that built the White House and the Capitol. Reid casted the bronze dome that is the symbol of freedom around the world. Over a 70 year period, slaves toiled from dawn to dusk building the temples, clearing the land, digging the trenches, hauling the lumber and working in the quarries for this country that claims “all men are created equal with liberty and justice for all”. Of course that ideal only applied to the White race.

* The 1st school for freed slaves is founded in Frogmore, South Carolina. * Holland abolishes slavery. * The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was created by Colonel Robert Shaw at Camp Meigs, Readville. The all Black infantry unit of freed slaves from various Northern States, earned its fame by leading the attack on the Confederate Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina. Sgt. William H. Carney becomes the 1st Black to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery under fire. Carney rescued the Union flag at Ft. Wagner even after being wounded twice. The unit was despised by the South, distrusted by the North, underpaid, ill-equipped and faced certain death from the Confederacy, rose to every challenge from racism to the harrowing final battle which paved the way for the Union victory thru their courage, skill and sacrifice. Over 180,000 Blacks volunteered and turned the tide of the war. The Union Army unit is portrayed in the 1989 movie “Glory.”

1864-1900: After Emancipation 1864 * The New Orleans Tribune becomes the 1st Black daily newspaper printed in the United States. * Thomas M. Chester becomes the 1st Black correspondent to work for a major daily newspaper, The Philadelphia Press, during the Civil War. * The “Fort Pillow” massacre occurred during the Civil War as Confederate troops slaughter Black Union troops stationed at Fort

Pillow, Tennessee. The action stemmed from Southern outrage at the North’s use of Black soldiers. Confederate forces under General Nathan B. Forrest captured the Fort and killed over 300 Black men, women and children after the Fort surrendered. * Congress passed a bill authorizing equal pay, equipment, arms and health care for Black Union troops. * Rebecca Lee Crumpler graduates from the New England Female Medical College and becomes the 1st Black woman doctor. * Anti-slavery laws are passed in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Maryland. * 14 Black soldiers receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for their role in the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm in Richmond, VA. 1865 * On June 19th, Slavery in the U.S. effectively ends when 250,000 slaves in Texas received news that the Civil War ended two months earlier. Union Major General Gordon Granger notified the slaves that they were free. This occurred 30 months after the Emancipation Proclamation speech was given ending slavery. This day would go on to become known as “Juneteenth Day” or freedom day to commemorate the day when the last slaves were notified of their freedom. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans up to this point due to the minimal number of Union troops available to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. * Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 black children where they marched, sang and celebrated.

* After the Civil War, Congress authorized the creation of 6 segregated Black regiments to serve in the peacetime Army, under White officers. The 9th and 10th cavalries and the 38th through 41st infantries were formed. The new cavalries were mainly stationed in the Southwest and the Great Plains, where it was their responsibility to clear the way for Whites, build forts and maintain order on a frontier overrun by outlaws and occupied by Native Americans who were battling land-grabbing and murdering White intruders. * “Black Codes” were enacted and used as a unique way for White southerners to maintain the way of life they had known prior to the civil war. While freedom for Blacks had been won, ex-slaves were restricted and opportunities very limited. The 1st States to use the codes were Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio. These codes were used to keep Blacks on an economic and social level below Whites. * The 12 years following the Civil War (1865-1877) is called Reconstruction. Its purpose was to rebuild the South and mend relations with the North. Congress established the “Freedmen’s Bureau” to provide health care, education and technical assistance to 4 million emancipated slaves. Almost 250,000 Blacks were taught to read and write. * Black infantry regiments were called “Buffalo Soldiers”. The 25th Infantry Regiment was stationed at Fort Keogh, Missouri. Black troops earned the nickname "Buffalo Soldiers" from the Cheyenne and Comanche Indians for their great ability in battle, for their dark skin and their hair was like that of buffalo fur. The “Buffalo Soldiers” made up 20% of the cavalry forces and lasted into the early 1890’s.

* The 13th Amendment to is ratified. Blacks are slavery nor involuntary crime whereof the party exist within the United jurisdiction.

the Constitution, which outlaws slavery, set free. The amendment reads; Neither servitude, except as a punishment for shall have been duly convicted, shall States, or any place subject to their

* President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilks Booth. Andrew Johnson succeeded him as President. * Patrick F. Healy becomes the 1st Black to earn a Ph.D. * John S. Rock becomes the 1st Black lawyer allowed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. * The Civil War comes to an end when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Approximately 623,000 lives were lost. * Henry H. Garnet becomes the 1st Black to speak before Congress by addressing the end of slavery. 1866 * Congress overrides President Johnson’s veto and passes the Civil Rights Act, giving Blacks citizenship and equal rights with Whites. * The U.S. Army creates 6 Black cavalry and infantry regiments. * White civilians and police in Memphis Tennessee kill 46 Blacks and injure many more, then burn 90 houses, 12 schools and 4 churches in what is known as the “Memphis Massacre”.

* Congress approves the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law to all citizens. The amendment also grants citizenship to Blacks. * The Ku Klux Klan, a White organization formed to intimidate Blacks and other ethnic and religious minorities, first meets in the Maxwell house in Memphis, Tennessee. The Klan was the 1st of many secret terrorist organizations organized in the South to re-establish White authority. The Klan was founded by 6 former Confederate soldiers. The name Ku Klux Klan is a distortion of the Greek word Kuklos. The Klan grew from a group of men playing pranks on Blacks in 1866 into the oppression, mayhem and murder of Blacks by 1868. Former Confederate General, Nathan B. Forrest became the 1st Grand Wizard of the KKK.

* The New Orleans massacre occurs when police storm a Republican meeting of Blacks and Whites killing more than 40 Blacks and wounding more than 150. * Frederick Douglas meets with President Andrew Johnson to discuss Black suffrage. Johnson expressed his opposition and the meeting ended in controversy. * Cathy Williams is the 1st recorded Black woman in the U.S. Army by serving in the 8th Indiana volunteer infantry. 1867 * Charles H. Turner is born. Turner, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, became a noted authority on the behavior of insects and was the first researcher to prove that insects can hear. * Madame C.J. Walker is born. Widowed at 20, the Louisiana-born Sarah B. Walker supported herself and her daughter as a

washerwoman. In the early 1900’s she developed a hair-care system and other beauty products. Her Indianapolis-based business amassed a fortune and she became a patron of many Black charities. She became the 1st women of any race to earn a million dollars. * Congress overrides President Andrew Johnson’s veto granting Blacks the right to vote in the District of Columbia. * Reconstruction begins. Reconstruction Acts were passed by Congress calling for enfranchisement of former slaves in the South. * Robert T. Freeman becomes the 1st Black to graduate from Harvard University. * The Negro Baseball League begins. * Morehouse College of Atlanta, Georgia is founded. 1868 * The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, granting citizenship to any person born or naturalized in the United States. Blacks become citizens. * Oscar Dunn of Louisiana becomes the 1st Black elected lieutenant governor. * The KKK rides and kills an estimated 300 Blacks in Louisiana in what becomes known as the “Opelousas Massacre”. Emerson Bentley was attacked by 3 violent White teenagers. Local Blacks came to Bentley’s rescue and were arrested by the Sheriff. 12 Blacks were lynched that night for their participation. In the days that followed; armed Whites scoured the countryside on a “Nigger Hunt” killing all Blacks they came in contact with. * John W. Menard becomes the 1st Black man elected to Congress by defeating his White rival by more than a 2 to 1 margin in Louisiana, but he is denied his seat. 1869 * Congress sends the 15th Amendment to the Constitution to the states for approval. The amendment would guarantee Blacks the right to vote.

* Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett was appointed minister to Haiti. He became the 1st Black diplomat and presidential appointment. For many years thereafter, both Democratic and Republican administrations appointed Blacks as ministers to Haiti and Liberia. * Portugal abolishes slavery. * The convention of the “Colored National Labor Union” meets becoming the 1st Black labor convention. * Frederick Douglas is named president of the National Convention of Colored Men.

1870 * Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi becomes the 1st Black in congress by being elected a U.S. Senator. * The 15th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified guaranteeing Black men the right to vote. Thomas M. Peterson is the 1st Black to vote. Women do not get the right until 1920. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population is 4,880,009 being 12.7% of the U.S. population. This is the first time Blacks are listed by name. * Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina, becomes the 1st Black elected to the House of Representatives. * Richard T. Greener becomes the 1st Black to graduate from Harvard University. He went on to become a professor of metaphysics. * Mummy caches and tombs are found in Egypt.

1871 * The Fisk University Jubilee singers begin their 1st national tour becoming world famous singers of Black spiritual music. The money they earned built the Fisk University. * Under President Ulysses S. Grant, congress passes a law (Ku Klux Klan Act) making it illegal for the KKK to whip or kill Blacks for the purpose of terrorizing them into not voting. The Klan would evolve into the Red Shirt rifle club who continued the ways of the Klan by killing Blacks and White Republicans for voting and promoting equality. The law would expire in 1872 without renewal. * Howard University establishes a law school. * Brazil condemns slavery. 1872 * Pickney Pinchback of Louisiana becomes the 1st Black Governor of a State after the impeachment of Governor H.C. Warmoth. * Charlotte E. Roy receives her degree from Howard University Law School and becomes the 1st Black woman lawyer. 1873 * Mifflin W. Gibbs of Little Rock Arkansas becomes the 1st Black elected as a municipal judge. * James A. Healy becomes the 1st Black Roman Catholic Bishop in the United States. * The “Colfax Massacre” occurs in Alabama as Whites kill over 60 Blacks on Easter Sunday. * W.C. Handy, credited for creating “The Blues,” is born. * The slave market in Zanzibar is closed. * Puerto Rico abolishes slavery. 1874

* Patrick F. Healy becomes the 1st Black President of a predominantly White University, being the University of Georgetown. * Diamonds are discovered in South Africa. * Edward A. Bouchet becomes the 1st Black to receive a doctorate degree from an American university when he graduated from Yale. * 16 Blacks are tortured and lynched in Tennessee. * The KKK kills 75 Blacks for protesting the removal of a Black Sheriff from office in Vicksburg, Michigan. * The city of Kumasi was destroyed by British troops in the third Anglo-Ashanti War of 1874. Kumasi was the capital of the Asante Kingdom from the 10th century to 20th century. It is now a city in the Ashanti Region, South Ghana, and is one of the largest metropolitan areas of Ghana. It is known as “The Garden City” because of its plethora of exotic plants. 1875 * Congress approved the Civil Rights Act guaranteeing Equal Rights to Blacks in public accommodations and jury duty. The Supremes Court invalidated the legislation in 1883. * Mary McLeod Bethune is born in Mayesville, North Carolina. She becomes an educator, government official and Black leader. * Carter G. Woodson is born in New Canton, Virginia. He earned a doctorate in history from Harvard University and became known as the “Father of Black History.” * The “Clinton Massacre” occurs when more than 20 Blacks were killed in Mississippi. * Oliver Lewis becomes the 1st Black to win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs while riding the horse “Aristides” in the very first Kentucky Derby ever held. * The real “Lone Ranger,” it turns out, was an African-American man named Bass Reeves, who the legend was based upon. Born to slave parents in 1873 in Paris, Texas Bass Reeves would become the first Black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in our nation's history. Reeves arrested over 3,000 felons and shot and killed 14 outlaws

in self-defense. He was the most feared lawman in Indian territory.

* Blanche K. Bruce, a Republican from Mississippi, becomes a U.S. Senator, and eventually the 1st Black to serve a full 6-year term. Not until 1969 did another Black serve in the Senate. 1876 * Edmund A. Bouchet becomes the 1st Black to be awarded a Ph.D. in science. He earned his degree in physics from Yale University – Phi Beta Kappa, and was the 1st Black to graduate from Yale. * A summer of race riots and terrorism directed at Blacks occurred in South Carolina by the KKK. President Grant sent Federal Troops in to restore order after more than 60 Blacks are killed. * Edward M. Bannister becomes the 1st Black to achieve full recognition in America as a painter. * The last full-blood Black person in Tasmania, Truganini, died at 73 years of age. Her mother had been stabbed to death by a European. Her sister was kidnapped by Europeans. Her intended husband was drowned by two Europeans in her presence, while his murderers raped her. 1877 * Slavery and reconstruction comes to an end in America. The chains are removed but racism, oppression and discrimination continues through fraud, violence and intimidation.

* A deal with Southern Democratic leaders was made with Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for the withdrawal of Federal Troops from the South and the end of Federal efforts to protect the Civil Rights of African Americans. The era of Reconstruction comes to an end. The future of the country was not to concern itself with the future of Blacks. * Henry O. Flipper, the son of slaves from Georgia, becomes the 1st Black to graduate from West Point Military Academy. He would face an onslaught of racism and discrimination being the only Black. He graduated 15th in his class of 26 and majored in civil engineering. * Garrett A. Morgan is born in Kentucky. He invented a gas mask that was patented in 1914. It was used to protect soldiers from chlorine fumes during World War I. In 1923, Morgan received a patent for a traffic signal that featured automated “stop” and “go” signs. The invention was later replaced by traffic lights. 1878 * The “Exoduster Movement” begins as 30,000 Blacks migrate to Kansas. 1879 * Mary E. Mahoney becomes the 1st Black nurse after receiving her diploma from the New England Hospital for Women. * Charles Follis is born. He will go on to become the 1st Black professional football player in the U.S. playing for the Shelby Blues in Ohio. * King Shaka of the Zulu’s defeats the British for the last time at the Battle of Isandlwana.

* Dr. Felkin of Europe witnesses the 1st caesarean operation by Banyoro surgeons in Uganda. * The Exodus from slavery begins in earnest after reconstruction as 900 Black families migrate to Kansas and the West to freedom. 1880 * Europeans placed African people in human zoos. In the late 1800s to well into the 1900s, Europeans created “human zoos” in cities like Paris; Hamburg, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Barcelona, Spain; London; Milan; Warsaw, Poland; St Louis; and New York City. These were popular human exhibits where Whites went to watch Black people who were on display. The Black people were usually forced to live behind gates and in cages similar to animals in a zoo today. Some of the Black people were kidnapped and brought to be exhibited in the human zoos. Many of them died quickly, some within a year of their captivity. A large number of visitors attended these exhibitions in each city daily. For example, the Parisian World Fair featured a human zoo that exhibited Black people, and 34 million people were drawn to the exhibition in just six months.

* The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population to be 6,580,793 being 13.1% of the U.S. population. * William T. Shorey was a whaling ship captain known to his crew as the Black Ahab, after Moby Dick’s protagonist,. He became the only Black captain operating on the west coast of the United States in the late 1880s and 1890s. He obtained his certification in 1885. Although he was born a free man his prospects as being Black were limited.

* Samuel R. Lowey becomes the 1st Black lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. * The Lynching Era: 1880-1930. The lynching era encompasses roughly the five decades between the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of the Great Depression. During these years it is estimated that there were 2,018 separate incidents of lynching in which at least 2,462 African-American men, women and children met their deaths in the hands of Southern mobs, comprised mostly of Whites. Although lynching and mob killings occurred before 1880, notably during early Reconstruction when Blacks were enfranchised, radical racism and mob violence peaked during the 1890s in a surge of terrorism that did not dissipate until well into the twentieth century". 1881 * Spelman College becomes the 1st college for Black women in the United States. It is founded by Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles. * The Tuskegee Institute is founded by Booker T. Washington, which became the leading vocational training institution for Blacks as teachers and in agriculture and industry.

* Public transportation segregation begins across the United States starting with Tennessee, followed by Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Oklahoma. This practice was imposed over the next 15 years. * British and Ottoman troops seize control of Egypt and Sudan.

* The first of the “Jim Crow” laws are passed legalizing segregation on the railroads. * “Literacy Tests” and “Poll Tax Laws” were instituted to deny Blacks the right to vote by making it unlawful for an illiterate person to vote and requiring a tax be paid for the right to vote. * The 1st Black to have his signature appear on U.S. paper currency is Blanche K Bruce, Registrar of the Treasury. 1882 * This is the 1st year of documented lynchings of Blacks in the U.S. * 49 Blacks are known to have been lynched. Lynching was when a White mob took justice into their own hands without a trail and used lynching as a punishment against Blacks that committed a crime in order to keep other Blacks in their place. The crime could have been as small as a Black arguing with a White. A lynching consisted of: 1) A notice to other Whites in neighboring towns so they could witness the lynching. 2) A huge spectacle with hundreds of Whites watching. 3) The burning of the victim at the stake after being subjected to hours of torture or hung by the neck until dead. 4) The observers took parts of the mutilated body as souvenirs and took pictures to serve as postcards.

* George Washington Williams publishes his “History of the Negro Race in America from 1619-1880”, the first comprehensive and objective history of African Americans. 1883 * “Jim Crow” segregation laws begin to be passed by the southern States. * Segregation becomes legal. The Supreme Court declares the Civil Rights Act of 1875 Unconstitutional and overturned it. The court said the 14th Amendment forbids States, but not citizens, from discriminating. The Supreme Court said segregation was legal if Blacks and Whites received equal treatment. This came to be known as “Separate but Equal.”

* Ernest E. Just is born in Charleston, South Carolina. Just attended Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago, where he earned a doctorate in zoology in 1916. Just published more than 50 papers on cell biology. * A White conservative political group seized control of the local government in Dansville, Virginia killing 4 Blacks in the process. * 53 Black are known to have been lynched. * Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia. * Sojourner Truth dies. * A political coup occurs in Danville, Virginia in which four elected Blacks are killed. 1884 * 51 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Moses F. Walker becomes the 1st Black to play in professional baseball. He was a catcher on the Toledo team of the American Association. * Henry V. Plummer becomes the 1st Black chaplain of the U.S. Army. * British control of Nigeria is expanded. * James C. Farley becomes the 1st Black to gain recognition as a photographer. 1885 * The 1st all-Black baseball team is formed and initially named the “Argyle Athletics.” They toured the North East; often playing the best White teams in the area, but are usually met with resistance from White fans. With hopes of attracting more White fans to the games, team owner Walter Cook attempts to fool the public by changing the team’s name to the “Cuban Giants.” The scheme worked for a while, but by the turn of the century, no Black players or teams were allowed to play with Whites. * 74 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Belgium colonizes Zaire as Congo Free State.

* Sarah E. Goode becomes the 1st Black woman to hold a U.S. patent by inventing a convertible cabinet / bed. 1886 * The original model for the Statue of Liberty was a Black woman. The Statue of Liberty idea was conceived at a dinner party in 1865 at the home of Edouard de Laboulaye, a prominent French abolitionist, following the death of President Abraham Lincoln and the end of the Civil War. The Statue of Liberty is erected on Ellis Island, N.Y. as a gift from the French to celebrate the 100th birthday of America’s Independence while the original idea for the statue was to celebrate the end of slavery in America. This twist on history perpetuates and promotes White supremacy at the expense of Black pride. It was because the model was Black that stimulated the original idea for the 151 foot statue in the Harbor. Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was known for drawing Black women of Egypt and once proposed a huge statue of a robed women holding a torch symbolizing “Egypt Bringing the Light to Asia” for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, but the idea was rejected. The idea for the creation initially was for the part that Black soldiers played in the ending of African-American Bondage in the United States during the Civil War. It was created by French historian Edouard de Laboulaye and French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi who were members of the French Anti-slavery Society. The statue’s design went through many evolutionary changes before Bartholdi settled on the final design due in part to rejection of his earlier ideas. At first, she held broken chains in her left hand and around her feet to symbolize the broken chains of slavery and bondage. Bartholdi later decided she would hold a tablet inscribed with the date of the “Declaration of Independence” and a fragment of chain would be on the ground, as if she had already thrown it there. The final design was chosen to appease White Americans who refused to accept a Black Liberty because it was a reminder of Blacks winning their freedom and it was an insult to the Southern states that had lost the war. By the time of its dedication in 1886, European immigration to the United States had increased so substantially, that earlier meanings associated with the statue were eclipsed, and this association has continued to be the predominant understanding of the statue’s meaning from then until now being freedom, peace, liberty, justice and friendship.

* The “Carrollton Massacre” occurs when 20 Blacks are killed in Mississippi. * Cuba abolishes slavery. * 74 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The American Federation of Labor is organized, signaling the rise of the labor movement. All major unions of the day excluded Blacks. * Augustine Tolton becomes the 1st Black Roman Catholic priest in the U.S.

1887

* John W.E. Bowen becomes the 1st Black to earn a Ph.D in vocational fields. * 70 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Ethiopians defeat Italian invaders near Dogali. * Granville T. Woods invents the induction telegraph system, which allowed trains to communicate with one another and with the stations. Woods will sue Thomas Edison for stealing his invention and many more of his 60+ patents; including the third rail of train tracks. * Florida A&M University is founded for colored students. 1888 * Two of America’s 1st Black-owned banks open their doors — the Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of the Reformers, in Richmond Virginia and Capital Savings Bank of Washington, D.C. * Archibald Alexander is born. Alexander attended Iowa State University and earned a civil engineering degree in 1912. While working for an engineering firm, he designed the Tidal Basin Bridge in Washington, D.C. Later, he formed his own company, designing Whitehurst Freeway in Washington, D.C., and an airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama among other projects. * Brazil abolishes slavery and frees 700,000 slaves. * 69 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The Washington Monument is finished and opened to the public in Washington D.C. as a tribute to the first president of the United States, George Washington. The monument was modeled after an Egyptian Obelisk. Obelisks exist outside Egypt in France, Israel, Italy, Poland, Turkey, England and cities in the United States. The obelisks around the world were either stolen from Egypt or made to replicate the ones found in Egypt. The originals were made by Egyptians.

1889 * Ida B. Wells and partners publish the “Memphis Free Speech” newspaper.

* Roger Arliner Young is born in Virginia. Young earned a doctorate in zoology in 1940 and published a number of important studies with Ernest E. Just. * Alfred O. Coffin becomes the 1st Black to receive a Ph.D in biological science. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population to be 7,488,676 being 11.9% of the U.S. population. * Henry O. Flipper writes a book about his experiences, The Colored Cadet at West Point.

* 94 Blacks are known to have been lynched. 1890 * Under the leadership of Timothy T. Fortune, the militant National Afro-American League is founded in Chicago, Illinois. This is considered the forerunner for the NAACP. * The “Mississippi Plan” uses literacy and “understanding” tests to disfranchise Black Americans by designing tests to portray Blacks as being illiterate and poorly educated in order to make them appear intellectually inferior to Whites. Similar laws are adopted by South Carolina, Louisiana, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia and Oklahoma. (1890-1910). This plan prevented Blacks from voting. Mississippi also enacts the poll tax, which most Black cannot afford to pay, to keep Blacks from voting. * 85 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * George Dixon of the bantamweight class becomes the 1st Black world champion boxer by defeating Nunc Wallace in the 18th round. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population to 7,488,676 or 11.9% of the U.S. population. 1891 * The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University was founded. The N.C.A.& T. is 1 of 100 historically Black colleges and Universities in America. * 113 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Provident hospital in Chicago, Illinois becomes the 1st Black hospital. * Isaac Murphy becomes the 1st jockey to win three Kentucky Derby’s riding the horse Kingman. * Wiley Overton becomes the 1st Black police officer in present-day New York City before the incorporation of the five boroughs into the City of New York. 1892 * The 1st Black to sing a Carnegie Hall is Matilda S. J. Jones.

* Frederick M. Jones is born in Cincinnati. A mechanic, Jones invented a self-starting gas engine and a series of devices for movie projectors. In 1935, he invented the 1st automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks. Jones was awarded more than 40 patents in the field of refrigeration. * The 1st Black college football games were played. Biddle College emerged victorious. * 161 Blacks are known to have been lynched. 1893 * Ida B. Wells wrote an article denouncing the lynching of 3 Black grocery men in Memphis, Tennessee, who were her friends. The three men were: Thomas Morse, Calvin McDowell and Henry Stewart. In retaliation, a White mob vandalizes the printing office of her paper, The “Memphis Free Speech.” The newspaper is forced to shut down and Wells begins an anti-lynching campaign. Wells wrote a book about the “Jim Crow” laws and helped form the N.A.A.C.P. in 1909. * Henry Smith becomes the 1st Black documented to be burned alive at the stake. From 1893-1901, 12 Blacks are known to have been burned alive at the stake. * Doctor Daniel H. Williams, of Chicago, becomes the 1st Black and person to perform successful open-heart surgery without anesthesia. * William L. Bulkley becomes the 1st Black to earn a Ph.D in literature. * Nancy Green was the 1st “Aunt Jemima” and the world’s living trademark for the named pancake syrup. * 118 Blacks are known to have been lynched. 1894 * The Pullman Company strike causes a national transportation crisis. Blacks were hired by the company as strikebreakers. * 134 Blacks are known to have been lynched. 1895

* Booker T. Washington delivers his “Atlanta Compromise” speech at the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition. He said the “Negro Problem” would be solved by a policy of gradualism and accommodation. Washington stressed education over social equality or political office. * Several Baptist organizations combine to form the National Baptist Convention. The Baptist church is the largest Black religious denomination in the United States. * W.E.B. Dubois becomes the 1st Black to obtain a Ph.D from Harvard University in the field of social science.

* Frederick Douglass dies. * 6 Blacks are killed during a race riot New Orleans, Louisiana. * 113 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Buddy Bolden, a founding father of jazz, leads a band in New Orleans, Louisiana. * Mary Fields became the first Black woman employed as a mail carrier in the United States, and just the second American woman to work for the United States Postal Service. Even though she was about 60 years old when she applied, Mary was hired because she was the fastest applicant to hitch a team of six horses. She never missed a day, and her reliability earned her the nickname "Stagecoach Mary." She was Born a slave in 1832 and died a legend in her own time in 1914.

1896 * The Supreme Court decides in “Plessy vs. Ferguson” that “Separate but Equal” facilities are legal and satisfy 14th Amendment guarantees, thus giving legal sanction to “Jim Crow” segregation laws. Homer Plessy wanted to sit in the car for Whites on a train. J.H. Ferguson was the Judge. The ruling stands until 1954. * The National Association of Colored Women is formed. Mary C. Terrell is elected the 1st president. * Blacks lose their right to vote after the “Poll Tax” law is enacted. Another law was passed requiring Blacks be able to read. Because most Blacks were too poor to pay the tax and could not read, they lost many of their rights. This was done purposely to exclude Black from voting. * 78 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Ethiopia defeats the Italian colonial army near Adwa killing 12,000. * George Washington Carver accepts an appointment at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver’s research in farming techniques helps to revolutionize farming in America. 1897 * The American Negro Academy is established to encourage African American participation in art, literature and philosophy. * Jackie “Moms” Mabley is born in Brevard, North Carolina. She was a vaudeville performer and comedian and became the 1st Black woman

to establish herself as a single act in standup comedy. She gained national recognition in the early 1960’s as a comedian. She recorded over 20 albums, appeared on Merv Griffin TV show, and acted in the 1974 movie “Amazing Grace.” * 123 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Daniel H. Williams, a physician and surgical pioneer from Hollidaysburg, PA performed the 1st successful heart surgery when a patient had sustained a deep knife wound in his chest. Williams’ opened the man’s chest, repaired the tear, closed the chest, and the patient recovered fully. * Much of the glorious history of Nubians was been lost because the British built successive dams at Aswan, burying monuments and temples under the Nile River and displacing Nubians from their homeland. Many Nubians relocated to Egyptian cities. During the 1960s, the construction of the new Aswan High Dam flooded a large part of the Nubian land and forced 100,000 Nubians to seek refuge around Aswan in Egypt and in the cities of Sudan, including Khartoum. Today, the Nubians number around 1 million people, with about half of them located in Egypt and the other half in the Sudan. * Benin City, Nigeria was destroyed by British forces under Admiral Harry Rawson. The city was ransacked and burnt down. The British stole bronze and brought it back to England to be displayed in the British Museum of London. In order to reclaim some of Africa’s plundered treasures, Nigeria was forced to purchase some of the 700 stolen pieces of bronze in 1972. 1898 * The Spanish-American War begins. 16 regiments of Black volunteers were recruited and 4 saw combat. 5 Blacks won The Congressional Medal of Honor. * The National Afro-American Council is founded. Alexander Walters is elected president. * The North Carolina Mutual and Provident Insurance Company and the National Benefit Life Insurance Company of Washington, D.C. are established. Both companies were Black owned. * 60 Blacks are known to have been killed during a race riot in Wilmington, North Carolina. Unconfirmed Black deaths reach into the hundreds as thousands were driven from the city.

* 101 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * David Crosthwait is born in Nashville, Tennessee. An expert on heating, ventilation and air conditioning,(HVAC),designed the heating system for Radio City Music Hall in New York. He received 40 U.S. patents relating to HVAC systems. * Robert Cole produces “A Trip to Coontown,” the first full-length musical by Blacks on Broadway. * Louisiana disenfranchises Blacks by passing a “grandfather clause” limiting the right to vote to Blacks. The clause allowed any Black to vote whose father or grandfather was qualified to vote on January 1, 1867. The problem is that no Blacks had the right to vote in 1867. 1899 * Marshall W. “Major” Taylor aka: “The Black Cyclone” wins the one-mile track cycling world championship and was a three-time American sprint champion. Taylor was one of the fastest bicyclists in the world. Taylor raced all over the world and often beat European champions. He was plagued by racism and vandalism to his bicycle and often not allowed to race Whites in the America. Taylor was one of the 1st Black athletes to win a world championship in any sport.

* The Afro-American Council designated June 4th as a national day of fasting to protest lynchings and massacres. * 85 Blacks are known to have been lynched.

* Pianist Scott Joplin writes the “Maple Leaf Rag” which helps to popularize ragtime music and which becomes the precursor to jazz.

1900-1953: Harlem Renaissance Era 1900 * During the 1900’s, an unwritten law known as the “Lynch Law” was used to justify lynching Blacks without a complaint under oath, without a jury trial, without a defense or right of appeal. The lynch law was used for mob justice to lynch Blacks for any reason Whites saw fit. * The Paris Exposition was held in the United States showing an exhibition on African-Americans. The “Exposition des Negres d’Amerique” won several awards for excellence for the works of Daniel A.P. Murray. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population to be 8,833,994 being 11.6% of the U.S. population. The average life expectancy of Blacks is 25% lower than Whites. * 37 years after the battle of Fort Wagner, William H. Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry is cited as the 1st Congressional Medal of Honor winner for carrying the colors and leading the charge into battle. * 117 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Britain controls Nigeria. * Booker T. Washington publishes his book “Up from Slavery”.

* James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson write the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. It becomes the Black National Anthem. * Historians estimate that between 650 and 1900 A.D., 10 to 20 million Africans were enslaved by Arab slave traders. Others believe over 20 million enslaved Africans had been delivered through the trans-Sahara route to the Islamic world. Dr. John Alembillah Azumah reveals in his 2001 book, The Legacy of ArabIslam in Africa estimates that over 80 million Black people died en route to their final destination. The Arab slave trade typically dealt in the sale of castrated male slaves. Black boys between the age of 8 and 12 had their scrotums and penises completely amputated to prevent them from reproducing. About 6 of every 10 boys bled to death during the procedure, according to some sources, but the high price brought by eunuchs on the market made the practice profitable. Arab enslavers targeted African women for rape maintaining a ratio of two women for each man. These women and young girls were used by Arabs and other Asians as concubines and menials. A Muslim slaveholder was entitled by law to the sexual enjoyment of his slave women. Filling the harems of wealthy Arabs, African women bore them a host of children. This abuse of African women would continue for nearly 1,200 years.

1901 * George H. White gives up his seat in Congress. No AfricanAmerican would serve in Congress for the next 28 years.

* After an afternoon meeting at the White House with Booker T. Washington, President Theodore Roosevelt informally invites Washington to remain and eat dinner with him, making Washington the 1st Black to dine at the White House with a President. A furor arose over the social implications of Roosevelt's casual act. Washington had just published his autobiography “Up from Slavery.” * Jazz great Louis Armstrong is born in New Orleans. * 105 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Grambling College is founded. 1902 * 85 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The 1st Black professional basketball player is Harry “Bucky” Lew of the New England Professional Basketball League. * “Ma” Rainey, Queen of the Blues began her singing career which lasted 35 years. * Southern states began their large-scale disenfranchisement strategy to stop Blacks from registering to vote by enacting literacy tests, tax requirements and property rights tests. * Black babies are used as Alligator bait in Florida. During slavery and into the 20th century, Black babies were used as alligator bait in North and Central Florida. The slaves who had babies would have their babies stolen during the course of the day, sometimes when their mothers weren't watching as they worked in the fields. Some would be infants, some would a year old, some would be toddlers. White alligator hunters would grab these children and take them down to the swamp and leave them in pens similar to chicken coops. The hunters would go back down at night, take the babies and tie them up by putting a rope around their neck and torso as the babies screamed in terror. The hunters would then chum the water with the babies by throwing them into the water and within a matter of minutes the alligators would be on the rope. The alligator would clamp his jaws onto the child and swallow them whole. In 1908, the Washington Times reported that a keeper at the New York Zoological Garden said he had baited "alligators with Pickaninnies," and in 1923, the Oakland Tribune reported, "Pickaninny bait lures voracious gators. Time magazine also reported in 1923 the practice had taken place in Chipley,

Florida. Businesses of the time made several postcards depicting the practice of using Black babies as "gator bait".

1903 * W.E.B. Du Bois's celebrated book, “The Souls of Black Folk,” is published. In it, Du Bois rejected the gradualism of Booker T. Washington, calling for agitation and protest on behalf of African-American rights. Du Bois was the 1st Black to receive a Ph.D from Harvard University. By contrast in their approach to equal rights, the two men could be compared to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. One is for peace and one approves of violence as a means to achieve equality. * 84 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Maggie L. Walker becomes the Bank President of St. Luke Bank & Trust Company and the 1st Black woman bank president. * Williams and Walker open “In Dahomey” the 1st all Black musical on a major Broadway stage. * Sarah Breedlove MacWilliams aka: Madam C.J. Walker starts a Black hair-care business in Denver and eventually becomes America’s 1st female millionaire.

* T. Nelson Baker becomes the 1st Black to earn a Ph.D in psychology and philosophy. * Robert S. Abbott publishes “The Chicago Defender,” Chicago’s 1st Black newspaper. Within a decade, it is one of the country’s most influential Black weekly papers. 1904 * Educator Mary McCleod Bethune founds a college in Daytona Beach, Florida known today as Bethune-Cookman College. * George C. Poages becomes the 1st Black to compete in and win a medal (bronze) in the Olympics for the 400-meter hurdles held at St. Louis, Missouri. * 76 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The 1st Black Greek-letter fraternal organization “The Boule” Sigma Pi Phi is established by two doctors and a dentist. This group would go on to establish the “Alpha Phi Alpha” fraternity at Cornell University. * A 3-year genocide campaign begins in Africa known as the Herero and Namaqua Genocide and is considered the first genocide of the 20th century in German held South-West Africa (modern day Namibia). The Herero people, led by Samuel Maharero, rebelled against German colonial rule. German general Lothar von Trotha defeated the Herero in the Battle of Waterberg and drove them into the desert of Omaheke, where most of them died of thirst. The Nama people also rebelled against the Germans only to suffer a similar fate. In total, between 24,000 up to 100,000 Herero perished along with 10,000 Nama.

1905 * African American intellectuals and activists, led by W.E.B. Du Bois and William M. Trotter, begin the “Niagara Movement” to ensure Blacks received the same rights as Whites through protests. This tactic led to the deaths of 8 Blacks near President Abraham Lincoln’s old home in Springfield, Illinois. * 57 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Former slave Alonzo F. Herndon opened the Atlanta Life Insurance Company and became one of America’s richest businessmen. 1906 * Black troops in Brownsville, Texas riot against segregation. President Theodore Roosevelt discharged 3 companies of Black soldiers involved in the riot. * Leroy “Satchel” Paige is born. Paige would go on to become the 1st Black pitcher in the American League player for the Cleveland Indians and 1st Black representative in the hall of fame from the Negro League. * 62 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Josephine Baker is born Freda McDonald in St. Louis. Missouri. * The Atlanta race riot occurs from increasing tensions between Black wage-workers and the White elite. Ill-feelings were further exacerbated when Blacks gained more civil rights, including the right to vote. Atlanta newspapers falsely reported four alleged

assaults on local White women. Soon, some 10,000 White men and boys began gathering, beating, and stabbing Blacks. It is estimated that there were between 25 and 40 African-American deaths.

1907 * Alain L. Locke becomes the 1st Black Rhodes Scholar after studying at Oxford University and the University of Berlin. * The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the decision to uphold segregation of railroad passenger cars. 1908 * Thurgood Marshall is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Marshall was the attorney for the N.A.A.C.P. in the landmark case “Brown vs. Board of Education” in 1954, in which the Supreme Court found segregated schools to be inherently unequal. He later became the 1st Black appointed to the Supreme Court. * The “Alpha Kappa Alpha” sorority was founded at Howard University becoming the 1st Black sorority. * Many Blacks are killed and wounded during a race riot in Springfield, Illinois. * 89 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Jack Johnson of Galveston, TX becomes the 1st Black heavyweight world-boxing champion by knocking out Tommy Burns in the 14th round

in Australia. Racists are appalled that a Black man holds the title. * John B. Taylor becomes the 1st Black Olympic gold-medalist (4 x 400 meter medley) held in England. 1909 * The “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People” is formed to promote the use of the courts to restore the legal rights of Blacks. The initial name was called the National Negro Committee or Niagra Movement before being change to the N.A.A.C.P. Involved were W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, John Dewey and others. * Matthew Henson becomes the 1st Black and man known to have reached the North Pole. Henson was part of the Admiral Robert Peary expedition. * 69 Blacks are known to have been lynched. 1910 * The 1st issue of “Crisis”, a publication sponsored by the N.A.A.C.P. and edited by W.E.B. Du Bois, is published. * The City Council of Baltimore, Maryland approves the 1st city ordinance designating the boundaries of Black and White neighborhoods. This ordinance is followed by similar ones in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Missouri. The Supreme Court declared the Kentucky ordinance to be unconstitutional in 1917. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population to be 9,827,763 being 10.7% of the U.S. population. * Madame C.J. Walker becomes the 1st Black woman millionaire along side Annie T. Malone, who became the 2nd millionaire. Both woman produced hair-care products. * 67 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Jazz begins to evolve leaving its ragtime roots behind. * Bert Williams becomes the 1st Black to perform in the Ziegfeld Follies.

* The migration of Blacks to the Northern industrial towns begins. By 1960 millions of Blacks will have migrated north looking for work, equality and a better way of life. 1911 * The “National Urban League” is formed to help Blacks secure equal employment and homes in the northeast. Professor Kelly Miller is the founder. * Bessie B. Burke becomes the 1st Black teacher of the Los Angeles Public School System. Originally from Kansas, she traveled to Los Angeles in a covered wagon with her parents in 1887. She graduated 7th in a class of 800 from U.C.L.A. * Arthur Schomburg helps form the “Negro Society for Historical Research” to document African American history. * 60 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Scott Joplin finishes his folk opera “Treemonisha”. 1912 * 61 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The 1st Black film was the “Railroad Porter” directed by Bill Foster, a pioneer Black filmmaker. * W.C. Handy, the “Father of the Blues,” published the 1st blues song in Memphis, Tennessee which becomes a huge hit. * Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History Week” later called Black History Month received his Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. 1913 * President Woodrow Wilson begins government-wide segregation of work places, rest rooms and lunchrooms. * The 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation is celebrated. * Harriet Tubman, hero of the Underground Railroad and the Black Suffrage Movement, dies. * Rosa Parks is born in Tuskegee, Alabama.

* 51 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The formal organization for Black dentists forms which later became the National Dental Association. 1914 * Marcus Garvey (Mozian Manasseth) forms the 1st Black mass movement organization, the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) to unite Blacks under the motto “One God, One Aim, One Destiny.” Garvey was an advocate of the “Back to Africa” movement.

* 51 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Sam Lucas becomes the 1st Black actor to star in a full-length film. He played the title role in “Uncle Toms’ Cabin.” 1915 * Ernest E. Just becomes the 1st Black awarded the Spingarn Medal, presented annually by the NAACP for outstanding achievement by a Black American. Just pioneered research on fertilization and cell division. * Responding to near-anarchy in the Republic of Haiti, the United States occupied the nation from 1915 to 1934. During this time, they installed puppet governments, ran the economy, military and police and for all intents and purposes were in absolute control of the country. Although this rule was relatively benign, it was unpopular with both the Haitians and the citizens of the United States and American troops and personnel were withdrawn in 1934.

* Jazz singer Billie Holiday is born Eleanora Fagan. She was also known as Lady Day and was one of the greatest jazz-blues singers of all time. She sang with other greats such as Count Basie and Artie Shaw. Her autobiography was made into a move in 1972 called “Lady sings the Blues.” * Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, dies. * 56 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The “Association for the Study of Negro Life and History” is formed in Chicago by Carter G. Woodson. and prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the organization dedicated to researching and promoting the achievements of people of African descent. This would be the beginning of the idea for Black History Month. * The release of the silent movie “Birth of a Nation” by filmmaker D.W. Griffith does irreparable damage to the image of Blacks by portraying them as tribal, lazy, violent criminals and monsters that craved White women for carnal pleasure. This is one of the most racist, hateful and propaganda-based films released in America. It was originally entitled "The Klansman", and the setting was cast during the post-civil war reconstruction era. 25,000 Klansmen marched through the streets to celebrate the opening of the movie. The film was shown at the White House under President Woodrow Wilson and was the first film ever be screened at the White House. The film became a recruiting tool for the Ku Klux Klan. The N.A.A.C.P. organizes a nation wide protest.

1916 * Ota Benga, an African Pygmy captured from the Congo in 1904 by Explorer Samuel Verner, commits suicide while on display in the monkey house at the Bronx Zoo. Growing angry and despondent over being caged, he shot himself in the heart with a stolen gun. Benga and other pygmies were displayed in the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair as oddities of nature.

* Carter G. Woodson begins the Journal of Negro History. Woodson named one week in February as Negro History Week to remember famous African Americans and important dates in Black History. * Frederick D. Patterson was the 1st Black to manufacture cars (30) located in Greenfield, Ohio. * Saint E. Brady becomes the 1st Black to earn a Ph.D. in physical science. * 50 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Belgium rules Burundi and Rwanda. * The “Great Migration” of Blacks resulting from White race riots causes over 6 million Blacks since 1910 to flee from the Southern States and flood into the Northern and Western States to find a better way of life and to escape racism. * The 54th annual Emancipation Convention Reunion of former slaves at the Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Washington, DC, is attended by four elderly black women who were former slaves, “all older than 100 years old." Annie Parrum, Anna Angales, Elizabeth Berkeley and Sadie Thompson.

1917 * America enters World War I. More than 400,000 Blacks served and fought under segregation laws. Some Blacks became officers but they were not allowed to lead soldiers as White officers were. General John Pershing told Black soldiers, “The American public has every reason to be proud of your record.” 171 Blacks were awarded the French “Legion of Honor” or Croix De Guerre. The German soldiers called the Black fighters “Hell Fighters” but the Blacks called themselves the “Black Rattlers”.

* One of the bloodiest race riots in the nation's history occurs in East St. Louis, Illinois, known as the East St. Louis Massacre. A Congressional committee reported that up to 700 Blacks were killed, hundreds more were injured and at least 6,000 were driven from their homes. The U.S. Military Intelligence Division on Negro Subversives classified the report “TOP SECRET” until 1986 when it was released from the War Department vault in Washington D.C. The N.A.A.C.P. protests and thousands of Blacks march down Manhattan's

5th Avenue protesting lynchings, race riots and the denial of rights. * A riot erupts in Houston, Texas between Black soldiers and White citizens; 2 Blacks and 11 Whites are killed. 18 Black soldiers were lynched for their participation in the riot. * The Supreme Court strikes down the Louisville, Kentucky ordinance mandating segregated neighborhoods. * Tally Holmes and Lucy Stone were the 1st Blacks to win the American Tennis Association championship. * A silent protest parade occurs in New York City to protest lynchings and discrimination. * 36 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Eugene J. Bullard becomes the 1st Black aviator and Black WWI hero after being trained as a combat pilot. Bullard fought the Germans out of France because America excluded Black war pilots. 1918 * The Armistice takes effect ending World War I. The “Northern Migration” of Blacks began in earnest during the war. By 1930, there were 1,035,000 more Blacks in the North than in 1910, and 1,143,000 fewer Blacks in the South. * The French award the “Croix De Guerre” to the 369th Regiment and name them the “Harlem Hell Fighters”. Henry Johnson and Needham Johnson are the 1st Blacks to receive France’s highest military award. The 369th was the first unit to reach the combat zone in France and the first to cross the Rhine River during the German offensive. They also fought continuously for 191 days, which is longer than any other American unit. * 6 Blacks are killed during race riots in Pennsylvania. * 60 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Nelson Mandela is born near Qunu, Transkei, South Africa. * Marcus Garvey incorporates the Universal Negro Improvement Association movement in the U.S.

* Black nurses from the Army Nurses Corp are excluded from service by the American Red Cross and the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office. * Oscar Micheaux becomes the 1st Black pioneer in filmmaking after forming the Oscar Micheaux Corp. producing over 30 full-length Black films. His first was called “The Homesteader.” 1919 * 26 race riots occur between April and October, a period that becomes known as the “Red Summer”. Riots occur in: South Carolina, Texas, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee and Washington D.C. Tens of hundreds of Blacks were killed. Between 1824-1951 there were over 300 events classified as “White Race Riots”. Blacks were killed for recreational sport in events known as “Friday Night Boot Burnings”, where Blacks were burned alive at the stake. Another event was the “Picnic”; a slang term for “Pick-A-Nigger” for lynching. These practices became common weekly events to break up the monotony of rural life for Whites. During the events, Whites would eat, dance and sing as their tortured victims suffered and died in agony. * Fritz Pollard becomes the 1st Black professional football player for a team called the Indians. * Jazz pianist and vocalist Nat King Cole is born in Montgomery, Alabama. * Eddie Robinson is born. He would accept the head-coaching job at Grambling University in 1941 and become the winningest coach in college football history with 400 wins. In 1985 he becomes the 1st and only Black to appear on the cover of any major sports publication in the U.S. Robinson produced 113 NFL players and 4 Hall of Famers. * 76 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The Associated Negro Press is formed by Claude A. Barnett to cover Black news events. * Mamie Smith records the first Blues record, “Crazy Blues,” on the Okeh label. It is hugely successful. 1920 * The “Harlem Renaissance” begins. From 1920-1930, an unprecedented outburst of creative activity among Blacks occurred

in all fields of art. Beginning as a series of literary discussions in Greenwich Village and Harlem, New York. The period became known as the "New Negro Movement" and later as the “Harlem Renaissance.” Signs in the windows of a Marcus Garvey club in Harlem are where Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association holds its national convention in Harlem. Garvey's African nationalist movement claimed over 2 million supporters. Garvey wrote a newspaper called the “Negro World” having the dream of returning Blacks to Africa. Garvey would address 25,000 Blacks at Madison Square Garden and lead 50,000 in a parade through the streets of Harlem. * The N.A.A.C.P. hold a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, considered the heart of the K.K.K. area to show the Klan that the N.A.A.C.P. will not be intimidated. * The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Black population to be 10,463,131 being 9.9% of the U.S. population. * 53 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * The KKK has over 100,000 members in 27 states. * The Negro National League is created becoming baseball’s 1st Negro Baseball League. 1921 * Race riots in Tulsa, Oklahoma known as the “Greenwood Race Riot” kill an estimated 300 blacks in 12 hours. The violence destroyed a thriving Black neighborhood and business district known as the “The Black Wall Street”. Over 7800 Blacks were left homeless and 17,000 fled for their lives on foot. Whites used crop duster airplanes to drop dynamite on Black homes and businesses in a 35 square mile area. 600 successful businesses were destroyed. Among These: 21 Churches, 21 Restaurants, 30 Grocery Stores, Two Movie Theaters, A Hospital, A Bank, libraries, Schools, Law Offices, 6 Private Airplanes and a Bus System. Blacks who survived the holocaust were forced to flee Tulsa and move to other states and cities.

* 59 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Eva B. Dykes becomes the 1st Black woman to earn a Ph.D. * Oscar Charleston becomes the best all-around player in the Negro League. He led the league in home runs and batted .434 for the year. He would go on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. * Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle write the musical “Shuffle Along.” It becomes the 1st show to open on Broadway written and performed by Blacks. It became one of the greatest musical comedies in American history. * Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard becomes the 1st African American head coach in the National Football League as co-head coach of the Akron Pros, while still maintaining his roster position as running back. 1922 * Aviator Bessie Coleman, who later refuses to perform before segregated audiences in the South, stages the 1st public flight by a Black woman. * William L. Hansberry teaches the 1st course in African civilization located at Howard University. * A Senate filibuster kills a Federal anti-lynching bill. * 51 Blacks are known to have been lynched.

* British archeologist Howard Carter discovers King Tut’s (Tutankhamen) tomb. The unearthing supposedly unleashed a curse on local diggers, inspired Hollywood horror movies (The Mummy) and spurred on the art deco craze. * Claude McKay publishes a collection of his early poetry, Harlem Shadows. It will be considered one of the important early works of the Harlem Renaissance sparking a flourish of Black literature and art. 1923 * Charles C. Spaulding becomes president of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. He builds it into the nation’s largest Black-owned business by the time of his death in 1952. * Blues singer Bessie Smith, discovered by pianist-composer Clarence Williams, makes her 1st recording “Down Hearted Blues,” which becomes a phenomenal success. She will eventually become to be known as the “Empress of the Blues.” * A Black township in Florida, (Rosewood) was destroyed by a race riot and an estimated 150 Blacks were killed while their town was literally burned down and wiped off the face of the earth. This incident was brought to light in the movie “Rosewood.” The town consisted of three churches, a school, a large Masonic Hall, turpentine mill, a sugarcane mill, a baseball team and a general store. The village had about two dozen plank two-story homes and some other small houses. * Marcus Garvey’s “The philosophy & opinion of Marcus Garvey” is published. * 29 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Fletcher Henderson becomes a band leader. His prestigious band would advance the careers of Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge. He would be a key element of the success of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. 1924 * The Spelman Seminary, which began awarding college degrees in 1901, became Spelman College. The school began in 1881 with 2 Boston women teaching 11 Black women in an Atlanta church basement.

* 16 Blacks are known to have been lynched. 1925 * In an era when Ku Klux Klan membership exceeds 4.5 million nationally, a parade of 50,000 unmasked members takes place in Washington, D.C. * Malcolm X is born as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm was a Black militant leader who articulated concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism in the early 1960’s. He was eventually assassinated for his outspoken views. * The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters is organized by A. Philip Randolph. This became the 1st Black trade union. * Singer and dancer Josephine Baker performs in Paris in “La Revue Negre,” becoming one of the most popular entertainers in France. She was the 1st Black female entertainer to break thru racial prejudice in the U.S. and Europe. The story of her life would be released in the 1991 movie titled “The Josephine Baker Story.”

* At a historic literary awards banquet during the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes earns 1st place in poetry with “The Weary Blues,” which is read aloud by James W. Johnson. * Charles H. Thompson becomes the 1st Black to earn a Ph.D in education. * 17 Blacks are known to have been lynched. * Countee Cullen, considered one of the finest poets of the Harlem Renaissance, publishes his first collection of poems, “Color.”

1926 * Pianist, composer and self-proclaimed inventor of jazz, Jelly Roll Morton records several of his masterpieces, including “Black Bottom Stomp” and “Dead Man Blues.” * The 1st Black history week begins started by Carter G. Woodson. Due to its growing popularity by 1976 an entire month would be dedicated to Black history and achievements. * Violette N. Anderson becomes the 1st Black woman to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court. * Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong forms the “Hot Five” band and becomes a jazz legend and cultural icon.

* Langston Hughes publishes The Weary Blues, his first book of poetry. Hughes was a pivotal force in the Harlem Renaissance and he would go on to become one of the most recognized American writers. 1927 * James W. Johnson, poet and anthologist of Black culture, publishes “God’s Trombones,” a group of Black dialect sermons in verse accompanied by the illustrations of Aaron Douglas. * The Harlem Globetrotters are formed and tour the U.S. drawing crowds as large as 75,000.

* Painter Henry O. Tanner, whose works include “The Raising of Lazarus,” becomes the 1st Black to be granted full membership in the National Academy of Design. * The Cotton Club in Harlem became famous as the place to go for wealthy Whites to see Black musicians, dancers and singers. Musical greats such as Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson performed. * Ethel Waters makes her 1st appearance on Broadway in the all Black revue “Africana.” 1928 * Poet and novelist Claude McKay publishes “Home to Harlem,” the 1st fictional work by a Black to reach the best-seller list. * The original "Betty Boop" was inspired by a Black woman. Esther Jones, known by her stage name, "Baby Esther," was a singer and entertainer in the late 1920s. Her "baby" singing style often included the phrase, “Boop-oop-a-doop”. She performed regularly at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Helen Kane who was a White entertainer saw Baby Esther's cabaret act in 1928 and took Jones' baby voice style of singing and look and changed the interpolated words ‘BooBoo-Boo’ & ‘Doo-Doo-Doo’ to ‘Boop-boop-a-doop’ for a recording of "I Wanna Be Loved By You". Kane never publicly admitted that she copied Jones' style, as imitated by Kane, but went on to become the inspiration for the voice and look of the cartoon character Betty Boop. In August 1930, Betty Boop made her first appearance in Dizzy Dishes, the sixth installment in Max Fleischer's Talkartoon series.

1929 * John Hope, an advocate of advanced liberal arts instruction for Blacks, is chosen as president of Atlanta University, the 1st graduate school for Blacks. * Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta Georgia. 1930 * Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes the 1st Black Colonel in the Army. He later oversees race relations and the morale of Black soldiers in World War II and becomes the 1st Black General in 1940. * The 1st temple of Islam is founded in Detroit, Michigan by W.D. Fard. The Nation of Islam is based on African American separatism. After several years, Fard turns the NOI over to follower Elijah Muhammad, who builds it into a major movement. * The basis of "Rock & Roll" music was influenced and created by Sister Rosetta Tharpe who was a singer, songwriter, guitarist and recording artist. A pioneer of twentieth-century music, Tharpe attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings that were a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic / early rock accompaniment. She became gospel music's first crossover artist and its first great recording star, referred to later as "The Original Soul Sister". She was an early influence on figures such as Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Tharpe's 1944 hit "Down by the Riverside" was selected for the American Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2004, with the citation stating that it captured her "spirited guitar playing" and "unique vocal style", which were an influence on early rhythm and blues performers, as well as gospel, jazz, and rock artists. Her

1945 hit "Strange Things Happening Every Day", featured Tharpe's vocals and ELECTRIC GUITAR, with Sammy Price on piano, bass and drums. It was the first gospel record to cross over, hitting no. 2 on the Billboard "race records" chart, the term then used for what later became the R&B Chart, in April 1945. The recording has been cited as an important precursor of "Rock and Roll". Tharpe has been called the "Godmother of Rock and Roll".

1931 * The “Scottsboro Boys” case happens when 9 Black youths accused of raping 2 White women on a freight train go on trial for their lives in Scottsboro, Alabama. Medical evidence and testimony proved that no rape occurred. The all-White jury convicted the boys and they were sentenced to death in prison. * Walter White begins his tenure as executive secretary of the N.A.A.C.P. His principal objective being the abolition of lynching. By the time of his death in 1955, lynchings had become a rarity. * Desmond Tutu is born in Klerksdorp South Africa. * William G. Still becomes the 1st Black to compose a symphony performed by a major orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. 1932 * The Tuskegee 1932 and 1972, experiments on men were never

Syphilis Experiment begins. For 40 years between the U.S. Government Public Health Service conducted 400 Black men in the late stages of syphilis. These told what disease they were suffering from or of

its seriousness. Their doctors, who had no intention of curing them, told them they were being treated for “bad blood.” * 10 Blacks are killed by White railroad men trying to prevent Blacks from obtaining jobs at the Illinois central railroad station. * Augusta Savage establishes the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in New York which was the largest art center in the nation at the time. 1933 * H. Naylor Fitzhugh becomes the 1st Black to graduate from the Harvard Business School. * Howard H. Long becomes the 1st Black to earn the Doctor of Education degree. * Paul Robeson stars in the film “The Emperor Jones” which is the 1st mainstream film with a Black star. * An organization named “Commission Number 3″ was created by the Nazis to deal with the so-called problem of the “Rhineland Bastards.” It was decided that the African-German children would be sterilized under the 1933 Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring. All together, some 400 children of mixed parentage were arrested and sterilized. The Nazis went to great lengths to conceal their sterilization and abortion program. * "The Mis-Education of the Negro" is published by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The thesis of Dr. Woodson's book is that AfricanAmericans of his day were being culturally indoctrinated, rather than taught, in American schools. The weakness of Euro-centric based curriculums that fail to include African American history and culture mis-educates the African-American student, failing to prepare them for success and to give them an adequate sense of who they are within the system that they must live. This conditioning, he claims, causes African Americans to become dependent and to seek out inferior places in the greater society of which they are a part. History shows that it does not matter who is in power... those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they did in the beginning. Here is a quote from the book: "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You

do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary. 1934 * Wallace D. Fard, founder of the Nation of Islam movement, disappears, leading to the rise of Elijah Muhammad. * President Franklin D. Roosevelt refuses to support an antilynching bill. * The Apollo Theatre opens. 1935 * N.A.A.C.P. lawyers Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall win the legal battle to admit a Black student into the University of Maryland. * Professor Melvin B. Tolson led the Wiley College debate team to a U.S. national championship win over Harvard University and other perennial oratorical powerhouses. Over a 15-year period, Tolson’s team won 74 of 75 debates. The story is depicted in the movie “The Great Debaters.”

* The Negro Baseball League becomes stable and becomes the largest Black business earning $2 million a year. * Mary McLeod Bethune forms the National Council of Negro Women. * The Harlem Race Riot occurs.

* Jazz pianist Count Basie forms the band Count Basie and his Orchestra which becomes one of the foremost big bands of the swing era. * President Franklin D. Roosevelt approves the design on the back of the one dollar bill by using the Egyptian Pyramid as the symbol of the Great Seal. The symbol is one used by the Free Masons.

1936 * Blues musician Robert Johnson makes legendary recordings “Me and the Devil Blues”, “Hellhound on My Trail” and “Love in Vain.” * Slavery becomes illegal in Nigeria. * Jesse Owens, a track and field athlete, wins 4 gold medals at the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. His victories derail Adolf Hitler’s intended use of the games as a show of Aryan supremacy. Gold medals also go to John Woodruff and Archie Williams.

* Mary McLeod Bethune becomes the 1st Black woman appointed to a major position in the U.S. Government by being named director of Negro affairs.

1937 * Writer and folklorist Zora N. Hurston publishes her 2nd novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” which receives considerable acclaim and criticism within the Black community. * Dominican dictator Raphael Leonidas Trujillo, in an effort to “cleanse” the border region and expropriate small peasants so that big landowners could take over their lands, massacred 15,000 – 20,000 Haitian immigrant workers in the Dominican Republic known as the Parsley Massacre. Many who were attempting to escape back to Haiti were captured at the river border and killed at what is known as the Massacre River. 1938 * In a knockout in the 1st round of their rematch, heavyweight champion Joe Louis nicknamed the “Brown Bomber” defeats Max Schmeling of Germany, the only boxer to have knocked out Louis in his prime. In another fight, the breeze from Joe Louis' swishing left hook makes Welshman, Tommy Farr gasp for breath during their fight at Yankee Stadium. Louis defended his title 25 times, holding it longer than any other fighter. * Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday makes several of her finest recordings including “Strange Fruit.”

1939 * Count Basie leads his legendary Kansas City band in “Send for you yesterday” and “here you come today.” * Singer Marian Anderson performs at the Lincoln Memorial before an audience of 75,000 after the Daughters of the American Revolution refuse to allow her to sing at Constitution Hall. * The N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense and Education Fund is organized to fight legally sanctioned discrimination. * Jane M. Bolin of New York becomes the 1st Black woman judge in the United States. Bolin presided over the Court of Domestic Relations. * Ethel Waters becomes the 1st Black to been seen on TV in the variety special on NBC named “The Ethel Waters Show.” 1940 * Author Richard Wright publishes his masterpiece, “Native Son.” The stark, tragic realism of this novel places Wright in the front ranks of contemporary American writers. * Hattie McDaniel wins an academy award for best supporting actress in the movie “Gone with the Wind” playing the part of “Mammy” and becomes the 1st Black to win the award. * Painter Jacob Lawrence begins work on his 60-panel “Migration” series, which depicts the journey of African Americans from the South to the urban North. * Duke Ellington leads his great band in “Take the 'A' Train.”

* Booker T. Washington becomes the 1st Black to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp. * Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes the 1st Black general in the U.S. Army. * The honorable Marcus Garvey dies. * The American Negro Theatre is founded. 1941 * Bayard Rustin, chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, organizes the New York branch of the Congress on Racial Equality. * Dorie Miller, a 22-year-old Black Navy cook aboard the Battleship Arizona shot down 4 Japanese planes on December 7 in the attack on Pearl Harbor. He is made a hero by the Black press and receives the Navy Cross, an award given for bravery and heroism in battle. During the attack, Miller pulled his dying Captain to safety but died during a subsequent attack. Over 1 million Blacks will serve during WWII.

* The 4th Cavalry Brigade Regiment is formed and led by the Army's 1st Black general, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. * The government creates the 1st all-Black military aviation program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 332nd Fighter Group was formed. 992 men graduated from the program while 450 were sent overseas for combat. A total of 150 men died in the program with 66 dying in combat. The airmen were assigned to 99th Fighter Squadron for bomber escort duty in Germany and completed 15,550 missions, destroyed over 260 enemy aircraft, 1 enemy

destroyer and demolished numerous enemy installations. The airmen were awarded over 850 medals including 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Croix de Guerre, Red Star of Yugoslavia and the Distinguished Unit Citation. The airmen never lost a bomber to the enemy and they were the first to shoot down an enemy jet fighter during the war during 1943-1945.

* President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order formally integrating the Marine Corps. * Painter Jacob Lawrence mounts a 60-painting exhibition, “Migration of the Negro,” that depicts the migration of southern Blacks to northern cities. The paintings rank among the greatest works in African American art. 1942 * Charles R. Drew, developer and director of blood plasma programs during World War II, resigns after the armed forces begin to accept the blood of Blacks but decide to racially segregate the supply. * The interracial Congress of Racial Equality, known as C.O.R.E., is founded in New York City by James Farmer, which used nonviolent tactics to promote integration. Its direct action tactics achieve national prominence during the Freedom Rides of 1961. * Bebop is born out of the musical experiments of jazz musicians in Harlem, including saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and pianist Thelonious Monk collaborating on “Salt Peanuts” and “Straight no Chaser.”

* Future Heavyweight Champion Boxing great Muhammad Ali is born in Louisville, Kentucky. * The Alaska Highway, aka: the Alcan Highway was constructed with the help of 3695 Black soldiers from the 95th Engineer Regiment – Colored. The soldiers help build 1522 miles of road from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska through rugged, unmapped wilderness. The soldiers braved 20 hour work days, poor clothing and shelter, monotonous food and below freezing weather to complete the only land route to Alaska in eight months. The soldiers served under General Simon B. Buckner, son of a Confederate general whose negative attitude towards Blacks was legendary. The fine showing by Black soldiers help the integration of Blacks into military units during the Korean War. * The 93rd Infantry is activated at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and becomes the 1st Black Division formed during WWII and is assigned combat duty in the South Pacific. 1943 * Dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson appears with singer Lena Horne in the wartime all-Black musical film “Stormy Weather.” * In Detroit, Michigan 4300 Federal Troops wound and kill 2500 Blacks after the last of the great White Race Riots. Blacks were beaten by thousands of Whites as police chased them. Police openly murdered and participated in mayhem towards Blacks. The situation started as Blacks renters tried to enter their homes in a newly built White neighborhood. * Paul Robeson appears in the production “Othello” and breaks all Broadway records for Shakespearean productions. * The 1st warship named after an African American was the SS Leonard R. Harmon. It was launched in Quincy, Massachusetts. * “Porgy and Bess” opens on Broadway in Charleston, South Carolina and is the 1st Black folk opera about the lives of Black Americans. 1944 * Frederick Douglass-Patterson establishes the United Negro College Fund to help support Black colleges and students. * The U.S. Supreme court rules that no American can be denied the right to vote.

* Writer Rayford Logan edits “What the Negro Wants,” an anthology of 14 essays by prominent Blacks demanding racial equality. 1945 * Ebony magazine is founded by John H. Johnson of Chicago, Illinois. Modeled after Life but intended for the Black middle class, the magazine is an instant success. * Adam C. Powell Jr., pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat. He served 11 terms. * Black soldiers serve during WWII in France to combat a German sniper. Black’s were placed in harms way during the war but seldom received recognition for their bravery, sacrifice and service to the U.S.

* Lloyd A. Quarterman receives an award for his work on the Atomic Bomb. 1946 * Saxophonist Charlie Parker produces many of the finest recordings of his career, including “Autumn in New York” and “Now’s the Time.” * The Monroe Massacre in Georgia occurs to 2 Black couples; Roger Malcolm, Dorthy Malcolm, George Dorsey and Mae Dorsey. 20-25 White men lynched the 2 couples off the Moore’s Ford bridge and then shot them hundreds of times. A White farmer witnessed the whole ordeal but was spared injury. A cover-up ensued and the men were never brought to justice even after the FBI completed their investigation.

* Booker T. Washington becomes the 1st Black to be honored on a coin being a fifty-cent piece. * Kenny Washington of the Los Angeles Rams becomes the 1st Black player in the NFL in the modern era. * Mahalia Jackson, whose recording of “Move On Up a Little Higher” becomes the 1st Black to bring gospel singing to the general public.

1947 * Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the 1st Black baseball player in modern Major League Baseball since 1864. * Orrin C. Evans of Philadelphia creates the 1st comic book written by and created for Blacks. The book sold for $0.15 and was called All-Negro Comics.

* Don Barksdale of UCLA becomes the 1st Black selected as an All American college basketball player and the 1st Black player to play for the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1948. * Historian John H. Franklin gains international attention with the publication of “From Slavery to Freedom,” an enduring survey of African American history. * The Ahmose Stele, also known as the Tempest Stele, was unearthed by archeologist Henri Chevalier in Karnak dating back to around 1500 BC. It’s covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions describing the Exodus of Jews out of Egypt. The Stele tells of tragedies happening because of one God that manifested his powers. The Stele tells of God inflicting some of the same plagues described in the bible that enveloped Egypt after the Pharaoh refused Moses’ request to free the Israelites from bondage. After the 10 plagues all but destroyed Egypt and kills the first born son of the Pharaoh, the Israelites were freed and allowed to leave Egypt.

1948 * President Harry Truman integrates the U.S. Armed Forces under an executive order number 9981, which does away with a segregated military. By 1950 and the start of the Korean War, integration proceeded rapidly. * Reginald Weir becomes the 1st Black tennis player to play in the U.S. indoor lawn tennis association tournament. He was a doctor from New York.

* Harold Nicholas, a Black tap dancer, breaks the color barrier by staring in the film “The Pirate” with Gene Kelly. Up until then, Blacks were not allowed to have speaking parts or scenes with White co-stars. Nicolas was praised by Fred Astaire for his footwork in the 1943 movie “Stormy Weather” in which Mr. Astaire said it was the greatest movie musical number he had ever seen. Nicholas appeared in over 50 movies including “The Five Heartbeats” in 1991. * Alice Coachman of New York becomes the 1st Black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal by winning the high jump in the London games. * Apartheid is instituted in South Africa, which calls for the supremacy of Whites. * Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige, born Leroy Paige, enters the major leagues and would go on to become one of baseball’s greatest pitchers. It is reported that Paige won 2000 of 2500 games in his youth. 1949 * Not satisfied with Billboard magazine’s label of “Race Records” for its Black music chart, Jerry Wexler, a White reporter at the magazine, coins the designation “Rhythm and Blues.” * “WERD” becomes the first Black owned radio station in the U.S. transmitting from Atlanta, Georgia. * Wesley A. Brown becomes the 1st Black to graduate from the Annapolis Naval Academy. * Singer Juanita Hall becomes the 1st Black to receive a Tony award, for her role as Bloody Mary in the musical “South Pacific.” * Jackie Robinson becomes the 1st Black to win the leagues “Most Valuable Player” award. * Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, jazz trumpeter becomes the 1st Black to preside over the New Orleans Mardi Gras. 1950 * Ralph J. Bunche is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as United Nations mediator in the Arab-Israeli dispute in Palestine making him the 1st Black to receive the award.

* Gwendolyn Brooks is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry for “Annie Allen,” becoming the 1st Black writer to win the award. * Helen Williams becomes the first Black women to become a fashion supermodel in 1950s - 1960s to break into the mainstream, but it was the French, rather than the Americans, that embraced her. There were others before her, but none that crossed over into the mainstream. Williams worked exclusively for African-American magazines such as Ebony and Jet. * Marvel Cooke becomes the 1st full-time Black female reporter at a mainstream newspaper, the “Daily Compass.” * After refusing to disavow his membership in the Communist Party, Paul Robeson, a football player, singer, actor and activist, loses his passport. * Ozzie Williams, an aeronautical engineer from N.Y., takes an engineering position at Greer Hydraulics, Inc. At Greer, as a group project leader, he was responsible for the development of the first experimental airborne radio beacon, which was used to locate crashed airplanes. This is commonly known as the “Black Box”. Grumman International hired Williams as a propulsion engineer in 1961 because of his expertise on liquid-fuel rockets. At Grumman, Williams managed the development of the Apollo Lunar Module rocket engine reaction control subsystem for the part of the Apollo spacecraft that actually landed on the moon. * Charles Cooper on the N.Y. Knickerbockers becomes the 1st Black signed by the NBA, followed by Nat Clifton in the same year. Earl Lloyd becomes the 1st Black to play in an NBA game. * Arthur Dorrington becomes the 1st Black to sign a professional hockey contract, originally with the N.Y. Rangers. He would go on to lead another team to a league championship in 1951. * Althea Gibson becomes the 1st Black woman to compete on the world tennis tour. * Ethel Waters becomes the 1st Black woman star of a network television show, Beulah. 1951 * Civil Rights leaders Harry and Harriett Moore of Tallahassee, Florida were killed on Christmas Day when a bomb exploded under their home.

* George W. Carver is the 1st Black to have a National Monument and Park named after him, which was dedicated in Joplin, Missouri. * The Amos ‘n’ Andy show becomes the 1st TV show to have an all Black cast. * Janet Collins becomes the 1st Black prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera Company. * Thurgood Marshall represents the NAACP in a discrimination suit against The Stork Club in New York when they refuse service to singer Josephine Baker. * Henrietta Lacks, born Loretta Pleasant, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Cells taken from her tumor, by Dr. Howard Jones, during that exam made their way to the laboratory of researcher Dr. George Otto Gey and used "without her knowledge" to develop the first immortal cell line because the cells never died unlike most cells. The cells, called HeLa, became one of the most important tools in medical research, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more, but Henrietta Lacks, the person who was the source of these cells, was virtually unknown and died later that year. Her family was never informed about what had been achieved using her cells, although their mother’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions. The Lacks family have received nothing from those cell lines.

* William Thompson becomes the 1st Black to receive the Medal of Honor in the Korean War and the 1st Black to receive the medal since 1898. 1952 * Ralph Ellison publishes his masterpiece, “Invisible Man,” which receives the National Book Award in 1953.

* Africans in Kenya rebel against British rule. * Cora Brown becomes the 1st Black woman elected to the U.S. senate, Michigan. * Mary Coley (born Mary F. Hill) was recognized for her work as a mid-wife delivering over 3000 babies over 30 years by documentarian George Stoney's film "All My Babies", a movie produced by the Georgia Health Department as an instructional training film. Stoney followed “Miss Mary” for four months, recording the preparation for and delivery of babies in rural conditions in the Albany area, with help from local public health doctors and nurses. She was known for her tireless work ethic and her willingness to serve both Black and White mothers in the segregated south. Her care of new families extended beyond the delivery of the baby. She would visit for days after the birth to help in cooking, cleaning and washing clothes, and she organized the registration of forms and certificates to be filed with the county health office.

1953 * Blacks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana refused to ride public transportation in protest to the city’s segregated bus system. This bus boycott became the sidebar in the struggle for equality and the 1st Black boycott in America. * Don Barksdale becomes the 1st Black to play in the NBA All-star game. 1954-1968: Civil Rights Movement

1954 * The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously in Brown vs. The Board of Education that segregation in public schools violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, overturning its 1896 decision in Plessy vs. Ferguson. * The movie “Egyptian” is released using White actors to portray Egyptians and Blacks as the servants of Egypt. This is a false representation of the true race and color of ancient Egyptians. This type of inaccurate history portrayal deprives modern Blacks of knowing their heritage and reinforces the images of Blacks being nothing more than slaves and servants to the White race. * Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the 1st Black general in the U.S. Air Force. * Jewel L. Prestige becomes the 1st Black woman to earn a Ph.D in political science. * Hank Aaron begins his career in pro baseball. 1955 * Chicago youth, Emmett Till, age 14 is abducted from his uncle’s home and lynched in Money, Mississippi because he whistled at a White girl. Jet magazine publishes a picture of his mutilated corpse.

* Statistics of reported lynchings in the United States show that between 1882-1951; at least 3,446 Blacks were lynched. This number only represents documented lynchings. Unreported lynchings most likely add a significant number to the total number of Blacks Lynched in the United States when considering the 400 plus years of oppression Blacks suffered under Whites prior to the first documented lynching in 1882. The states with the highest number of lynchings were Mississippi, Georgia and Texas. Lynching continues to be associated with racial disputes. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, civil rights workers and advocates were threatened and in some cases killed by mobs. * Claudette Colvin was dragged from a Montgomery, Alabama bus by two White police officers, arrested and taken to an adult jail to be booked. She was only 15 years old and was the first person to be arrested for defying bus segregation in Montgomery. Her arrest provided the spark for the Black community in Montgomery that ultimately led to Rosa Parks’ actions, the bus boycott, and the Supreme Court ruling to end segregation on buses. * Rosa Parks was finger printed by the Alabama Sheriff’s Department after refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a White passenger. Rosa Parks, secretary of the Montgomery Alabama chapter of the NAACP, refuses to surrender her seat when ordered to by a local bus driver, leading to the “Montgomery Bus Boycott” of 19551956.

* Opera diva Leontyne Price is triumphant in the title role of the National Broadcasting Company’s “Tosca,” making her the 1st Black to sing opera on television. * Singer and guitarist Chuck Berry travels from St. Louis, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois recording “Maybellene,” an immediate sensation among teen-agers. The hit helps shape the evolution of rock and roll. Berry would go on to be inducted into the music hall of fame in 1986. * August H. Martin becomes the 1st Black Captain of a U.S. airline. * Dorothy Dandridge was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Carmen in the film Carmen Jones. * Marian Anderson becomes the 1st Black to sing a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera. 1956 * Percival Prattis, executive editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, becomes 1st Black admitted to National Press Club. * Arthur Mitchell, future director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, becomes the 1st and only Black dancer in the New York City Ballet. * Tennis player Althea Gibson becomes the 1st Black to win a major title — the Wimbledon doubles — as well as the French singles and doubles, and Italian singles. Gibson would go on to win the Wimbledon singles title in 1957. * Nat King Cole becomes the 1st Black to win his own TV show.

* Dizzy (John Birks) Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, becomes the 1st Black to make an overseas tour sponsored by the U.S. * The movie “Ten Commandments” is released telling the story of how Moses freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt away from Ramses around the time of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty. The all White cast distorts the true color of Egyptians once again. Ancient Egyptian records and Egyptian artifacts suggest that Moses was born an Egyptian with black skin whose name translated means child saved by water. Moses could have been an Egyptian who freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt after speaking to God on Mount Sinai where he was given the two tablets containing the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments were then carried in the Ark of the Covenant. Moses was able to free the slaves after releasing the 10 plagues onto Egypt. The 10th plague came to be known as Passover. Is it possible that Moses was an Egyptian and the Hebrews passed on their story making Moses a Hebrew just because he saved them? Moses was once the prince of Egypt and back in the true time period he would of have to have been Black in order to be a prince and have free roam of the palace among Egyptians. Somehow over time Moses and Queen Cleopatra VII became White according to Hollywood. * Martin Luther King Jr., leads the Montgomery bus boycott which ends segregation on buses. * The Sudan gains its independence. * The U.S. Supreme Court rules that segregation of Montgomery, Alabama buses is unconstitutional. 1957 * The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is established by Martin Luther King Jr., and others to help local groups working for the full equality of Blacks. * President Dwight D. Eisenhower orders federal troops into Little Rock, Arkansas after unsuccessfully trying to persuade Governor Orval Faubus to give up efforts to block desegregation at Central High School. Elizabeth Eckford and eight other Black students known as the “Little Rock Nine” brave verbal and physical violence to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas as the first Blacks to attend the all White School.

* Fullback Jim Brown begins his professional football career with the Cleveland Browns. He would lead the NFL in rushing for 8 of 9 years. * Charlie Sifford becomes the 1st Black to win a major PGA golf tournament by winning the Long Beach Open. * The Civil Rights Act of 1957 is passed protecting the voting rights of Blacks. * Ghana gains its independence. * Althea Gibson becomes the 1st Black tennis player to win a major title by winning both the women’s singles and doubles championships at Wimbledon. 1958 * The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is formed. Composed primarily of Blacks, the dance company tours extensively in the United States and abroad. * Mahalia Jackson, known as the “Queen of Gospel Song,” joins Duke Ellington in his gospel interlude “Black, Brown and Beige” at the Newport Jazz Festival titled “Go Tell it on the Mountain.” * Willie O’ Ree becomes the 1st Black to play professional hockey by signing with the Boston Bruins in 1958. * Ruth C. Taylor becomes the 1st Black flight attendant for a U.S. airline, Mohawk Airlines.

* Sidney Portier is nominated for an Oscar for his role in the film “The Defiant Ones.” * Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, born Walker Smith, wins the middleweight title back for the 6th and last time by defeating Carmen Basilio. * Guinea gains its independence. 1959 * Juanita K. Stout becomes the 1st Black woman to be elected to the bench as the judge of the common pleas court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. * Singer Ray Charles records “What’d I Say”, which becomes his 1st million record seller and exemplifies the emergence of soul music, combining rhythm and blues with gospel. * Trumpeter Miles Davis records “Kind of Blue,” often considered his masterwork, with composer-arranger-pianist Bill Evans and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. * “Raisin in the Sun,” by Lorraine Hansberry, becomes the 1st Broadway play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. The show ran for 530 performances and received the New York drama critic’s circle award. The 1961 film version features Sidney Poitier and receives a special award at Cannes. * Motown Records is founded in Detroit, Michigan by Berry Gordy Jr. “The Motown Sound” dominates Black popular music through the 1960’s and attracts a significant White audience as well. This was the 1st record label owned by a Black to primarily feature Black artists who achieved crossover success. * William “Count” Basie and Ella Fitzgerald become the 1st Blacks to win a Grammy award, two awards each. * Baseball player and power hitter Ernie Banks wins the National League MVP award for the 2nd consecutive season. Banks became an 11-time all star and would go on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. 1960 * The Sit-in Movement is launched in Greensboro, North Carolina when four Black college students insist on being served at a

segregated lunch counter. Ezell Blair, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond stage a sit-down strike after being refused service at an F.W. Woolworth luncheon counter.

* Black and White students form the “Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee” (SNCC), dedicated to working against segregation and discrimination under Marion Barry. * Moms (Jackie) Mabley becomes the 1st Black and woman comedienne to have a best selling record. * The Civil Rights Act of 1960 is passed adding strength to the 1957 law. * Wilma Rudolph wins 3 gold medals at the Olympics in Rome. * 17 countries of Africa, to include: Congo, Cameroon, Zaire, Somalia, Niger, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Tanzania, gain their independence. * 34 brave students from Virginia Union University staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Thalhimer’s Department Store after a campus visit from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. All thirtyfour were subsequently arrested, in the first mass arrest of the civil rights movement of 1960, and became known across the country as the Richmond 34. The 34 challenged their convictions and took their case all the way to the national Supreme Court, where the conviction was overturned in a legal victory for civil rights nationwide. * Harry Belafonte, singer, actor, civil rights activist and humanitarian becomes the first Black man to win an Emmy Award for his TV special “Tonight with Belafonte”. This follows his Tony Award in 1953. He would go on to win a Grammy Award in 1985, The Leader for Peace Award in 1988 from the Peace Corps, and the

National Medal of Arts Award in 1994. Belafonte has spent his life fighting for peace through education and music. * Ruby Bridges becomes the 1st Black student to attend an all White school in the South when she is enrolled in the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. She is escorted by U.S. Deputy Marshals for her protection.

1961 * Freedom Riders test desegregation practices in the South. The Freedom Rides, sponsored by (C.O.R.E.) “Congress of Racial Equality” and (S.N.C.C.) “Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee” encounter arrest and overwhelming violence, particularly in Alabama, leading to federal intervention. The riders were students who rode interstate buses to challenge segregation laws, Boynton vs. Virginia,(1960) 364 U.S. and to force the Kennedy administration to act. * Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in a single game to create an unbeatable record. The following year he became the 1st player to score more than 4000 points in a single season.

* Whitney Young is appointed executive director of the National Urban League. He builds a reputation for his behind-the-scenes work to bridge the gap between White political and business leaders and poor Blacks. * James B. Parsons of Illinois becomes the 1st Black federal judge in the U.S. * Ernie Davis from Syracuse University becomes the 1st Black to win the Heisman Trophy. * The Baton Rouge police (LA) disperse 1500 civil rights demonstrators with attack dogs and tear gas. * The "Friendship Nine," a group of Black civil rights protestors, mostly students from Friendship College, agreed to risk arrest by sitting at the McCrory's five-and-dime store lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They are credited with reinvigorating the 1960s U.S. sit-in movement against segregated lunch counters. David Williamson, James Wells, Willie McCleod, Willie Thomas Massey, Clarence Graham, John Gaines, Thomas Gaither, Mack Workman and Robert McCullough all served 30-day sentences at the county prison farm.

1962 * James Meredith is the 1st Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. On his 1st day on campus, U.S. Marshals escort him. * Sierra Leon, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda gain their independence. * John J. O’Neil becomes the 1st Black coach in Major League Baseball of the Chicago Cubs.

* Bobo Brazil of the NWA becomes the 1st Black professional wrestler to win a world heavyweight championship. * Jackie Robinson becomes the 1st Black elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1963 * Medgar Evers, Mississippi field secretary for the N.A.A.C.P. is shot and killed in an ambush in front of his home following a historic broadcast on civil rights by President John F. Kennedy. * Despite Governor George Wallace physically blocking their way, Vivian Malone and James Hood register for classes at the University of Alabama. * In Birmingham, Alabama police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor uses water hoses and dogs against civil-rights protesters, many of whom are children. * Martin Luther King Jr., writes a Letter from a Birmingham Jail to 8 clergymen who attacked his role in Birmingham. Widely reprinted, it soon becomes a classic of protest literature * In Birmingham, Alabama, 4 Black girls attending Sunday school are killed when a bomb explodes at the 16th Street Baptist Church, a popular location for civil rights meetings. * Governor George Wallace of Alabama says, during his acceptance speech, “Segregation Forever” after being elected to a fourth term. * Under the leadership of Jomo Kenyata, Kenya achieves independence from Britain.

* Arthur Ashe becomes the 1st Black to make the U.S. Davis Cup tennis team. * Sidney Poitier becomes the 1st Black to win an academy award as best actor in the movie “Lilies of the Fields.”

* Martin Luther King Jr., leads the March on Washington, D.C. for “jobs and freedom” and passage of the Civil Rights Act. King delivers his historic “I Have a Dream” speech before 250,000 Blacks that assembled from all over the nation. * Elston Howard of the N.Y. Yankees becomes the 1st Black to win the American League MVP award. * The movie “Cleopatra” is released telling the story of Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. The all White cast does an injustice to the true race of ancient Egyptians. The movie does however use Blacks to portray the servants of the White Egyptians. * President John F. Kennedy creates the Medal of Freedom, the highest award the country can bestow on a civilian. The first two recipients are Blacks Ralph Bunche and Marian Anderson. * Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin and others speak out against President Kennedy’s administration for being inactive and ineffective against civil rights.

* Zanzibar gains their independence. 1964 * Boxer Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Florida. Clay would soon announce that he had joined the “Nation of Islam” and change his “slave name” to Muhammad Ali. * Malcolm X leaves the Nation of Islam, announcing the formation of his own religious organization, The Black Nationalist Party. He makes the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and modifies his views on Black separatism when he returns to heighten the political consciousness of Blacks.

* LeRoi Jones’s play “Dutchman” appears off-Broadway and wins critical acclaim. The play exposes the suppressed anger and hostility of Blacks toward the White culture.

* Music composer Quincy Jones becomes the vice-president and 1st Black to hold a management position in the White owned Mercury Records. He is the CEO of Qwest Broadcasting and through his illustrious career he has amassed 76 Grammy nominations, 26 Grammy awards, 1 Emmy award, 7 Oscar nominations and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. * President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 into law, after it survived an 83 day senate filibuster, giving Federal law enforcement agencies the power to prevent racial discrimination in employment, voting and the use of public facilities. Martin Luther King Jr. shakes the president’s hand.

* Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize becoming the youngest person ever at the age of 35. Leontyne Price and A. Phillip Randolph receive the Medal of Freedom. * Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the 1st Black American to be honored as TIME Magazine’s Man of the Year. * Eight South African leaders, including Nelson Mandella are sentenced to life in prison.

* The 24th Amendment is ratified which abolished the poll tax, which was used as a means of preventing Blacks from voting. * The first wave of Black riots in the sixties occurs in New York and New Jersey. * Romare Bearden, considered perhaps the greatest modern Black artist, completes his African-American themed collage series “Projections.” * Stokely Carmichael becomes the 1st Black to use the phrase “Black Power” as a slogan. He would go on to graduate from Howard University. * The “Freedom Summer” case occurs when three Mississippi Civil Rights workers, James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, working to register Black voters, are killed by members of the “Ku Klux Klan” in Philadelphia. The racially provoked murder is dramatized in the 1988 film “Mississippi Burning”. There was evidence at the trial to suggest the murder was engineered by a state agency and local law enforcement. Edgar Ray Killen was charged with the murders in 1967 but acquitted of all charges. Black voter registration will rise by 60% in Mississippi due to the efforts of SNCC, CORE and the NAACP. * Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane records his masterpiece “A Love Supreme.” * Malawi and Zambia gain their independence. 1965 * The Motown group Diana Ross and The Supremes start a run of 5

consecutive number 1 hits with “Stop! In the Name of Love.” * “Bloody Sunday” occurs after MLK organizes a protest march. The Federal Voting Rights Act is passed following the peaceful, 54 mile, march of 600 Blacks from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to vote, which grabbed the nation’s attention when State Troopers and a Sheriff’s Posse brutally beat the participants at the Edmund Pettus Bridge and drove them back. The Federal Voting Rights Act outlawed practices in the South used to disenfranchise Black voters.

* The all Black Texas Western University basketball team coached by Don Haskins won the N.C.A.A. crown by defeating the all White University of Kentucky team coached by Adolph Rupp. Previously an all Black team had never played an all White team in an N.C.A.A. title game. * Bill Cosby becomes the 1st Black man to star in a network TV series, I Spy. * Jennifer Jackson becomes the 1st Black Playboy Playmate centerfold, March issue. * Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York City. His autobiography is also published this year. * The Watts riot of Los Angeles explodes into violence when police officer Lee Minikus arrests Black motorist Marquette Frye for reckless driving along with his mother and brother who are passengers. At the riot’s end, 34 people are dead, 1,032 injured and 3,952 arrested. $225 million is property damage occurs. The underlying cause of the riot was mass unemployment, housing discrimination, poor living conditions combined with widespread racism and constant harassment by White police officers.

* Gambia gains their independence. 1966 * Charting a new course for the Civil Rights movement, Stokely Carmichael, chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, uses the phrase “Black Power” at a rally during the James Meredith march in Mississippi. * The Black Panther Party is founded in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale to protect Black residents from police brutality. Although is develops a reputation for militant rhetoric and clashes with police, the group also becomes a national organization that supports food, education and healthcare programs in poor Black communities. There were many ways Black People Seriously Fought Back During the Civil Rights Era: Armed Resistance, Deacons for Defense, Neighborhood Watch, Bus Boycotts and Beat Downs, Rosa Parks Stood Up, The Savannah Movement, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and Marches Against Fear all designed to stand for equality and show solidarity.

* The African-American holiday of “Kwanzaa”, lasting seven days (Dec. 26th – Jan. 1st ) is patterned after various African harvest festivals, is created by Maulana Karenga, a Black studies professor at California State University at Long Beach. Kwanzaa comes from the African language of Kiswahili and means “The First Fruits of the Harvest.” The 7 principles of Kwanzaa are referred to as Nguzo Saba. The colors of Kwanzaa are: Black is for the face of our people. Red is for the blood our people shed. Green is for the hope and the color of the motherland.

The Principles of Kwanzaa: 1. Umoja (unity) to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. 2. Kujichagulia (self-determination) to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. 3. Ujima (collective work and responsibility) to build and maintain our community together and make our sister's and brother's problems our problems and to solve them together. 4. Ujamaa (cooperative economics) to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses together. 5. Nia (purpose) to make our collective vocation the building of our community to restore our people to their traditional greatness. 6. Kuumba (creativity) to do as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. 7. Imani (faith) to believe with our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

The Symbols of Kwanzaa: 1. Unity Cup – drink from the cup to honor African ancestors.

2. Candleholder – symbolizes stalks of corn that branch off like a family tree. 3. Fruits, nuts & vegetables – the harvest that nourishes the people of Africa. 4. 7 Candles – represents the 7 principles of Kwanzaa and for each day of the week. 5. Mat – the foundation upon which a community is built. 6. Ear of Corn – placed on the mat for each child present. 7. Gifts – educational and cultural gifts are given to the children on January 1st. * Robert Weaver becomes the 1st Black U.S. cabinet minister when he was appointed Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon Johnson. * Botswana and Lesotho gain their independence. * Donyale Luna, born Peggy Ann Freeman, becomes the 1st Black model on the cover of a Vogue magazine, British edition. 1967 * President Lyndon Johnson appoints the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorder to examine the root causes of racially based disorder and violence in American cities. The study finds that one underlying factor was that access to and the quality of health care, education, employment and social services for Blacks was significantly less than that of White Americans. * Riots erupt in New Jersey and Detroit both sparked by White police officers arresting Blacks resulting in a combined 83 arrests, 69 dead, at least $20 million in property damage and approximately 1500 buildings destroyed. In both cases federal troops and the National Guard were called in to stop the violence. * After being denied his seat in the Georgia State Legislature for opposing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, Civil Rights activist Julian Bond is finally sworn in. * Singer Aretha Franklin releases a series of hits including “I Never Loved a Man”, “Baby, I Love You”, and “Respect”, the last of

which becomes something of an anthem for the Civil Rights movement. * Thurgood Marshall becomes the 1st Black appointed as a Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court.

* Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali refuses to submit to induction into the Armed Forces. Convicted of violating the Selective Service Act, Ali is barred from the ring, stripped of his title and sentenced to 5 years in prison. * Bernard Kinsey becomes the 1st Black sales representative of Humble Oil (then a part of Exxon) and became the top salesman in the country in just 18 months. * Blues and rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix makes his spectacular debut at the Monterey International Pop Festival, following the successful release of his first album, “Are You Experienced?” * Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, is convicted of manslaughter in the death of an Oakland Policeman, leading to the rapid expansion of the party nationwide. * Major Robert H. Lawrence of the U.S. Air Force becomes the 1st Black astronaut but died later that year in a jet crash. * Charlie Pride becomes the 1st Black singer with the “Grand Ole Opry” while singing county songs. * Edward W. Brooke becomes the 1st Black U.S. Senator since Reconstruction. He serves two terms as a Republican from Massachusetts.

* Charlie Sifford becomes the 1st Black to win a PGA tour event by winning the Greater Hartford Open Invitational. * Wharlest Jackson, Sr., an NAACP treasurer in Mississippi, is killed when a car bomb explodes in his truck as he drives home from work. 1968 * Eldridge Cleaver, the Black Panther Party’s minister of information, publishes his autobiography, “Soul on Ice.” * Martin Luther King Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The killing is followed by a week of rioting in at least 125 cities across the nation including Washington, D.C. Following the assassination of Martin L. King Jr., Ralph Abernathy succeeds him as president of the “Southern Christian Leadership Conference,” carrying out the group’s “Poor People’s Campaign.” James Earl Ray confesses to the crime, but there remain doubts that he acted alone. 12 are reported dead and over $27 million in property damage occur. * Naomi Sims becomes the 1st Black model to make the cover of the Ladies’ Home Journal. She would go on to make the cover of Life magazine the following year and become a symbol for Blacks in mainstream media. * After winning gold and bronze medals at the Olympics in Mexico City, sprinter Tommie Smith and teammate John Carlos give a BlackPower salute during the awards ceremony, leading to their suspension by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The salute was to protest the suffering and mistreatment of Blacks in America dating back to slavery times.

* The Kerner Commission Report concludes that the United States is moving toward two societies - one Black, one White, separate and unequal. * Arthur Ashe wins the singles title at the U.S. Open tennis tournament becoming the 1st Black male to win a major tennis title. * Shirley Chisholm of New York becomes the 1st Black woman to be elected to Congress, defeating Civil Rights leader James Farmer. * James Brown’s “Say it Loud - I’m Black and I’m Proud” becomes the #1 Rhythm and Blues hit in America. * Marlon Brisco, of the Denver Broncos, becomes the 1st Black starting quarterback of the NFL. Brisco threw 14 touchdowns in his rookie year. * James Earl Jones wins a Tony award for his portrayal of boxer Jack Johnson in the play “The Great White Hope” and later stars in the film version in 1970. * Swaziland gains their independence. * According to the archives of the Tuskegee Institute, from 1882 to 1968 – an 86 year span – the Ku Klux Klan lynched 3,446 Blacks. 1969-1999: The Modern Era 1969 * Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale is ordered to be bound and gagged by the judge in the Chicago conspiracy trial after Seale protests that he is being denied his constitutional right to counsel. * The Ford Foundation gives $1 million to Morgan State University, Howard University and Yale University to help prepare faculty members to teach courses in African-American studies. * The U.S. Supreme court rules that schools must end racial segregation. * Moneta Sleet becomes the 1st Black to win a Pulitzer Prize for his photo of Mrs. Martin Luther King at her husband’s funeral. * John B. McLendon becomes the 1st Black coach in the ABA when he signed with the Denver Nuggets.

* Della Reese becomes the 1st Black woman to host a TV show, which was called the “Della Reese Show.” * Gail Fisher becomes the 1st Black actress to win an Emmy award. * Black Enterprise magazine begins publication, aimed at the growing Black middle class. * Arthur Mitchell starts the Dance Theater of Harlem for classical dance training of ballet which becomes the 1st Black classical dance company. * The Falcon of Marvel Comics’ Captain America #117, September issue becomes the 1st Black Superhero. * Lillian Lincoln becomes the 1st Black to graduate from the Harvard Business School. 1970 * Baseball player Curt Flood, with the backing of the Major League Baseball Players Association, unsuccessfully challenges the “reserve clause” but initiates its eventual demise. * Hip-Hop "Grandfather" Afrika Bambaataa starts to deejay. Bambaataa is known as the “Godfather of Hip-Hop Culture,” father of the electro-funk sound, founder of the Universal Zulu Nation and master of records. * The 1st Black floor trader on the New York Stock Exchange was Joseph L. Searles with the firm of Neburger, Loeb & Co. * In the 1970’s Idi Amin horrified the world by murdering 300,000 Ugandans, expelling tens of thousands of others and turning the country’s thriving economy into his personal bank account. He publicly executed his critics and opposition in front of a horrified crowd. He fled the country in 1979 to live in Saudi Arabia. The ongoing war in Nigeria claims 1 million lives. * Maya Angelou publishes, “I know why the caged bird sings” and becomes the 1st Black to woman to have a screenplay published. * Chris Dickerson becomes the 1st Black winner of the “Mr. America” bodybuilding competition. Dickerson would go on to win a total of 15 titles in his career.

* Comedian Flip Wilson becomes the 1st Black to have a prime time TV show in his own name. "The Flip Wilson Show" was one of the first television programs starring a Black person in the title role to become highly successful with a White audience. Specifically, it was the first successful network variety series starring an African American. The show earned Wilson a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards. * Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, is published. * Carl Brashear becomes the 1st Black U.S. Navy Master Diver who was portrayed in the year 2000 film “Men of Honor.” 1971 * Angela Davis is arraigned on charges of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy for her alleged participation in a violent attempted escape from the Hall of Justice in Marin County, California in 1970. * The inventor of the Cellular phone is Henry Sampson. He was awarded a patent for the "gamma-electric cell." This technology was used to develop the cellular phone. He was awarded a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California and his Ph.D from Illinois. Sampson is the first African-American to receive a Ph.D in Nuclear Engineering. * TV animated series "The Jackson 5ive" aired for 13 months as a fictionalized portrayal of the careers of Motown recording group The Jackson 5 starring Michael Jackson. * Samuel L. Gravely Jr., becomes the 1st Black Admiral in the U.S. Navy. * Jesse Jackson founds Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity), an influential movement emphasizing Black economic advancement and education. * Satchel Paige becomes the 1st Negro-League player elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. * Filmmaker Gordon Parks began making Black films known as “blaxploitation” films. The first film is Shaft which is followed by a wave of similarly themed films. These films targeted urban Black audiences that took place in the ghetto dealing with pimps, drug-dealers and hit-men. These films re-enforced White stereotypes of Blacks as illiterate criminals, but were popular

among Black audiences who could relate to the struggles of Blacks portrayed in the films. * Bill Picket becomes the 1st Black inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. * Fifteen Black members of Congress form the Congressional Black Caucus to present a unified Black voice in Congress. 1972 * The 1st National Black Political Convention was created in Gary, Indiana. Nearly 8000 Blacks attended the convention including 3000 official delegates in what came to be known as the “Gary Convention.” * The 1st Black named to the NYSE Board of Directors was Jerome H. Holland. * Frank Wills discovers the Watergate Break-in that led to the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. * Benjamin Hooks becomes the 1st Black named to the Federal Communications Commission. * The Equal Employment Opportunity Act is passed, prohibiting job discrimination on the basis of race laying the groundwork for affirmative action. * Barbara Jordan becomes the 1st Black woman from a Southern state to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She served three terms in Congress. * TV sitcom "Sanford and Son" ran on the NBC network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. Known for its edgy racial humor, running gags and catch phrases was adapted by Norman Lear and considered NBC's answer to CBS's All in the Family. Sanford and Son has been hailed as the precursor to many other Black sitcoms. It was a ratings hit throughout its six-season run. In 2007, Time magazine included the show on their list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time". * TV animated series "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985. The show, based on Cosby's remembrances of his childhood gang, centered on Fat Albert (known for his catchphrase "Hey hey hey!"), and his friends. The show featured an

educational lesson in each episode and the adventures of Blacks kids growing up in the inner-city of Philadelphia.

1973 * Kool Herc, considered the “Father of Hip-Hop” and also known as Clive Campbell, deejays his 1st block party, playing soul, funk and R&B records on turntables. * From the Civil War (1861-1865) to the Viet Nam War (1964-1973), 86 Blacks have received the Congressional Medal of Honor which is awarded for bravery and is the highest military award possible and given by the President. * Shirley A. Jackson received her Ph.D in physics and becomes the 1st Black woman to graduate from M.I.T. * A.T.& T. pays $28 million in back wages and unpaid raises to Black employees victimized by discrimination. * Gloria Hendry becomes the 1st Black Bond Girl in a James Bond movie, Live and Let Die. * Gladys Knight and the Pips produce a million-selling album “Imagination” and win 2 Grammy awards. 1974 * The remains of the oldest human being ever discovered are found in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. She is named “Lucy” and is approximately 3.18 million years old. This discovery is huge for scientists because it let them know that there was life on the

planet at that time. The discovery of Lucy gives credence to the idea that all life sprang from Africa. Lucy is an example of an extremely early human. Lucy is a hominid. Hominids are a member of the group Hominidae, which encompasses all creatures that came forth after the African ape, human being divide. Eventually, human beings came into existence from this group. The main reason that they know that Lucy was a hominid and not another type of this group or of Ape lineage was because they determined by her bone structure that she walked upright while monkeys and apes do not walk entirely upright. * Dr. Chancellor Williams publishes "The Destruction of Black Civilization" in which he states that from their positions of prestige and power, White educators have White-washed history, thereby propagating the notion that civilization - history, religion, science, social order and an organized society started with Europeans who lived in Africa's Egypt and that Europeans then civilized the entire world. The scheme was rigorously applied in written European history of Egypt where the Black population was never referred to as Egyptians, and Black pharaohs became White. Blotting Black people out of history included replacing African names of people, places and things with Arabic and European names. With one wave of the White master's wand Black Hamites and Cushites, like their early Egyptian brothers, are no longer Africans. When Black Egypt was conquered, its libraries were looted and burned. Their great treatises on philosophy and sciences were plagiarized by authors of the West according to George G.M. James in his classic book "Stolen Legacy" in 1954. Many of the oldest surviving statues and figurines were found in Africa and made by Africans in their image reflecting their distinguishable thick lips and noses. Most of them have been defaced in an apparent attempt to perpetuate the myth of "European Supremacy." The things they could not hide, such as the Sphinx, they defaced. The mis-education of Black history upon the Black psyche is designed to corrupt African Americans' sense of racial unity and cohesion, mold the character of self-hatred and engender self-doubt, self-loathing and distrust among their race. * Baseball player Hank Aaron hits his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s record, which had stood since 1935. * Boxer George Foreman, previously undefeated in professional bouts, falls to Muhammad Ali in 8 rounds in Kinshasa, Zaire — the storied “Rumble in the Jungle.” * The Supreme Court ruled that schools in White suburbs were not obligated to admit Blacks from the inner cities. This ruling

undermined Brown vs. Board of Education and thus helped to continue segregation in schools. * Beverly Johnson becomes the 1st Black model on the cover of an American issue of Vogue magazine. * TV sitcom Good Times aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on CBS. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which is itself a spin-off of All in the Family. Good Times deals with a Black family's attempts to survive in a high rise project building in Chicago, despite their poverty and the father's lack of steady employment. * Alberta Williams King, (mother of Martin Luther King Jr. and the wife of Martin Luther King Sr.) was gunned down while she played the organ for the “Lord’s Prayer” at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. 1975 * The “National Association of Black Journalists” is founded in Washington, D.C., by 44 Black news reporters * Tennis player Arthur Ashe wins the singles title at Wimbledon becoming the 1st Black male to win the title. * Lee Elder becomes the 1st Black to play in the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta, Georgia. * Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, dies. After his son renames the organization and integrates it into orthodox Islam, Minister Louis Farrakhan reclaims and rebuilds the Nation of Islam. Muhammad was born Elijah Poole in 1897 and led the nation of Islam from 1934 until his death. * William V. Banks heads the group that became the first Black owned TV station in the U.S. called WGPR-TV. * Daniel “Chappie” James Jr., becomes the 1st Black 4-star general in the military and is named Commander in Chief of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). * Desmond Tutu becomes the 1st Black Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg. * Donna P. Davis becomes the 1st Black female in the Navy’s medical core.

* Frank Robinson becomes the 1st Black to manage a Major League baseball team and leads the Cleveland Indians to an opening day victory. * TV sitcom The Jefferson’s was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and was one of the longest-running sitcoms in American television history. The show focuses on an affluent Black couple living in New York City. The show was launched as a spin-off of All in the Family on which the Jefferson's had been the neighbors of the Bunkers. * The TV show “The Secrets of Isis” is aired and runs until 1978. The show is about a school teacher who finds an ancient amulet that once belonged to Egyptian Queen Isis. Once the teacher says an incantation the power of Isis is transformed into the school teacher giving her the super powers of moving objects with her mind, great strength, the ability to fly and run at super speeds. The actress in the show is White as Hollywood distorts the true race of Egyptian Queen Isis. * Singer Josephine Baker dies. * Barbara Jordan & Addie L. Wyatt become the 1st Black women named as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. * The Boston chapter of the NAACP is firebombed because of opposition to school desegregation. 1976 * Barbara Jordan, a U.S. representative from Texas, delivers the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, confirming her reputation as one of the most eloquent public speakers of her era. * Rubin (Hurricane) Carter and John Artis are freed form prison after serving 9 years for murder. It is found that their prosecution was racially motivated and evidence of their innocence was suppressed. The story is later told in the movie “The Hurricane” in 1999. * The first U.S. tour of King Tut’s gold and jeweled artifacts begins and launches the era of museum blockbuster shows. * TV sitcom What's Happening!! aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series was loosely

based on the motion picture Cooley High, follows the lives of three working-class Black teens living in the Watts section of Los Angeles took place at Rob's Place, the neighborhood restaurant where the boys are regular patrons. * Gerald A. Lawson, a self-taught engineer who became a pioneer in electronic video entertainment created the first home video game system with interchangeable game cartridges. Under his direction the company introduced the Fairchild Channel F, a home console that allowed users to play different games contained on removable cartridges. Until then, home video game systems could play only games that were built into the machines themselves. 1977 * Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley’s “Roots: The Saga of an American Black Family” is portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series and adapted for television and airs on ABC, becoming one of the most popular shows in the history of American television portraying the history of African Americans and slavery. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s of Gambia, West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States, over 100 years later. The miniseries won 9 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Peabody award.

* Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago wins the Miss Universe pageant to become the 1st Black women to win the title.

* Benjamin L. Hooks becomes the executive director of the NAACP, succeeding Roy Wilkins. Stressing the need for affirmative action and increased minority voter registration, Hooks serves until 1993. * Andrew Young becomes the 1st Black to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. * Clifford Alexander Jr., becomes the 1st Black to be appointed Secretary of the Army. * Joseph L. Howze becomes the 1st Black Bishop of a Roman Catholic Diocese. 1978 * The Supreme Court outlaws inflexible Black “quota systems” in affirmative action programs, ruling that medical student Allan Bakke had been unfairly discriminated against by the University of California at Davis because he was a White applicant. * The Jonestown Massacre occurs in Georgetown, Guyana. 913 people, mostly Blacks, die after drinking cyanide laced cool-aide given to them by American Jim Jones. Some of the victim’s were forcibly poisoned while others were shot by security guards. Jones established the People’s Temple Sect in 1974 among San Francisco’s Black community. * Hazel Johnson becomes the 1st Black woman appointed to the rank of General in the U.S. Military.

* President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Unit Citation for Extraordinary Heroism to the 761st (Black) Tank Battalion who fought under General Patton’s 3rd Army during 1944-1947. The all Black unit was initially trained only as a propaganda stunt to get Blacks on the side of the war. They were used for battle and then they fell back into anonymity. * Desmond Tutu becomes the 1st Black General Secretary of the South African counsel of churches. * Muhammad Ali wins the world heavyweight boxing title for a record third time.

1979 * Frank E. Peterson Jr. becomes the 1st Black General in the U.S. Marine Corp. * Hazel Winifred Johnson-Brown became the first Black female General in the United States Army and the first Black chief of the Army Nurse Corps. She was also the Director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing. * TV miniseries "Roots: The Next Generations" airs continuing the story from 1882 to the 1960s. The fictionalized story of the family of Alex Haley and their life in Henning, Tennessee based on the last seven chapters of Haley's novel entitled Roots: The Saga of an American Family. * The 1st ever rap records are released as “King Tim III” by the Fatback Band and “Rappers Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang.

* Willie Mays is inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame with 660 home runs, 24 all-star awards, 2 MVP awards, 12 gold glove awards and played in 24 all-star games.

* Singer Michael Jackson’s solo singing career begins with the release of the album “Off the Wall” followed by four more albums to reach into the 1990’s. Michael would go on to win 13 Grammy awards and have 13 number one singles. Michael would go on to be inducted into the “Rock and Roll” Hall of Fame twice and be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records due to musical achievements and being crowned the “King of Pop”. * Sylvia Robinson, a R & B singer in the 50’s was the first producer of Hip-Hop with the release of Sugarhill Gang’s (Wonder Mike, Master Gee, Big Bank Hank) multi-platinum-seller 1979 song Rapper’s Delight which sold 14 million copies and was the first recorded Hip-Hop song that introduced rap to the world. Rapper’s Delight won, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Single, Best Rap Record, Best Rap Single with Group and Best Rap Single with Collaboration. The song reached number 36 on the U.S. top 100 billboard chart and number 4 on the hot R & B chart. Their true names are Guy O'Brien, Michael Wright and Henry Jackson.

1980 * Stevie Wonder releases “Hotter than July.” The album featured the song “Happy Birthday”, his effort to bring national attention to making Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. * The Miami Riot erupts after 5 White police officers were acquitted of beating Arthur McDuffie to death following a highspeed chase in 1979. The 5 Officer’s said McDuffie died from injuries from crashing his motorcycle. The coroners report disputed their testimony. A 6th officer testified that the other 5 officers were lying and in fact they had beat McDuffie to death with their flashlights. 855 people were arrested and 10 Blacks were killed. * Robert L. Johnson forms Black Entertainment Television (BET). * Arthur Lewis was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics and was the 1st Black to receive the award other than for peace. 1981 * Civil rights leader Andrew Young is elected Mayor of Atlanta, an office he holds through 1989. * Jennie P. Yeboah becomes the 1st Black woman to earn a PhD in chemical engineering. * Authorities arrest multiple people, including Klan leaders, intending to bomb the NAACP Baltimore headquarters. 1982 * Playwright Charles Fuller wins the Pulitzer Prize for his drama “A Soldier’s Play,” which examines conflict among Black soldiers on a Southern Army base during World War II.

* Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” becomes the most popular album of all time, selling more than 40 million copies and surpassing the Beatles and Elvis Presley combined. Thriller would go on to produce 5 top singles. * Louis Gossett Jr., wins the academy award for best supporting actor in the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman.” * Henry (Hank) Aaron is inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame with 755 home runs, 25 all-star awards, 1 MVP award, 3 gold glove awards and played in 24 all-star games.

* Bryant Gumble becomes the 1st Black to anchor a national TV news program - The Today Show. 1983 * Writer Alice Walker receives the Pulitzer Prize for “The Color Purple” which is made into a movie in 1985 starring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopie Goldberg & Danny Glover. * Vanessa Williams, Miss New York, becomes the 1st Black woman to be crowned Miss America.

* Harold Washington wins the Democratic nomination and is elected the 1st Black mayor of Chicago. * Civil Rights leader, Jesse Jackson announces his intention to run for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, becoming the 1st Black to make a serious bid for the presidency. * Guion S. Bluford, Jr. becomes the 1st Black in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. * President Ronald Reagan signed legislation making the 3rd Monday in January a national holiday called Martin Luther King Day. The holiday took affect in 1986. * ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell was fired from Monday Night Football after making racist comments about Black football players during a broadcast. He said something to the effect that a Black running back was moving as fast and smooth as a monkey. 1984 * TV sitcom The Cosby Show, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992 starring comedian Bill Cosby, becomes one of the most popular situation comedies in television history and is praised for its broad cross-cultural appeal and avoidance of negative racial stereotypes by showing an upper-middle-class, professional, well-educated family living in Brooklyn, New York. Entertainment Weekly stated that The Cosby Show helped to make possible for a larger variety of shows with a predominantly Black cast. * Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaign against apartheid.

* Oprah Winfrey accepts a job to host A.M. Chicago, a morning show in the Windy City. * Wynton Marsalis becomes the 1st Black to win Grammy awards for both classical and jazz compositions. * Jesse Jackson becomes the 1st Black man to make a serious bid for the U.S. presidency, but does not win his party nomination. 1985 * Lynette Woodard becomes the 1st ever woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. * Donnie Cochran becomes the 1st Black member of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels precision flying team. * President Bill Clinton appointed physicist Shirley A. Jackson, who is known for her innovative work in theoretical physics and semiconductor theory, as chairwoman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, making her the 1st woman and the 1st African American to hold the position. By 2002 Discover Magazine would name her one of the 50 Most Important Women in Science. * Statistics show that Blacks are 6 times more likely than Whites to be sentenced to prison for drug related crimes as there are more than 1 million Black men behind bars. * Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Africa is appointed to Cardinal Deacon by the pope. Arinze began his career in the church in 1958 when he was ordained as a priest. * The Philadelphia State Police bomb a house in Philadelphia occupied by the African American activist organization, MOVE (Movement for Life). The bombing kills 11 people in the house and triggers a fire that destroys the neighborhood and leaves over 300 people homeless. 1986 * Spike Lee’s film “She’s Gotta Have It” wins him the best new director award at the ultra-prestigious Cannes Film Festival. * Playwright August Wilson receives the Pulitzer Prize for “Fences.” He won again in 1990 for “The Piano Lesson.” Both are from his cycle of plays chronicling the “Black American Experience.”

* Doctor Benjamin S. Carson becomes the 1st Black to successfully separate Siamese twins joined at the head. * Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday is made into a national holiday. * Desmond Tutu becomes the 1st Black Archbishop of the Anglican Church in South Africa.

1987 * TV sitcom A Different World aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 – July 9, 1993. It is a spin-off series from The Cosby Show and centered on the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia. The series frequently depicted the daily ups and downs of Black students at historically Black fraternities and sororities. (HBCUs). * Superstar basketball player Julius Erving retires and becomes only the 3rd NBA player to have scored more than 30,000 points (30,026) in his career. Erving won 3 championship rings (ABA / NBA), played in 11 all star games, won 5 all star awards, 2 all star game MVP awards, 1 NBA MVP award and 3 scoring titles. Erving is considered to have been the main catalyst for the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Erving was voted as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

* Frederick D. Gregory becomes the 1st Black to command a space shuttle. * Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul” becomes the 1st Black woman inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. * Whitney Houston becomes the 1st artist in history to score 7 consecutive number one hits. * Thurgood Marshall declares that Ronald Reagan has the worst civil rights record of any modern day president. * Reginald Lewis becomes the 1st Black to own a business with sales over $1 billion, by taking over the Beatrice International Food Company. * Eddie Robinson of Grambling State University receives the NCAA Division 1-AA coach of the year award. Robinson becomes college football’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 408-164-15. He would go on to retire in 1997.

1988 * Rap group N.W.A. introduces “Gangsta Rap” which expresses the Black experience of living in the ghetto with releases “Straight Outta Compton” and “Appetite For Destruction” from the album “Efil4zaggin.” * Pope John Paul II appoints Eugene A. Marino as Archbishop of Atlanta making him the 1st Black Catholic Archbishop in the United States. * Florence Griffith-Joyner becomes the 1st Black women to win 4 track and field medals in Olympic competition at the Seoul Olympic Games in Korea. She won 3 gold and 1 silver medal. * Debbie Thomas becomes the 1st Black to win a medal at a winter Olympic event by winning the bronze medal in figure skating. * Johnny Grier becomes the 1st Black NFL referee. * CBS sportscaster, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was fired after he said that Blacks are better at sports than Whites because of slave plantation breeding techniques. Snyder said that slave owners would breed big Black men with big Black women to get big Black strong children. * Doug Williams becomes the 1st Black quarterback to start and win a super bowl by leading the Washington Redskins over the favored Denver Broncos by the score of 42-10. A reporter asked Williams how long he has been a Black quarterback. Williams responded by saying “I have been Black all my life”.

* Juanita Kidd Stout becomes the 1st Black female elected to a U.S. judgeship and 1st appointed to a state supreme court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. * James Cameron opens a Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which explores the history and struggles of Blacks from slavery to the modern day. It is considered one of the first of its kind in the country. * Super Model Naomi Campbell becomes the 1st Black model to make the cover of Vogue Magazine. Campbell would go on to become the 1st Black model to make the cover of Time Magazine. In 1991 Campbell was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine. Campbell has made the cover of over 500 magazines.

1989 * President George Bush Sr., appoints General Colin Powell chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the 1st Black officer to hold the highest military post in the United States. General Powell started his military career as a private. * Rap group Public Enemy, one of the most important and influential rap groups of the time, expresses the Black experience with releases “Fear of a Black Planet” and “Fight the Power” from the album “Fear of a Black Planet”. * Oprah Winfrey becomes the 1st Black women to own her own TV and film production company, HARPO Studios, Inc. and host a nationally syndicated show.

* TV sitcom "Family Matters" aired from September 22, 1989 to July 17, 1998 and revolves around the Winslow family, a middle-class Black family living in Chicago, Illinois and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel and his clumsy and annoying behavior. * Denzel Washington wins the academy award for best supporting actor in the movie “Glory.” * Hall of Fame player Art Shell becomes the 1st Black head coach in the NFL of the modern era as the coach of the Oakland Raiders. He also played for the Raiders as from 1968-1982 and won 2 Super Bowl rings with the Raiders. * Ron Brown becomes the 1st Black to head a major national political party, as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. President Bill Clinton later named him Secretary of Commerce. * David Dinkins becomes the 1st Black mayor of New York City. * Douglas Wilder becomes the 1st Black state Governor of Virginia since reconstruction. * Sculptor Martin Puryear is the sole artist from the United States chosen for the Sao Paulo Bienal in Brazil and is awarded the exhibitions’ grand prize winner. * Shots are fired at the NAACP's Baltimore headquarters. * The NAACP Atlanta office receives a tear gas bomb in the mail, injuring multiple people. * Robert E. Robinson, a Savannah, Georgia, NAACP attorney is killed by a mail bomb. * A mail bomb was sent to the Jacksonville, Florida NAACP branch. The bomb did not go off and was defused. 1990 * Whoopi Goldberg wins the academy award for best supporting actress in the movie “Ghost.” * TV sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart

teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their Bel Air, CA mansion after getting into a fight on a local basketball court. In the series, his lifestyle often clashes with the lifestyle of his relatives in Bel Air. * Nelson Mandela is freed from a South African prison after 27 years. * Debbye Turner is crowned Miss America. * The GAO reports that the death penalty in U.S. prisons is racially biased. * Namibia gains their independence. * Carol Gist of Michigan wins the Miss USA pageant to become the 1st Black to win the title. * August Wilson wins a Pulitzer Prize for his play “The Piano Player.” * The U.S. Census reports the Black population to be 12% of the total U.S. population, with over 50% of all Blacks still residing in the southern states. 1991 * The Senate votes 52-48 to confirm the nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court after a confirmation hearing that focuses on charges of sexual harassment by former aide, Anita Hill. Hill’s case was dismissed as unfounded. Thomas would go on to fill the seat of Thurgood Marshall. * President George Bush Sr., signs the Civil Rights Act of 1991, strengthening existing civil rights laws and providing for damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination, however it makes it more difficult for claimants to prove discrimination. Basically this lessons the ability of minorities and women to receive justice when they are discriminated against in the work place. * Throughout the 90’s ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ became a household name and a feeding frenzy for homosexuals and gay activists across the country. More Black males “came out of the closet” on The ‘Jerry Springer Show’ then any other forum in the world. Jerry Springer was more than happy to laugh, jeer and joke about every guest who set foot on his stage searching for their 15 minutes of

fame. Most of his Black guests were either on the down low, cheating, prostituting or hiding some cross dressing secret. It’s a fact, no news was good news if you were on the ‘Jerry Springer Show’. Despite that fact there was never a shortage of Black folks waiting back stage to give or receive shocking news. For his part Springer was clever at creating a circus atmosphere that culminated in a gladiator environment that literally put guests at each other’s throats. At the end of the show Jerry would sit down and give a brief commentary on why his guests had to be exploited. He said it was for their own good. The show continued to perpetuate negative stereotypes of Black people who were paid about $300 to appear on the show. * Henry Louis Gates Jr., is appointed professor of humanities at Harvard University, where he builds the university’s department of Afro-American studies. * Blacks have served and died for the United States in the military in every war from the American Revolution to the Gulf War in 1991. There are 10 major conflicts throughout history categorized as a “war” in which Blacks have served this county. * Black Entertainment Television (BET), founded by Robert L. Johnson, becomes the 1st Black company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 1992 * TV sitcom "Martin" airs on FOX. The random misadventures of Martin Payne drives this irreverent sitcom as stand-up comedian Martin Lawrence portrays an abrasive, loud-mouthed, sexist, cocky and wisecracking Detroit talk show host with an assortment of friends and enemies. His girlfriend Gina, puts up with him, although clashes do occur while Martin's friends, Tommy and Cole, help him get into trouble. The show portrays many negative issues on how Blacks behave. * Rodney King receives bruises and broken bones at the hands of 4 White Los Angeles Police Officers who beat him with riot batons after a traffic stop. Riots break out in Los Angeles sparked by the acquittal of the 4 White police officers who were caught on videotape beating him. The riots caused at least 55 deaths and $1 billion in damage to the community. Many Blacks long objected to racial profiling and police brutality. Two of the officers were found guilty in federal court and King was awarded $3.8 million in damages.

* Mae Jemison of Decatur Alabama becomes the 1st Black woman astronaut, spending more than a week orbiting Earth in the space shuttle Endeavour. * Carol Moseley-Braun becomes the 1st Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, representing the state of Illinois. * Black owned farms fall to 2498, a decline of 64% over the last 15 years. This is due in part because of discrimination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in denying loans and subsidies to Black farmers. * Louisiana House Representative David Duke, a vocal White supremacist and self proclaimed wizard of the Louisiana KKK runs for President on the republican ticket. * The Supreme Court ruled that local schools, even if not in compliance with desegregation orders, should be released from court supervision because racial balance is not to be achieved just for its own sake. This ruling further undermines Brown vs. Board of Education and segregation continues. * State Farm Insurance settles a suit for $157 million after discriminating against Black policyholders by charging them more than Whites. * Rosa Parks publishes “My Story”. The story of her incident on the bus that started a civil rights explosion. * The “Rosetta Stone” school was formed to teach people a natural way to learn languages based on the Berlitz method of 1878 which was adopted from the ancient Egyptian Rosetta stone. The Rosetta stone was carved in 192 BC used for script for important or religious documents for the rulers of Egypt. The stone was found

in 1799 in a village in the Delta called Rosetta and translated in 1822 by Jean Francis Champollion. * Derek Walcott becomes the 1st Black to win the Nobel Peace prize in literature for his work in poetry “A Far Cry from Africa.” * John Singleton becomes the 1st Black and the youngest director ever, to be nominated for a best new director Oscar, for his film “Boyz N the Hood.” * W. Lincoln Hawkins, Ph.D., win the National Medal of Technology. Hawkins secured over 140 patents and helped make universal telephone services available through his work as the 1st Black scientist at Bell Labs. 1993 * Poet Maya Angelou, author of the autobiographical work “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” composes and delivers a poem for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. * The Tacoma, Washington, NAACP branch meeting hall is bombed. * The Sacramento, California, NAACP branch is firebombed. * Kenya Moore of Michigan wins the Miss USA pageant.

* Cornel West, a progressive post-modern philosopher, finds a mainstream audience with the publication of “Race Matters,” which examines the Black community around the time of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. * President Bill Clinton appoints 5 Blacks to key cabinet positions. Hazel O’Leary (Energy), Michael Espy (Agriculture),

Ronald Brown (Commerce), Jesse Brown (Veteran’s Affairs), and Jocelyn Elders (Surgeon General). Elders becomes the 1st Black appointed to the position of U.S. Surgeon General. Elders holds the rank of three-star Admiral and a master’s degree in medicine.

* Poet Rita Dove, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Thomas and Beulah”, is chosen as the 1st Black poet laureate of the United States. * Writer Toni Morrison becomes the 1st Black winner of the Nobel Prize for literature for her fiction work called “Beloved.” * Nelson Mandela accepts the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all the South Africans who have suffered and sacrificed in the name of freedom. * Restaurant chain Denny’s settles several suits for $45.7 million after denying Black customers service just because of their race. 1994 * Tribal war erupts in Kibye, Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes killing 7000 people in an act of genocide. Over the next 100 days an estimated 1,000,000 Africans were killed thru tribal fighting and ethnic cleansing between the two tribes. It was the culmination of longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu peoples, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959–62 and had overthrown the Tutsi monarchy. Belgian colonialism played a major role in establishing the divide between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples. Kimberly Clarice Aiken is crowned Miss South Carolina and Miss America.

* The Florida legislature agrees to compensate survivors of a 1923 incident in which a White mob destroyed the Black town of Rosewood, which was located on the Gulf Coast. * Nelson Mandela takes office as South Africa’s 1st Black president. * The movie “Stargate” is released. An Egyptologist discovers a space portal that leads to another planet that contains pyramids and the origins of the Egyptian civilization. The ruler of the planet and the Egyptian civilization is an alien who enslaves humans and is able to assume human appearance. A TV series is made from the movie. The movie denies the possibility that the Egyptian civilization emerged from the Black race in Africa by suggesting that aliens are the true founders of the Egyptian civilization. * 21 years after the fact, White Supremacist, Byron DeLa Beckwith is found guilty of the murder of Medger Evers. * Dominique Margaux Dawes becomes the U.S. all-around senior National Champion, a three-time Olympian, a World Championships silver medalist and a member of the gold-medal winning "Magnificent Seven" at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Dawes is also notable as being the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics, and the first Black person to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. She competed in three Olympics and was part of three Olympic medal-winning teams: Barcelona 1992 (bronze), Atlanta 1996 (gold), and Sydney 2000 (bronze). 1995 * Bernard Harris Jr., became the first African American to walk in space. After logging 198 hours and 29 minutes in space and completing 129 orbits, he traveled more than 4 million miles total throughout his career as an astronaut.

* Kweise Mfume is elected as the President and CEO of the N.A.A.C.P. * Between 1995 and 2001, the Cincinnati Police Department killed 15 Black males between the ages of 12-42 years old in what they call justifiable shootings. * Chelsi Smith, Miss USA from Texas, wins the Miss Universe pageant. * Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, rises to the height of his influence as the most prominent organizer of the “Million Man March” of Black men in Washington, D.C. for the purpose of telling Black men to improve their families and community. * In one of the most celebrated criminal trials in American history. The, Heisman winning, retired running back Orenthal J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole BrownSimpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The family of Nicole sued Simpson civilly for the murder of their daughter. Newsweek magazine portrayed Simpson on the cover of their magazine as a sinister Black murderer of White women by making the color of his skin much darker than it actually was and casting a dark shadow on him by manipulating the lighting.

1996 * Michael Johnson becomes the 1st Black and man of any race to win gold medals in the 200 and 400 meter Olympic sprint, setting a 200-meter world record of 19.32 seconds. * Texaco settles a racial discrimination suit for $176 million after it was discovered that Blacks had been denied promotions and pay increases because of their race. The suit grew to cover 1400 Black employees. * Amid growing racial tension in the South, nearly 40 Black churches are burned by racist White mobs. * Cuba Gooding Jr., wins the academy award for best supporting actor in the movie “Jerry Maguire.” * AIDS is found to be the leading cause of death among Black women aged 25-44. * Nigeria wins the Gold Medal for soccer in the Olympics. * Carl Lewis ends his Olympic career in Atlanta, GA by winning his 9th gold medal overall. Lewis retired with 9 gold and 1 silver Olympic medals. Lewis also won 8 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal in the world championships. He won 4 gold medals in the same Olympic Games in 1988 and a gold medal in the same event (long jump) in four consecutive Olympic Games.

* Jackie Joyner-Kersee ends her Olympic career by boasting 7 Olympic medals including 3 gold medals. She won back-to-back heptathlons in 1988 and 1992 and won a medal in four straight Olympic games (1988-1996). She holds the world record in the heptathlon. * Ebonics is created: A Resolution of the Board of Education to devise a program to improve the English language acquisition and application skills of Black students concluded whereas, numerous validated scholarly studies demonstrate that African American students as part of their culture and history as African people possess and utilize a language described in various scholarly approaches as “Ebonics” (literally Black sounds) or Pan African Communication Behaviors or African Language Systems; and Whereas, these studies have also demonstrated that African Language Systems are genetically based and not a dialect of English. * While incarcerated on death row in San Quentin Prison for murder, Stan “Tookie” Williams, the co-founder of the Los Angeles based street gang – Crips, publishes his first of seven books for children by speaking out against gangs and violence. Williams was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and once for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Williams now plays a role in a truce between the Crips and Bloods. Williams was convicted of murder in 1981 after killing 4 rival gang members in the escalating war between the Crips and Bloods. Black on Black Violence: By Stan “Tookie” Williams A process of Black survival in a White World: “The core of Black on Black violence is an embedded sense of self-hate created because of racism. Anytime an individual is spoon-fed derogatory images of himself and his race, after a period of time the

individual starts to believe those images. The images are stereotypes depicting that the majority of Blacks are buffoons, functioning illiterates, promiscuous, violent, welfare recipients and indigent criminals. Unfortunately too many Blacks buy into this and believe that those stereotypes are true. Blacks then lash out on those individuals that fit those stereotypes. Basically Blacks try to obliterate those images and individuals that perpetuate the racist stereotypes to rid themselves of the selfhate monster that subconsciously stalks them.”

* Jesse Jackson states the death penalty is essentially an arbitrary punishment. There are no objective rules or guidelines for when a prosecutor should seek the death penalty, when a jury should recommend it, and when a judge should give it. This lack of objective, measurable standards ensures that the application of the death penalty will be discriminatory against racial, gender, and ethnic groups.

1997 * Golfer Tiger Woods wins the Masters, becoming the 1st Black and youngest player ever to capture the prestigious golf tournament.

* Haitian immigrant Abner Louima is beaten repeatedly and sodomized with a broomstick by White Police Officers in a New York Police Department holding cell. Louima settled a $9 million suit for Civil Rights violations under the color of authority.

* California upholds proposition 209, which constitutionally outlaws affirmative action programs, which brings an end to efforts to improve employment and educational opportunities to minorities and women. * Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis wins a Pulitzer Prize for “Blood on the Fields” becoming the 1st jazz artist to win the award. * The TV movie Buffalo Soldiers airs on TNT based on the factual story about the all-Black U.S. Calvary Troop H which protected the Western territories in post Civil War times. The story focuses on the troops attempts to capture an Apache warrior who slaughters White settlers in New Mexico. The film examines the racial tensions that existed between the Black and White soldiers * The Million Women March takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to address the barriers Blacks face in America and was founded and formulated by Phile Chionesu, a grassroots activist, human rights advocate, and Black Nationalist/Freedom Fighter, and owner of an African crafts shop. * 3 million Africans died in conflicts unleashed by war in the Congo during attempts to overthrow Mobutu Sese Seko, a longtime partner of the U.S. government.

* Nationwide Insurance Company settles a $100 million suit for discrimination against Black policyholders by charging them more than Whites. * The movie “The Fifth Element” is released suggesting that the ancient Egyptian culture is the result of aliens from another world. This is another denial about the truth that ancient Egyptians were from Africa and they were Black. * President Bill Clinton awards 7 Black war heroes with the Medal of Honor for their service during World War II. Those honored are 2nd Lt. Vernon J. Baker, Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr., 1st Lt. John R. Fox, Pfc. Willy F. James Jr., Staff Sgt. Ruben Rivers, 1st Lt. Charles L. Thomas and Pvt. George Watson. Baker is the only soldier still alive at age 77. Blacks were initially denied the Medal of Honor during World War II due to their race which angered and humiliated them after their service to their country. Many Blacks served and died during the war, but records were not kept or they were overlooked concerning Blacks for their heroic actions in battle and accomplishments.

* Super Model Tyra Banks becomes the 1st Black model to make the covers of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, GQ Magazine and Victoria’s Secret and she did it all in the same year.

1998 * James Byrd Jr. is chained to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged 3 miles to his death by three White men in Jasper, Texas. Byrd was alive during most of the ordeal until his head was separated from his body after it disintegrated. The three KKK members were convicted of murder. * NBA superstar Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to their 6th NBA title. * J.C. Watts, a congressman from Oklahoma, becomes the 1st Black to be elected to a position of leadership in the Republican Party. * President Bill Clinton established the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic site at Moton Field in Tuskegee Alabama. * DNA evidence reveals that Thomas Jefferson probably fathered children with at least one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. Hemings had 6 children of mixed race. * David Satcher, a four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy, is appointed to the office of U.S. Surgeon General making him the 1st Black male to hold the position. Satcher holds a Ph.d. in medicine.

* Three White New York City public safety officers build, enter and ride on a float in the New York Labor Day parade. The float is called “Black to the Future - 2098” which depicts the three men wearing “Blackface” to depict “Jim Crow” and dragging a black dummy behind the float which is meant to represent James Byrd Jr., of Jasper, Texas. The three men claim it is their right under the 1st amendment. * Tyisha Miller is killed by 4 White Riverside Police Officers as she awoke in a vehicle with a gun in her lap. She was shot 12 times. The officers told conflicting stories of what happened but they were all cleared of the shooting. Toxicology tests on Miller revealed that she had been drugged with GHB, the date rape drug. Miller awoke, and probably had no idea the gun was in her lap, just as officers arrived on scene to do a welfare check on an unconscious person sitting in a car. Miller was not holding the gun or pointing it at the officers but they had already seen it. They began to shoot her without trying to evaluate the situation. Law enforcement defended their actions as following department policy.

* Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago is crowned Miss Universe. 1999 * Mpule Kwelagobe from Botswana is crowned Miss Universe. * Threatened with a Federal lawsuit, New Jersey agrees to new procedures to ensure that their State Police do not target minorities when making traffic stops. Authorities across the nation, including California and others, face scrutiny for racial profiling. * Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, is shot and killed by 4 White Police Officers of the New York Police Department as he was entering his apartment. The 4 officers fired 41 shots at Diallo hitting him 19 times. The officers claimed Diallo was holding a gun, but Diallo died holding his wallet to identify himself in an effort to comply. All the officers were exonerated of any wrong doing.

* Excerpts from a report from (EDGE) Ethics of Development in a Global Environment, the portrayal of minorities in the film, media and entertainment industries perpetuate the negative stereotypes of Blacks. Blacks have been treated as second-class citizens since the inception of this country. Forcibly brought here as slaves to the White man, Blacks have never been treated as completely equal to Whites. Stereotypes of Blacks as lazy, stupid, foolish, cowardly, submissive, irresponsible, childish, violent, sub-human, and animal-like, are rampant in today's society. These degrading stereotypes are reinforced and enhanced by the negative portrayal of Blacks in the media. Black characters have appeared in American films since the beginning of the industry in 1888. But Blacks weren't even hired to portray Blacks in early works. Instead,

White actors and actresses were hired to portray the characters while in "blackface." By refusing to hire Black actors to portray Black characters, demeaning stereotypes were being created as Blacks were presented in an unfavorable light. In addition, Blacks were purposely portrayed in films with negative stereotypes that reinforced White supremacy over Blacks. This has had a tremendous effect on our society's view of Blacks since motion pictures have had more of an impact on the public mind than any other entertainment medium in the last ninety years. * A group of Black farmers wins a suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for discriminating against them in giving out loans and subsidies because of their race. The case stemmed from 1000 Black farmers filing suit in 1996 to 22,000 farmers by 1999. $50,000.00 was paid to each farmer for a total settlement of $650 million. Another 73,000 farmer’s claim they were shut out because the settlement deadline wasn’t advertised widely enough, according to a report by the Environmental Working Group. * The movie “Cleopatra” is released for TV. The re-make does insult to the true race and color of ancient Egyptians by portraying Cleopatra as a light skinned Arabic looking queen. The injustice by Hollywood of constantly misrepresenting the true color and race of ancient Egyptians in movies continues the denial of Black heritage and the greatness of the ancient Egyptian and Nubian culture. * Lauryn Hill made history when she won 5 Grammy awards for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, including Album of the Year. It was the first time that a female recording artist had ever received that number of nominations and awards. * A painting of Black Jesus Wins Catholic Magazine's Millennium Art Contest. The painting, "Jesus of the People," was selected from nearly 1,700 entries for the cover of a special millennium issue to be published by the National Catholic Reporter, an independent newsweekly and one of the best-known Catholic publications in the country. "Jesus was definitely a person of color," said Rev. Dr. Mark A. Lomax, pastor of First Afrikan Presbyterian Church in Lithonia, GA. According to Lomax, who is also an Associate Professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center, there is no historical matter that gives a clue of Jesus' phenotype. "But one thing that is known for sure, Jesus was not European. His people came from Egypt. Egyptians are dark skinned," he said. Marvin Perkins agrees. He co-authored the Blacks in the Scriptures DVD series. He states the facts that support the theory that Jesus would have had darker skin. "Where did Joseph and Mary

take Jesus to escape as they sought to hide from King Herod?" he said. "They went to a place where they could blend in and not stand out: Egypt, known for its people of color." It cannot be argued that these people were African, said Reverend Derrick Rice, founding pastor of Sankofa United Church of Christ in Atlanta, GA. "As contrite as this statement has become, we have arrived at a point where anthropological evidence shows these people were definitely African," Rice said.

* Mpule Kwelagobe of South Africa wins the Miss Universe pageant. * Home Depot pays out $12 million in a lawsuit to Black employees who were denied promotions and treated differently than White employees. * Nelson Mandela retires. * Rosa Parks is awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. 2000 and Beyond: The New Millennium 2000 * Golfer Tiger Woods matches the record of Ben Hogan in 1953 by winning 3 professional major championships in the same year. Woods also becomes the 1st person since Denny Shute in 1936-1937 to win the PGA Championship in consecutive years. In winning the British Open, Woods becomes the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam of professional major championships.

* The U.S. census reports that the Black population reaches 36 million in the U.S. * Tennis player Venus Williams becomes the 1st Black to win Olympic gold medals in tennis for both singles and doubles. Williams also wins the singles title at Wimbledon becoming the 1st Black woman to do so since Althea Gibson in 1958. * As of the year 2000 dating back to 1876, 2073 Blacks have attained Ph.D.’s in science. From 1876-1969, 587 were issued, from 1960-1969, 214 were issued and from 1983-2000, 1272 were issued. * After a massive protest rally and NAACP boycott, The Governor of South Carolina is forced to remove a Confederate flag from atop of the dome of the Statehouse. The flag is a reminder of slavery for Blacks. The Governor claims it is southern heritage. That heritage is the institution of slavery and the memory of a war that the south lost.

* The Coca-Cola Company pays out $192.5 million to 2000 Black employees for racial discrimination, denial of promotions and no pay increases. * The Adam’s Mark Hotel chain pays $8 million for discriminating against 5 Black guests after charging them more for rooms and giving fewer amenities than White guests. * Lockheed Martin is sued by 41 Black employees after they endured racial taunts, pay discrimination, denied promotions, found KKK literature at their work stations and was subjected to racial epithets. * Wonder Bread pays out $120 million in a lawsuit by Black employees who were discriminated against at the Wonder Bread plant by being treated differently than White employees and subjected to racial epithets.

* Lynette Cole of Tennessee wins the Miss USA pageant. * During the presidential election, Florida officials deliberately sabotaged the voting rights of Blacks through massive disenfranchisement schemes like moving polling places and falsely listing Blacks as ex-felons making them ineligible to vote. The Supreme Court ignored the schemes therefore aiding George W. Bush to win the election over former vise president Al Gore who served under President Bill Clinton. Bush won the election by 538 votes to become President. The Governor of Florida at the time was Jeb Bush who is the brother of George W. Bush. 2001 * Robert Johnson, BET founder, becomes the 1st Black to make the Forbes list of the world’s richest people. * Kenneth Chenault of AMEX, and Franklin Raines of Fannie Mae, becomes the 1st Blacks appointed CEO of fortune 500 companies. * Xerox is hit by a $12 million class action lawsuit for racial discrimination toward 1100 Black former employees who were discriminated against in the manner how sales territories are assigned, unpaid commissions, along with other issues and discriminatory practices. * President George Bush Jr., names General Colin Powell, Secretary of State making him the 1st Black to hold the office along with Condoleezza Rice as National Security Adviser making her the 1st Black and female to hold the office. Rod Paise becomes the 1st Black Education Secretary.

* Violence erupts in Cincinnati, Ohio over a White Police Officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed Black teenager Timothy Thomas. Citing a “clear and present danger,” Mayor Charlie Luke declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew. The officer was acquitted of any wrongdoing.

* The U.S. Department of Justice reports that Blacks are far more likely to be incarcerated than Whites or Hispanics. For every 100,000 people in the United States, 3535 Blacks were locked up compared to 1177 Hispanics and 462 Whites. The 3 states with the highest incarceration rates were Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. * The Commonwealth Fund Survey on healthcare in America found that even if racism ended tomorrow, the effects would persist for generations. The consequences of the profound poverty that discrimination has engendered on Blacks along with widespread attitudes that encourage racism and prejudice, will take time and commitment to change. Blacks still find themselves on the lower rungs of the socio-economic scale and therefore face the crippling effects of both racism and classism, which often reinforce and legitimize each other. * Agbani Darego of Nigeria, Africa becomes the 1st Black woman to be crowned Miss World. * Apple Computer is hit with a $40 million suit for racial discrimination and wrongful termination of a Black product design engineer. * Nissan, GM, Chrysler, Toyota and Ford motor companies were hit with class-action lawsuits in 33 states including California because Black customers paid more than White customers with identical credit ratings when taking out auto loans.

* The United Postal Service (UPS) settles a suit for $8.2 million with 5000 Black employees for wrongful terminations and harsh differential treatment in comparison to White employees. * The movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is released telling the story of the planets of the solar system going into planetary alignment (which occurs every 5,000 years), and a secret society called the Illuminati who is seeking an ancient talisman that gives its possessor the ability to control time and gain great power over the world or bring the destruction of the world if used by people with dark intentions. However, they need a certain clock/key to help them in their search, and they have to find the talisman in one week or wait until the next planetary alignment to find it again. The Egyptian symbols used in the movie are a triangle representing the “triangle of light” which was believed to create a utopian state and world of only good and the “Eye of Horus” or the “all seeing eye”, the Egyptian symbol used to ensure the safety and health of the bearer and provide wisdom and prosperity. Hollywood loves to use the symbols and cultural references of ancient Egypt, but they never acknowledge that the Egyptian culture was created by Nubians and Black Africans. The same symbol is printed on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill. The ancient story of the triangle of light was used to create the movie.

* Barry Bonds breaks pro baseball’s single season home-run record with 73. * Tiger Woods becomes the 1st golfer in history to simultaneously hold all four PGA titles. * Bishop Wilton Gregory becomes the 1st Black bishop to be elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

* Kirby Puckett is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Puckett led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991. He won 10 all-star awards, 6 gold glove awards and 1 MVP award. 2002 * April marks the 500th anniversary of the start of the TransAtlantic slave trade. * Actress Halle Berry becomes the 1st Black woman to win an Academy Award for best actress in the movie “Monster’s Ball.” Denzel Washington wins an academy award for best actor in the movie “Training Day.” He is the only Black to win the award since 1963 when Sidney Poitier played in “Lilies of the Fields.” 2002 also marked Washington as the entertainer of the year.

* The Baltimore Ravens appoint Ozzie Newsome as their general manager making him the 1st Black general manager in the NFL. Newsome is a NFL Hall of Famer who played for the Cleveland Browns from 1978-1990. * Dating back to 1929, 32 African-Americans have been awarded or nominated for an academy award (Oscar) in the categories: best supporting actress, best supporting actor, best actress and best actor. * The Slavery Reparations Coordinating Committee, led by prominent Black lawyers and activists, announces plans to sue companies that profited from slavery. * Republican Senator Trent Lott signaled his support for segregationist groups in a speech before the G.O.P. - In 1990 he attended a meeting with a White supremacist group and stated that they stand for the right principles and right philosophy.

* Officer Jeremy Morse, of the Inglewood Police Department, was fired for “assault under color of authority” after he was videotaped slamming 16-year-old Donovan Jackson on the hood of his patrol car and punching him in the face while he was handcuffed. Morse’s partner, Bijan Davvish was fired for allegedly filing a false report about the incident. * Robert L. Johnson, founder of BET, becomes the 1st Black majority owner in the NBA by obtaining the Charlotte Hornets. * The Sara Lee Corp. pays $3.5 million to 139 Black employees who were subjected to racial slurs, frequent drug tests, given extra duties and denied promotions. * The MetLife Insurance Company settled a $250 million suit after discriminating against Black policyholders by charging Blacks more than Whites and for selling inferior policies door to door in Black neighborhoods. * The Waffle House settled a $275 million racial discrimination suit filed by four Blacks. * Evian Water settles a $1.25 million suit because Black delivery drivers were paid less than White drivers. * NASA settles a $3.75 million suit because Blacks were unfairly denied promotions. * The Social Security Administration agrees to pay undisclosed millions of dollars to settle a suit by 2200 Black employees because of discrimination. * Bobsledder Vanetta Flowers becomes the 1st Black gold medalist in the winter Olympics history. * Blanche Bruce becomes the 1st Black dedicated with a portrait in the Senate hallway. Bruce was the 1st Black to serve a full term in the Senate from 1875-1881. * Shauntay Hinton of the District of Columbia wins the Miss USA pageant. * President George Bush Jr., has proclaimed the month of June to be “Black Music Month” in recognition for the critical part of American heritage Black musicians, singers and composers have

contributed to our nation’s history through music from gospel to hip-hop. * Dr. Boyd E. Graves reveals to the world that he obtained the 1971 AIDS flowchart (Special Virus Cancer Program) he obtained from the U.S. Government by the Freedom of Information Act. The chart outlines the creation of the HIV virus by the U.S. Government and its target release area of Africa to specifically target Blacks. The virus mutated and now attacks all races. Dr. Basil E. Wainright, Physicist & Three Time Nobel Nominee, of Nairobi, Kenya believes that if AIDS is not deactivated within 66 years there will be no Blacks left in Africa (1999). Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS says the HIV/AIDS virus is the result of many steps in the laboratory and was no accident. It is believed that the virus was created to control the Black population and third world countries all over the world to guarantee Whites obtain perpetual domination of the rest of the human race because of their own fear of annihilation due to their numerical minority status among the world’s population.

* Canadian archaeologists in Sudan, using magnetometers, found a 2,000 year old palace in the heart of the ancient Black civilization of Nubia. Krzysztof Grzymski, a professor at the University of Toronto and a curator at the Royal Ontario Museum, located what he believes are the remains of a palace and a colonnade built more than 2,000 years ago by a rival to Egypt as perhaps the greatest Black civilization ever.

2003 * Nike is hit by a $7.6 million settlement in a class action lawsuit for racial discrimination against 400 Black employees who were subjected to racial slurs and purposely placed in lowerpaying positions such as the stockroom and as cashiers. Store security was told to monitor the Black employees simply because they were Black. * According to U.S. Government and Department of Defense statistics, Blacks make up 12% of the U.S. population but account for 22% of the enlisted military force. * A U.S. Employment statistics survey reports that Blacks, on the average, earn 30% less than Whites in industries where a bachelor’s degree is required. Blacks lose better jobs faster as middle-class work drops. The Black unemployment rate is rising twice as fast as that of Whites and faster than in any downturn since the mid 1970’s recession. At the same time Hispanics are gaining better jobs. * Elson S. Floyd becomes the 1st Black president of the University of Missouri. Floyd holds a doctorate in adult education. * Tiger Woods becomes the 1st player in 73 years to win the Bay Hill Invitational PGA golf tournament 5 times in a row. * Oprah Winfrey, HARPO Production Company founder becomes the 1st Black women to make the Forbes list of the world’s richest people having a net worth of $1 billion.

* According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population in the U.S. surpassed the Black population by 1%. The Black population has not increased in percentage since the late 1800’s where it was estimated to be around 12%. * Four Black men file a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department for repeatedly being stopped and searched for weapons without cause or reason which is a clear violation of the 4th amendment of the Constitution. Attorneys for the case say they have received similar complaints for years. * KKK member, Ernest Avants, is convicted of killing Ernest White back in 1967 in Jackson, Mississippi. * Paleontologist Tim White, from UC Berkeley, re-affirms through genetic evidence that modern man arose in Africa between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago – and not from multiple locations in Europe and Asia. Migration would account for the finding of ancient human civilizations found outside of Africa. This view is supported by Rick Potts, director of the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian Institute. * Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson becomes the 1st Black soldier and female captured as a P.O.W. in the war with Iraq. Jessica Lynch, who is White, is the second female soldier captured and taken as a prisoner or war. Although Lynch was held captive for less time than Johnson, Lynch made the cover of Newsweek magazine, her family was interviewed on live TV and there was talk about making her story into a movie. Little to nothing has been heard of regarding Johnson. Johnson will receive $700.00 a month less than Lynch in disability benefits when discharged. The Pentagon will not respond to Johnson family complaints of differential treatment. Once again America shows its true colors. “If you are White you are alright, if you are Black get back.”

* Teresa Phillips, of Tennessee State University, becomes the 1st woman to coach a men’s college basketball team. * Kevin Cohee becomes the chairman and CEO of the largest Black owned bank in the nation after a merger between One United Bank and Unity Bank and Trust. The combined merger has assets of $500 million. * Vernice Armour, Captain USMC, becomes the 1st Black woman combat pilot in the history of the Marine Corp. She flies a Cobra attack helicopter. * Abercrombie and Fitch is hit with a Federal discrimination suit for discriminating against minorities by projecting and maintaining an all White image for their clothing line. * Barry Bonds becomes the 1st player in Major League Baseball history to steal 500 bases and hit 500 homeruns. Bonds also wins his 6th National League MVP award making him the only player to win the award more than 3 times. Bonds is a 12-time All Star. * NBA superstar Michael Jordan retires for the 3rd time of his career. Jordan finished his career with a rookie of the year award, 6 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, made the NBA’s 50 greatest players list, won 2 Olympic Gold Medals, won 10 scoring titles, won 11 MVP awards, made the all star team 13 times, won 2 slam dunk titles, won defensive player of the year and 9 defensive first team awards, 10 first team awards, and was named the Associated Press sportsman of the year three times in a row. Jordan scored 32,292 points, 5633 assists and 6672 rebounds. He is arguably the greatest all around player in NBA history and he made the cover of Sports Illustrated 52 times.

* The story of “Julius Caesar” is made into a TV mini series. Queen Cleopatra is played by a White actress. This is another injustice done to Blacks as Hollywood continues to deny the truth about who Egyptians really were are what color their skin was. * Senator Strom Thurmond dies and leaves behind a secret. Thurmond was an outspoken segregationist who opposed Civil Rights while fathering a daughter, Elsie Mae Williams, by one of his former Black servants Essie Butler. Thurmond spent his political career publicly making Blacks miserable while he spent his private life sharing the bed of a Black servant. * Target, Kit Kat and TNN release commercials promoting their product depicting Black men acting silly just as the “Jim Crow” stereotype of Blacks did in the 1800’s. Citibank shows a commercial of a Black transvestite as an identity thief. A commercial for “A Drug Free America” shows a Black juvenile as a marijuana user. All these media releases continue to stereotype Blacks as inferior or criminals. * Tennis player Serena Williams wins her second Wimbledon tennis title by defeating her sister Venus in the finals. * R & B singer Barry White dies from complications with liver cancer. * President George Bush Jr., visits Africa in the face of civil war to prepare for the use of U.S. troops to stop the fighting. President Bush speaks out that slavery was one of the greatest crimes in history and its affects are still causing problems for Blacks today. President Bush asks congress for $15 billion in AIDS relief. As civil war continues, the death toll surpasses 600 in just a few days. The region has been fighting for over 14 years as countless thousands have died. U.S. troops were never sent in to

stop the civil war. It was not reported if the promised money was ever sent to Africa. America has no reason of gain or interest to actively help Africa. * A Swiss archaeological team working in northern Sudan uncovered one of the most remarkable Egyptological finds in recent years. At the site known as Kerma, near the third cataract of the Nile, archaeologist Charles Bonnet and his team discovered a ditch within a temple from the ancient city of Pnoubs, which contained seven monumental black granite statues. Magnificently sculpted, and in an excellent state of preservation, they portrayed five pharaonic rulers, including Taharqa and Tanoutamon, the last two pharaohs of the 'Nubian' Dynasty, when Egypt was ruled by kings from the lands of modern-day Sudan. For over half a century, the Nubian pharaohs governed a combined kingdom of Egypt and Nubia, with an empire stretching from the Delta to the upper reaches of the Nile. * Feraris Golden of Belle Glade, Florida was found dead hanging from a tree with his hands tied behind his back (Lynched). The police said it was a suicide and quickly closed the case. Golden had been dating a White policeman’s daughter. * The National Bureau of Economic Research, using authors from University of Chicago and MIT, published a paper concluding that a person with a Black sounding name on a resume remains an impediment to getting a job. A study was done where 1300 classified ads were responded to with dummy resumes; the authors found that Black sounding names were 50% less likely to get a callback than White sounding names with comparable resumes. The study concluded that Black names are associated with lower socioeconomic status. In a second NBER study, authors conducted a survey using 500 real resumes and responded to the same 1300 classified ads from the first study. The authors interchanged Black sounding names with White sounding names for the same resumes. The study concluded that regardless of the quality of the resumes featuring skills and experience, White sounding names are 30% more likely to receive a callback than a Black sounding name. The two studies concluded that Emily and Greg are more likely to be employed than Lakisha and Jamal. Cultural identity comes at the cost of a job for Blacks in America. * Rush Limbaugh of ESPN sports said that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is overrated because the media wants a Black quarterback to succeed. Limbaugh resigned over the media frenzy fallout.

* Three former Oakland Police Officers known as “The Riders” who were fired after being charged with 35 felony counts for corruption, kidnapping and assault towards Blacks were acquitted by a mostly White jury. Several of the jurors who wished to remain anonymous told local newspapers after the year long trial that their minds were made up before the trial started. Several jurors said that those Black victims were criminals with criminal records. * Nathanial Jones of Cincinnati, Ohio died from injuries after being beat with batons by 6 White Police Officers after falling down a hill into a parking lot. The Police arrived on scene and a fight ensued between Jones and the Officers. Autopsy results indicated that Jones had drugs in his system and an enlarged heart but the cause of death was listed as the struggle with Police. * Kenneth Walker of Columbus, Georgia was shot in the head and killed by Deputy David Glisson after a traffic stop in which Walker’s car was said to fit the description of a car used for drug trafficking. Walker was ordered out of the car and told to lay on the ground. Officer Glisson said he could not see Walker’s right hand and shot him in the head. * Tiger Woods wins his 5th straight PGA Tour player of the year award. * Former Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Fame inductee Paul Hornung said during an interview that the Fighting Irish can improve their football fortunes by easing up on academic restrictions for Blacks because “we gotta get the Black athlete if we are going to compete with the other big colleges.” * Ericka Harold is crowned Miss America 2003 after being crowned Miss Illinois in 2002. * An Ohio insurance company agrees to pay $1 million in a settlement for overcharging Blacks for burial insurance. * A study of the Auto industry concluded that car dealerships charge Blacks a higher interest rate for new car financing than they charge Whites. * Bill Lester becomes the 1st Black Nascar driver to have his face on a cereal box. Lester has an engineering degree from UC Berkley. * 419 Colonial-era slaves and free Blacks, which were uncovered in 1991 during construction of a federal office tower in Manhattan,

were re-buried a short distance away from the market where some of them were once sold as slaves. The original grave site was a five acre burial ground that was closed in 1794 and long forgotten. It was the final resting place for an estimated 20,000 Blacks. In 1741, there was a slave revolt and some Whites fought alongside with the slaves. The punishment for those Whites was to be lynched and buried with Blacks in the cemetery. * There are 58 Blacks on Hollywood’s walk of fame in the categories of acting, writing, music, directing and performing arts. * Terrance Shurn of Benton Harbor, Michigan is killed in motorcycle crash fleeing from police. 300 Blacks riot for 2 days requiring State police to respond to calm the civil unrest. * President George Bush Jr., issued guidelines barring Federal agents from using race or ethnicity in their investigations. This policy acknowledges that racial profiling exists and is a national concern, but it does nothing to stop it. * Kamala Harris becomes the 1st Black district attorney in California and 1st female district attorney of San Francisco. * Freddy Adu, age 14, becomes the youngest player in the history of major league soccer when he signed a contract to play for the District of Columbia. * Janna Scantleburg becomes the 1st Black women to join the Queen of Britain’s mounted guard in London near Buckingham Palace. * Michael Fuller becomes the 1st Black Chief Constable of Kent, London. * Jarome Iginla becomes the 1st Black captain in the National Hockey League to play for Canada’s Calgary Flames. * Grant Fuhr becomes the 1st Black inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Fuhr helped the Edmonton Oilers win 5 Stanley Cups. * The music industry reports that the Billboard’s Hot 100 top 10 singles spots were all filled by Black artists. * The Microsoft Corp. is hit with multiple discrimination suits by 8 Black employees totaling $5 billion for being discriminated against through evaluations, denied promotions, paid less and being forced to resign at a higher frequency than White employees.

* According to reports and studies from the Department of Education, America’s Children and Building Blocks for Children: Black youths continue to face challenges in education, health care and are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. The figures show that Black youths have a higher rate of high school drop, enrollments in special education, are held back a grade and a higher rate of suspension and expulsion that White students. Black youths have a higher rate of arrests, detentions, placement in residential programs and admission to adult prison than White youths. Black youths suffer a higher rate of low birth weight, infant mortality, child mortality, obesity and have no health insurance than White youths. * Dennis Archer, the former mayor of Detroit, becomes the 1st Black president of the American Bar Association. The ABA has over 400,000 members and was established in 1878. * Federal Express is hit with a multi-million dollar discrimination lawsuit by Black employees who claim they were treated differently than White employees in regard to promotion, compensation and discipline. 2004 * Barry Bonds breaks Willie Mays’ home run record hitting #661 to become 3rd on the All-time list behind Hank Aaron who has 755. Bonds wins his 7th MVP award and 4th in a row and passes the 700homerun mark. * Erika Dunlap of Florida is crowned Miss America 2004 and is the 1st Black to be crowned Miss Florida. * Tiger Woods won for the 40th time on the PGA Tour in just 149 starts. This is the quickest anyone has reached that milestone in PGA history. He earned $1.2 million which is the biggest prize to date on the PGA Tour. * Maryann Wyatt, Joe Moore and other Historians from the California State University at Sacramento discovered documents and county records from all over the state dating back to the 1800’s detailing that slavery existed in California even after California entered the Union as a free state in 1850. * The U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Labor has concluded that Blacks have fallen behind Latinos in total U.S. population and have a higher rate of unemployment and poverty as compared to Latinos and Whites.

* A study of high school children across the U.S. determined that Whites on average receive grades of A and B while Blacks receive grades of C, D and F. This comes after 50 years since the Brown vs. The Board of Education ruling in 1954. * The Cracker Barrel Restaurant chain faces a $100 million civil lawsuit after the Department of Justice concluded that 50 restaurants across 7 states had engaged in blatant racial discrimination against 100 Blacks by segregating them from White customers or refusing to serve them. Cracker Barrel denies the allegations and has taken a “so what” position if the lawsuit prevails. * The Taylor County High School in Albany, Georgia holds segregated Whites only prom. Blacks have their own separate prom. * Ousmane Zanga, an unarmed street vender, was shot and killed by NYPD officer Ryan Conroy and will face criminal charges for wrongful killing. * Melody Hobson, CEO, of Ariel Capital Management is highlighted as managing the largest Black investment company on Wall Street overseeing $18 Billion in assets. * An undersea earthquake measuring a magnitude of 9.3 causing a tsunami in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand that kills 225,000. President Bush sends 35 million dollars in aide, supplies and manpower to help the devastated area. 54 countries and the World Bank donate 1.8 billion to help the area. The help was needed but it is curious that this kind of help or concern is not given to help Africa. * Rhythm & Blues / Punk Funk superstar star Rick James dies in his sleep. He was a Grammy winner and known as the King of Funk.

* Rebel Arab Militias attack and impose a scorched-earth policy and kill over 70,000 Africans and displace another 1.2 million in the Darfar region of the Sudan as the local government and world takes no action the stop the genocide. It is estimated that 10,000 a month die from the situation. Disease and famine plague the region. The U.S. ignores the problems of Africa because it holds no strategic interest for the U.S. according to statements from U.S. Congressmen. The world sees Africa as one continent, but actually it is 56 different nations evolving at different rates heading toward democracy. Africa provides 18% of the oil and 70% of the chocolate imported by the United States. * In a government report on National Healthcare Disparities, there is significant inequality in quality of healthcare in the U.S. for Blacks as they are locked out of a health care system that treats patients based on skin color, socioeconomic status and geographic location. There have been more than 4 million preventable deaths since 1940 because of discriminatory practices that have had a devastating impact on the Black community. * Music great and winner of 12 Grammy’s, Ray Charles, dies. The story of his life would be made into a movie and released in 2005 titled “Ray”.

* Stanly Miller, a Black male, is shown on news video footage being beaten in the head 11 times with a flashlight after giving up and being subdued by several Los Angeles Police Officers after he stole a vehicle and was stopped. * Simmie Knox of Little Rock, Arkansas is the 1st Black to paint an “official” presidential portrait. Knox painted former President Bill Clinton. Knox was born a sharecropper in 1935. * Jacqueline Duty, a Lexington, Kentucky high school senior designed and wore a sequence rebel flag as her prom dress but the school refused to allow her to enter the prom wearing the dress. Duty filed a lawsuit stating her 1st amendment rights were violated. Her actions caused her to lose several college scholarships because she is now deemed to be a racist. She doesn’t see what the problem is. * Kweise Mfume steps down as President of the N.A.A.C.P. * Fifty years after the Supreme Court ruled against school segregation, integration and academic equality remain elusive for Blacks. Minorities and Whites are increasingly taught in separate schools and Blacks and Latinos often make do with limited resources and find themselves in classrooms with few non-minority faces. * The movie “Aliens vs. Predator” is released. The movie shows that alien beings discovered earth and taught primitive humans how to build the pyramids and was the basis for the culture of the time. Once again ancient Egyptians are denied their culture as Hollywood distorts the truth. * Actor & Comedian Bill Cosby speaks out against low income Blacks for not setting standards of morality and values and giving into the negative stereotypes that have haunted Blacks throughout history. Blacks have chosen to follow fame and fortune rather than education and hard work. Street culture has become confused with Black identity and culture, dooming many young blacks to mediocrity because these kids see a larger society as a distant fairyland with goodies they can never have unless they take them by any means necessary.

* Wangari Maathai, an ecologist from Kenya, becomes the 1st African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize through her greenbelt movement to plant trees in Africa. She also stated that she believes the AIDS virus was deliberately created in the West as a biological agent to target Africans. * Aquil Abdullah becomes the 1st Black male to become a member of the Olympic rowing team. * Maritza Correia becomes the 1st Black woman to make the U.S. Olympic swim team. * President George Bush Jr., refuses an invitation to speak before the NAACP convention during his presidential re-election campaign. * Government hate crime statistics indicate that racial intolerance is on the rise. At present there ate 762 active hate groups operating in the U.S. attempting to revive the principles of the Confederacy. These hate groups justify slavery as being God ordained. * Phylicia Rashad becomes the 1st Black actress to win a “Tony Award” for a leading dramatic role in her portrayal of (Lena Younger) in “A Raison in the Sun.” * Barack Obama becomes only the 3rd Black to be elected to the U.S. Senate after reconstruction. 2005 * The Center for Disease Control reports that 50% of the reported AIDS cases in the U.S. are among Blacks while Blacks make up only 12% of the U.S. population. This unbalanced ratio is attributed to

drug addiction, poverty and poor access to healthcare among Blacks. * Condoleezza Rice becomes the 1st Black woman named as Secretary of State, appointed by President George Bush Jr.

* Former President Bill Clinton tells the world on national television that the only regret he has of his presidency was that the U.S. did nothing the help the people of Africa. He admits that he could have prevented thousands from dying from Arab rebel violence, starvation and disease in the Sudan. * The U.S. Senate issues an apology to Black Americans for failing to pass anti-lynching laws during the era when Blacks were lynched for no reason in the 1800’s – 1900’s. Seven Presidents requested the anti-lynching laws during that era but the Senate always blocked the passage of the law. * The world including the U.S. pours out its heart and support to help the victims (over 250,000) of the 2004 Tsunami disaster in the area of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and surrounding coastal countries while still ignoring the genocide that is occurring in Africa because of Arab rebels. It has been stated that the U.S. is trying to gain favor with the Islamic community by offering aide to a predominantly Muslim region of the world in order to help the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. * Serena Williams wins her 7th Grand Slam singles title by winning the Australian Open. * Liya Kebede of Ethiopia becomes the 1st Black woman to land a coveted cosmetics contract with Estee Lauder. Despite this, runway

shows still have and show a small percentage of Black super models with the exception of Alex Wek of Sudan, Naomi Campbell of the U.S. and a few less prominent others. Black women have yet to tear down the race barrier of the super model world. * According to the FBI report, “Hate Crime Statistics,” hate crimes against Blacks are nearly twice that of all other race groups combined. * According to the Justice Policy Institute report, “Racial Divide:” An examination of the Impact of California’s Three Strikes Law on Blacks and Hispanics, Blacks are sentenced to life in prison nearly 13 times the rate of Whites. * Reggie Fowler becomes the 1st Black owner of an NFL team by purchasing the Minnesota Vikings. * The Los Angeles Police shoot and kill 13-year old Devin Brown after a car chase. Apparently Brown stole the car and was joyriding with a friend. The unarmed Brown was shot at the conclusion of the chase. Brown’s friend was arrested without incident. * Sophie Okonedo, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman and Don Cheadle are nominated for academy awards as Blacks make up 25% of the nominees for this years Oscar ceremony. Comedian Chris Rock is the guest host speaker. Morgan Freeman goes on to win the best supporting actor award for “Million Dollar Baby” and Jamie Foxx wins the best actor award for the movie “Ray” as in (Ray Charles). * President George Bush Jr., posthumously awards baseball great Jackie Robinson the Congressional Gold Medal for his pioneer work in baseball and civil rights. Robinson’s family will accept the award. * The Christian Coalition settles a multi-million dollar lawsuit with 12 Black employees who claimed they were made to enter the head quarters through the back door, barred from the employee lunchroom and excluded from prayer meetings and social events while White employees were openly accepted. The coalition paid out $325,000 for silence from the Black employees. * TV sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" airs on CBS and ran until 2009 which is based on the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock in Brooklyn, New York. The show is set between 1982 and 1987, but Rock himself was a teenager from 1978 to 1983. Chris's life is plagued by an abundance of disadvantages; he is mercilessly

harassed by his bullying, racially prejudiced White schoolmates, the material items of his desires often cannot be purchased easily, his home life is often unpleasant, his grades in school are poor, he is avoided by girls, and resides in an environment populated partially by gangsters, muggers, thieves, and con artists. * The United Nations estimates that more than 80 million Africans will die from AIDS by the year 2025 if something isn’t done to fight the disease. 25 million people in Africa are already infected with the HIV virus. The U.N. estimates it will take more than $200 Billion dollars to save 16 million already infected and prevent another 43 million from getting the disease. * A team of U.S. and Ethiopian scientists has discovered the fossilized remains of what they believe is humankind’s first walking ancestor, a hominid that lived in the wooded grasslands of the Horn of Africa nearly 4 million years ago. The specimen is the only the fourth partial skeleton ever to be discovered that is older than the 3 million year old “Lucy”. It was found after two months of excavation at Mille, 37 miles from the famous “Lucy” discovery. * Burger King releases a commercial for their new bacon crisp cheddar ranch burger. The burger grows on trees and is displayed by ditzy sex symbol women in an atmosphere of stupid comedy. A Black cowboy sings a silly melody while two more Black cowboys lay on a hilltop eating the burger in a dream like atmosphere. The whole scene portrays the Blacks as silly and lazy. The radio version of the commercial is a normal sounding serious release with the voice of a White sounding male. * Three unrelated high profile homicide cases occur in different states within 2 weeks of each other. The cases are: a shooting at a church, the killing of a judge’s family and a shooting at a courthouse. All three cases receive media attention. Two of the three suspects are White, but the only suspect that is shown on TV is the Black suspect, Brian Nichols. Nichols’ photo is shown on TV every 30 minutes detailing what he did while photos of the suspects from the other two cases are not shown and the cases reveal minimal details. The media floods the airways with the photos of Black crime suspects every chance they get, but seldom give the same exposure to White suspects unless the crimes involve celebrities or are high profile. The media did the same thing involving the Lee Boyd Malvo sniper case in 2002. The media continues to display Blacks as criminals, silly, lazy or indigent with the same stereotype and effect of the slave era.

* Hollywood releases the TV movie “Minotaur” which portrays the sacrifice of the local villagers, who are White, to a giant demonic bull that lives in an underground labyrinth. This is a cross between mythology and ancient Egypt. The only Blacks in the movie are played by a Black brother and sister that are servants of the bull. The brother is evil and views himself as a god and is the evil overlord of the realm who feeds the locals to the raging bull. Once again Hollywood portrays Blacks in a negative role and even hints at incest in ancient Egypt when the evil brother wants his sister the have his child. In the end a villager kills the bull and brings down the evil overlord. * Winston Hayes, 44 and unarmed, is shot 4 times, in a barrage of over 120 bullets, by 10 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies, after he was spotted speeding, driving erratically and failing to stop for the officers in the Compton neighborhood. Apparently his vehicle matched the description of a murder suspect and / or a stolen vehicle but officers had no idea of the race of the true suspect driver or if he was armed. The Deputies started shooting without confirming if Hayes was the right person they were looking for, however he was black and that was good enough for them. The Deputies were shooting from 3 directions and also fired bullets into nearby houses from their crossfire. * Attorney Johnny Cochran Dies. Cochran represented people like Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, Lenny Bruce, Elmer Pratt, Sean Combs, Rosa Parks and others. Cochran is known for saying “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

* Best Buy is hit by a class action racial and sex discrimination lawsuit for discriminating against Blacks by paying them less than Whites, and being denied promotions, assigned to less desirable positions, assigned fewer hours and denied transfers.

* Frank Jude of Milwaukee was beaten by 9 off-duty White police officers, who have been fired, for the beating and using racial slurs against the victim. The incident occurred at a party for the officers. The officers accused Jude of stealing a police wallet and badge. Jude did not have the stolen items. * Tiger Woods wins his 4th green jacket by winning the 2005 Masters Gold Tournament. Since turning pro in 1996, Woods has won 46 tournaments as of April 2005.

* Food Service Company Sodexho Inc. agrees to pay $80 million to settle a lawsuit brought on by thousands of Black employees who were barred from promotion and segregated within the company. * President George Bush Jr., has vowed to give $50 million dollars to the Palestinian’s to aid their suffering due to their war with Israel. Once again the U.S. ignores the needs of Africa, but openly helps another country. At the same time former President Bill Clinton continues to tour Indonesia to provide aid to the tsunami victims. * National Honor Society student Shadoyia Jones is listed as “Black Girl” instead of her name in the yearbook of the Waxahachie High School in Texas. The school denies anything racial about the incident claiming it was a mistake because they didn’t know her name. Another high school in Texas defamed a female Black honor role student by printing the caption “voted most likely to kill the president” under her name when it should have read “voted most likely to become president. (The Secret Service took action and removed the contents of this story from the internet before I could get the details

because of the alleged threat to the President’s life while overlooking the racist action).

* The military reports that Black recruitment is down probably due in part to the number of soldiers dying from war in Iraq and the opposition to the war by the Black community according to military analyst David Segal. * The United Nations and the International Red Cross provide aid to African refugees in the Sudan but the U.S. is notably absent and has not provided any help. Arab militias continue to rape and kill while the people die of starvation and disease. * The Attorney General’s office in New York and the Federal department of H.U.D. conducted under cover tests after receiving complaints from an equal-housing group that Blacks and Hispanics were being discriminated against in buying homes. It was discovered after 58 tests at 25 agencies that half of the real estate agencies steered minorities to certain areas or denied showing them property. * The internet company T-Shirt Hell begins selling t-shirts showing a Black baby in handcuffs sucking a pacifier with the caption “Arrest Black Babies Before They Become Criminals”.

* Janice Rodgers Brown is confirmed for a judge seat on the federal appeals bench in the District of Columbia after overcoming heavy opposition. * President George Bush Jr., dismissed proposals by Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair to increase aid to Africa and allow them to borrow money with the promise to repay it in the future. Bush said from the oval office to South African President Thabo Mbeki and reporters it doesn’t fit our budgetary process. Bush instead pushed the idea of canceling Africa’s debt to the World Bank and the IMF fund. Without the backing of the U.S., the G8 finance

ministers are reluctant to offer direct aid. After intense debate, the G8 decided to cancel the debt of Africa and other poor countries. The U.S. agreed to provide between $1.3 and $1.75 billion in unspecified compensation to help Africa. * The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Senate is going to vote on a resolution to apologize to the Black community for its poor record on lynching and for failing to enact an anti-lynching law first proposed 105 years ago. According to research from Washington D.C., 4,743 Blacks were lynched between 1882 and 1968. The civic fathers and leaders of the community often participated in these public events as they were a socially acceptable way of demonstrating control over Blacks. Lynching was given the same consideration as our national holidays are given today. Schools and businesses closed, articles were printed in the newspaper and spectators took souvenir body parts from the victims. * The media comes under fire for their disproportionate emphasis on covering White’s when they become missing as compared to Blacks and other minorities. Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, said that attractive blond White females are likely to get covered, while poor Blacks and other minorities do not get covered. The FBI reports that 1 in 5 abducted or kidnapped in the U.S. is Black yet they do not receive media coverage when they become crime victims. * Olympic sprinter Asafa Powell, of Jamaica, sets a new world records in the 100-meter sprint with a speed of 9.77 at the Olympic stadium in Greece. * Michael Jackson is acquitted on all charges of child molestation. This would be the 2nd time the courts failed to prove accusations against Jackson and convict the singer on such charges.

* Nextel designs billboard ads for its boost mobile phone by depicting a bug-eyed Black male asking “where you at?” The ad exploits Black youth by promoting non-standard English and resurrects the image of the Black Sambo resulting in “racist parody.”

* 11 Current and former Black employees of Walgreen’s file a discrimination lawsuit in seven states claiming that Walgreen’s has a “pervasive policy” of steering Black employees to work in areas in stores that have mostly Black or poor customers, using an internal system to categorize stores based on race and income. The lawsuit also says that Black employees are denied advancement opportunities because they are steered to work in the low profit stores whose bonuses are tied to store sales and gross profit. * T-Mobile cellular releases a commercial showing a Black male tied up and being interrogated by police. While the context of the commercial seems innocent, it continues the visual stereotype that criminals are always Black. * R & B great Luther Vandross dies from complications due to diabetes. During his career he sold over 25 million records, won 8 Grammy awards and produced 14 platinum albums.

* In a 2004 study was done on race in Major League Baseball, it was discovered that Blacks make up just 9% of the players as compared to 27% in the mid-1970’s. Some of this is attributed to Black fathers missing from the family as baseball is more of a father / son sport while football and basketball can be played at school without parent involvement when youths are young. Poverty among Blacks also contributes to this situation as Black youths turn to video games and watching TV to pass their time. * A study done by the U.S. Justice Department concluded that Blacks are far more likely to be handcuffed, searched, arrested and subjected to force than Whites during routine traffic stops. This information was complied from law enforcement agency data submitted from across the U.S. * Category 5 Hurricane “Katrina” hits Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi causing widespread flooding, damage and death. The media shows Blacks as the victims of the damage but also as the people doing the looting. This builds on the view that Blacks are the only people that live in poverty, despair and prone to criminal behavior. Meanwhile the media shows abandoned homes which are clearly from upper class neighborhoods and which do not belong to poor Black families. Additionally, when the media shows someone being rescued from the flooding they are able to find and interview White victims. The media shows a different setting and tone between their coverage of Blacks and Whites affected by the same tragedy. Blacks are shown rioting, looting, and living in huddled masses in filthy conditions while Whites are interviewed one on one in calm conditions going thru their destroyed homes, looking for food and shelter and telling their story to America. President George Bush Jr., admitted that the response to the disaster was slow and insufficient in the predominately Black community only after singer Kanye West publicly stated that President Bush does not care about Black people.

* NFL Wide Receiver Jerry Rice retires after 20 years with 38 NFL records including 1545 career receptions, 22,895 yards receiving and 208 touchdowns. He played for the 49’ers, Raiders, Seahawks, and then retired from the Broncos before the start of the season. Rice earned 3 Super Bowl rings, 13 Pro Bowl starts, 1 NFL MVP award and 1 Super Bowl MVP award.

* The movie “Immortal” is released. The story is about a floating pyramid and Egyptian Gods coming down from space to terrorize Earth. This is just another example of how Hollywood distorts the true origin of the Egyptian culture by portraying them as aliens from space rather than the ancient Black African culture that they were. * President Bush awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to boxing great Muhammad Ali. * Former Education Secretary William Bennett stated on the Morning in America Radio Show that if you wanted to reduce crime in America, “You could abort every Black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down.” * Robert Davis is beaten and arrested by three White New Orleans Police Officers after he went to check on his property and ask about the curfew in the French Quarter. The officers claimed he was drunk. The 64 year old Davis said he hasn’t had a drink in years. * Joseph Rainey becomes the 1st Black dedicated with a portrait in the House of Representatives hallway. Rainey was the 1st Black to serve in the House of Representatives from 1870-1879.

* More than 18 days of violence and rioting breaks out in France in more than 30 cities after two Black youths were electrocuted after being pursued by police. Complaints of discrimination and unemployment fuel the violence as riot police and a curfew have been used to quell the unrest. * Rosa Parks dies at age 92. She is most remembered for her refusal to give up her bus seat for a White passenger in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 which boosted the civil rights movement.

* Leader of Islam, Louis Farrakhan organizes the “Millions More Movement” calling on Black men to improve their families and communities by building on and improving the principles of the 1995 “Million Man March”.

* U.S. Air Force Academy head football coach Fisher Deberry said the academy needs to recruit more Blacks because they run faster than the others.

* A race riot between Black residents and a Neo-Nazi group occurs in Toledo, Ohio. 150 police respond to handle the situation after it was discovered that police directed the two groups toward each other by changing their parade routs so that they would meet. * DNA testing proved that the first inhabitants of China were Black Africans. The study was conducted by a Chinese DNA specialist named Jin Li and a team of Chinese and other scientists. Li admits that he wasn’t trying to prove this fact, instead he initially wanted to prove that the Chinese evolved from hοmo-erectus independently of all humans. After collecting more than 12000 DNA samples from 165 different ethnic groups, Li and his team found that early humans belonged to different species but modern humans had descended from the East African species. One scientist on the team, Li Hui, said that 100,000 years ago humans began migrating through South and Southeast Asia into China from Africa.

* The Global Fund, which raises money to combat AIDS, reports that at least 11 million children in Africa have been orphaned by the disease and still the U.S. ignores the problem. * CNN News airs a segment on obesity and heart disease in America. Unfortunately they only show Blacks as being obese by showing several obese Blacks walking around in public. This is a target specific negative image of Blacks in America. * The FBI reports that hate crimes against Blacks rose by 5% from the previous year and is the most common type of hate crime. The information was supplied by 12,711 law enforcement agencies nationwide.

* Tiger Woods is named PGA player of the Year for the 7th time in his career. * Paramount Pictures releases the movie “Get Rich or Die Trying” starring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. The movie glorifies the gang way of life and Black street culture as a means to get ahead. This is another destructive message to Black youths. The advertisement billboard is only displayed in poor Black communities of the Los Angeles area. The ad shows “50 Cent” holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other as if gang violence and rap artists are synonymous with each other. Outrage comes from the Black community stating that Paramount is being irresponsible.

* Slavery era song “Pick a Bale of Cotton” shocks parents at middle schools in Ohio and Michigan. The song was chosen for the school’s folk song concerts. Parental outcry forced the song to be removed from one school. The song glorifies slavery and is disrespectful to Blacks.

* A 249-year-old paper trail of records that stretches from Sierra Leone in 1756 to modern-day South Carolina, tracing the history of a slave named Pricilla and her descendants, is on display at New York’s Historical Society.

* Edgar Ray Killen, the leader of the Mississippi murders of 1964, is convicted of manslaughter on the 41st anniversary of the crimes. * Tyson Foods is hit by a $3.25 million dollar lawsuit after Anthony Ash and John Hithon are passed over for promotions and referred to as “boys” by White supervisors. * Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf becomes the 1st female president of an African nation by being elected as president of Liberia. * Actor / Comedian Richard Pryor dies. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities and profanity, as well as racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time:

* Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith retires after 15 years in the NFL as the all time leading rusher with 18,355 yards and 164 rushing touch downs. Smith is the only running back to have ever won a Super Bowl Championship, NFL MVP award, NFL Rushing Crown and Super Bowl MVP award in the same season (1993).

2006 * Wal-Mart links Black American icons with the movie “Planet of the Apes” on its website. If you clicked on the movie “Planet of the Apes” the site suggested other movies you might like starring Black Americans. Wal-Mart claimed it was an accident caused by the software. * The Department of Interior reports that FEMA turned down an offer of 4400 law enforcement officers and hundreds of trucks, boats and planes to help the predominantly Black victims of the Katrina disaster in Louisiana. Former FEMA Chief Michael Brown also pointed out other examples of how President Bush and staff ignored the problem. * University of Wisconsin anthropology researchers have found the remains of African slaves in a 16th century Mexican graveyard, confirming that slavery began in the new world shortly after Europeans conquered Mexico. The graves were discovered in Campeche, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. * Edmond Burns is kicked and beaten by 3 White Police Officers in St. Louis, Missouri following a car chase. The officers displayed a guilty reaction once they realized the news helicopter was filming them as Burns was on the ground and under control. Tyler Perry's TV sitcom "House of Payne" revolves around a Black multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta. The show premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006, until August 10, 2012. While primarily a comedy sitcom, House of Payne was known for featuring dark themes and subject matter, such as substance abuse, addiction, strong language and sexually mature content . It also had elements of slapstick comedy.

* The Discovery channel airs a documentary on Cleopatra. The actors portraying Cleopatra and her servants are played by Arabic looking actors. Modern day Arab scholars of ancient Egypt claim the culture as their own when in fact they merely were invaders and occupiers hundreds of years ago. After all Egypt is in Africa. * Coretta Scott King, the wife of Martin Luther King, dies at the age of 78. She moved to the forefront of Civil Rights after her husband died in 1968.

* The Center for Responsible Lending concluded from a 2004 study that Blacks pay more for mortgages than Whites earning the same income. The study found that mortgage lenders are charging higher rates to Blacks and steering Blacks to loan sellers that specialize in higher rates. * The U.S. Army releases a recruitment commercial showing a young Black male telling his mother he found a way to pay for college by joining the Army. The subconscious message is that the mother is a low income earner and can’t afford college money and there is no father figure in the home. * Geico Insurance is hit with a nationwide class action discrimination suit after if was found that they charge Blacks higher insurance premiums than Whites with the same driving record. * Soul singer pioneer Wilson Picket dies.

* The Smithsonian Institute of American History plans to build a museum of African American History and Culture near the Washington Monument in honor of the contributions to America that Blacks have made. * Racial tension erupts into violence in Orlando, Florida as Blacks clash with a Neo-Nazi White Supremacist group. The Neo-Nazi group staged a march in a Black neighborhood to promote “White Power.” 300 Police Officers and K-9’s where on scene to separate the two groups. * A National Museum devoted to slavery is being constructed in Fredericksburg, Virginia to re-examine the scars of slavery and honor the memory of those who suffered. The site is to be completed by 2008 and is near the site of several civil war battles. * Minnesota Vikings quarterback Dante Culpepper and three other Black players are charged with indecent behavior and lewd acts by Minnesota prosecutor Steven Tallen stemming from events that occurred last October on a boat party cruise ship. Ironically the prosecutor declined to charge two White men also involved in the incident. * Florida proposes a Confederate Flag License Plate to add to the list of specialty plates. The Sons of Confederate Veterans say the plate represents their heritage and great pride in their grandfathers causes in the Civil War which was nothing more than the institution of Slavery and the lynching of Blacks. It is odd that they don’t realize that they lost the war and slavery is long gone.

* The 78th annual Academy Awards continue the trend of limiting quality roles for Black Americans as stereotypes is still the norm. Blacks are portrayed in lesser roles or as criminals and illiterates. In 2001 Denzel Washington was named best actor for “Training Day” where he played a corrupt cop while Halle Berry won best actress for “Monster’s Ball” where she played a widowed mom who had a wild sex scene with the White prison guard who participated in the execution of her husband played by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Some say progress is being made while others disagree. Negative Black stereotypes continue. * Actor George Clooney and his father take a trip to the Darfur region in the Sudan to cover and expose the genocide that is occurring to the African people by Arab militias. Since 2003, over 400,000 Africans have been murdered and 2,500,000 have been displaced. Countless thousands of women have been raped and their children killed. The U.S. Government has resisted and ignored sending help and has essentially looked the other way as Africans are murdered. Protests in Washington are occurring as the African tragedy is being exposed by the media. President George Bush Jr. said he does not wish to interfere with the political process of that country. After the pressure of several protests and rallies around the nation along with mass media coverage, President Bush sends food and supplies and attempts to appear as if he is saving the day in the Sudan. The gesture was appreciated but the amount was insufficient and nothing was done to stop the violence against Africans.

* A Stanford University study found that execution of Blacks is likelier for darker skinned Blacks when they are charged with murdering a White victim. Researchers found that over the last 20 years “stereotypically” Black features such as dark skinned Blacks were sentenced to death at a higher rate than Blacks with light skin or other minorities when charged with the murdering a White victim. * AIDS is becoming the disease of race in America. Blacks make up 13% of the U.S. population but account for 51% of the reported cases of HIV / AIDS in the U.S. * Bill Lester becomes the 1st Black to qualify, and 3rd ever to do so, for a race in NASCAR’s top series in nearly 20 years by earning a spot in the Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta motor speedway. * Isreal L. Gaither becomes the 1st Black commander of the Salvation Army in the U.S. * The movie “World Trade Center” is released based on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of New York. The true story of two first responder Marines rescuing two trapped Port Authority Police Officers is portrayed. One Marine, Sgt. Jason Thomas, is Black but the movie casts him as being White. * Olympic champion Justin Gatlin breaks the 100-meter world record with a time of 9.76 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha.

* Barry Bonds passes Babe Ruth to become second on the all-time homerun list with 715 home runs. Bonds must still reach 755 runs to equal the mark set by Hank Aaron. * Shani Davis wins the gold medal in the men’s 1000 meter speed skating final to become the 1st Black to claim an individual gold medal in winter Olympic history. Davis also won the silver medal in the 1500 meter event at Turino, Italy.

* Massachusetts Governor Mick Romney uses the term “Tar Baby” in a negative context during a speech which outrages Black leaders because of the racist roots and history of the term. * Tiger Woods wins his 3rd British open and 11th major title. * Special prosecutors have found evidence that the Chicago Police Department tortured 148 Black men in the 1970’s and 1980’s thru a four-year investigation. The men were beaten. Shocked and had Russian roulette played on them to gain confessions.

* J.R. Todd becomes the 1st Black to win a NHRA dragster race event in the nitro category with a time of 4.906 at 291 mph at the Bandimere speedway. * The movie “The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb” is released for TV. It shows Hollywood’s continued fascination with ancient Egypt yet it inaccurately portrays the true race of ancient Egyptians by using Arabs as the occupying population of Egypt once again denying the Black culture of their true history. * Actor Morgan Freeman says Black History Month should be done away with by asking the question. How you can relegate my history to one month when Black History is American History? * Black workers win a $1.25 million dollar settlement in a classaction suit against Super Steel Manufacturing in N.Y. as the company allowed rampant racism and threats against Black employees. * CBS cameraman Paul Douglas becomes the 1st Black journalist killed in the Iraq war. * Warren Moon becomes the 1st Black Quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Moon played in the Canadian Football League, winning 5 grey cups, and the NFL massing over 49,000 throwing yards and 291 touchdowns. * In the town of Coushatta, Louisiana “Go to the back of the bus” is still alive and well. A White school bus driver makes Black children sit in the back of the bus on each others’ laps while White children are allowed to sit by themselves in the front of the bus. * Hollywood’s nostalgia is coming at the expense of Black stereotypes and racist notions of a bygone era. The 2005 re-make of “King Kong” depicts ooga-booga, spear-chucking “natives” of Skull Island who become obsessed with Naomi Watts’ blond hair and blue eyes as does Kong himself. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” depicts barely clothed brown-skinned cannibals on Mysterious Island who view Captain Jack Sparrow as a God by giving him the “Holy White Man” treatment. * Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at the Washington D.C. National Mall. A memorial will be erected for Dr. King and will become the first memorial honoring a Black American on the mall.

* The Movie “Color of the Cross” is released by film maker JeanClaude La Marre depicting Mary and Jesus as being Black. It is the first representation in Hollywood’s history of Jesus being Black.

* Seven New Orleans Police Officers have been indicted by a State Grand Jury on murder charges for the fatal shooting of two unarmed citizens on the Danziger Bridge after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. James Brissette was killed along with Ronald Madison who was shot in the back seven times as he was running away. Four others were wounded by police gunfire.

* Five New York Police Officers fire 50 rounds at unarmed Sean Bell killing him and wounding two others on Bell’s wedding day as he exited a party at a strip club. Police claim Bell had a gun but none was found at the scene and witnesses contradict police reports of the incident. This is another cover-up by law enforcement to hide their brutality towards Blacks. It was later revealed that all charges were dropped against the officers.

* Journalist Ed Bradley of CBS dies of Leukemia. Bradley covered the Viet Nam War and won a record 19 Emmy’s as a reporter over a 26 year career. * The movie “Annapolis” is released showing the struggles of first year cadets at the Naval Academy. The movie follows a group of four cadets thru their daily life. The race of the four cadets is Black, White, Hispanic and Asian. The Hispanic cadet is released for dishonesty. The Black cadet is shown as an overweight underachiever lacking self esteem who attempts suicide after failing to pass the physical fitness test. The Asian cadet is just there taking up space. The White cadet becomes the focus of the movie that overcomes all odds and makes it to the next level. * Harriet A. Washington releases the book “Medical Apartheid” which outlines the dark history of medical experimentation on Blacks from Colonial times to present.

* Michael Richards who played “Kramer” on the TV show “Seinfeld” is caught on video during a racist tirade at a Los Angeles comedy club calling Blacks in the audience niggers and saying that 50 years ago they would be hanging upside down from a tree. * Tiger Woods is named the PGA player of the year for the 8th time after winning 11 tournaments in 2006 with a 6 tournament winning streak to end out the year.

* Legendary singer James Brown dies at the age of 73. Known “Godfather of Soul,” he influenced generations of musicians rock to rap. Brown won a Grammy for lifetime achievement in along with Grammy’s in 1965, 1987 and was inducted into the and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

as the from 1992 Rock

2007 * Oprah Winfrey opens the $40 million dollar “Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls” in South Africa. Each girl will be given an all expenses paid education to prepare and guide them for the future. Critics of the gesture complained that Oprah should have helped children in America and that the school excluded Whites. Oprah responded by saying: who is more needful than the children of South Africa?

* Soldiers from Somalia and Ethiopia battle Islamic militants near the Kenya border. Moroccan officials have broken up more than 50 militant Islamic cells, some linked to Al-Qaeda. More than 3000 people have been arrested; some were recruiting volunteers to fight in Iraq. U.N. Peace Keepers are charged with multiple rapes in the Sudan while they were dispatched to help maintain peace in the region after a 20-year civil war. Allegations of abuse have been reported for over two years. * Six White residents abduct, torture and rape Megan Williams for over a week in Logan County, West Virginia before police were given an anonymous tip about the situation. The case revealed that the suspects planned to murder her after they were done with her. * Misty Copeland becomes the first Black female soloist for the American Ballet Theatre in 20 years. ABT is one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States (along with New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet). However, Anne Benna Sims and Nora Kimball, who were with the ABT in the early and mid 1980s respectively, preceded her. In this role as the third African-American soloist and first in two decades with ABT, she has endured the cultural pressure associated with it. * Lovie Smith becomes the 1st Black NFL head coach to lead his team, Chicago Bears, to the Super Bowl - 41 by beating the New Orleans Saints 39-14. Smith is the lowest paid head coach in the NFL. On the same day, Tony Dungy became the 2nd Black NFL head coach to take his team to the Super Bowl, Indianapolis Colts, by beating the New England Patriots 38-34.

* Republican lawmaker Frank D. Hargrove of Virginia said in an interview expressing his opposition to a House resolution for Virginia to apologize for slavery that Blacks should get over slavery because it ended nearly 140 years ago with the Civil War. These comments outraged Black leaders of the community and the NAACP. A similar comparison would be like telling Jewish people to get over the holocaust or for American Indians to get over being massacred. * Forest Whitaker wins the Oscar for best leading actor in “The Last King of Scotland” a story about the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 1970’s. Whitaker becomes the 4th Black actor to win Best Actor award. * University of Maryland students are outraged after finding a noose hanging from a tree near their cultural center.

* Tiger Woods wins the Buick Invitational which gives him his 7th consecutive PGA tour victory and the 12th major of his career. * Micaela Reis of Angola wins the Miss Universe pagent.

* Fed Ex settles a $54.9 million settlement for racial discrimination against Blacks in its promotion, discipline and pay practices and the requirement to pass a Basic Skills Test which was not required by Whites. * Rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame becoming the 1st Hip-Hop group to be inducted after releasing the smash hit “The Message” 25 years earlier. The group led the way for other Hip-Hop / Rap artists to break into the music industry. The group consisted of Grandmaster Flash, Kid Creole, Melle Mel, Scorpio, Raheim and Cowboy.

* A Black family living in Toronto is shocked after receiving a furniture shipment described in color as “nigger-brown.” The furniture was made in China. The slur was blamed on Chinese-toEnglish language translation software. The software came from the U.S. as did the word “nigger”. It is unlikely that the Chinese even knew of the word “nigger” or what it stands for. The furniture was a rich deep brown color. * The crime drama movie "American Gangster" is released with some creative license based on the true life criminal career of Frank Lucas during the late 60s and early 70s, who was a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. Lucas was later arrested by a task force led by detective Richie Roberts. Lucas claims that the incident that sparked his motivation to embark on a life of crime was witnessing his 12year-old cousin's murder at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, for apparently "reckless eyeballing" (looking at) a White woman, in Greensboro. During his run, Lucas became the biggest gang leader

and drug dealer in Harlem even outpacing the Italian Crime Families. The product Blue Magic, was being supplied by Lucas, who bought his drugs directly from producers in Thailand, eliminating the middlemen. This allowed Lucas to provide a higher quality product at a cheaper price than his rivals, eventually wholesaling drugs to most of the dealers in the New York area. With Blue Magic's monopoly, Lucas quickly makes a fortune, buying several nightclubs to control the casino and prostitution ring. Some would say that Lucas was the Black Godfather of New York. * The Federal Reserve released that they found that Blacks pay higher rates than Whites on mortgage loans after reviewing data from the previous few years. * “Living the Dream” MLK parties spark uproars as White students from Clemson University, Tarleton State University and the University of Connecticut Law School carry out racist themes by mocking Black stereotypes featuring students dressed in faux gang apparel, drinking 40 oz. malt liquor, eating fried chicken, wearing “blackface”, carrying guns, wearing baggy cloths, wearing gold chains and gold teeth, and disgracefully defacing a photograph of Martin L. King Jr. Pictures of the parties were then posted on the internet. * Lewis Hamilton becomes the 1st Black in Formula One history to win a race by winning the Canadian Grand Prix and later the Monaco Grand Prix.

* President George Bush Jr., delivers his State of the Union address speech welcoming a democratic controlled congress, outlining the status of the county, commenting on world events and projecting his view of the future for America. The speech covered everything from the economy to terrorism but it left out one striking topic. President Bush did not say a single word about the

status or progress of the Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans. At the same time Mayor Ray Nagin is still asking the question: where is the money that was promised to re-build the city? * Radio / TV personality Don Imus describes the University of Rutgers women’s basketball team as a bunch of “Nappy Headed Ho’s” during the televised NCAA championship game with Tennessee. The Rutgers team is predominately Black. Other off camera comments were heard describing the team as “whores” and “jiggaboos”. * The movie “Amazing Grace” is released telling the story of a young British politician William Wilberforce who over two decades fought the English government to abolish slave trade. With the help of former slave Olaudah Equiano, Wilberforce is able to document the brutal treatment of slaves on British ships. The song “Amazing Grace” was written by slave ship captain John Newton between 1760-1770 after he repented and regretted the misery, suffering and death he inflicted on thousands of slaves he transported across the “Middle Passage”. * Archaeologists recently unearthed remains of a secret passageway that President George Washington’s slaves used to enter and exit from his presidential home in the late 1790s, when the city served as the nation’s capitol just steps away from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Not far from where the Declaration of Independence was signed nearly 230 years ago, stands evidence of the hypocrisy that shrouded the burgeoning nation at its birth. Washington, the father of our country, owned 316 slaves on his Mount Vernon Estate when he died in 1799. * The Walt Disney Company started production on an animated fairy tale called “The Frog Princess,” which will feature the studio’s 1st Black princess named “Maddy” set in New Orleans. “Maddy” joins eight other Disney princess characters. * Trivia Question: Why is the color Black always associated with something negative? Examples: the eight ball in pool is the bad ball and always hit by the White ball. The term black-balled refers to a bad situation. The black hat in western movies always represents the bad guy. Black as the ace of spades is often used as a derogatory term. Just the word “Black” is often associated with something bad or negative. There is a saying that goes: "If you are White you are alright. If you are Brown stick around. If you are Black then get back."

* R & B singer Beyonce Knowles becomes only the second Black model to make the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition since Tyra Banks made it in 1997.

* Civil Rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton learned that he is the descendant of a slave owned by the relatives of the late Senator Strom Thurmond. Sharpton learned of this when he asked genealogists to trace his roots. Sharpton’s great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond’s great-great-grandfather. Thurmond, of South Carolina, was once considered an icon of racial segregation and vowed to preserve it. * Barrington Irving, an aerospace student from Florida Memorial University, became the 1st Black and youngest person ever to fly solo around the world by completing a 25,600 mile flight. * Black artist John Sims displays the proper way to hang a Confederate Flag in his Black History Art display at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art in Florida. The Sons of the Confederacy objected to the art show.

* Barry Bonds hits home run number 756 to break Hank Aaron’s storied record, making Bonds MLB’s home run king. Bonds went on to hit 762 home runs before he retired in 2007.

2008 * The Real Housewives of Atlanta is a reality TV series that premiered on Bravo focused on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in Atlanta, Georgia. The show has been criticized for appearing to fabricate portions of its storyline and inflating the stereotypes of the "Angry Black Woman" as the show a has become mostly about Black women. The Real Housewives are portraying Black women that are bullying, narcissistic, back-stabbing, money-grubbing, cliquey, disloyal, arrogant, self-involved, willfully ignorant, poorly spoken, wasteful and tackily nouveau rich. The show disproportionately misrepresents Black women in negative stereotypes.

* Residents of a Black neighborhood in rural Ohio were awarded nearly $11 million by a federal jury that found local authorities denied them public water service for decades out of racial discrimination. 67 plaintiffs received money for both monetary losses and pain and suffering between 1956 and 2003 when water lines were laid excluding them. The residents had to dig wells, haul water from cisterns or collect rain so they could drink, cook and bathe. * Soul music pioneer Isaac Hayes dies at age 65 but was well known as a multi-faceted talent: songwriter, producer, sideman, solo artist, film scorer, actor, rapper and deejay. He was hugely influential on the rap movement as both a spoken-word pioneer and larger-than-life persona who influenced everyone from Barry White to Puff Daddy. Hayes is best known for his soundtrack to Shaft, one of the first and best “blaxploitation” films, and for the song “Theme from ‘Shaft,’” a Top 10 hit. He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. * Bernard Jeffrey McCullough dies at the age of 50, better known by his stage name Bernie Mac. Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian by joining comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley as The Original Kings of Comedy. He appeared in TV comedy series, 29 movies and won several awards as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series along with several other nominations. * Golfweek magazine shows a noose on its cover after news anchor Kelly Tilghman says on the air that it looks like the only way to beat Tiger Woods is going to be to take him out in a back alley and lynch him. (They still don’t get it do they?) It’s not funny!

* Phony “ghetto” sounding names were printed under photos of Black Student Union members at a Los Angeles high school. The incident wasn’t discovered until the yearbooks were handed out and the school year ended. The school principal issued a formal apology. * The U.S. House of Representatives issued an unprecedented apology to Black Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and the Jim Crow segregation laws. The apology made no mention of reparations but it did say that Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage which causes Black Americans today to continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow laws that forced discrimination and segregation upon Blacks and their communities. * Ken Griffey Jr. becomes the 6th player, and 5th Black, to reach 600 career home runs. Griffey joins Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa and Babe Ruth on the 600 list. * Bo Diddley died of heart failure at the age of 79. He was known for his homemade square guitar and signature beat that helped give birth to the sound that influenced Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones. The 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame recipient always kept the crowds rocking and rolling. * Senator Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination, beating out Senator Hillary Clinton, to be the candidate to run for the office of the President of the United States. This makes him the 1st Black to reach such a position.

* Ex-NASCAR official Mauricia Grant sues NASCAR for $225 million alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination after working for two years. Grant claims she was called “Nappy Headed Mo” and “Queen Sheba” along with sexual advances and racist jokes from male co-workers in which her complaints went ignored by supervisors in an ongoing culture of harassment that trickled down from the top who routinely mage Ku Klux Klan references. To Blacks, NASCAR stands for (North and South Carolina Association of Rednecks).

* Tiger Woods wins his 3rd U.S. Open and 14th major title just two months after knee surgery. Woods played with visible pain and won a 19-hole playoff to win the title and claim his 65th PGA win. * Arkansas City, Kansas Mayor Mel Khun appeared in blackface as part of a drag-queen beauty contest fundraiser. Needless to say blackface and dressing as a drag queen are at opposite ends of make-up and dress. An apology was issued after the NAACP met with city officials. * A federal jury in South Carolina acquits a White highway patrol trooper who bragged about deliberately hitting a fleeing black suspect with his car which was captured on dash camera video tape.

Officer Steven Garren testified that he hit the suspect by accident even though he can be heard on the video bragging to a fellow officer that he was trying to run the person over and yelled in excitement that he nailed him. Garren cried in court as he faced prison time for excessive force but was later seen smiling as he exited the courtroom. This is another example of how the justice system is very unbalanced and unfair to Blacks * Former Nation of Islam leader Imam W.D. Mohammed dies at the age of 74. Mohammed once taught black supremacy in his younger days moved toward mainstream Islam in his elder years. Mohammed had been a friend of Malcolm X and believed in black supremacy, but later emphasized racial tolerance which conflicted with the views of Minister Louis Farrakhan causing a split in the direction the Nation of Islam was heading. Farrakhan would later give an interview with CBS news reporter Mike Wallace and indirectly admit his knowledge of and participation in the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965. * A change in the organ donor policy by the American Medical Association improves Blacks’ access to livers. Under the new system, the sickest patients get the life-saving organ first which for the most part eliminates the racial divide where Whites were favored and more likely to be treated over Blacks. The new system tries to make the process color-blind. Nearly 16,000 people are waiting for a transplant. Last year 1602 people died on the waiting list. Before the policy change, 810 Blacks on the waiting list got transplants. Meanwhile 10,202 Whites on the waiting list got transplants. This information was complied by a federally funded study after the old system was scrapped in 2002. * A surprising new study found that at least 8,000 Blacks die each year due to high blood pressure. Dr. Kevin Fiscella of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry said the study is the first of its kind to calculate the lives lost due to racial disparities in blood pressure control. Scientists disagree on the cause of the racial disparities, but some studies indicate that many Blacks don’t have the same access to or receive the same quality in care as White patients receive. Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher said changes need to be made to make sure minority patients get good medical care when they need it. * Former South African President, anti-apartheid icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90th Birthday in his rural South African village.

* The U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Attorney Donald Washington has committed to trying to solve 100+ cold case civil rights era unsolved killings of Blacks by re-opening the FBI files of Black killings. * The Italian edition of Vogue Magazine releases an all-Black issue to celebrate the mesmerizing glamour of Black models after years of forums held to discuss the obvious lack of Black models on the runways, major editorial spreads and advertising campaigns. * Georgia Bar Owner Mike Norman created and sells OBAMA in 2008 TShirts depicting a picture of a monkey eating a banana. This stereotypical picture has been used to represent Blacks since the times of slavery.

* Entering the 2008 Tennis season the William’s sisters, Venus and Serena, have won a combined 28 Grand Slam Titles in singles and doubles along with 2 Olympic Gold Medals. Each sister has won 14 titles. Venus has won 4 Wimbledon titles, 2 U.S. Open titles, 6 doubles titles and 2 Olympic Gold Medals. Serena has won 3 Australian Open titles, 1 French Open title, 2 Wimbledon titles, 2 U.S. Open titles, 6 doubles titles and 1 Olympic Gold Medal. As a pair they have dominated the women’s tennis world since turning pro in 1994 and 1995. Between the two of them they have a combined 88 career tennis titles. The two sisters faced each other for the 2008 Wimbledon title marking the 7th time they have faced each other in a final. Venus went on to win the match and her 5th Wimbledon title. The two joined forces again and won their 7th doubles title at Wimbledon. Their achievements are special because they take time off from tennis to go into other ventures and then return to winning tennis matches at their leisure.

* The Fair Housing Justice Center filed a federal lawsuit against a Brooklyn real estate company for discriminating against Black customers after they refused to show apartments to Blacks. * Crystal Stewart wins the Miss Texas pageant and the Miss USA pageant.

* The American Medical Association issues a formal apology to Black doctors for more than a century of discriminatory policies that excluded Blacks from participating in a group considered the voice of U.S. doctors. The apology stems from initiatives to reduce racial disparities in medicine, increase the number of Black doctors and address the disproportionate burden of disease among Blacks as apposed to Whites. The apology came after the AMA joined the National Medical Association, a Black doctor’s group. Black doctors represent less than 3% of the nation’s doctors. * According to statistics compiled from the CDC, World Heath Organization and the Black AIDS Institute, Blacks account for nearly 80% of all reported AIDS / HIV cases globally and 50% in the U.S. as of 2005. AIDS is the number one leading cause of death in Africa. Blacks make up 13% of the U.S. population but account for 50% of the reported AIDS cases in all 50 states. This reality gives credibility to Dr. Boyd E. Graves’ 2002 discovery of the 1971 U.S. AIDS flowchart labeled “Special Virus Cancer Program”

which was allegedly created to target and infect Blacks (Africans) with the HIV/AIDS virus. * The Barack Obama election run spurs hundreds of racial epithets, threats, hate crimes, hanging nooses and vandalism incidents across the country. Many of the incidents are carried out by White college students. The internet is filled with racist text and images against Obama. Increased Secret Service protection details are required to protect Obama and his family from harm.

* Sixty years after President Harry Truman desegregated the military in 1948, senior Black officers are still rare among the highest ranks. Just 10 Blacks have attained 4-star rank. Only 1 of 38 4-star officers currently serving are Black. According to Pentagon data there are currently 51 Blacks of the 923 General officers – or 5.6% having the rank of 1 to 4 stars in all branches of the military. Despite these bleak statistics for Blacks, the military appears to provide a bit more high-level opportunities than the corporate world. As of 2007, just 5 of the Fortune 500 companies – or 1% were headed by a Black CEO. * Soledad O’Brien of CNN news presents: “Black in America”, a sweeping on-air and digital initiative revealing the current state of Black America 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The program features six hours of dialogue about the disparities between Blacks and Whites in America. According to Black Weekly, companies in the U.S. have said they would hire a White man with a felony record and no high school education BEFORE they would hire a Black man with NO criminal record and a 4-year degree. Companies still hold to the slave era stereotype that Blacks are lazy, don’t dress well and are likely to be violent on the job. The report shows that generationally passed on low self esteem, no role models, high unemployment rates, poor educational goals, obstacles due to race, high incarceration rates, the lure of drugs and fast money and a prejudiced justice system adds to the perpetuation of Blacks as a whole to achieve less than Whites or fail in America. The media machine continues to show White

America a barrage of negative images of Blacks as gangsters, criminals, and womanizers while largely ignoring positive examples of Black achievements. * The New Yorker magazine releases a new cover of Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama in the oval office. Barack is dressed in Muslim garb with a picture of Osama Bin Laden over the fireplace and burning an American flag. His wife is dressed in camouflage clothes with a large afro carrying an AK-47 and giving a fist bump to suggest she is a terrorist. Barack is known to practice the catholic faith and is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Michelle does not wear and afro and is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. This is another attempt by White America trying to spread fear, hate, misconception and discredit the possible 1st Black President of the United States.

* 28 Black World War II soldiers are exonerated over a WWII racial incident at Ft. Lawton, Seattle. The Army formally apologized for the wrongful conviction of 28 Black soldiers accused of rioting and lynching an Italian P.O.W. more than six decades ago. All but two of the dishonorably discharged soldiers are dead. Army investigators threatened the soldiers with being lynched to gain confessions. Initially, 43 soldiers were accused of rioting and some for murder. * 200 current and former Black U.S. Marshalls hit the government agency with a $300 million dollar discrimination lawsuit for being passed over for promotions and working in a hostile work environment. Supervisors taunted, harassed and insulted Black employees by calling them lazy along with routinely reprimanding

Blacks for petty mistakes in order to prevent promotions while grooming and promoting White employees. * Medical researchers found that Black patients with high blood pressure had significantly higher readings than White or Asian patients. More than 8000 Blacks a year die due to gaps in medical access and care between Black and Whites. Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said changes need to be made to make sure minority patients receive good medical care when they need it. * Michael Steele becomes the 1st Black Republican National Committee chairman elected to lead the GOP. * Serena Williams wins her 10th grand slam singles title by winning the Australian Open. * Jennifer Hudson wins a Grammy Award for best R & B album titled “Jennifer Hudson.” She also sang the national anthem at the super bowl in Tampa, Florida. * The NAACP files a massive class-action lawsuit against sub-prime mortgage lenders. The lawsuit is designed to stop lenders from engaging in systematic, institutionalized racism toward Blacks in making home mortgage loans. Blacks are 3 times more likely to receive higher rate, more expensive sub-prime loans than Whites even when they had equal income, down payment and credit ratings as their White counterparts. One study found that Blacks were 6 times more likely to be given higher rate sub-prime loans even when Whites were less qualified. Blacks are forced into sub-prime loans while Whites receive lower interest rates. The lenders include Wells Fargo, HSBC, Washington Mutual, Citigroup, Countrywide and several others. As you now see, once the sub-prime loan resets to the higher rate the mortgage payment increases beyond what the family can afford. The result is foreclosure, bankruptcy and a ruined credit rating. * First-term Illinois Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) shattered more than 200 years of history by being elected as the 1st Black president of the United States becoming the 44th president. Obama received 63,690,116 votes winning 53% of the popular vote and 365 delagate votes. Obama needed 270 delagate votes to win. Republican challenger John McCain received 47% of the popular vote and 173 delagate votes. There were more than 110 million votes cast making this election the most participated turnout in election history. Obama ran on the platform of change is coming. Obama won in states that historically went to republican candidates. Obama won the

votes of minorities, women and young people voting for the first time.

* President elect Barack Obama is named Person of the year by Time magazine. * A striking new study found in the archives of Internal Medicine found that Blacks pay about 30% more for medical care than Whites in the last stages of their life. This is due in part because of the lifelong misallocation of medical care towards Blacks over the course of their life span. In the last stages of life, medical treatment for Blacks is more aggressive than that of Whites to overcome the seriousness of their illnesses. The lack of quality or equal treatment for Blacks causes illnesses to be more severe in the later stages of life for Blacks. This amounts to higher medical costs for Blacks than Whites. The current medical system fails Blacks from the day they are born until the day they die when compared to Whites. 2009 – A NEW DAWN HAS COME * January 20th, 2009 ushers in a new dawn of American and Black History as Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th and 1st Black to become the President of the United States. It is estimated that almost 2 million people braved bitter cold at the national mall in Washington, DC to watch the inauguration ceremony. The crowd size breaks all previous records for attendance of any President in history. Mr. Obama inherits a country in social turmoil, economic collapse and waging a war against terrorism in the Middle East. The economic condition of the country is on a scale equal to or greater than the great depression of the twenties. Obama promises hope over fear by saying “yes we can”.

* We are still celebrating the election of the 1st Black president in the United States, but across the globe in Africa in places like Zimbabwe, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda and the Congo to name a few, the reality of death, AIDS, disease, starvation, murder, rape and genocide still continues. The world continues to ignore the plight of Africa while helping the Middle East and other countries around the world. I am still amazed at how Haitians are deported back to Haiti while Cubans get a free ride once they reach shore in Florida under the “wet foot, dry foot law.” The tragedy and misery in Haiti is much worse than in Cuba but once again Black skinned people are pushed back. (I live in Florida now so I get to see this first hand). * It saddens me to report that in our day of rejoice in America for President Obama, Africa is a nation that is tearing itself apart while the world watches in silence without lifting a finger. Today as you read this, all across Africa there is rape, killing, starvation, AIDS, genocide, tribal warfare, political corruption, kidnapping of the children into gangs and atrocities that turn my stomach just to think about. The media will report this stuff but no one helps to stop the death and violence. Are we really civilized? * “The Black Man Did It” lie has raised its ugly head again. Philadelphia mom Bonnie Sweeten claimed she and her 9-year old daughter were car-jacked and abducted by two Black men and held in the trunk of a car as they were driven across country. The lie quickly unraveled after the pair was spotted at a luxury hotel at Disney World in Florida. The incident caused an amber alert to be activated and national media coverage played into images of marauding Black men kidnapping White women. Later it was learned

that Sweeten had committed identity theft and embezzled a large amount of money. This is not the first time in recent history the Black man lie has been used to cover-up crimes and hoaxes by White perpetrators. Incidents such as this perpetuate the “Lynch Mob Mentality” as this country is quick to believe anything negative about Blacks committing crimes. The book: “The Color of Crime” by Katheryn Russell-Brown documents 67 racial hoaxes against Blacks from 1987 to 1996. It seems that racism is still alive and well in the land of the free and the home of the brave. * Africans Deriba Merga of Ethiopia and Salina Kosgei of Kenya win the men’s and women’s race at the Boston Marathon. No American has won in Boston since 1985. African runners maintain their dominance in long distance running. * Jazz legend Duke Ellington becomes the 1st Black to appear on an American coin. The U.S. mint honored Ellington on the coin for the District of Columbia in its line of state-themed quarters. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington won 13 Grammy Awards and was a pioneer in jazz. Ellington wrote over 3000 songs before dying in 1974 at the age of 75.

* President Obama gives the commencement ceremony to graduating seniors at Arizona State University, sending the students into the working world to make their careers. The university however refused to grant the president an honorary degree which is customarily granted to the speaker. The university said the president has not accomplished enough in his life to be granted the degree. All that is left for Obama to achieve is to part the “Red Sea.” * The New York Post magazine prints a racist cartoon intended to reflect President Obama and his economic stimulus plan. The cartoon shows a White police officer shooting and killing a chimpanzee. One of the officers says “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.” Racism is still alive and

well in this country towards Blacks as this racist stereotype and jab at President Obama displays.

* According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Blacks are losing jobs at a faster rate than the general population during this punishing recession. Companies are cutting their budgets by cutting back advertising to minorities and employees that work in those fields. Professional Blacks do not have older roots to anchor them in the professional world nor do they have an inheritance to fall back on. Low and middle-class Blacks are laid off first because they lack professional skill sets or higher educations to secure their positions. * As the nation’s first Black President settles into the office, a division is growing between two groups of Blacks. One group wants to continue praising him and his historic ascendancy, while the other group wants to criticize him for not immediately solving problems such as racial profiling and double-digit unemployment among Blacks. Some Blacks see the historic achievement of the first Black president in a country that once used Blacks as slaves, while other Blacks want the first Black president to immediately fix and erase all the racism, oppression and disparity Blacks have suffered since they gained their freedom from slavery. President Obama responded to this by saying “I am not the Black President; I am the President who is Black.” * White Cop kills Black Cop. An unidentified White New York City police officer shot and killed fellow officer Omar J. Edwards as Edwards was chasing a suspect who had been rummaging through his car. Edwards was off duty when he spotted a man in his car. Edwards called emergency services and gave chase. Edwards pulled his gun but did not fire at the fleeing suspect. Officers in an unmarked car saw Edwards running down the street with his gun

drawn. The White officer leapt from his car, yelled at Edwards to stop and immediately fired six rounds into Edwards, as he turned to face him, without giving Edwards a chance to speak, identify himself or even drop the gun. It is usually customary for police officers to try and arrest and disarm armed suspects before shooting them without knowing the circumstances of the situation and when the suspects are not shooting at the police. * Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Douglas Blackmon outlines the brutal aspect of U.S. history on the country’s racial past just as the country’s 1st Black president is seen as evidence of racial progress. “Slavery by Another Name” recounts the little-known story of how in the decades after President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves, hundreds of thousands of Blacks were re-enslaved as convict laborers under laws that were designed to ensnare them. The book explains why a U.S. racial divide still exists and why the country’s Black minority lags behind the rest of the population in terms of economic and social equality. Segregation, share-cropping and lynching are widely known features of life in the South after the Civil War, but “neoslavery” is largely neglected. * Alysa Stanton of Colorado becomes the 1st Black female Jewish Rabbi in the world. She will lead her own congregation in Greenville, North Carolina. * Tyler Perry's TV sitcom "Meet the Browns" aired for three years bringing back Black stereotypes and sets Black television back 60 years with Amos and Andy style comedy with falling down, farting, calling on Jesus and other buffoonery. The low-brow humor in these type of Black comedies help pave the way for the cancellation and phasing out of serious Black TV shows like “Under Covers” starring two Black actors as CIA spies. This type of comedy show is why there are no Black dramas, mystery’s, game shows, documentaries or detective series on TV and maybe only one or two on cable. The world actually views Blacks the same way as they them on television. * Five Birmingham, Alabama police officers were fired for violently beating an unconscious man after he wrecked his vehicle. Anthony Warren led police on a chase but wrecked his car and was thrown clear after it rolled over. The police, one Black, swarmed Warren and were caught on video beating him while he lay unconscious in a ditch. Warren suffered a skull fracture and internal bleeding. City officials discovered the video almost a year after the incident.

* Serena Williams won her 3rd Wimbledon title and 11th major title overall by defeating her older sister Venus in the finals. Serena and Venus won the doubles title together for their eighth doubles title together. * According to a report released by the National Urban League, it points out that despite the progress represented by the election of the first Black president, Blacks are twice as likely to be unemployed, three times as likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be incarcerated. This comes at a time when Blacks are pulled over because they are Black; passed over for promotions because they are Black and considered criminals just because they are Black. * Fort Lauderdale, Florida. U.S. immigration authorities ordered 30,000 Haitians to be deported back to Haiti. Most of the deportees have valid passports and were not given reasons for their forced exodus. Several hundred Haitians are being held in crowded detention centers in Florida. This comes at a time when hundreds of Cubans illegally sneak into Florida and are allowed to stay once they reach land under the “Wet foot, dry foot” law. The situation is Haiti is far worse than in Cuba, but the U.S. ignores the plight of the Haitian struggle. Haitians are direct descendants of slaves from Africa. * The “King of Pop” and music legend superstar Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 at the U.C.L.A. medical center of cardiac arrest. Jackson’s record sales are believed to be around 750 million records sold, which earned him 19 Grammy awards, 22 American Music Awards, 13 MTV Awards, 12 World Music Awards, 40 Billboard Awards, 14 NAACP Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 56 RIAA Awards, 7 BRIT Awards, 13 Guinness World Records, 13 number one singles and induction into the Music Hall of Fame twice making him the most successful entertainer of all time. In total Michael earned 197 Awards and was named artist of the Decade, Generation, Century and Millennium. Michael also pioneered music videos into what they are today buy telling short stories and making them social events coinciding with his music. Jackson first performed at the age of 6 with his brothers in the group “The Jackson 5”. Michael’s 1982 release of the album “Thriller” remains the biggest selling album of all time, with more than 109 million copies sold worldwide. Thriller’s sales numbers surpassed the “Beatles” and “Elvis Presley” combined. The planet mourns as people around the world pay tribute to “The King of Pop”. More than 1.6 million fans from around the world applied for free tickets to attend Michael’s public memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It

is estimated that more than 1 billion people worldwide viewed the televised memorial.

* Henry Louis Gates, a prominent intellectual scholar and Harvard Professor, was arrested at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts for disorderly conduct after neighbors called the police stating that two men were trying to break into Mr. Gates’ residence. The alleged burglars were Mr. Gates and his driver. After being confronted by police Sergeant James Crowley, Mr. Gates produced identification to prove that he lived in the house and was then arrested after he demanded to see the officer’s identification and badge number. The officer refused the request and took Mr. Gates into custody. This incident made national news as it appears to be a case of racial injustice and contempt of cop arrest. The charges were later dropped.

* Michael Jordan is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as arguably the greatest player of all-time. He dominated his opponents on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Most of his career Jordan was double and triple teamed in attempts to stop him to no avail. Jordan would rip thru defenses and score at will or pass to a teammate with the result being points. One

player was quoted as saying that MJ was God in disguise because he was un-stoppable. Here are the numbers: 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 5 MVP Awards, 6 NBA Titles, 6 Finals MVP Awards, 10 Scoring Titles, 2 Slam Dunk Titles, 9 Defensive Player Awards, 13 All-Star Team Selections, 30.1 Regular Season PPG Avg., 33.4 Playoffs PPG Avg., 32,292 Points, 5633 Assists and 6672 Rebounds. MJ was well, the BEST.

* Tiger Woods becomes the first athlete to reach a billion dollars in career earnings, according to Forbes, cementing his status as the top pitchman /athlete in sports history. A $10 million prize he claimed for winning the FedEx Cup title pushed him over the top. Woods had earned $895 million coming into the season and took home $10.5 million in winnings to go with his championship bonus and endorsement money, appearance fees and earnings from his course design business. * This year marks the 44th anniversary of the Voting Right Act enacted by President Johnson in 1965. It was passed to reverse Jim Crow laws, which effectively denied Blacks the right to vote for decades. The act eliminated poll taxes, literacy tests and other voting barriers. One Jim Crow relic continues in which citizens are denied the right to vote because of a criminal conviction. Criminal disenfranchisement laws were put in place alongside poll taxes in the late 1800s to prevent Blacks from voting as states enacted laws they believed freed slaves were most likely to commit such as vagrancy, petty theft and bigamy. Targeted criminalization and criminal disenfranchisement suppressed Blacks for decades. * The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and racial segregation in the U.S. but nothing in the measure supports reparations.

* Due to the unprecedented amount of racist comments, online death threats, hostility and discriminatory attitudes against President Obama because of his color and race, I cannot keep up with nor have the intention of listing them all in this document. It is sad that this country would openly attack a sitting President with racist attitudes, behavior and utter disrespect. We have come along way but old attitudes against Blacks still hold true. The Confederate flag still flies high in many parts of the United States. * Several articles and studies have surfaced in recent years outlining how the news media, particularly television news, unduly connect race and crime, especially violent crime to Blacks. Blacks are underrepresented in reporting as being victims, and overrepresented in the news as perpetrators. Articles about White homicide victims tend to be longer, and more frequent than the articles that cover Black victims. Blacks are more likely to be shown on TV news committing violent crime than nonviolent crime. Black suspect photos are frequently shown on the news as compared to White suspect photos. Actual crime statistics reveal Blacks were equally likely to be arrested for violent and nonviolent crimes. Another series of studies showed that Whites committed more violent crimes than were represented in television crime stories of violent crime. The consistent presentation of significant distortions in the news creates a “misinformation synergy” and presents an inaccurate overall picture depicting Blacks as the driving force behind crime in this country. Based on reports from national media outlets, the only people who ever go missing seem to be: White, Female, Thin and relatively attractive and Upper class (by virtue of income or education). Rarely does the media show Blacks as missing or the victims of crime. * The movie Transformers 2, Revenge of the Fallen, is released where the story develops showing that alien robotic life forms, the decepticons, visited earth and built the pyramids millions of years ago in their quest to hide technology for harnessing energy from the sun. One pyramid was actually built over the energy machine to hide it from their rivals, the autobots. The movie also portrayed two small robots called the “twins” who were intended as comic relief, but were clearly aimed at the racial stereotype of two illiterate bumbling street Blacks who couldn’t read with one having a gold tooth. The association of the two robots to Black street thugs came across loud and clear. Once again Hollywood denies that ancient Egyptians (Blacks) were the builders of the pyramids and would rather show that aliens created the pyramids and the entire culture associated with them rather than give

credit to ancient Blacks for creating the first great civilization of this planet. * Six Black students in a group of 200 seniors from Washington University in St. Louis traveled to Chicago were told they could not come into Mother's Original Bar because their pants were too baggy, even though White students similarly dressed were admitted. The Black students offered to change their clothes but were still told that they could not come in. One Black student switched pants with his White friend and still wasn’t admitted. This appears to be a case where race played a larger role in the situation than attire.

* The FIFA World Cup is hosted in South Africa (Johannesburg) for the first time in world cup history. South Africa has played in the World Cup three times with this year’s entry. Teams from other African countries (Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon) have teams entered in the event. The two junior World Cup competitions (under 20 and under 17 years of age respectively) have both been held in the African countries of Tunisia, Egypt twice & Nigeria twice.

* Edward Brooke, the 1st Black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. "At a time when so many doors were closed to Blacks, others might have become angry or disillusioned," President Obama told an audience in the Capitol Rotunda, where the ceremony honoring Brooke for Congress' greatest honor was held. "They might have concluded that no matter how hard they worked, their horizons would always be limited. So why bother? Not Ed Brooke," he said. Brooke, 90, was a Republican senator from Massachusetts for two full terms, from 1967 to 1979. "He ran for office, as he put it, to bring people together who had never been together before, and that he did," the president said. Brooke grew up in segregated Washington and served in the Army during World War II. Afterward, he received a law degree from Boston University and eventually ran for attorney general of Massachusetts. * Retired Marine General Charles Bolden, Jr., becomes the 1st black administrator of NASA. * Eric Holder becomes the 1st Black U.S. Attorney General and the 82nd incumbent. 2010 * Jerry Rice is voted as the number 1 player of the top 100 best NFL players of all time for the past 50 years as voted by an NFL blue-ribbon panel of judges. 10 of the top 20 of the top 100 best players of all time are Black. Those players are #2 - Jim Brown, #3 - Lawrence Taylor, #5 - Walter Payton, #7 - Reggie White, #11 – Ronnie Lott, #13 – Joe Greene, #15 – Deacon Jones, #17 – Barry Sanders and #18 – Ray Lewis. * Seven Black workers from the Matheson Trucking Company in Denver, Colorado filed a $15 million dollar discrimination lawsuit claiming that bosses called them lazy stupid Africans, niggers and segregated them from White workers. The company is accused of discriminating against Black workers "…in all phases of employment, including hiring, termination, conditions of employment, promotion, vacation pay, furlough, discipline, work shifts, benefits and wages," According to the Denver Post, many of the plaintiffs were from the African country of Mali, one was from Brazil. * The TV reality show "Basketball Wives" airs on VH1. It chronicles the lives of a group of women who are somehow romantically linked to professional basketball players. They are either the wife, ex-wife or girlfriend of an NBA superstar. They

drive expensive cars, live in mansions and wear designer clothes and jewelry. The show portrays Black women as materialistic gold diggers with some going from athlete to athlete because an above average paycheck is the attraction. This show portrays Black women in a negative light. * A team of researchers working in South Africa unearthed what they believe are the remains of a previously unknown species predating modern humans. They discovered the skeletons of an adult female and juvenile male that are believed to be 2 million years old. The two are believed to have been significantly taller and stronger than “Lucy”, the roughly 3 million year old skeleton discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. This is more evidence to supports that modern humans started in Africa. * A new study shows Black male students across the nation languish at the bottom of every educational category. The Council of the Great City Schools reports that by the fourth grade only 12% of Black male students read at or above grade level, while 38% of White males do. In some big cities the dropout rate is around 50%. Black males now make up only 5% of college enrollment nationally, but 36% of the prison population. * Archaeologists found a 2800 year old burial chamber of a priest named Karakhamun that boasts brightly painted astrological scenes including a depiction of the sky goddess, Nut. The tomb dates to the 25th Dynasty and was uncovered in Luxor. * Vernon J. Baker was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Baker was the last living Black veteran to receive the Medal of Honor for action during World War II. Baker led an all-Black platoon in an attack against Nazi fortifications in Italy in 1945. Baker was the highest decorated Black soldier in the Mediterranean theatre with the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Italian Cross of Valor and Polish Cross of Valor. In 1997 President Bill Clinton awarded Baker the Medal of Honor along with 6 other Black soldiers after a study was conducted in 1990 to learn why no Black soldiers received the Medal of Honor during World War II. * Lena Horne dies at age 92. She was the 1st Black performer signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer. She might have become a major movie star in her early years but racism and her skin color kept her at MGM in the 1940s.

* Halle Berry becomes the 1st Black woman on the September cover of Vogue magazine since Naomi Campbell in 1989. Earlier this year Vanity Fair took a lot of heat for their cover spread showing nine of Hollywood’s up-and-coming young actresses of which not one of them were Black. * Dorothy Height, the Godmother and an icon of the Civil Rights Movement dies at age 98. Height was standing just a few feet from Dr. Martin Luther King during his “I have a dream” speech. Height was denied entry into college as a girl because the quota for Blacks had already been reached. She devoted her life to those struggling for equality. Height later went on to attend college where she earned a masters degree in psychology from New York University. For more than 40 years Height served as the president of the National Council of Negro Woman which earned her 36 honorary doctorate degrees and making her one of a select few Americans to win both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal which is the highest civilian and most distinguished award presented by Congress. * HIVTEST.ORG runs a television commercial showing two Black males texting each other. The grammar shown in the texts is of improper english such as street slang while several Blacks are sitting in a health clinic waiting for an HIV test. The underlying message seems to be that Blacks are illiterate and they are the only ones dealing with AIDS as they are the only race of people in the clinic. This commercial feeds into the negative stereotype about Blacks. * Talk radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger issues an apology after the uproar she created after blurting out, articulating and defending the use of the word nigger several times in an on-air conversation with a Black caller saying Blacks are hyper-sensitive to racism. The caller was complaining to Dr. Schlessinger of how her White husband’s White friends made racist comments in her

home. Dr. Schlessinger tried to laugh off her comments but ended up taking herself off the air to focus on her internet web page. * Caressa Cameron is crowned as Miss Virginia and Miss America 2010.

* The United States Congress honored slaves who built the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., by unveiling plaques recognizing the contributions of slaves in the construction of the U.S. Capitol. The slaves sweated in the brutal summer heat fighting snakes and mosquitoes and shivered in the bitter winter cold working 12-hour days for six days a week wearing nothing but rags and sometimes without shoes in the worst of conditions in timber mills, quarries and other work camps between 1793 and 1800. The federal government rented the slaves from local slave owners at a rate of $5.00 per person per month. The plaques are located in the Congressional Visitor Center. * Three White teachers from the Wadsworth Avenue elementary school in Los Angeles were removed from their positions and suspended for mocking Black heroes by giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade. Children from other classes at the school were given photos of more appropriate role models such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Barack Obama. The school superintendant said he will not let anyone make a mockery out of Black History Month. * Dorothy Height, 'The Godmother' of civil rights, dies at 98. Height, who had been chair and President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, worked in the 1960s alongside civil rights pioneers, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., future U.S. Representative John Lewis and Asa Philip Randolph. She was on the platform when King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington. Height was awarded the Presidential

Medal of Freedom in 1994 by Congressional Gold Medal in African-American leaders to House recently for a summit

President Clinton and the 2004. She was among a handful of key meet with President Obama at the White on race and the economy.

2011 * The movie "The Help" is released about a young White woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, and her relationship with two Black maids, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, during the Civil Rights era in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter is a journalist who decides to write a book from the point of view of the maids (referred to as "the help"), exposing the racism they are faced with as they work for White families. This is another look into the dark past of America. The Help received four Academy Award nominations and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. * The Turner Industries Group, LLC of Baton Rouge, LA has been hit by a federal discrimination lawsuit by 230 current and former employees saying they were forced to work in facilities where racist graffiti, racial slurs and discrimination are commonplace. Workers also complained for over a decade about nooses hung in the workplace, segregated bathrooms and unequal treatment in facilities in Louisiana and Texas. Company officials retaliated against Black employees for complaining. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said they have received hundreds of complaints by Black employees working at Turner Industries. * The “Grio” as a website is devoted to the news, opinions, and contributions of Black people in America and around the world, www.TheGrio.com is interested in understanding what the past teaches us about our current political moment and how it helps us prepare for the future. The Grio releases the African-American Leadership Survey of the top 25 most influential Black leaders of all time.

1. Martin Luther King, Jr., 2. Barack Obama, 3. W.E.B. Du Bois, 4. Thurgood Marshall, 5. Malcolm X, 6. Frederick Douglass, 7. Harriet, Tubman 8. Rosa Parks, 9. Ida B. Wells-Barnett, 10. Ella Baker, 11. Booker T. Washington, 12. Adam Clayton Powell, 13. James Baldwin, 14. Dred Scott, 15. Paul Robeson, 16. A. Phillip Randolph, 17. Fannie Lou Hamer, 18. Marcus Garvey, 19. Jesse Jackson, Sr., 20. John Johnson, 21. Mary McLeod Bethune, 22. Carter G. Woodson, 23. Nat Turner, 24. Harry Belafonte, 25. Charles Hamilton Houston.

* Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, a storied Elder Statesman for Civil Rights, dies at 89. He survived beatings and bombings in Alabama a half-century ago as he fought against racial injustice alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., The brutality helped galvanize the nation’s conscience, as did the Ku Klux Klan’s bombing of a black church in Birmingham that summer, which killed four girls at Sunday school. Those events led to passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, after the historic Alabama marches that year from Selma to Montgomery, which Mr. Shuttlesworth also helped organize. The laws were the bedrock of civil rights legislation. Mr. Shuttlesworth joined with Dr. King in 1957 as one of the four founding ministers of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the engine of Dr. King’s effort to unify the black clergy and their flocks to combat Jim Crow laws. At the time, Mr. Shuttlesworth was leader of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. * A polo team from Philadelphia made history in central Virginia when they became the 1st all Black team to win a national title. The Cowtown-Work to Ride team took home the gold after beating out the crew from Baltimore in the National Interscholastic Championship at the Virginia Polo Center. Brandon Rease, of the winning team said it feels great to be a part of this monumental achievement in this sport. This was the 42nd year for the

tournament. The Philly team also had to beat out groups from California, Texas and Canada to be named the champions. * An African-American mother and son were astonished after a History teacher at Chapelfield Elementary School in Gahanna, Ohio held a mock slave auction, dividing the class into “Slaves” and “Masters”. The class only had two black students in the class; one was assigned “Master”, and the other, Nikko Burton, was assigned “Slave”. Burton, 10, was sent to his seat after he refused to be poked, prodded, and be humiliated during the reenactment. A spokes women for the school maintains that the lesson is part of a “state required” curriculum. While a representative for the school has apologized to the family over the phone, 10 year old Burton wishes that the teacher would have apologized to him personally. * Our 1st Black President, Barack Obama, had to prove that he was a citizen of this country by having to present his birth certificate to the country and media. In over 235 years this is the only time it has been required, ironically when a person of a darker complexion took the seat in the Oval Office. It seems that this “birther” movement says more about race relations, than the election of Obama. It calls back to the days when blacks had to carry papers to prove that they were free.

* President Barack Obama ordered the commando raid by SEAL Team 6 that found and killed terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden after deciding the risks were outweighed by the possibility “of us finally getting our man” following a decade of frustration. Osama was found living in a mansion about 35 miles from the city of Islamabad in Pakistan. Presidents’ Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had targeted Osama Bin Laden during their presidencies, and both had failed to either capture him or kill him. Osama Bin Laden

was the most wanted terrorist in the history of the world for orchestrating several attacks on the United States including the attack on the twin towers in New York on September 11, 2001 which killed over 3000 Americans. * Cultural phenomenon Oprah Winfrey ends her 25-year run as talk show host of The Oprah Winfrey Show that has made her one of the most influential stars in America and which is currently syndicated in 145 countries. She has been credited with changing the way people talk to each other through her confessional interview style and is regularly ranked among the most powerful women, celebrities and media personalities in the world. Born into poverty in Mississippi, Forbes magazine recently estimated Winfrey's net worth at $2.7 billion.

* Retired heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson is inducted into the boxing hall of fame. Called “Iron Mike” and known as “the baddest man on the planet”, he finished with a record of 50-6. Tyson held all three major championship belts; WBA, IBF and WBC and was the youngest ever heavyweight champion at 20 years old. Tyson was also the Junior Olympic Games Heavyweight Champion and National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion. Mike Tyson says he told Muhammad Ali he would avenge Ali's beating at the hands of Larry Holmes. Tyson backed up his promise by beating Holmes in 1988. * Countrywide settles a class action suit by agreeing to pay a $335 million dollar fine for steering over 200,000 Blacks and Hispanics into risky and expensive mortgages. The predatory lending practices cheated Blacks by charging them higher rates and fees than their White counter parts. The sub-prime mortgages would often have huge balloon variable rate increases within a few years which resulted in 1/3 of the total loans to go into foreclosure and judgments. The fees charged to Blacks averaged about $1200 more than for Whites.

* A memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. was dedicated at the national mall in Washington, DC adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. It is one of the most prestigious sites remaining on the National Mall which was selected for the memorial. It is the first major memorial along the National Mall to be dedicated to an AfricanAmerican, and to a non-president. The memorial is 30 feet tall and includes a 450 foot-long granite wall inscribed with 14 quotations from the civil rights leader.

* Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, is crowned Miss Universe. Lopes is the first winner the pageant has ever selected from her country after she beat 88 other competitors from around the world.

* President Barack Obama eases aid delivery restrictions to Somalia helping over 3 million starving people in the Horn of Africa suffering under the control of Islamist Al Qaeda militants. The U.S. is providing $459 million to the nations in the Horn of Africa. Islamic extremists are terrorizing the local population in efforts to manipulate other countries into providing aid to ease

the suffering of the local people while Al Qaeda takes most if not all of the aid and controls the region. Opponents of providing aid argue that only Al Qaeda is benefitting. * The FBI thwarts White supremacists plot to bomb an NAACP march for Martin Luther King Jr. day in Spokane, Washington. 2012 * After the crushing defeat at the 2008 presidential election to Democrat and the first Black President of the United States, the Republican Party conceded that it needed to be more inclusive of people of color - the voters who essentially delivered President Barack Obama to the White House. The RNC spent $14,000 on a Black outreach website that would highlight the achievements of Black people in the Republican Party. The Republican Party built a newly integrated site with content targeted toward Black voters and other constituency groups, rather than a splintered network of sites. But leaders pulled the plug on the project at the last minute right before the 2012 presidential election after leaders changed their minds. Ironically incumbent President Barack Obama won a 2nd term and was re-elected without the website which is what the Republican party feared all along. * The film "Django Unchained" is released following an AfricanAmerican slave somewhere in Texas, in 1858 and Dr. King Schultz an English-speaking German bounty-hunter posing as a traveling dentist. Schultz buys and then promises to free Django Freeman in exchange for his help in collecting a large bounty on three outlaws. Schultz subsequently promises to teach Django bounty hunting, and split the bounties with him, if Django assists him in hunting down other outlaws throughout the winter. Django agrees on the condition that they also locate and free his long-lost wife from her cruel plantation owner. The film was a major critical and commercial success and was nominated for several film industry awards, including five Academy Awards by giving another look into the dark past of America. * Singer Etta James dies and is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and was the winner of 6 Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stones ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.

* Gabrielle "Gabby" Douglas becomes the first Black woman in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold medals in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics as well as being the only American all-around champion to win multiple gold medals. She was also a member of the gold-winning U.S. team at the 2011 World Championships. * Three White teenagers have been jailed and charged with a hate crime after admitting they were out hunting Black people when they used their truck to run over and kill 47 year old James Craig Anderson in Jackson, Mississippi in 2011. Deryl Paul Dedmon, John Aaron Rice & Dylan Wade Butler have been sentenced to long-term prison sentences for their crime. * 14 African Nations are being forced by France to pay taxes for the "Benefits" of colonialism (slavery). According the World Bank, Fourteen nations are in agreement to deposit 65 percent of all foreign currency reserves in a shared reserve fund to France. The countries established the Monetary and Economic Union of West Africa. Their currency, the CFA-Franc, is printed under supervision of the French National Bank in Chamalieres, France. France is indebting and enslaving Africans by means of Africa’s own wealth; for example: 12.0000 billion invested at three percent creates 360 billion in interests which France grants as credits to Africa at an interest rate of five to six percent or more. The allegory of ‘Bleeding Africa and Feeding France’ is no exaggeration, not alarmist, and not revolutionary. The countries are: Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Central African Republic, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau. * A Miami strip club uses flyers designed by Jeffrey D. Paul headlining an “I have a dream bash” showing Martin Luther King,

Jr., holding wads of cash standing in front of a scantily dressed stripper and promoting “Ciroc” vodka for the MLK weekend celebration. This is another example of disrespect shown to Blacks and their iconic civil rights hero by creating negative stereotypes and insulting images.

* The Montford Point Marines, the long-overlooked first Black Marine unit that served in the Pacific in World War II, are finally recognized as the U.S. Senate unanimously awarded them the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest civilian honor. The House passed the measure 422-0 honoring these men for their service and sacrifice, and granting them the recognition that is 50 years overdue. In 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the armed forces to admit Black recruits. In 1942, the Marine Corps began their first, segregated boot camp for blacks at Montford Point, N.C., next to Camp LeJeune. The camp trained 20,000 Black Marines until 1949, closing after President Truman's executive order to desegregate the armed forces.

* Violent Anti-African Race Riot Rocks Israel as Black Men and Women are beaten. Violence surged in the streets of Tel Aviv as a 1000-strong protest against African immigrants seeking asylum in Israel turned violent. Residents of a low-income Tel Aviv neighborhood descended to the streets, waving Israeli flags and chanting “Deport the Sudanese” and “Infiltrators get out of our homes” to protest against the increase of African migrants moving into the area and the country. The protest rapidly turned violent and police arrested 17 people with charges ranging from assault to vandalism. Some of them were still beating up migrants when they were arrested. Protesters in the Hatikva neighborhood set trash cans alight, broke some stores window and attacked African migrants who were passing-by. They also attacked an African migrant driving through the area and broke his car’s windows.

* Don Cornelius, creator of the long-running TV dance show “Soul Train,” dies at age 75. Cornelius was a visionary pioneer and a giant in the entertainment business. Before MTV there was “Soul Train”. His contributions to television, music and Black culture as a whole will never be matched. “Soul Train” began in 1970 in Chicago on WCIU-TV as a local program and aired nationally from 1971 to 2006. It introduced television audiences to such legendary artists as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Barry White and many others and brought the best R&B, soul and later hip-hop acts to TV and had teenagers dance to them. It was one of the first shows to showcase African-Americans prominently to shine a light on black artists who many times didn't get the recognition they deserved. Cornelius was the first host and executive producer. Before “Soul Train” there was no programming that targeted any particular ethnicity. "Soul Train" was most famous for its dancers who would show off the newest moves while partying to the latest hits. The "Soul Train" line, where dancers would line up on the left and right of the dance

floor, allowing for one performer at a time to shimmy down the aisle, became a staple in American pop culture. He ended every show by saying "Love, Peace and Soul".

2013 * 14-year old Thessalonika Arzu-Embry receives her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Chicago State University with an impressive 3.9 GPA, is a member of the school’s Honor College, and serves as a student senator. * The documentary film, Fire in the Blood, was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival explores how major western pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Glaxo-Smith-Kline, as well as the United States, prevented tens of millions of people in Africa from receiving affordable generic AIDS drugs by blocking imports of cheap generic drugs. It is estimated that 10-12 million Africans died between 1995 - 2003 as a result of the pharmaceutical companies increasing their profits by blocking generic drugs from being sold in Africa. Shot on four continents and including contributions from global figures such as Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu and Joseph Stiglitz. "Fire in the Blood" is the never-beforetold true story of the remarkable coalition which came together to stop "the crime of the century" and save millions of lives in the process. * The 10-hour TV mini-series "The Bible" produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett for the History channel, tells The story of God's creation of the Earth and the landmark events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is planned for adaption for release to theaters as a feature film in 2014 as "Son of God." The TV version however chose to use a Black man, which ironically

looks exactly like President Obama, as the devil. Not only is evil portrayed as a Black man but also in the image of the first Black President of the United States. This is how Hollywood continues to portray Black people as bad with White people as being good.

* In a recent article on The Grio, Sil Lai Abrams stated that the proliferation of Black performers in reality television programming is doing nothing to help create a positive reality of the African American experience. In fact, Abrams says that our increased participation – which should be a good thing – is creating the opposite effect; it is perpetuating negative stereotypes that create false perceptions of Black people for the nation to consume. In the decades since the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, the imagery of Black people in media, particularly on television, has changed considerably more toward the negative. The materialism and “success at any cost” mindset that pervades modern popular culture today is likely a reaction to the economic uncertainty and hopelessness that is the true reality for many Black people. * The movie "12 Years a Slave" is released based on the adaptation of the 1853 true slave narrative memoir "Twelve Years A Slave" by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., in 1841 and sold into slavery. Northup worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for twelve years before his release and return to his family. The film received widespread critical acclaim, and was named the best film of 2013 by several media outlets. The film won three Academy Awards for its depiction of the events in the life of a former slave. * Fox News, other media sources and news personalities' long pattern of racially biased crime coverage is hurting Black people. Studies show media crime stories perpetuate harmful racial

stereotypes especially against Blacks which are feeding into a well-worn script of biased media coverage of violent crimes that academic research has shown favors White people and disparages Black people with seriously ill effects on racial comity and equal justice in America. Professor of media & public affairs at George Washington University Robert M. Entman highlighted a few of the subtle media trends recorded in various studies. They include: 1) Blacks are more likely than Whites to appear as lawbreakers in the news, particularly when the news is focusing on violent crime. 2) Whites are overrepresented as victims of violence and as lawenforcers, while Blacks are underrepresented in these sympathetic roles. 3) Blacks in criminal roles tend to outnumber Blacks in socially positive roles in newscasts and daily newspapers. 4) Depictions of Black suspects tend to be more symbolically threatening than those of Whites accused of similar crimes. Blacks are often shown in orange jail jumpsuits, while Whites are seldom shown at all. In the ubiquitous "perp walks," Blacks were twice as likely as Whites to be shown under some form of physical restraint by police, although all were accused of scary and generally violent crimes. 5) Black victims are less likely to be covered than White victims in media coverage of crime. Messages and images continually associating people of color, Especially Blacks, with poverty and crime reinforce the updated form of racial prejudice known as symbolic racism, racial resentment, or racial animosity. 6) Racialized crime coverage reinforces the stereotype that Blacks are not just lazy, but also violent. Moreover, empirical evidence demonstrates associations between racial resentment and Whites' support of punitive crime policies and opposition to preventative policies. Entman explained that the racial images that media uses matter "because they are a central component in a circular process by which racial and ethnic misunderstanding and antagonism are reproduced, and thus become predictable influences in the criminal-justice process." Entman noted that the negative impact of the lasting racial impressions this kind of coverage creates extends far beyond just the news stories the media highlights and goes toward shaping the attitudes that Whites have against Blacks.

* The Maury Povich Show, which was nationally syndicated and distributed in partnership with his own production company, has been on the air since 1991 and has become "The Father of Black Trash" TV. Week after week we see young Black women on the lower socioeconomic totem pole embarrass themselves after being pegged as “loose,” irresponsible, or worse: an all around bad mother. The men fair no better, because regardless of whether or not they impregnated a given guest, they were trifling enough to not discover or care whether or not they had a child in this world on their own accord. People appearing on the show are paid about $500 to humiliate themselves in front of millions of people on TV and perpetuate the negative stereotypes about Black people. 2014 * A bomb exploded outside the Colorado Springs chapter of the NAACP. There were no damages or injuries. * Mo'ne Ikea Davis, a little league baseball pitcher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became the first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history. She is the 18th girl overall to play, the sixth to get a hit, and the first African-American girl to play in the Little League World Series. She is also the first little league baseball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a little league player and was named the 2014 Associated Press female athlete of the year. * The Jackie Robinson West little league team from Chicago, Illinois wins the U.S. Little League World Series Title and made history as the first all-black team to win the U.S. title.

* The movie musical remake of "Annie" from 1982 is released starring a Black Annie as a foster kid, who lives with her mean foster mom, who sees her life change when a business tycoon and

New York mayoral candidate makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Meanwhile, Target comes under fire from angry consumers over its use of White models to promote a new clothing line inspired by the recent remake of the hit musical Annie, which is led by Black actress Quvenzhané Wallis. The in-store displays cast a White girl as the star model, who happens to be wearing the collection's main piece; and the same red dress worn by Quvenzhané at Target's collection launch. * An unidentified Black man proves the Adam and Eve biblical story is probably not true. His DNA dates back 338,000 years. The man's chromosome carries a rare mutation, which researchers matched to a similar chromosome in the Mbo, a population living in a tiny area of western Cameroon in sub-Saharan Africa. Michael F. Hammer, an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Research Labs found that the lineage diverged from previously known Y chromosomes about 388,000 years ago. The DNA study began after a South Carolina man submitted a small tissue sample to the National Geographic Project. Researchers were shocked after they noticed none of the genetic markers used to assign lineages to known Y chromosome groupings were found. The man's DNA sample was sent to the Family Tree DNA for sequencing. Researchers at Hammer's lab analyzed more than 240,000 base pairs of Y chromosomes that led to the Mbo connection. Scientists were then able to establish the emergence of the chromosome mutation based on rates of change, creating a family tree for the chromosome. The study implicates and strengthens the belief that there is no Mitochondrial Eve or Y Chromosome Adam. All of humankind, as a result, did not descend from exactly one pair of humans that lived at a certain point in human evolution. * TV sitcom "Black-ish" debuted on ABC. The comedy centers on an upper-middle-class Black family. A family man struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his four kids in a predominantly White, upper-middle-class neighborhood in suburban California. The show is hoping to translate as an applicable lesson on race relations and cultural assimilation in today's America. Critics of the show call it racist mainly because of the title and the show is about Black people trying to get by in a White world. * TV drama "Power" debates on Starz. The series follows James St. Patrick, nicknamed "Ghost", owner of a popular New York City nightclub. In addition, he is a major player in one of the city's biggest illegal drug networks. He struggles to balance these two lives, and the balance topples when he realizes he wants to leave

the drug ring in order to support his legitimate business, and commit to his mistress. This show continues the stereotype of Blacks being drug dealers, thugs and being promiscuous. * The movie "Exodus: Gods and Kings" is Ridley Scott's retelling of the Ten Commandments story as a defiant Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. Many of the lead roles are being played by White actors, while many Black actors have been cast as slaves. Hollywood has once again white washed the true race and color of the people and their position in life that would have been alive in Africa (Egypt) in 1300 B.C. * The movie "Noah" is released and based on the story of Noah's Ark from the Book of Genesis. Noah is chosen by his GOD to undertake a momentous mission to build an Ark to save the world's animals before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world because mankind has become too sinful and must be wiped off the Earth. The flood began approximately 4,359 years ago in the year 2348 B.C., but Hollywood used an all White cast to portray the people of the time period somewhere in the area around Turkey and Iraq. This continues Hollywood's white washing of history. * The TV comedy series "Black Jesus" airs on Adult Swim and spotlights Jesus living in modern-day Compton, California, trying to spread love and kindness throughout his neighborhood on a daily basis. “Black Jesus" is a satire and one interpretation of the message of Jesus played out in modern day morality tales. Mostly assisting in his mission is a small-but-loyal group of downtrodden followers. Conservative Christian activists, pastors and faith groups across the nation said the show is blasphemous, irreverent and disrespectful because it shows Jesus as a profanity-using marijuana smoker who hangs with gang-bangers and includes violence and drinking. * 11-year-old Ramarni Wilfred of England has joined Mensa after scoring higher than Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Albert Einstein on an IQ test. Professor Hawking, Microsoft founder Gates and Einstein all have 160 IQs. Ramarni scored 162, putting him in the top 1% in the UK.

* The TV reality show "Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood" airs on VH1 and follows a group of rising stars and starlets fighting for their chance to make it in the entertainment capital of the world. R&B artists, video vixens, actors, personal assistants and lovers showcase the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood hip-hop music scene. The show displays an array of verbal and physical abuse in Black relationships that is disturbing. The emotionally abusive and disrespectful behavior of male cast members reinforces the idea that a Black man’s power is best expressed through unbridled and unprincipled sexual behavior, aggression and violence are examples of this show’s many horrible messages for the nation to see. There are 8 current TV shows that reinforce negative stereotypes of Black people: The Wire, Love and Hip Hop, Basketball Wives, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Married to Medicine, The Bad Girls Club, Mad Men, The Vampire Diaries. Each one of these shows portrays Blacks in a negative light. * A recent report by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the National Women's Law Center, found that African-American girls were suspended at much higher rates than their White peers, despite evidence that African-American students do not misbehave more frequently than their peers. This phenomenon leads to lower earnings and educational attainment in the long run. The report also outlines the barriers to African-American girls staying in school and shows how poor educational outcomes can limit their opportunities, from lower graduation rates to setbacks in expected lifetime earnings. U.S. Census data shows helping African-American girls successfully complete high school could stave off a lifetime of poverty for them and their families. * This year marked a year of heightened tension between the Black community and Law Enforcement as several shootings of Blacks by police have increased racial tensions between the two groups. There have been several questionable shootings across the nation where police killed or was responsible for the deaths of Blacks in

which several were not armed. Protests, riots and marches in cities across the nation flared up as conflicts between the two groups boiled over. Protestors of several different races held signs reading "Black Lives Matter", or "Don't Shoot". The NAACP's Legal Defense Fund released the names of 76 unarmed Black men and women who were killed by police both in and out of custody since 1999. In most of the cases the police were deemed justified by their actions to include a refusal of grand juries to bring charges against police officers. To the Black community this is a slap in the face and an overt result of cities not wanting to admit wrong doing so as not to be opened up to lawsuits for their bad actions. Law enforcement has taken the stance through their actions that Blacks are viewed as criminals before being people due in part to the media's constant efforts of showing Blacks as criminals. Police are using the magic words of "I feared for my life" to justify shooting Blacks or causing their death knowing their actions would not result in criminal charges against them.

2015 * TV drama series "Empire" airs on FOX. The show centers around a Black owned hip-hop music and entertainment company, Empire Enterprises, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of the company. The show covers

adult content subjects of homosexuality, drug use, drug dealing, mature language, murder, promiscuous sex, racism, mental illness and gives some insight into the world of Black music on some levels. Critics say the show continues to advance the perception of Blacks in a negative light as gangsters, criminals and drug dealers rather than the working-class Blacks who are law-abiding, hard-working and committed to family. * The NAACP Image Awards names "Empire" star Taraji P. Henson, as Entertainer of the Year, as well as a Best Actress win for the 2014 movie thriller "No Good Deed" with Idris Elba. ABC’s hit comedy series "Black-ish" swept all its categories, winning outstanding comedy series. * A Cleveland Fox 8 news anchor has been suspended for three days after making a racist comment on-air. Kristi Capel was reporting on the Oscars when she said she appreciated Lady Gaga’s version of the “Sound of Music” - despite the accompanying “jigaboo music.” Capel said “It’s hard to really hear her voice with all the jigaboo music - whatever you want to call it - jigaboo!” * The Manhattan Beach, California $3.5 million home of Ronald and Malissia Clinton was firebombed when a tire filled with gasoline was ignited and exploded at the front door of their home. The couple live in an 84% white neighborhood and are the only Black family on their street. The couple, who have three children, believe they were targeted because they are Black. * Michael Jordan has become the first former or current North American pro athlete to make Forbes’ annual billionaires list, the magazine revealed. Jordan, whose playing career ended in 2003, is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and still has lucrative endorsement deals with Gatorade, Hanes and Upper Deck and Nike. Jordan's Nike brand made an estimated $2.25 billion in 2013. * Emmy award-winning host Rodner Figueroa from the Spanish Univision show “El Gordo Y La Flaca,” has been fired for making derogatory comments about Michelle Obama during a television show. Figueroa said Michelle Obama looks like she is from the cast of “The Planet of The Apes,” pointing to a picture of the First Lady. The exchange took place during a segment on makeup transformations by a makeup artist, Paolo Ballesteros, who makes himself look like famous women celebrities. * Amnesty International reports the town of Baga, Nigeria was razed and as many as 2,200 people killed by Islamist group Boko

Haram who is a militant and self-professed Islamist movement based in northeast Nigeria with additional activities in Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The group is led by Abubakar Shekau, with membership estimated at 9000 and growing. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations Security Council, which declared it an Al-Qaeda affiliate. Boko Haram killed more than 10,000 civilians between July 2009 and June 2014, including at least 2,000 in the first half of 2014, in Nigeria. Since 2009 Boko Haram have abducted more than 500 men, women and children, including the kidnapping of 276 school girls from Chibok who were sold as slaves and wives in April 2014. By the end of the year 1.5 million had fled the region. After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalization led to a violent uprising in July 2009 in which its first leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was executed. It's unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010, was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets, and progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings on police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja. As of January 2015, Boko Haram controlled towns and villages across about 20,000 square miles, an area the size of Belgium.

* "Fashion Police" host Giuliana Rancic said during the show's Academy Awards red carpet recap special that aired that Monday night, that 18-year-old actress/singer Zendaya's look,(Zendaya Coleman) which included a satin ivory Vivienne Westwood gown and a head of waist-length dreadlocks, makes her feel like Zendaya would smell like patchouli oil. That sentiment was followed with, "Or weed," by co-host Kelly Osbourne and then repeated by Rancic who then said yes like weed. Giuliana Rancic was Fired shortly after her Racist comments about Zendaya.

* Researchers from Brandeis University and Ohio State University have carried out an extensive study on racism and have come up with startling conclusions. Research says that Blacks in lowincome neighborhoods are more susceptible to obesity, poor performance in school and a lower quality of health than their White counterparts. They are even more likely to find themselves in prison at an early age. From birth, many Black children are placed at a disadvantage. Some are not able to access the same facilities as White children and this reflects in low school performance. Systemic racism is not only seen in education, but also in health, incarceration rates, unemployment and even life expectancy. The research concludes that in the end, Blacks end up working extra hard to compete with their white counterparts. Many of the poorest rarely make it out of the low-income neighborhoods and even if they do, the effects of being raised in such areas effects them forever. * Five years after the quake: Haiti at a crossroads. In less than 60 seconds, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shifted Haiti's landscape and changed millions of lives forever. The government estimated about 220,000 deaths from the disaster, 300,000 injured and rubble nearly everywhere. It also left about 1.5 million Haitians homeless. Then things got worse. A massive cholera outbreak followed, killing nearly 8,600. The catastrophe also unleashed an unprecedented flood of humanitarian aid of $13.5 billion in donations and pledges, about three-quarters from donor nations and a quarter from private charity. Where Did The $13.5 Billion in relief aide Go? Today Haiti is a long, long way from realizing the bullish goal of "building back better." Haiti's back more or less to normal, but there have not been the improvements there should have been, given the resources." Of the billions is donations only 9.6% went to the Haitian government, 0.6% went to Haitian organizations and a staggering 89.8% went to non-Haitian organizations due to fraud and corruption. The Office of the

Special Envoy for Haiti and The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society in Haiti reports that the Haitian people have received very little of the money meant to re-build their lives and their country.

* Researcher Emma Adam from Northwestern University has discovered that the effects of racism may seep into our brains and harm us even when we are trying to sleep. According to alarming new research, using data collected over a 20-year period, that shows racial stress and discrimination causes Black adolescents and adults to get an average of a half hour less sleep per night than White people, which has an enormous impact on Black health and performance and has been linked to a long list of problems, such as higher fatigue, poor mental health, cardiovascular disease and failing memory. This research speaks volumes about the challenges Black people face in White-dominated societies. * A new report from Columbia University Law School explains that girls of color are disciplined much more harshly in school than White girls and is fairly consistent with past analyses that show the racial bias in how teachers and school administrators dole out punishments to students with browner skin. This is similar to the Villanova University report just released about how Black girls with darker hues were disciplined much more harshly and much more frequently than fairer-skinned Black girls or their White counterparts. Data from the Department of Education shows Black girls are six times more likely than White girls to be suspended from school. Even more alarming is girls of colors are not participating in or being exposed to initiatives to keep them out of the school-to-prison pipeline. Those initiatives are intended for African-American working-class communities. Columbia’s Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies, says that the

report shows how girls are also subjected to the kind of systemic racism that plagues young men of color. * Charlotte Attwood, a reporter for BBC Africa, said tourism in Kenya is booming as visitors from all over the world visit Malindi, a coastal town on the continent of Africa that is said to be a tropical paradise. Attwood reports foreign White tourists are traveling to Malindi and soliciting the children as young as 12 and all under 18 for sex. Most tourists are “Italian men between the ages of 50 and 80.” In addition, some of the men like to “involve dogs” in the acts with the children. Pedophiles will pay up to $500 to film the beastly acts. Because the illegal practice is hardly reported, authorities have had a difficult time combating the problem. Law officials believe that the lure of money keeps children, families, and corrupt police officers silent on the issue. Many of the kids see these tourists as being wealthy and their one-way ticket out of abject poverty so, many children are easily lured into the sex trade. Due to poverty being a huge problem in the coastal town, parents don’t ask questions when their children return home with the money. Meanwhile, children in Malindi continue to be abused and exploited by foreigners who have no regard for the children’s safety or psychological well-being.

* The Academy Awards started in 1929 to celebrate the best achievements in Hollywood, which just so happened to exclude Black actors and actresses. Today, after seeing the 87th annual Academy Award nominations, it feels like the 1920s all over again. The Oscars missed out on the chance to make history and nominate its first Black female director, Ava DuVernay, for her Golden Globe nominated work on Selma. The film’s star, David Oyelowo, also was completely overlooked for his gripping portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Selma received a nomination for best picture; the film’s only other nomination was for best song, for Common and John Legend’s recent Golden Globe winner Glory. All of the four major acting categories; Actor in a Leading Role, Actress in a Leading Role, Actor in a Supporting Role, and Actress in a

Supporting Role; feature only White actors. Nominees for best director are also all White with the exception of Mexican-born filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Other films that have been passed over are Do the Right Thing, Malcolm-X, Lumumba, The Help and 12 Years A Slave. Meanwhile the 46th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California honors 10 Blacks who will join a list of talented African Americans who received love from their own community after being passed over and snubbed by mainstream awards groups.

* Hollywood appears to only praise Blacks when they play roles that highlight negative Black stereotypes of servants, slaves, ghetto moms and thugs. Movies like The Help, The Butler, Precious, 12 Years a Slave, and Training Day all had black people as central characters. All won some type of award or nomination and/or had actors that were recognized with awards. If you take a second glance, you will notice all of these movies promoted negative stereotypes of Black people. The sad part is that many of these actors have been in other movies that have been just as good, yet they went unrecognized when they didn't "fit the description.” * The six part TV mini-series “The Book of Negroes” based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Lawrence Hill recounts the extraordinary journey of Aminata Diallo, an indomitable African woman who survives in a world in which everything seems to be against her. Kidnapped by slave traders in West Africa then sold into slavery in South Carolina, Aminata navigates her way through the American Revolution in New York, the isolated refuge of Nova Scotia, and the treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone, before finally securing her freedom in England at the dawn of the 19th century. This is based on the 1783 British document listing African slaves.

* A QVC host shames a Black model's hairstyle, Michelle Holloway, live on-air and learns a hard lesson on social media. Sandra Bennett and a spokeswoman for Dooney & Burke were discussing purses on-air, but when the camera panned to the Black woman who was modeling the purse, they started talking negatively about her hair. As the camera panned to the model, she didn’t make any comments, of course, but you’d have to wonder what was going through her head as she listened to the White women discussing her hair in a negative manner.

* 7 Reasons why the systemic eviction of Black women is just as destructive to the Black family as Black male incarceration. The McArthur Foundation, which has been the seminal for work in the field used by scholars and housing advocates to show for the first time the impact evictions have on Black men and women. It has been well-documented that the large-scale incarceration of Black men has become a scourge destroying Black families and communities all across the U.S. But for Black women, eviction has quietly become an extremely destructive force also wreaking havoc on Black families and Black communities. And after a woman is evicted once, it can follow her forever just like a conviction. (1) Black women most likely to be evicted live in high-poverty Black neighborhoods. This forces them to live in shelters and move from one undesirable situation to another. (2) Gender plays a role in the dynamic in dealing with male landlords. Many women facing eviction take the non-confrontational approach, what the landlords called engaging in “ducking and dodging.”(3) Children are a red flag and pose a challenge to single mothers beyond the cost of needing larger rental units to accommodate them. (4) To avoid upsetting the landlord, women don’t ask for help. Calls to the police to report domestic violence could provoke the ire of landlords or lead to eviction if a male abuser is not on the lease. (5) Eviction can mean losing all their possessions, stripping them of the few assets they had. (6) Not enough housing

assistance. Despite the fact that many are one paycheck away from not making the rent, only one in four households that qualifies for housing assistance receive it. (7) Housing costs takes a brutal toll on family living expenses. The majority paid at least 50-80 percent of their incomes for rent leaving little money for other expenses. * 150 years ago in 1865, the 13th amendment to the Constitution was ratified abolishing slavery which set Blacks free. The amendment states: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. "...Except as a punishment for crime..." This phrase gets ignored in America's telling of its slavery story. The 13th Amendment did not abolish slavery but rather moved it from the plantation to the prison system. In 2015, there are approximately 2 million Black people incarcerated in America who are legally considered slaves under the Constitution. As a result, they can and are forced to work for pennies an hour with the profits going to counties, states and private corporations including Target, Revlon and Whole Foods. There are more Black people enslaved in prisons today than in 1800. Today, the majority of Black people enslaved in prisons were arrested for drug crimes. Even though Black people use drugs at the same rate as White people, they are incarcerated for drug crimes at 20 to 50 times the rate of White people.

* Princeton Dean and Professor Valerie Smith becomes Swarthmore College’s 1st African-American President. Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts college located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Founded in 1864, Swarthmore

was one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. * CIA whistleblower, Jeffrey Sterling, faces up to 100 years in prison and a fine of $2.25 million for blowing the whistle on the CIA planting false evidence of nuclear weapons in Iran. This demonstrates how corrupt the American government is. They will start wars for personal gain and lie to the people each and every time. * A work by post-impressionist French painter Paul Gauguin, smashed the record books as the most expensive ever sold. The piece, Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?), was sold for $300 million dollars to a buyer in Qatar. The oil-on-canvas was produced in 1892 during Gauguin's first visit to French Polynesia, located about 9,061 miles from South Africa. It features a pair of Tahitian girls seated next to a tree. Around 1635, the French imported African slaves to Tahiti - French Polynesia to work in the sugar-cane fields.

* Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, who teaches creative writing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, has been selected as the winner of the 2015 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History. The prize was established by Jean Kennedy Smith, the sister of Senator Edward Kennedy, and is administered by the Center for New Media Teaching and Learning at Columbia University in New York City. Parks was honored for her play “Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts 1, 2 & 3,” which was first staged at The Public Theater in New York last October. The Kennedy Prize comes with a $100,000 cash award.

* In an act of desperation with their avowed goal of obstruction to undermine President Obama partially fueled by racism, the republican congress invites the leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to speak before congress without notifying President Obama in an effort to influence international policy and make the American public go against the President on talks with Iran over their nuclear program. 47 members of Congress then signed a letter they drafted to the leader of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, behind the Presidents back asking them not to cooperate with him on the nuclear deal. Congress and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell pens a letter to all 50 states asking them to ignore the President and the office of the Presidency and to break federal laws concerning EPA regulations and President Obama's efforts to stop climate change. Republicans have taken to the radical approach of undermining the president by going behind his back and insisting to other world leaders that the president is not important, not to be trusted, and safely ignored. According to an exclusive report by Reuters, Republican congressional leaders have sent a letter to the United Nations, asking that member countries back away from any climate deal that Obama might offer. Republicans have fought and tried to undermine the President on every policy throughout his two terms in office. * Riley B. King known by his stage name B.B. King dies. He was a Hall of Fame blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. Rolling Stone ranked King number 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1990, King was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush. In 2006, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time. * Between 700 and 900 African immigrants from Libya drowned from a capsized boat fleeing poverty and conflict in North Africa while attempting to make the perilous crossing to Italy for a better life in Europe. This tragedy is being called the worst Mediterranean death toll of migrants since World War II. At least 1600 are feared to have died attempting the crossing so far this year thru April and another 3500 from last year. Thousands have been rescued at sea by the Italian Coast Guard but hundreds die each year fleeing Africa. The European Union ministers meet for crisis talks to deal with the deepening migrant crisis off the southern coast of Italy. So far the United States has not offered to assist with the humanitarian crisis of African refugees fleeing violence and poverty. Smugglers take advantage of the immigrant's desperate situation by charging them thousands of dollars for a

space on the unsafe boats as there is no legal way for most Africans to migrate to Europe. The mass exodus continues as does the death toll into the thousands.

* 16-year-old Thessalonika Arzu-Embry, earns a master's degree in strategic foresight and organizational leadership through an online program offered by Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia., she plans to pursue doctorate in aviation psychology.

SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW THE MANY PHOTOS OF BLACK HISTORY. WHEN YOU SEE MY PICTURE AT THE BOTTOM YOU HAVE REACHED THE END. THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT AND WILL BE UPDATED PERIODICALLY WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

INVENTIONS CREATED, INSPIRED or CONTRIBUTED TO BY BLACKS According to U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office – Blacks have registered the following inventions. Blacks are also responsible for the following ideas or technology leading to an improved invention even though they may not have filed the patent or received recognition because they had no rights as slaves, former slaves or just because they were Black. Blacks have been denied recognition because of their color, but their ideas sprang forward and flourished while others took credit for their work. During slavery, most Blacks were denied formal education and in fact many laws were passed in the South prohibiting slave literacy in the aftermath of various slave rebellions. This limited education and training meant that, for the most part, Blacks were shut out of professional occupations and confined to working in industries deemed acceptable for them, such as domestic services, manual trades and agriculture. This list does not even address the breakthroughs and contributions made in the area of science, medicine and agriculture because of African Americans. The majority of these inventions or ideas came about in the 1800’s and early 1900’s and have flourished today and made our world a better place. 1st Successful Open Heart Surgery 3-D Illusion Transmitter 3-D Graphics Technology 3rd Rail for Train Tracks Air Conditioner Unit Airborne Radar System Aircraft Locating Beacon (Black Box) Antioxidant Arithmetic Unit for Digital Computers Artillery Round Asphalt Paving Vehicle Auto Cut-off Switch Auto Fishing Device Automatic Air Brake Automatic Gear Shift Automatic Refrigeration System Baby Carriage Bicycle Frame Billiard Rack Biodegradable Soap Elements Bio-Synthesis Biscuit Cutter Blood Plasma Storage Bookcase

Bottle Breathing Device Breech Loading Canon Bridle Bit Bubble Machine Cardiac Stent Design Carbon Filaments for Light Bulbs Cataract Laserphaco Probe Cellular Phone Chamber Commode Chemical Fuel Cell Chemical Gas Mask Churn Closed-Circuit Television Security System Clothes Dryer Coin Counting Tube Comb / Hairbrush Compressed Air Gun Cotton Planting Machine Curtain Rod & Support DC Voltage Converter Denture Disposable Syringe Door Stop Dry Cleaning Process Dust Pan Egg Beater Electro Acoustic Transducer Electret Microphone Electric Lamp Bulb Electric Railway Electric Resistor Elevator Eye Protector Farmers Almanac Farming Technology Applications Fire Escape Ladder Fire Extinguisher Fire Fighters Helmet Folding Bed Folding Chair Folding Chair Imaging Food Preservatives Foot Warmer Fountain Pen Furniture Castor Galvanic Battery Game Table

Gas Burner Gas Mask Gas-Turbine Air Compressor Golf Tee Guitar Hair Brush Hair Care and Beauty Products Hand Gun Hand Stamp Heating Furnace Helicopter Hobby Horse Home Security System Horse Shoe HVAC Technology Hydraulic Jack Ice Cream Scoop Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer Improved Whaling Harpoon Incubator Induction Telegraph System Inoculation Procedure Internet Networking Iron Alloy Ironing Board IBM Personal Computer ISA Bus - Computers Key Chain Kneading Machine Knee Brace Lantern Laserphaco Probe Lawn Mower Lawn Sprinkler Lemon Squeezer Life Preserver Liniment Liquid-Fueled Rocket Engine Lock Lubricating Cup Luggage Carrier Lunch Pail Machine Gun Mail Box Maritime Steam Engine Mobile Refrigeration Unit Mop

Morticians Table Motor Movie Projector Devices Oil Lubricator Oil Stove One Gigahertz Computer Chip Packing Tie Paint & Stain Paper Bag Peanut Butter Pencil Sharpener Phonograph Player Piano Pneumatic Tire Potato Chips Postal Machine Propeller Punching Machine Railroad - Train Telegraph System Railway Switch Record Player Arm Refrigerator Remote Control Device Riding Saddle Rolling Pin Rotary Compressor Rotary Engine Seed Planter Self Leveling Table Self-Starting Gasoline Engine Sewer Trap Shadow Box Shampoo Headrest Shoe-Lasting Machine Shoes / Boots Signal Generator Spark Plug Spoon Squirt Gun and Super Soaker Starter Generator Steam Boiler Steam Gage Sterilization Process Stethoscope Stove Straightening Comb Street Sweeper

Striking Clock Swinging Chair Telephone Transmitter Thermostat Control Ticket Dispensing Machine Tidal Basin Bridge Timing Device Toy Rocket Launcher Trading Post Traffic Signal Train Car Coupler Train Headlight Transmission Tricycle TV Surveillance System Two-Cycle Gas Engine Typewriter Umbrella Stand Universal Joint Ultraviolet Camera Spectrograph Vacuum Pump Valve Vehicle Anti-Theft Device Ventilator Video Game System That Used Interchangeable Cartridges Water Closet (Toilet) Weighing Scale Wheel Whitehurst Freeway Project Work Cabinet Wrench

* Credits & Sources -

The information and photographs contained in this document were compiled, condensed and edited from numerous Historical Sources to include studies by Archaeologists, Paleontologists, Egyptologists, Geologists, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Infoplease Almanac, Archaeology Info, Encyclopedia Britannica, Encarta Encyclopedia, Numerous Educational Institutions, U.S. Census Bureau, Scholars of Black History, U.S. Government Historical Archives, The Library of Congress, The National Park Service, The PBS Channel, NOVA, A & E Network, The BBC, The Black Collegian, Black Weekly, African American Registry, African American Almanac, The Journal of African History, The Intercultural Press, National Archives and Records Administration, The Discovery Channel, The African American History Channel, The History Channel, The National Geographic Channel, The National Slavery Museum, Jet Magazine,

Crisis Magazine, Long Island University, N.Y. Times and various Websites and individual Authors dedicated to History which are too numerous to list individually. Modern day articles were taken from various reputable media sources such as MSNBC, CNN, The Associated Press, Time Magazine, Essence Magazine, Newsweek, Atlanta Black Star, Washington Post, Oxford African-American Studies Center, Black Time Travel, Black Then and many others. I Do Not take any personal claim or credit for what is contained in this document. I give full credit to all the contributing sources and authors. I am merely a messenger of free knowledge and documented known Black History and I have presented it in a manner that bridges the gap between Africa and America in a format that is easy to read and follow. All the information was authored by reputable sources and individuals. Individual author names are not included due to the vast time of history covered. I could not list each individual as the list would be too numerous. * The United States is called the land of the free and the home of the brave. She is a rich, powerful and arrogant country that was built from the blood, sweat, and tears of People of Color. The concept that “All Men Are Created Equal” only applies to the White race. Africans were enslaved, tortured, raped, oppressed, dehumanized, beaten, lynched and striped of their heritage. Native American Indians were hunted down, displaced, massacred, raped and infected with diseases. The White race invaded this country like a swarm of locusts leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake. Races of color were used for manual labor to build America’s infrastructure, yet they were not allowed to share in the fruits of their labor. The tyranny, atrocities and carnage committed by the White race on People of Color goes unspoken, unremembered and untaught even though it has been documented throughout history. The events of the past are told by the victors and it is his story that is remembered. Joseph Campbell - 2003 Written and presented by Joseph Campbell in honor of Black History, Culture and Heritage. Please share this information with others. Knowledge is free and history is ours to learn from and be proud of despite its White-washing by America and Europe.

The U.S. is a nation committed to independence and freedom who used slave labor to achieve those goals. Slaves built the Whitehouse as the countries leaders talked about equality and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Without the contributions of African Americans, that fledgling nation would have remained a fledgling colony of Great Britain. The U.S. Government’s (Special Virus Cancer Program) AIDS Project flowchart was designed to kill Blacks: Africa was systematically depopulated for 400 years thru slavery. Africa is now the least populated continent in the world with a density one-sixth of Europe’s. Africa’s death rate is more than twice that of Europe. Africa’s death rate should also be one-sixth of Europe’s. Africa’s birth rate is nearly 3 times that of Europe but the infant mortality rate is 5 times higher in Africa than in Europe.

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