For the past few days of the Black History Month series I’ve focused on the lives of my grandparents. Beginning with my father’s mother, Johnnie Lou Gaudy Carithers, who was the first African American hired in the state capital as a secretary and my mother’s father Eugene “Sweets” Wilson, who established his own hair salon […]
On this last week of the Black History Month series, I’ve been focusing on the accomplishments of those in my family tree. Yesterday I reflected on the life and legacy of my father’s mother. The experience was enlightening, learning about her accomplishments gave me a unique sense of pride. I never met my father’s mother, […]
This last week of Black History I wanted to focus on my family, and the accomplishments of those who came before me in my direct lineage. Sometimes we fail to recognize the amazing history we have in our own family tree. While searching for the amazing achievements within Black history we become blind to the […]
Black Ownership in Music and Entertainment Music runs through my veins, from my father’s side of the family. Every individual can do more than carry a tune, raised in the Gordy Memorial church of God and Christ, every member of the family, including my father, attended early morning church services, sang in the choir and […]
My father kept this picture of Malcolm X framed on the wall, all while I was growing up I stared into his eyes on my way to the dining room. It was as if he was imparting wisdom into me everyday, “Think Amani, learn my story and know your truth.” Today is the day of Malcolm […]
Presidents’ Day is an odd holiday for me, its strange that it’s in the middle of Black History Month, when the majority of our presidents have done nothing to advance the place of Blacks in American society. However there are many, including our vice president Mike Pence, who will argue that presidents like Abraham Lincoln fought […]
For the past few weeks I’ve been watching How to Get Away with Murder, another one of my favorite legal dramas is Scandal, for the simple fact that I love seeing Black women in power. The fact that I studied law in college makes the plots all the more interesting, aside from the fact that […]
The circus is a place where we can be amazed by the miraculous ability of the human body, dazzled by acrobatics and pushed to the edge of comfort by the threat of danger. The circus is fun because there we have a chance to come face to face with abnormalities that we don’t get to […]
There are so many influential Black characters that we are unaware of. Today while scrolling through Facebook I came across a quick informative video by Timeline News. Their videos feature Black activists whose stories are never written in the history books, they are our forgotten heroes. Overtime I come across a new name of a […]
These past few weeks of research and writing for February’s Black History Month series has been a deeply rewarding experience as a young Black woman. I’ve learned about the names, voices, and accomplishments that have been hidden from our people for centuries. It’s incredible the depth of knowledge we have waiting for us to explore. […]