Robin Roberts To Honor Maya Angelou

by: April D. Byrd

Good Morning America reporter Robin Roberts will honor Poet and Author Maya Angelou at the MLB Awards Luncheon. The Major League Baseball Association is sponsoring the luncheon along with their annual Civil Rights game on May 30th. Football legend Jim Brown and Motown Records Founder Berry Gordy will also be honored. Aloe Blacc singer of the notably illustrated "Wake Me Up" and Award-winning Violinist Miri Ben-Ari will be performing.

The MLB Awards Luncheon will pay tribute to people who fight for equal rights and honor the history of racial progress. Roberts will be the keynote speaker for the event.  The Civil Rights Game will be played by the Houston Astros and the Baltimore Orioles in Houston, TX. and will air on the MLB network.

Robin is so strong and she's definitely staying busy, She's also returning to the Oscar's red carpet for the first time since her health crisis.

"To Have My Mojo Back and to be here at  the Oscars. I hope it symbolizes to people who are going through maybe their own personal struggle, whatever it is, to know that this too shall pass."                                       

--Roberts told KMBC-tv in an interview. 

Awesome! Looking forward to seeing Robin this Sunday at the Academy Awards. The Oscars Red Carpet Live! will air from 7 p.m. ET, on ABC and For the first time, ABC will offer a live stream for viewers to watch online. Ellen DeGeneres will also be back to host. Check out Robin's new mojo in her video interview (below).





Will you be watching the Oscars this year? What nominees are you rooting for? Tell us your picks here in the comments section and follow up more on this story on Trey Anthony's Facebook Fanpage. Let's Hear it!

Black History Month Events: IFreeCan Offering Free African Art Classes

Just in time for Black history month, IFreeCan is launching a new initiative called Artfrican – a mobile school that will offer free African art classes in Toronto. By offering the classes at different locations throughout the year IFreeCan is hoping to reach a wide range of people from across the GTA.

The first series of classes will be hosted by Professor Pablo Idahosa, director of development studies at York University, and starts February 15^th with an introductory lecture titled "Understanding Africans, Understanding Material Culture and Art - Unity and Diversity in the Continent". 

Whether you’re an art buff or just someone who’s always wanted to know more about African art, these interactive lecture style classes are a great way to learn more about the art while meeting like-minded people.

To find the course descriptions or register for free visit http://artfrican.org/.  

MONDAY MOTIVATION: Why BET's Black Girl's Rock and a Few (Less Than Kind) Twitter Comments Prove Celebrating You in All of Your Fab Glory is So Necessary

Photo: Clutch Magazine

Guest blog by: Safia Bartholomew

Black Girls Rock! Why do we rock? Because we are strong, resilient, beautiful, talented, intelligent, poised, funny and too many more reasons! Last night BET aired the annual awards show by DJ Beverly Bond, created to celebrate young black girls, build self-esteem and showcase positive and alternative images to the often stereotypical displays that we see of black women in the media. The concept of the show is fantastic and one that I believe that EVERYONE should get on board with. But of course, when peeping through my Twitter timeline while watching I saw quite a few comments bashing the importance of the show and debating whether or not it is necessary.

I have to say that I almost got out of character a couple of times when reading these comments and it left me absolutely shocked at the complete ignorance. But I digress...the main criticism that these folks had was that it's an unnecessary program because black girls are not the only ones who rock - what about Indian girls, Asians, Spanish, white and other ethnicities? My answer to that is we ALL rock. All of us brown girls, black girls, ivory skinned girls and so on ROCK.

This is reminiscent of arguments that roll around every February about the lack of importance of Black History Month. This should not even be a matter of debate as we are all amazing and beautiful in our own right. There is absolutely nothing wrong with shedding light on and building a platform to empower your own community. If mainstream media consistently did this (or even did it at all) then there wouldn't have to be separate shows. But, until then there will have to be a black show, a Spanish show, etc for each special channel and for each ethnicity. We all deserve to shine.

I would definitely tune into a show that celebrates women who are doing their thing of any ethnicity. It's not just about the color though - it's about the message, the sisterhood and the solidarity that matters. The shifting of perspective so that young girls and women are not just celebrated for their beauty (as we are in most cases) but for our smarts and our service in giving back and lifting others up as we rise higher.

To this, I think Janelle Monae hit it on the head in her acceptance speech when she said, "Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable." We should all go out into this week with a feeling of love and acceptance of ourselves in all of our differences. Be the first to celebrate you when no one recognizes what makes you amazing! There will always be critics, haters, naysayers and so on who will tell you why you should sit down somewhere and be quiet but to this I say shine brighter, speak louder, dance harder. It may be difficult, but ignore the noise!

Take this chance to shine, leave a comment below telling us why YOU ROCK ! Would love to hear from you.

Happy Monday!!

- Safia
  xo

P.S. Check out this clip from the red carpet where some of our favorite famous black girls, Janelle Monae, Megan Goode, Taraji P. Henson, Regina King, and more tell us why they rock:

Stunning Photos of Former Slaves

Have a look at these amazing photos.  In the 1930s the Federal Writers Project of the Work Progress Administration collected more than 2000 first hand accounts of former slaves as well as 500  black and white pictures.  They were collected from 17 states and most of the people interviewed were in 80s 90s and some even past 100 years old.  

Many of the collected stories were written phonetically which gives the reader a sense of how they really were.  The article highlights the account of a 121 year old slave that said: " ‘Yo’ know de sta’s don’ shine as bgright as dey did back den. I wonah wy dey don’. Dey jes’ don’ shine as bright.’ "

I would love to see this collection of stories.  To look at a snippet of history, told first hand, would be incredible.

I have always wished I could somehow sit and have a conversation with those who were enslaved. See the hurt and joy etched on their faces.  Hear the nuances of their speech.  Hear the stories straight from their lips.  This collection may be as close as it gets.  

Has anyone heard of or seen this collection?

Click on the link below to view all the pictures. They are absolutely beautiful.

http://blacklikemoi.com/2012/04/african-american-heroes/stunning-portraits-of-former-slaves-photographed-seventy-years-after-the-emancipation-proclamation/

Letter From Freed Slave to Former Master

My mission this Black History Month is to present you with new faces from our history.  We all know (or should know) the major players: Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks...I mean the list goes on and on.  Don't get me wrong, they are extremely important people who have done significant works, however, I would like for us to expand our data base and find new facts.  

I found this letter written by a freed slave to his former master.  The former master had written him in an attempt to get "his slave" to return to work on his farm. However, since Jourdon left the Anderson farm, he became emancipated, moved his family to Ohio (from Tennessee) and was even working for pay.

I don't want to say too much before you get the chance to read this incredible letter....I want to letter to speak for itself.  It is beautifully penned! 

Leave a comment with your favorite part of the letter.

Here it is...ENJOY! 

Dayton, Ohio,

August 7, 1865

To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, "Them colored people were slaves" down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,

Jourdon Anderson.

 Article: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/letter-freed-slave-former-master-draw-attention-151653952.html

The Truth About the History of Gynecology

I've seen this posted on several people's Facebook pages and I thought this is a message that needs to spread to as many people who will listen.

When I saw it, I wondered about it's accuracy and I did a little research on J Marion Sims.  Every medical reference/journal etc... I found confirmed the 'controversy' (as they call it) regarding his use of slave womyn to conduct experiments. 

It's incredible to think that a lot of what we know about the female body was due to the butchering of seven slave womyn.  The next time you see your ob-gyn be sure to thank the seven nameless womyn who were sacrificed in the name of science!

The text below are not my words, but the text that captioned the picture I saw on Facebook. 

Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section below. 

blessings

t

"J. Marion Sims is called “the Father of Gynecology” due to his experiments on enslaved women in Alabama who were often submitted as guinea pigs by their plantation owners who could not use them for sexual pleasure.

He kept seven women as subjects for four years, but left a trail of death and permanently traumatized black women.

Anarcha was one of the women Sims experimented upon. A detailed history of this monster is in Harriet Washington’s book, Medical Apartheid.

Sims believed that Africans were numb to pain and operated on the women without anaesthesia or antiseptic. The procedures usually happened this way.

Black female slaves who were guinea pigs would hold one subject down as Sims performed hysterectomies, tubal ligation, and other procedures to examine various female disorders."