Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of slaves, became an early 20th Century educator and civil rights leader, founding both Bethune-Cookman College and the National Council of Negro Women. But Bethune became even more influential as a friend and confidant of Eleanor Roosevelt, and as an advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Negro affairs. Bethune […]
A master of storytelling, Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and legendary professor is known for the vivid black characters brought to life in her novels that recreate the Black experience. Morrison’s novels often illuminate themes of slavery, racism, and identity, but […]
Professing to be “unbossed and unbought,” Shirley Chisholm was the first black female major-party candidate for President of the United States, and the first black woman to be elected to Congress. Chisholm wasn’t intent on winning the presidency, but was steadfast on challenging conventions and showing Black America that they could aim high. She set […]
When Booker T. Washington stepped to the podium at the Atlanta Exposition in 1895 to give a speech on race relations, two things happened. First, many fellow Black Americans, including W.E.B. Du Bois, derided his speech as “The Atlanta Compromise,” because Washington called the agitation for social equality “the extremest folly,” advocating instead slow, steady, […]
A panel assembled by The Grio has ranked the 25 most influential African American leaders of all time. Here are the top ten: 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. […]
In his seminal work, Race Matters, Dr. Cornel West questions matters of economics and politics, as well as addressing the crisis in Black leadership. The book was written in 1993, but many of its themes are salient today. His scholarship has come to be recognized globally and West, himself, is known for his combination of […]
BRIDGEPORT — Two reputed white supremacists and a black associate collaborated on a plot to sell grenades and guns to a member of a national white supremacist group, according to prosecutors who put the men on trial this week. But the buyer was really a government informant who often wore hidden video and audio recording […]
Washington (FinancialTimes)– According to the Financial Times, George W. Bush told a group of British dignitaries who asked him about his preference of candidates in the 2008 presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain, that he would’ve endorsed Obama if Obama asked him to. When asked about McCain they claim he said: Not a […]
President Obama said Wednesday that Congress should reauthorize extended unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless.
A Billboard in Grand Junction, Colorado is causing controversy in its depiction of President Barack Obama. While the owner has remained anonymous, the artist, Paul Snoder has come forward to claim the work. KJCT8 reports: “To not put my name on it would be saying that I’m embarrassed or afraid, or ashamed of what I’ve […]
Barack Obama has proven that he has a sweet left-handed jumper, but with news that he’s going to appear in the new “NBA Jam” video game alongside other political powerhouses, some might be starting to wonder: how will the President dunk on Sarah Palin?
