Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"If you’re like us, you woke up the other day wondering where the month of January went."

Heck BEFORE i go to bed at night I think to myself where did the whole day go??

As Far as the whole "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" I don't celebrate it.. matter fact I really don't agree with it.. I would accept THE WHOLE MONTH only if it was only from fairness to give a WHOLE MONTH to the WHITES who also made our futures a little better.

8th grade in NTZ. MIDDLE school Mrs. Merritt was my history teacher (a STRONG AMAZING BALCK WOMAN she is the one that SHOWED ME JUST HOW FUN LEARNING OUR HISTORY CAN BE) anyway she wanted reports done by us on one BLACK person from the past... I turned in a report on why I chose NOT to write ABOUT a black person from the past and asked her the question why do we not honor the WHITE race as much as we do HER RACE? I got a 97 for that report it would've been an A but I didn't have it but in the little report holder... I STILL HAVE THAT PAPER... AND I STILL STRONGLY ADMIRE THAT WOMAN!

Posted by frogprincenessntz (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Is only the democratic side important? Alan Keyes is a black man and he is running on the Republican ticket. Is he not talked about because he knows the history of America? Black history is not the only history left out of our esteemed school books.

Posted by shedevil (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 6:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I know a lot of afro american kids that dont even know the meaning of black history month

Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I really enjoyed Borat's interview with Alan Keyes.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Buttercup26, if you took the time to actually do the report, instead of being a wise crack about the assignment, you would KNOW the importance of learning about ALL history. I surmise your problem, since a child unfortunately, with celebrating the history of others, is that you are NOT interested in what other races contributed to this society by and large. White history is taught and if you would have paid attention, instead of avoiding the assignment, you wouldn't have had that question. Also, as a World government instructor, you would have failed that report if I graded it, because you did not follow instructions and do the assignment.

Now, when I was coming of age, I only have God to thank that I did not come along during Jim Crow. I can only LEARN FROM HISTORY the struggles the so called Negro endured during that volatile time in American history. In my early childhood, in school, I learned of the Presidents, I learned of the Quakers, the carpet baggers, the Civil War, the pilgrims and the Mayflower, etc, but I had NEVER seen anything positive about the contributions of Black Americans, until a little later in my schooling, when I was fortunate enough to have WHITE AND BLACK instructors who taught me ALL aspects of history. I didn't know, that according to history, Crispus Attucks, a free black man, was the first to die in what started as the American Revolutionary War. See, I took the time to observe both the positive and the negative that EACH RACE has contributed to this society. You say you don't have a white history month? Get one if you feel you don't. I am sure there are others who feel as you do, sadly, and only want to diminish the GOOD that Blacks have contributed and ONLY focus on the negative to validate their racist and hateful, terribly misinformed agendas. Don't worry about the black community. We have our issues, just as any other race. I have yet to see ANY race on this planet exempt from issues. But as I see it, my white, hispanic, asian, and black friends all get a sense of JOY, celebrating each others accomplishments. I bid you Peace.

Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow!!!

Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a post from a similar article.
Posted on February 1 at 3:12 p.m.

Wow!!!! I'm not suprised of the comments that have posted. Time and time again have individuals posted negative comments concerning the state of education, and based on the posts, education is truly lacking. Knowledge aids individuals in learning to accept and tolerate differences.

I'm proud and am thankful for the contributions made by those individuals who preservered during turbulent times in this country. I don't even want to imagine being black living in the early 1900's with a degree (masters) in accounting and not being able to sit for the CPA exam simply because of my ethnicity. To make matters worse, those who were allowed to take the exam only had a high school diploma.

EDUCATION

Obama '08

buttercup, by the way, had you been in my history class, (I just want to be honest) the grade "F" would have been issued for not following instructions.

This election day, let us remember Fannie Lou Hamer who was "sick and tired of being sick and tired".

Posted by noneya (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I guess white people get so bent out of shape because ONE month is set aside to focus on the contributions of the Black race. That is really asinine. Black history should be intrigrated into the history books and taught all year long right along with everything else. Setting apart one month is doing nothing more that creating segregation all over. JMO

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BHM will never be a valued part of American history as it has being forced on us by the media, policritters, equalitarians, and those who suffer a terminal case of WGS (White Guilt Syndrome). Yet, I don't feel it necessary to have a White History Month either, as our contributions to civilization are all around. Yep, we've done some bad things, too, over the centuries. Blacks have contributed some items, but they do not have to be trumpeted and put upon some imaginary PC pedestal.

Posted by noneya (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

once again..."why can't we all just get along?"

Posted by noneya (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

reb1843: My last post wasn't directed toward you or anyone else as far as that is concerned. I just posted it as a statement in general.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If you feel black history month is "forced" upon you, please get a grip and RELAX, you live a very charmed life. Taxes are forced upon us, toating the load for losers who suck the system dry is forced upon us. Living in a country where only treating and cultivating illness (BIG PHARMA) instead of teaching prevention, is forced upon us. Again, what's the hubub??!!! I think what bothers people is that BLACK is attached to it, thus further fostering the attitude that anything other than BLACK, is alright.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Incognito, I LOVE Fannie Lou Hamer and her story, I sort of tend to think if I was of age during the Jim Crow era, I would akin myself to her. She was not afraid. She was beat while imprisoned for getting blacks the right to vote. She had very humble beginnings as a share cropper, and worked her way out of that. She was of strong stature and she just didn't play. She toted guns and at one point, in my studies of her, she did all of this, and did not fear for her life. A VERY unselfish sister!!!

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Every human on earth is related. It all started back when the giant space ship loaded with human DNA bacteria crashed into the planet. That killed off the dinosaurs and spread the human DNA bacteria across the planet where it infected the apes and evolved into different species of humans.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dear Teach, you seem fixated on the color 'black,' but BHM has nothing to do with color. It has to do with creating a mostly fictionalized extravaganza of contributions to America by a minority, forcing it on the majority for absolute without question acceptance by government fiat. I have just as much right to question the realism of such as you have to promote the idealized version. The worst thing is making it 'mandatory' to 1st graders and/or other impressionable youngsters who have the least ability to counteract any of the 'kool-aid' being given them.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The month is called BLACK history month, I am not obcessed with it, you all are. As I have so stated, you would be fine, it BLACK was not attached to it. Read your own comments and those of others who are TRULY fixated on the word. Don't try and twist my vernacular. My stance is clear. Again, why is ANY history for that matter, mandatory? What if I don't want my kids to learn about the pilgrims and how the Native American was dessimated in a country they knew, far longer than any others currently here?

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Excuse my spelling, because of the topic, I KNEW it would be picked apart on them. I did not spell check as I should have, since there is no "edit" feature here. But nonetheless, I make my point.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, here's the word. I know the meaning, in my eagerness to respond, I failed to spell it correctly. More importantly is the definition, as it correlates to the Native American in my prior post.

dec·i·mate /ˈdɛsəˌmeɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[des-uh-meyt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object), -mat·ed, -mat·ing. 1. to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague.
2. to select by lot and kill every tenth person of.
3. Obsolete. to take a tenth of or from.

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This would mean more if it was called American-Africian History Month. Black is a color not a race. So lets learn the history of everything black.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I beg to differ Beam, from other articles and posts here, people CLEARLY have a problem with the term, AFRICAN-American. Haven't you heard? You see, African-American is UN-American. No one black born in this country if FROM Africa, so why even accept that moniker? Also, those who want to associate themselves with Africa, in any way, should of course go BACK TO AFRICA. So what should we call ourselves? Would Negro suffice? How about colored? After all, we do possess color, it's called pigment, a life saver in medical circles.

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I wrote American-Africian. Nothing wrong with acknowledging your anchestry but honor the country you call home.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, I tend to agree with you, but the topic upsets so many.

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree not sure why, seeing as how most of us are in the same boat . It can't just be skin color because we hate foreigners that are white.

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What state did you vote in sentas? Not sure what bs you mean seeing as how we both are voting for Obama.

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sounds like you voted for Obama because he is black. I will vote for him hopeing he can change the course of America.

Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

((Teach4Peace)) I'm not bothered with the MONTH, I have never really paid much attention to it.. AND I ALREADY KNOW! I have kids blah blah you think I teach my childern what I have learned or whatever... NOT True by far.. They are their own minds whatever floats their boat is fine with me. :)

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We love you buttercup!!!!

Yes I too attended Adams Co public schools

I remember making Valentine's Day cards and as a white kid, for some reason I was writing BLACK POWER on those, isn't that weird??

Whites have had their struggles too, endentured servants, slaves, underpaid workers, my family contributed 6 sons to the Revolution, and yes they had slaves for the plantation granted to my ancestors somewhere in Georgia,

but don't forget who actually enslaved blacks, OTHER BLACKS in Africa that took slaves as normal tribal warfare.
Everyone knows about the rum triangle .........

I think we should celebrate the person and the contribution and put the race thing aside, please, give it a rest. You know when I lived up in the Northeast, I had never seen a crossburning until I was up there for a few years, never seen one here. All this talk about southern whites being prejudiced, racism is everywhere, so both sides have to just get over it please. And when I was employed by the State of MS, I learned what it was like to be in the minority as a white working for Alcorn, many times on the campus of ASU I felt physically threatened and also felt deprived of promotion due to the administrators being ALL BLACK, so after ten years of low pay and broken promises, I quit. Maybe I should have sued.

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Buttercup, your first comments certainly do show you are bothered by the month. Especially:

".. I would accept THE WHOLE MONTH only if it was only from fairness to give a WHOLE MONTH to the WHITES who also made our futures a little better."

You wanting a white history month, makes you no better, in my eyes since you are so dead set against a black history month. Better yet, the month is here, it exists, no matter who chooses to celebrate it or not. Get over it.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Have you ever noticed how some people are quick to tell you what you "must " do and that you "have to" do this or that , you "must understand" this or that. Or in other words -- you must live your life according to how I think, not what you would choose for yourself.

Some people are so insistent that you must think differently that what you freely choose. Education should not be used as a tool for manipulating the public, or rewriting history or brainwashing the masses to live a certain way.

I think we should keep education to the facts and teach morality, and logical thinking without all the politics manipulating the curriculum

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

good point Beammeup--about the American-African thing, but not voting for Obama, that's scary

He's so impulsive, all that change is dangerous, and now the chant , well have you noticed how he loves to chant, he can get a good repetitive rhythm going and the young kids love that, kinda like a singalong, do you agree??

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

well that's what the polls show, this morning in the news, that is Obama's plan - to capture the university vote, the young, immature, and impulsive. That is his best shot at bridging the color thing, don't you agree?

Has anyone forgotten their Black History- A White Republican President abolished slavery

the first Black Woman to hold the position of Secretary to serve the President - appointed by a white Republican- Candalisa Rice???

The first Black man to serve as Secretary and hold other various high positions appointed by a White Republican,

if you check your Black History you will find that it has been Republicans to truly honor the qualifications of the person, and follow through with action instead of just talk. What have the Democrats done to honor American-Africans, other than to demean them with meager handouts to stifle their motivation to struggle for success. Republicans want to give everyone a hand UP, not a handOut.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, in case you didn't know......
Obama is:
for abortion- even partial birth
for more gun control
for gay marriage
for early release of sex offendrs
for sex ed to kindergarten - 5th grade
against death penalty for gangmembers committing murder as part of gang activity
he wants to make friends with the terrorists
he wants to raise taxes

hhhmmm........ well he is a democrat
is that the type person you want leading the free world??
impulsive and immature, not to mention NIEVE !!!

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Krogers - Who are you talking about when you said "The first Black man to serve as Secretary and hold other various high positions appointed by a White Republican"

You left out the name and position - secretary of what?

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 12:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Krogers - disregard my question, I can see from your other posts you have no idea what you are talkng about

Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dr.Robert C. Weaver was the first black cabinet member. He was appointed by LBJ. If I recall correctly, LBJ was a democrat.

I am not democrat, but if you are going to say stuff...get your facts correct.

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I was going to say the same thing notfromnatchez, but Krogers is just spitting out junk, he not basing anything on facts. This is why the media can be so bad, some liberals will put anything out they can based on no facts to try and pursuade people.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Mike -- I'm talking about Gen. Powell

please forgive my hurried spelling errors, I didn't realize I was being graded by Teach, she'd probably give me an F for disagreeing with her Politically Correct nonsense.

read this month's CONSERVATIVE -- there is a nice article that lays out Obama's voting record in his brief role as Senator from Illinois. Talking about messed up, glad I'm not living in Illinois, you think we have problems. Those people have to tolerate a lot of nonsens- gun control that doesn't work, school kids can't even hug in the hallways without getting in trouble. I have friends up in Illinois, and they are really worried how liberals are taking away all their "freedom".

ok notfromnatchez, I missed that one- good ole LBJ, glad he did something good, besides leaving behind MIA's in Vietnam and loosing that war for us. I have a lot of Vietnamese friends here in Natchez, and they immigrated here because of the communist oppression and murder we so valiantly retreated from. God forgive us for our cowardice.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

you guys need to read and listen to more than CNN and the Natchez Democrap

Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If I have not responded to you in any way, shape or form, and I have not Krogers, please don't mention me in your posts to make some invalid point. The only issue about giving someone an "F" came up by ijohnson. MY comments said she WOULD fail the class, and she would since she didn't do the assignment as it should have been done.

Also, I have made some spelling errors in my posts, so how it is I became the grader of posts is way beyond me.

Thanks Mike8427, he/she apparently does not.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Does anyone care what Obama has done to Illinois? look how he has voted as Senator. Notice how many times he has chosen NOT to vote, and stating simply PRESENT, and not taking a stand, but talking empty rhetoric. Chanting Change, change, change, all the candidates say that. The folks in Illinois don't like him, that should tell you something.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

so pack up dude.

at least the folks here are free to eat what they want, are you the one that wants to revoke democrats right to welfare, cause you know that's what's going on, have you ever been behind someone - usually a white republican I would assume - that loads up groceries at Walmart and pays with a food stamp bank card. I'm talking 2-3 carts full of junk food. Cut out the food stamps and you will kill the obesity problem. But then how will democrats pay for your vote??

Most of the folks in the ghettos of Chicago and other large Illinois cities don't cooperate with census and polls, like us nice southerners, so those statistics you quote are not likely to be accurate anyway. When I lived up North, I thought the folks were all FAT, more so than here. I mean even the white women were HUGE!!

Crime is lots worse in Illinois also.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

OH, and by the way, Massachusetts is broke, upside down. belly up and OUT OF MONEY, those socialists want to spend too much.

Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Don't forget...Mass. allows gay marriages.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

thanks for the response
I do appreciate you
but as far as less fortunate....
well less energetic might me more realistic

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Kroger - One minute you tell us our local newpaper is democrap, then you tell others to pack it up and leave, like you have now have some loyalty to Natchez.

I am not the most knowledgable person on politics, but when I saw your lik about Obama wanting to make friends with terrorists, it reminded me of when Obama was criticized for wanting to send troops into pakistan to fight the al-qada. The current administration didn't want to rock the boat with Pakistan (which I do understand why). But for you to say he wants to make friends with terrorists is just a lie.

Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So much misinformation here. The one that gets me the most is LBJ left MIAs in Vietnam. Not so, Nixon and Kissinger left them there. Next in line is junk food is cheaper than healthy food. Vegetables and turkey breast and some fruit is less expensive.

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oops - "lik" was supposed to be line above

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I feel like I earned another B. S. Degree this afternoon!

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Keep it up Krogers! They will learn one day!

Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Krogers, did you work on the main campus or natchez campus of Alcorn?

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes Mike, I'm loyal to Natchez, grew up here and love the town.

And maybe I should check back on my Vietnam history, but you get my point, it was democrats that led the way to hastily retreat from Vietnam, even if Nixon was President at the time, he just gave in to popular democratic pressure. Praise the Lord for George Bush having the fortitude to resist popular nonsense and ATTACK TERRORISTS WHEREVER THEY ARE. Nixon wanted to bomb the communists to smitherines, and you know that is true.

It is a fact, straight from Hussein Obamayama's mouth, he wants to negotiate with Iran, and other terrorists, and make friends with them, and give them whatever they want, and then let them kill us. Hitlery too.

I never claimed to be charitable, but I am Christian. As Jesus said, and I paraphrase, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish.

Big mistake relying on abc for your news and facts. But just wait, the price of fresh fruit and veggies is bound to soar soon, lack of water, high shipping costs, high fuel for tractor work, etc. So get that garden going, and you need to give one of those jobs to someone who really needs one, that's pretty selfish isn't it? There lots of people without a job, and you have two? Kinda greedy, huh?

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Incognito - I worked on main campus

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Rushinghjr - thanks - feel free to jump in I need some help

sentas - don't worry - if Obamayama, or Hitlery, either one make it to the White House, you won't have to have that second job, cause they will help the other Democrats raise the minimum wage to $10/hr, and then you'll get fired from one of your jobs,maybe both, ' cause all the employers will have to cut back on employees.

I do enjoy the input, and how come it is that I know more about your candidate than you do?

You guys are good hard working citizens, and obviously then you do pay taxes. Don't you believe the basic fundamental truth that you know how to save/spend your money better than the government? Or would you rather the government take your money and save/spend it for you?

Let's do a poll here

I vote YES - I can better utilize my money than the government!!

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

All Krogers statements are FACT. If you don't believe it look up Obamas voting record on-line. I did myself and I will never vote for someone who approves partial birth abortion, more gun control, more taxes, and against stiffer penalities for sex offenders who take children out-of-state. The man is a sleeze as far as I'm concerned.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

thank you Sentas,

Don't get me wrong,

I am proud of you for your desire to achieve financial stability for your family, I apologize for putting you down on that point. Keep up the good work, just don't stress out, OK friend?! Are you a single parent?

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

AHH!! A voice of Freedom!! thank you for that backup freedom42!!

You're a GREAT AMERICAN brother!!

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You're welcome - but actually I'm a sister! LOL

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Freedom is a sister, 3 strikes Krogers - you're out!

And she is a patriot, which I usually agree with on most all topics.

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, folks, so much for BHM. I think I'm gonna go sing a couple verses of Qumbaya, engage in a group hug, buy the world a Coke, and just get along with everybody. Reb1843 has left the building.

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Got to go run some errands - ya'll don't have too much fun without me! LOL

Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 3:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((Krogers)) I think ((free)) is a GREAT AMERICAN SISTER.. lol! i could be mistaken. have ya'll noticed almost EVERY ARTICLE has comments ABOUT POLITICS on them???? GOOD PICKLE YA'LL TAKE 5!! lol

((Teach4Peace)) in ways your right.. it's here people can do with it as they will.. while reading the earlier comments though I have another question... AND I'm SOO SURE THIS ONE WILL RAISE HAIRS TOO..
Leaving in NTZ. not once do I see any of the schools any business NOTHING flying OUR STATE FLAG except of course private citizens do in their yard... BUT moving down here to the COAST (still in MS) OUR FLAG IS FLOWN EVERYWHERE!! PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES, PRIVATE HOMES, JUST EVERYWHERE! OUR COUNTRY FLAG FLOWN HIGH AND PROUD WITH OUR STATE FLAG RIGHT THERE WITH IT..
now why can't NTZ. fly OUR STATE FLAG WITH OUT BEING PROTESTED AND BASHED AND NON-SENSEABLE VOTING TAKING PLACE?

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Alan Keyes would make a better contender for a President than Obama if I had to make a choice between the two, but thank the GOOD LORD THAT I Don't have to make that choice!

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Who is Alan Keyes - I don't think I have ever heard his name before?

Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Alan Keys is a famous movie star. He was in the movie Borat.

Oh yeah, and he's a former US Senator who ran for president and other public offices several times.

Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Keyes... not Keys

Posted by shedevil (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Do we have a John Deere history month?

Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

He was great in Borat!!!

He should have received an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Now Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) should have won the oscar simply for his performance in Natchez.

Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh shoot... thought Keyes was elected at some point. Oh well, he was still good in Borat. Maybe that will get him some votes next time he runs.

Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I see that it's difficult to stay on task (not surprised).

So many contributions have been made because of individuals like Fannie Lou, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers (Fellow Alcornite) ect.. who willingly sacrificed there lives so that all individuals could enjoy life in these United States. Please note that this month isn't just about the "Civil Rights" movement. As a matter of fact, let me celebrate African American History:

Alcorn State University - The first institution for free blacks recognized by the federal gov't as a way to provide skills to those free individuals (1871);

Alex Haley (fellow Alcornite) author of "Roots"

Harlem Renaissance Paul Lawrence Dunbar

George Washington Carver;

This list of people and events could go on and on. However, the majority of the people/events are not in text books.

The inability to embrace diversity inflicts restrictions on communities.

Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 5:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Speaking of Alex Haley... if you ever have the opportunity, read Roots. Well worth the time spent, and you probably won't be able to put it down once you start reading it.

Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 6:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((shedevil)) HECK YEA! THAT'S A MONTH I'D GLADLY PARTICPATE IN!! that with a MUD RIDDIN MONTH AND I'D BE HAPPIER THEN A FAT KID EATING THEIR FAVORITE CAKE! (lol that was complete sacrasm!! no offense to over weight childern)

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Alcorn State - established by a white man, a former Confederate general.
Alex Haley's "Roots" - not historical fact, folks. It is a fictional account, pure and simple.
G. W. Carver - unless he was visited by aliens, he was half-white. Check out the blue eyes. A good man, he had very sound advice to give his black brothers and sisters.
Rosa Parks was not some innocent, by-chance bus rider. She had been coached and prepped for some time prior to her sit-in; she was quite the civil rights foot soldier.

Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 6:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Alcorn was established for the purpose of.......................Alcorn College was named in honor of Governor James L. Alcorn, hence the name Alcorn State University

George Washington Carver-- Slave owners had access to slave women, why do you think there are so many different shades (we mix well)

Rosa Parks Even if she was a foot soldier she had to take a stand

Reb, I thought that you had left the building; however, what's the purpose of trying to "down play" these accomplishments?

Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 7:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I will ask the guy who cuts my grass what he thinks of a John Deere History Month.

to Self: What do you think about John Deere History Month?

to Self: Why not? Good reason to by more toys.

GOTCHA!!! You guys probably thought I was going in a different direction.

Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((not)) too cute!! a neighbor up the road has "lawn mower" parties!! every now and then just about the whole neighbor hood will load up on our john deere's or whatever we have (my family has a goregous john deere and with all the kids we have between us we had to invest in one of those john deere trailors to go on the back) CAN WE SAY REDNECK when we load the kids in the trailor and headed down the road to the neighbors!!

****SOOOOO FUN*****

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Looks like the "Race card" has been played by the democRATS along with the "Gender Card" tonight in the results from the democRATS by the LIBERAL CNN!

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe we could all paint ourselves John Deere green and "just get along".
Reb most of what you say is the truth, and I for one appreciate the truth, but you do get a little obsessed sometimes as we all do when we are passoniate about something.
And anytime anyone wants a "lawnmower party" in my 15 acres, come ahead - I need all the help we can get by July!

Posted by rebel4ever (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

For all of you out there celebrating BHM don't forget coming up in April it will be Confederate Heritage and History Month and we will be celebrating the contributions of those brave veterans that lived through the War of Northern Agression and remembering our heroes that didn't. We all have our times to remember the people and subjects that are important to us that is the great thing about the diversity of this country. We can choose the events we wish to celebrate and the ones we choose not to celebrate. We all have the right to be proud of our heritage and the contributions of our ancestors and others that have brought us here to this point in time.

Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 9:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

rebel4ever--it was not the War of Northern Aggression.

Ft. Sumter was a US fort in South Carolina. When SC seceded from the union, SC troops surrounded the fort and did not allow supplies to be sent to the union troops. Abraham Lincoln sent a letter to the Confederacy asking for permission to send supplies to his troops they responded by firing upon the fort.

The South started the war...not the North.

As I have stated before, GET YOUR FACTS CORRECT before mouthing off.

You can celebrate your month however you want, but make sure you are celebrating for the correct reasons.

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Has supertrucker come back as rushingjr?

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't think so. Rushings grammer is much much better! And his sentences do make more sense.

Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well he references the election results on "Liberal CNN" so apparently he has been watching CNN. Is he a closet liberal or just "confussed"

Posted by rebel4ever (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 11:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

notfromnatchez I must ask you to get your facts straight before you start your rebuttals on a subject you may not know the complete truth about. I will not get in discussion with someone that thinks I am mouthing off. This a forum for opinion and you may have yours about the War of Northern Agression and I will have mine. The true facts are that Lincoln did start the war because South Carolina offered to send what supplies the Union soldiers needed but they were refused. The US government was given the chance to remove the soldiers from the Fort when SC seceded because the island was the property of SC and they offered the US government to pay for the Fort but once again Lincoln refused and therefore he tried to send supplies to the Fort in a ship disguised as a supply ship but in actuality it was a ship of war. Oh well we could go on about this subject but as I stated this is not about the War of Northern Agression, the topic was celebrating BHM and I just thought since we are such a diverse society I would post my thoughts. Sorry you don't agree but that is your priviledge.

Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 11:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'd like to just hand everyone a rose, and ask...could we please have a flower power month? Peace and love yall, tomorrow's gonna be a new day.

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 6, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

(Mike8427) I'm not "kin" to Super! I am a Fox News Republican Conservative!

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 6, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

?

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 7, 2008 at 9:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

(Sentas) you are finally right! We are in a serious state of affairs today in the United States today! Take a step backwards!

Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on February 7, 2008 at 3:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh, I like human history month! Then we could all study our own ethnic history - duh!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 11:37 a.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 1:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This is to all of you who are sitting here fussing about Black History Month. If you don't like it then don't celebrate it, because we (Blacks) today didn't ask for it. Since it is here, why not celebrate it. If you can't get over the fact that there is one, then that's your problem. It seem like Black History Month is the only month celebrated that everyone has a problem with. You have Breast Cancer Month, Aids Awareness Month, and alot more, that is set aside and celebrated for some kind of rememberance whether it is good or bad. But why is that Black History Month a problem to everyone? Is it because it's about Black people? Happy Black History Month everyone?

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 1:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Blacks & Whites celebrate Breast Cancer Month, Aids Awareness Month etc. There should be a SIDS Awareness month for all the infants that dies for uexplained reasons. Every month is special & should be treated with respect. All I can say is that until Blacks & Whites can't get together and agree we are AMERICANS this fueding will continue & even get worse.
As for my color I am White & I am as proud of it as a Black is to be Black but the main thing is I am American.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I understand what you are saying Duke, but everyone don't feel the way you do. I am just as proud to be black as you are proud to be white. All I am trying to say is the other "months" seem to be more appreciative and respected as this month. I was only trying to make a point. You are correct when you say things won't get better until Blacks and Whites and other races learn how to agree. But how can we with a bunch of slander and prejudice coming from both ends? That's the only point I'm trying to make.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

From this day on the city of Vidalia, Natchez & Ferriday should take into consideration we are all AMERICANS and forget what our forefathers pushed onto us. We have a sense of obligation that we should not be burdened with. We have no obligation to follow their rules this is a complete different world we lived in. All we should worry about now is what is happening to the world, not what shade of skin we have. When Judgement Day comes we will all be judged the same.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 2:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There you go, Duke! We have an agreement! LOL! Have a nice day, and enjoy your weekend!

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 10:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

(Duke)Are you showing your true colors?

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 10:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((rushinghjr)) exactly what color would that be? I have already said I was White.

Do you think when you stand in from of St. Peter he is going to notice the color of your skin?

Wonder why my 11:37 a.m. was removed?

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 10:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

(The Duke) I just realized that you subject posting was removed! Contact the ND webmaster! On another posting of several days ago I had mine removed also! I advised the proper person to advise that my Civil Rights has been violated, but I am not holding my breath. I've forgot the comment, also.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 10:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I try very carefully not to post things that can cause anyone any harm & unfortunately I can't remember what my comment was. Apparently someone didn't like what I said but that's their problem because the way I look at it if it's removed the truth must have hurt & they felt it was aimed directly at them which I havn't written anything to anyone in particular.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 12:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I May be wrong, but I think the comment I posted that was deleted went something like this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why get so upset by letting the Blacks celebrate the shortest month of the year. On Leap Year they can dedicate that extra day to Malcolm X. We the Whites have 11 long months to celebrate so why complain about 28 measly days plus an extra day every four years. Now lets see if this is deleted.

This is not said in any form of insult unless you take it as an insult. All I can say is be happy you get that.

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 12:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Amend! Thanks Duke! My memory is back! I think that was it. Sounds good to me! Make a copy!

Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If you live in Louisiana/ Don't forget to vote today!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

((drawpaintsing)) I don't know what age you are but there was a time there was no Black History Month. Black History Month doesn't bother me, I treat it as I do all 12 months. Not wanting to sound racist I feel there are not enough famous Black people to fill a complete history book. For every 2 Black Americans to study in American History there are 10 White Americans. Maybe that explaines why there is only one month dedicated to Blacks. January, the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could have been deignated Black History month, but it was the Blacks that chose February, the short month. Do you know why? I don't.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Does it matter which month Black history is celebrated???? If YOU study YOUR history, you'll be celebrating Black history EVERY month! Don't get stuck on stupid!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I've been out of school for 42 years so thankfully I only read what I want to read & Black History is not on my agenda at the moment! I'm sure by the date you will be able to tell I went to a segrated school though we did learn about some famous Black Americans.

Your last sentence describes you to a tee!! STUPID!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I said it once ((theduke)) and I'll say it again . . . "Don't get stuck on stupid!" This type of negative behavior is just keeping us stuck in the past -- unable to move forward in a harmonious fashion like civilized people should. To keep making derogatory and inflammatory statements about Black History month each and every year is so stupid! Now, my statement WAS NOT directed specifically to you, however, it must have applied to you because you hollered. Whether you went to a segregated school or not is beside the point. Anything of significance and factual about Blacks was not published in the history books we studied. We're learning, every day, the enormous contributions Black people made to this country and this world. To try and diminish that fact is either an act of racism or plain stupidity.

As for what's on your agenda to read, who cares!!!!! If reading about and studying Black history is not on your agenda, why are you on this forum posting? By the same token I can state that learning about the Confederate heritage is not on my agenda. However, I have not posted anything negative, nor inflammatory, against or directed towards those who feel it is important to them to acknowledge it. Only STUPID people find it necessary to belittle others who wish to acknowledge positive things in their lives and culture. ONLY IGNORANT and STUPID PEOPLE!!! So, ((theduke)), sorry to disappoint you, but the STUPID shoe must fit you!!!!! Have a good day!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 9, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well It looks like we wear the same size shoes because we both think each other are STUPID!

You my dear one are the one that stated the STUPID shoe bit so it looks like you already had a pair of stupid shoes!!

In 10 minutes can you name 50 famous Black people that contributed to early America?

As for why I keep coming back to this site it's not because I'm interested in Black History it's the ignorant comments some people like you have made that keep it interesting.

Posted by Calm_Cool_Collected (anonymous) on February 10, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think it is time for a serious history lesson.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 10, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Little known facts in American history include many contributions made by Black-Americans. Here are a few:

1. Alexander Mils invented the elevator.
2. Richard Spikes invented the automatic gearshift.
3. Joseph Gammell invented the Super Charge System for internal combustion engines.
4. Garrett Morgan invented the traffic signal.
5. Elbert R. Robinson invented the electric trolley.
6. Charles Brooks invented the street sweeper.
7. John Love invented the pencil sharpener.
8. William Purvis invented the fountain pen and the hand stamp.
9. Lee Burridge invented the type writing machine.
10. W. A. Lovette invented the Advanced Printing Press.
11. William Barry invented the postmarking and canceling machine.
12. Phillip Downing invented the letter-drop.
13. Joseph Smith invented the lawn sprinkler.
14. John Burr invented the lawn mower.
15. Frederick Jones invented the air conditioner.
16. Alice Parker invented the heating furnace.
17. Lewis Latimer invented the electric lamp.
18. Michael Harvey invented the lantern.
19. Granville T. Woods invented the automatic cut-off switch.
20. Thomas W. Steward invented the mop.
21. Jan E. Matzelinger invented the shoe lasting machine.
22. Walter Sammons invented the comb.
23. Sarah Boone invented the ironing board.
24. George T. Samon invented the clothes dryer.
25. John Standard invented the refrigerator.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 10, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I hope in reading the list of facts posted above, you learned something you did not know 5 minutes ago.

In honor of Black History Month, I will post something every day, throughout the month of February, to honor a Black-American who made a significant achievement or contribution to American history.

Please check back daily to learn more little known facts.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 10, 2008 at 6:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson)) pretty impressive, but I said 50 names in 10 minutes. Keep them coming you may be educating some school children. I'm sure you will learn alot also. Keep them coming! Remember they have to be American born inventors!

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 10, 2008 at 7:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, Duke excuse me for misunderstanding what you meant. Excuse me for being 29. Excuse for thinking that maybe one Black and one White can agree on something, but I guess I was wrong. You have you opinions, and I have mine. I will continue to feel the way I do, and I'm sure you will. You have a nice day. Oh yeah, forgive me for living in the 21st century. I guess I wrong about you. You have a nice life. Happy Black History Month!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 12:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

***** Charles Drew - The Blood Bank *****

Charles Drew (1904-1950) was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. Charles Drew excelled in academics and sports during his graduate studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Charles Drew was also a honor student at McGill University Medical School in Montreal, where he specialized in physiological anatomy.

Charles Drew researched blood plasma and transfusions in New York City. It was during his work at Columbia University where he made his discoveries relating to the preservation of blood. By separating the liquid red blood cells from the near solid plasma and freezing the two separately, he found that blood could be preserved and reconstituted at a later date.

Charles Drew's system for the storing of blood plasma (blood bank) revolutionized the medical profession. Dr. Drew also established the American Red Cross blood bank, of which he was the first director, and he organized the world's first blood bank drive, nicknamed "Blood for Britain". His official title for the blood drive was Medical Director of the first Plasma Division for Blood Transfusion, supplying blood plasma to the British during World War II. The British military used his process extensively during World War II, establishing mobile blood banks to aid in the treatment of wounded soldiers at the front lines. In 1941, the American Red Cross decided to set up blood donor stations to collect plasma for the U.S. armed forces.

After the war, Charles Drew took up the Chair of Surgery at Howard University, Washington, D.C. He received the Spingarn Medal in 1944 for his contributions to medical science. Charles Drew died at the early age of 46 from injuries suffered in a car accident in North Carolina.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 8:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Duke, first of all I apologize for my last comment. I misread what you last posted to me. I guess I was groggy in the head from this cold that I have. No, I don't know why February was chosen. I'm just grateful that we have one. That was something that was already established when I came through school. It was a part of my history lesson. We studied Black History during the month of February, and American History the other 11 months. That will be something good for me to research though.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

William Purvis had invented a fountain pen but it leaked so here's where Lewis Waterman came to the rescue:
Lewis E. Waterman was a white American inventor and insurance salesman who developed a relatively leak-proof fountain pen; he patented his new invention in 1884 and revolutionized writing. Before his fountain pen, pen tips had to be tipped into ink after every few words. Waterman put an ink reservoir in the pen above the pen's metal nib (point). This reservoir would hold enough ink for a few pages of writing. There were many problems in developing the fountain pen, especially the difficulty of controlling the flow of the ink. Putting a sealed reservoir above the nib wouldn't let the ink flow, but if it wasn't sealed, all the ink would flow at once. Waterman used capillary action to replace the ink in the rubber sac with air so that the ink flowed smoothly but did not flow all at once. Also, the metals in the ink dissolved the steel pen nib, so Waterman used an iridium-plated gold nib. Waterman was also the first person to place a clip on the cap of the pen.
The original fountain pen was invented in the 10 century!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

(( drawpaintsing)) you don't owe me an apology for anything. This is a site to post comments and comments are what we do. Sometimes we don't agree with one another but that's a freedom we as American's have.

((ijohnson)) keep looking you are probably learning things you never knew & I'm sure some things your wern't taught in school.

If you are interested let me know I'll write some White American inventions.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Lewis Edson Waterman's first pens were conventional in design, and while his original patented feed was undoubtedly effective, it was by no means the first designed to harness the principle of capillary attraction. To the extent it represented an advance, it was incremental – not a true breakthrough of the sort that turns an unworkable idea into a useful application. The popularity of the instruments produced by Waterman's precursors is evidence enough that they were eminently practical, even if they weren't the equal of instruments to come, and it is surely no accident that the Waterman company's claim of having made the first practical fountain pen was not trumpeted until well after its founder's death -- indeed, after virtually all the pioneers of the 1870s and 1880s were safely off the scene.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 1:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((the duke)) . . . I don't want to put anything out there that's not backed up with some legitimate facts. So, here's some additional information for you:

Starting in the 1850s there was a steadily accelerating stream of fountain pen patents and pens in production. It was only after three key inventions were in place, however, that the fountain pen became a widely popular writing instrument. Those inventions were the iridium-tipped gold nib, hard rubber, and free-flowing ink. William B. Purvis, an American, is credited with inventing the ink-feeding tube and patented it on January 7, 1890.

It was in the 1880s that the era of the mass-produced fountain pen finally began. The dominant American producers in this pioneer era were Waterman and Wirt, based in New York City and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, respectively. Waterman soon outstripped Wirt, along with the many companies that sprang up to fill the new and growing fountain pen market, and remained the market leader up until the early 1920s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pe...

Waterman did not “invent” the fountain pen, he only found a way to mass-produce it. He may have come up with a “new and improved” design but he didn’t invent it. Giving credit where credit is due is very important.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

From everything I've read it was invented in the 10th century. Both Blacks & Whites have improved it through the centuries. So neither can take full credit.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 3:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((theduke)) please read a little further and check out some reliable sources. Whether you want to admit it or not, William Purvis is credited with inventing the ink-feeding tube that was the precursor to the ink pen as we know it today.

Now, I hope you see the importance of Black History Month. It affords a lot of folks the opportunity to know a lot of things they did not and an opportunity to realize that the textbooks and history books we studied "back in the day" did not acknowledge much, if any, contributions and achievements made by Black Americans. Almost everything you touch and see has been shaped by the hands of a Black American . . . from the comb you use to style your hair to the traffic signal you obey to save your life -- a Black American has his/her stamp on it. It is a shame it was not taught in the schools. However, it's never to late to learn something new.

I'm not here to debate but to share knowledge about some little known facts that have been buried for many, many years. It's time we uncover some very important facts and open our minds and hearts to receive it.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 4:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Black History fact - 90 % + of crime in Natchez, MS is by blacks.

Black History fact - 100% of Adams Co School Administration is Black.

Black History fact - 99% of Alcorn Administration is Black, I do know one white administrator.

Black History fact - 95% of illigetimate children born in Adams Co are Black

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson )) if that makes you happy so be it.

((Krogers ))You are 100% right on that. Also more Blacks are on welfare than whites. Maybe they should be trying to invent something instead of making babies. The jails have more black inmates also.

For some reason unbeknown to this old white person it seems important that the Blacks take credit for the fountain pen LOL

I have several black friends and they know where I stand I I know where they stand & we are fine with our arrangement, so it's not that I'm a racist.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 9:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Black History Fact:

Whites today are still stereotyping and judging Blacks by their worst.

I actually thought that by now there would be some type of equality. I guess I am wrong.

It's not right! Racism is hard to hide.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 11, 2008 at 10:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Beyond rage and hate

"My father told us that the men who burned down our farm were not three white men. They were individuals with hatred and jealousy in their hearts. He implored us not to label or stereotype anyone based on the color of their skin. My father further warned us not to become embittered by other people's hatred because it would poison our lives as it had the lives of those three men." [Armstrong Williams, 1997]

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 12, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

GARRETT AUGUSTUS MORGAN – Invented the traffic signal and gas mask

Driving is one of the past-times of Americans and people in many other countries. The drive to the supermarket would be much more perilous had it not been for the enlightened mind of Garrett Augustus Morgan. He is the inventor of, among other things, the traffic signal.

Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was born in 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. He was the son of former slaves and found it very difficult to go to school in between doing his chores. Although he was only able to attend school for a few years, he had already developed the drive to invent something.
When he was a teenager, he moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio. While he was there he worked and made enough money to hire a tutor to supplement his limited education.

Morgan worked in a sewing machine repair shop and became proficient at repairing machines. Companies far and wide heard of his prowess as a machine repairman and offered him jobs in their factories; Morgan stuck to his dream and opened his own sewing machine repair shop in 1907. Inside his own shop, Morgan also had tailoring facilities and employed 32 people.

But Morgan was destined for bigger things. The concept of the assembly line was introduced into the automobile industry and the Ford Motor Company began to mass produce automobiles. This caused major complications on the roads as bicycles, animal-powered wagons, and gasoline-powered vehicles began to clog the roadways. There were many accidents, one of which Morgan witnessed between a horse-drawn carriage and an automobile. He knew something had to be done to alleviate the situation.

Though other inventors realized the problem and also began to devise apparatus to regulate traffic, Morgan was the first to apply for and acquire a patent. Morgan received his United States patent on November 20, 1923 and he also patented his invention in Great Britain and Canada. This is a picture of his traffic signal.

But Morgan did not stop there. On July 25, 1916, Morgan was called to a rescue operation after an explosion in an underground tunnel under Lake Erie. He made national news for using the gas mask he invented to save the trapped men. After the rescue, Morgan's company was deluged with requests from fire departments around the country who wanted to purchase the new masks.

After some refinements, Morgan's gas mask was used be the U. S. Army during World War I. In 1921, Morgan was awarded a patent for a Safety Hood and Smoke Protector. Two years later, a refined model of his early gas mask won a gold medal at the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety, and another gold medal from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He was frequently invited to conventions and public exhibitions to demonstrate how his inventions worked.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 12, 2008 at 12:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Miriam Benjamin -- Black-American Female Inventor

Miriam Benjamin was a Washington D.C. school teacher and the second black woman to receive a patent. Miriam Benjamin received a patent for an invention she called a Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels. Her invention allowed hotel customers to summon a waiter from the comfort of their chair. A button on the chair would buzz the waiters' station and a light on the chair would let the wait staff know who wanted service. Miriam Benjamin's invention was adapted and used in the United States House of Representatives. The actual patent was issued to Miriam Benjamin on July 17, 1888.

Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on February 12, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KRogers

If you hadn't noticed, Alcorn has a more diverse student, faculty, and staff body.

ijohnson, thanks for acknowleding a few facts relating to the growth and development of this great nation (black history).

What individuals fail to realize is that Black History is more than the "Civil Rights" movement (don't get me wrong, that was extremely important) . For years, the accomplishmentsof Black Americans have gone un-noted. The idea that these individuals still had a sense of pride, even after being deprived, for me, is encouraging. While they had limited resources, often worked in harsh, brutal conditions, they prevailed! That's why Black History is important, and why it's even more important now. If there's no black history, there's no connection.

Knowledge simply empowers and builds, ignorance places restrictions and destroys.

Oh, by the way, check out the, "Compromise of 1877."

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 12, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((Incognito)) great post!!!! You are exactly right . . . Knowledge simply empowers and builds, ignorance places restrictions and destroys. Let's keep the knowledge flowing!!!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 12:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BLACK FEMALE INVENTORS

1. Marie V. Brittan Brown invented the home security system utilizing television surveillance.
2. Louise H. Andrews invented a lens holder accessory.
3. Patricia Bath, M.D. invented an apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses.
4. Miriam E. Benjamin invented the Gong and Signal chair for hotels and similar venues.
5. Henrietta Bradberry invented the bed rack and Torpedo Discharger Means.
6. Virgie M. Ammons invented the fireplace damper.
7. Joan Clark invented the medicine tray and a holder for bras.
8. Sara E. Goode invented the Cabinet Bed.
9. Bessie V. Griffin invented the portable receptacle.
10. I. O. Carter invented the nursery chair.

Please note: This is a partial listing . . . there's more to come.

HAVE A GREAT DAY AND A WONDERFUL BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Did anybody watch Obama's victory speech last night???? I don't think I've heard him speak with so much conviction and determination before . . . it was truly uplifting. Just looking at the faces that stood behind him was TRULY inspiring to me because they were mostly White faces with glimmers of hope that there is finally somebody we can relate to who is about real change. Maybe Dr. King's dream is becoming a reality . . . LET'S VOTE AND MAKE IT A REALITY!!!

In the words of Sam Cooke, "A change is goin' to come!"

GO, OBAMA, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson)) if you are sooooo proud to be black why don't you pack your bags and go to Arfica. I'm sure you would be welcomed with open arms. You are either African or American you can't have your cake & eat it too. Africa is in so much need of someone to help with the over populated starving children maybe you still have a chance in your life time to make a difference. You could teach the children all about the black inventors you have researched the last 3 days.

I am pround to be an American, but I'm also proud of my European heritage, it's just I don't boast about it.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 5:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson )) this should interest you.

Every race has the same coloring pigment in their skin. It is called melanin. The difference between the skin color of one person and another is primarily due to the amount of melanin present in their skin.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 13, 2008 at 5:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson ))
Explain the Jena 6. A decent man would have over looked the nooses & let the police take care of it, but no they had to almost kill a boy. That's what I call savage.
I will admit I have a few black friends that are very nice, but they are older & were raised knowing they were black.
I had a relative that recenly died and she had black caretakers that treated her like their family so I admit there are a few good black people.
One of my earliest memories is a black lady that kept me while my parents worked (in the early 50's) and there was never a person that cared for someones child like she did me.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 12:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

MADAM C. J. WALKER -- Black Female inventor

Although there are many important African-American inventors, the most documented is Sarah Breedlove, known universally as Madam C. J. Walker. She was born on December 23, 1876 in Delta, Louisiana. Madam Walker was orphaned at the age of seven and moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi with her sister at the age of ten. She was married at the age of fourteen to Moses (Jeff) McWilliams and had a daughter, A'Lelia, in 1885, at the age of eighteen. Madam Walker's husband Moses was reportedly killed in a race riot in 1887 which left her to raise her daughter alone.

Madam Walker moved to St. Louis and made a living as a laundress and continued her education in public night schools. During the 1890's Madam Walker's hair began to fall out, especially around her temple area, due to alopecia caused by several factors including stress, diet, and hygiene. She noticed that many other African-American women had the same problem. After researching and experimenting with various mixtures to grow and straighten hair, Madam Walker had a breakthrough. Between 1900 and 1905, she invented a formula with a secret ingredient (probably sulfur) which she always said had been revealed to her by a "big African man" in a dream, that would stimulate hair growth.

With the discovery of this formula and with her entrepreneurial skills, Madam Walker started her own business. Though she is credited with doing so, she did not invent the straightening comb but she popularized its use among black women.

In 1905, Madam Walker moved to Denver and married an old friend, Charles Joseph Walker a newspaperman. By 1906, because of his ability to help her with advertising they went into business together selling Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower. To promote the new product line, Madam Walker traveled into many African-American communities. She would demonstrate her product anywhere there was an audience including churches and lodges.

In 1908, Madam Walker moved her business to Pittsburg where she opened her first training school for "hair culturist" called Lelia College. In 1910, she settled in Indianapolis where she built a factory, hair and manicure salon, and another training school. Less than a year after arriving, she made headlines in the national Black press for contributing $1000 to the building fund of the "colored" YMCA in Indianapolis.

As her client list kept growing and with the production of other inventions, Madam C. J. Walker became the first American woman of ANY race to become a millionaire.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 12:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

In observance of BLACK HISTORY MONTH, I am honored to present you with these facts:

Between 1863-1913, nearly 1,200 inventions were patented by African-American inventors.

11. Lyda D. Newman invented the hair brush.
12. Theora Stephens invented the pressing/curling iron.
13. Maxine Snowden invented the rain hat.
14. Ruane Jeter invented the digital toaster.
15. Marjorie S. Joyner invented the permanent waving machine.
16. Julia Terry Hammons invented an apparatus for holding yarn skeins.
17. Mary B. Kenner invented the sanitary belt, sanitary belt with moisture-proof napkin pocket, carrier attachment
for invalid walker, bathroom tissue holder, and backwash mounted on shower wall and bathtub.
18. Natalie R. Love invented the T-top roof cover.
19. Anna Mangin invented the pastry fork.
20. Judy W. Reed invented an improvement in dough kneader and roller.

Please check back . . . I will post more interesting facts tomorrow.

»-(¯`v´¯)-»»-(¯`v´¯)-»-» HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!! »-(¯`v´¯)-»»-(¯`v´¯)-»-»

Posted by peaceout (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 2:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

theduke, your words speak volumes. another racist idiot. i cannot believe the things some of you pp say. it's unbelievable!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 14, 2008 at 9 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((peaceout)) I'm an unbelievalble person!

Posted by reb1843 (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 8:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I find it interesting that items that have existed for several milennia around the globe are suddenly 'invented' by a black. Of even greater interest is that not a single one of these so-called inventions originate in Africa - the motherland and fount of all knowledge. It's as if in order to give credence to BHM, blacks have to invent inventions.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good morning, Ijohnson!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

HENRY THOMAS SAMPSON
Inventor of the Cellular Phone

The inventor of the cell phone was Henry Sampson. The invention of the cell phone was a project of many people over several years, but the credit goes to Henry Sampson because he was the inventor of the Gamma-Electric cell which made it possible to send and receive audio signals via radio waves without wires.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University in 1956. He went on to the University of California, Los Angeles where he graduated with an MS degree in engineering in 1961; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MS in Nuclear Engineering in 1965, and a PHD in 1967.

Henry T. Sampson invented the "gamma-electric cell", which pertains to Nuclear Reactor use. According to Dr. Sampson, the Gamma Electric Cell, patented July 6, 1971, (Patent No. 3,591,860) produces stable high-voltage output and current to detect radiation in the ground.

In 1983, cellular phone service became available, and people could now call each other from telephones that did not need to be attached to anything or near a base set. The use of cell phones exploded until now, when very few people don’t have one, and most people can’t even imagine life without them.

In the 1990’s it became possible to connect to the internet from anywhere using the same technology that led to the invention of the cell phone.

Henry Sampson worked as a research Chemical Engineer at the United States Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California from 1956 to 1961. He moved on to the Aerospace Corp in El Segundo, California after that and stayed there throughout the remainder of his career in science.

As an interesting sidenote, Henry Sampson is also a writer and film historian who wrote a book entitled, "Blacks in Black and White: A SourceBook on Black Films." He produced documentary films on early black filmmakers and films. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of Los Angeles Southwest College Foundation, and a technical consultant to Historical Black Colleges and Universities Program.

Sampson's Awards and Honors:
• Fellow of US Navy, 1962-1964
• Atomic Energy Commission, 1964-1967
• Black Image Award from Aerospace Corp, 1982
• Blacks in Engineering, Applied Science, and Education Award, Los Angeles Council of Black Professional Engineers, 1983

Henry Sampson has made a significant impact on the entire world with his amazing invention, and that is why this famous black inventor will be remembered for a long time.

***********************

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BLACK INVENTORS

21. Henry Sampson invented the cellular phone.
22. Cathleen McCoy Garrett invented the siren/horn light indicator.
23. John A. Johnson invented the wrench.
24. Joanna Hardin invented the keyboard stand.
25. James A. Bauer invented the coin changer.
26. Lydia M. Holmes invented the knock-down wheeled toy.
27. Issac R. Johnson invented the bicycle frame.
28. Gertrude Downing invented the corner cleaner attachment.
29. John H. Jordan invented the clothes dresser.
30. Mary J. Reynolds invented a hoisting/loading mechanism.

There will be more interesting facts posted tomorrow.
Have a wonderful BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!!!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good morning ((drawpaintsing))!!!! I sure hope your day has started off beautifully! I almost missed posting our valuable black history facts here -- trying to do too many different things at one time in a span of one hour!!! Whhhheeeewwwww!!!!!

Now, let me catch my breath!

When you use your cell phone today, I hope you think of Henry Sampson, our homeboy, and thank him for his marvelous invention!!! *lol*

I hope you have a wonderful day and a very restful weekend!!!!

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yeah, I see you have been busy! LOL! But you missed my favorite, Mahalia Jackson.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey, ((drawpaintsing)) I LOVE Mahalia Jackson, too and I believe she was the first gospel singer I remember taking notice of. Not to mention that we share the same birthday, too! Have you seen the movie, "Imitation of Life"? Mahalia Jackson sure did sing that going home song"!!!!!!

Let me see what I can pull together on her. If I have the time, I will surely post it today! I've got to get my nephew to the airport to catch his flight to New Orleans to attend the NBA All-Star Game. You have a good one!!!!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

MAHALIA JACKSON -- The World's Greatest Gospel Singer

• BORN: October 26, 1911 in New Orleans, Louisiana

• FAMILY BACKGROUND: Mahalia was the third child to John A. Jackson, a barber and preacher, and Charity Clark, who died at the age of 25 when Mahalia was four years old. In 1916, her father sent her to live with her aunt Mahalia "Duke" Paul. Aunt Duke didn't allow secular music in her house, but Mahalia's cousin would sneak in records. Even at a very young age, Mahalia had a booming voice and she would sing hymns and old-time gospel tunes around the house.

• EDUCATION: Mahalia attended the McDonough School No. 24 in New Orleans through the eighth grade.

• ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mahalia Jackson is viewed by many as the pinnacle of gospel music. Her singing began at the age of four in her church, the Plymouth Rock Baptist Church in New Orleans. Her early style blended the freedom and power of gospel with the stricter style of the Baptist Church. As a teenager, through her cousin's aid, she was influenced by such famous singers as Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Enrico Caruso and Ma Rainey, and her own style began to emerge into a more soulful expression.

In 1927, at the age of 16, she moved to Chicago and found work as a domestic. But soon after, she found plenty of work as a soloist at churches and funerals after joining the Greater Salem Baptist Church choir. Her unique contralto voice caught the attention of many small churches from coast to coast. Larger, more formal churches frowned upon her energetic renditions of songs. After performing with the Prince Johnson Singers, she began recording for Decca Records in 1937. When the records did not sell as well as expected, she became a beautician. However, after five years of touring with composer Thomas A. Dorsey at gospel tents and churches, Mahalia's popularity and success garnered her another record contract, this time with Apollo Records, from 1946 to 1954. She then switched to Columbia Records, from 1954 to 1967, where she attained broad recognition as a spiritual singer.

Throughout the 1950s, Mahalia's voice was heard on radio, television and concert halls around the world. Her shows were packed in Europe, and her audience very enthusiastic at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, at a special all-gospel program she requested. In 1954, she began hosting her own Sunday night radio show for CBS. She performed on the Ed Sullivan show in 1956 where she catapulted gospel music into America's mainstream. She sang for President Dwight Eisenhower and at John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball in 1960.

From the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott until her death in 1971, Mahalia was very prominent in the Civil Rights Movement. Very close with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she often performed at his rallies--even singing an old slave spiritual before his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963. She also sang at his funeral five years later.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thank you, IJohnson.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

((drawpaintsing)) As I read this bio of Mahalia Jackson, it took me back to the movie, "Imitation of LIfe". Now, this movie came out in 1959. It starred Lana Turner as "Ms. Lora", Sandra Dee as "Susie" (Ms. Lora's daughter), Juanita Moore as "Annie" (Ms. Lora's maid, best friend/confidante and second mother to Susie) and "Sarah Jane", Annie's daughter - I can't remember the name of the actress who played her in this movie. Well, in the movie, in case you haven't seen OR heard of it, (*lol*), Annie's daughter, Sarah Jane, is bi-racial. She wants to pass for white and denies and despises her mother. I'll stop there, but if you haven't seen it, please rent it and watch it. I've watched it almost a hundred times and I've cried my eyes out EVERY TIME!!!!!! *LOL* It's one of the best, most heart-warming films you will ever watch whereby the lives of the characters are so intertwined and bound by deep-seated love and respect for each other. IT'S A CLASSIC!!!

Anyway, shoot . . . I've gone off on a tangent!!! *LOL! As I was initially saying, Mahalia Jackson's death, in real life, closely parallels that of "Annie's in the movie. It's so ironic, now that I think about it:

Despite her doctors ordering her to slow down, Mahalia refused and collapsed while on tour in Munich in 1971. She died of heart failure on January 27, 1972, at her home in Evergreen Park, Illinois.

Girl, go out and rent or buy that movie TODAY -- it would help make for a very relaxing weekend!!!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Annie's daughter was played by:

Susan Kohner ... Sarah Jane, age 18
Karin Dicker ... Sarah Jane, age 8
Terry Burnham ... Susie, age 6

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

((draw)), one other thing -- there were two "Imitation of Life" movies. I like the one produced in 1959 much better than the earlier version. So, if you rent or buy, I would suggest you get the 1959 film version of "Imitation of Life" that starred Lana Turner.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson)) you failed to mention the inventor of the computer. OOPS it may be because he was White.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who invented the computer?
English mathematician Charles Babbage (1792–1871) designed a mechanical computing machine called the "analytical engine." It is considered the forerunner of the digital computer, a programmable electronic device that stores, retrieves, and processes data.

While attending Cambridge University in 1812, Babbage conceived of the idea of a machine that could calculate data more rapidly than existing computing methods, and without human error. The Industrial Revolution (a period of technological development; c. 1750–c. 1850) had been underway for more than half a century, and the world was becoming increasingly complex. Human errors in mathematical tables posed serious problems for many rapidly growing industries. After graduating from Cambridge, Babbage returned to the idea of developing a device to facilitate computation. Beginning work in 1834, he spent the rest of his life and much of his...

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yeah, a white man did invent the computer AND internet . . . Al Gore!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 15, 2008 at 5:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

((theduke)) I forgot to state that, based on your description of Babbage's invention, it sounds more like he invented a calculator vs. a computer. You mentioned "a machine that could calculate data more rapidly . . . ." Probably was a calculator . . . probably.

But, you know what, I think it was a bad idea, inventing the calculator and computer, that is. Too many people aren't using their brains enough as it is. Wouldn't you agree?!?!?!?!

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 16, 2008 at 12:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If not using your brain enough is a bad idea ((ijohnson)) you must be about brain dead by now.

Posted by theduke (anonymous) on February 16, 2008 at 12:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

((ijohnson)) I have made 43 comment compared to your 790.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 16, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

. . . More interesting Black History facts:

31. George Cook invented the automatic fishing reel.
32. Beatrice L. Cowans invented the Embroidered Fruit Bowl.
33. William D. Davis invented the horse riding saddle.
34. Virginia E. Hall invented a wall hanging and kit.
35. O. Dorsey invented the door stop.
36. Carol Randall invented ear clips and the tissue tote.
37. L. P. Ray invented the dust pan and door knob.
38. Valerie Thomas invented an illusion transmitter.
39. T. Elkins invented the toilet (commode)
40. M. Toland invented the float-operated circuit closer.

**********************

THOMAS ELKINS -- invented the toilet (commode)

An improved refrigerator design was patented by African American inventor Thomas Elkins of Albany, New York (11/4/1879 U.S. patent #221,222). One unusual fact about Thomas Elkins' refrigerator was that it was also designed to chill human corpses.

An improved chamber commode (toilet) was patented by Thomas Elkins on January 9, 1872. Elkins' commode was a combination bureau, mirror, book-rack, washstand, table, easy chair, and chamber stool. It was a very unusual piece of furniture.

On February 22, 1870, Thomas Elkins invented a combined dining, ironing table, and quilting frame.

(The information posted above about Thomas Elkins came from one source. If you click on, or copy and paste, this link: http://inventors.about.com/library/inven... you can view several drawings of the above-referenced inventions . . . very interesting!!)

Have a wonderful BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!!!

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 17, 2008 at 12:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: A remembrance of important people and events.

41. Joseph Dickerson invented the arm for the record player.
42. Madeline M. Turner invented the fruit press.
43. A. L. Lewis invented a window cleaner.
44. David A. Fusher invented the furniture caster.
45. J. F. Pickering invented the air ship (Blimp)
46. Mildred a. Smith invented a family relationship card game.
47. Purdy & Sadgwar invented the folding chair.
48. Mary Moore invented a pain relief composition.
49. Larry Christie invented a pillow utilizing air/water.
50. Mary Kies invented a technique for weaving straw with silk.
*************************

DO YOU KNOW WHO DESIGNED A NEW AND IMPROVED GAS HEATING FURNACE TO KEEP YOU WARM??

On especially cold days, it's great to have that wonderful heating system in your house! Ever wonder who designed the system that keeps you warm today?

In 1919, Alice H. Parker of Morristown, New Jersey, invented a new and improved gas heating furnace that provided central heating.

****************************** It's Black History Month! Lets celebrate together!!!!!! ******************************

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 18, 2008 at 12:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

African-American Firsts: Military

Eugene Bullard (9 October 1894 – 12 October 1961) was the first African-American military pilot.

Combat pilot: Georgia-born Eugene Jacques Bullard, 1917, denied entry into the U.S. Army Air Corps because of his race, served throughout World War I in the French Flying Corps. He received the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor, among many other decorations.

He was born Eugene Jacques Bullard in Columbus, Georgia, in the United States of America. His father was known as "Big Chief Ox" and his mother was a Creek Indian; together, they had ten children. Bullard stowed away on a ship bound for Scotland to escape racial discrimination (he later claimed to have had witnessed his father's narrow escape from lynching as a child).

While in the United Kingdom he worked as a boxer and also worked in a music hall. On a trip to Paris he decided to stay and joined the French Foreign Legion upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Wounded in the 1916 battles around Verdun and awarded the Croix de Guerre, Bullard transferred to the Lafayette Flying Corps in the French Aéronautique Militaire and was eventually assigned to SPA 93 on 27 August 1917, where he flew some 20 missions and shot down two enemy aircraft (one of them unconfirmed).

With the entry of the United States into the war the US Army Air Service convened a medical board in August 1917 for the purpose of recruiting Americans serving in the Lafayette Flying Corps. Although he passed the medical examination, Bullard was not accepted into American service because blacks were barred from flying in U.S. service at that time. Bullard was discharged from the French Air Force after fighting with another officer while off-duty and was transferred to the 170th (French) Infantry Regiment on January 11, 1918, where he served until the Armistice.

Following the end of the war, Bullard remained in Paris. He began working in nightclubs and eventually owned his own establishment. He married the daughter of a French countess, but the marriage soon ended in divorce, with Bullard taking custody of their two daughters. His work in nightclubs brought him many famous friends, among them Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong and Langston Hughes. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Bullard, who spoke German, readily agreed to a request from the French to spy on German agents frequenting his club in Paris. (Bullard's Biography -- continues on next posting.)

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 18, 2008 at 12:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

After the German invasion of the French Third Republic in 1940, Bullard took his daughters and fled south from Paris. In Orléans he joined a group of soldiers defending the city and suffered a spinal wound in the fighting. He was helped to flee to Spain by a French spy, and in July 1940 he returned to the United States.

Bullard spent some time in a hospital in New York for his spinal injury, but he never fully recovered. During and after World War II, when seeking work in the United States, he found that the fame he enjoyed in France had not followed him to New York. He worked in a variety of occupations, as a perfume salesman, a security guard, and as an interpreter for Louis Armstrong, but his back injury severely restricted his activities. For a time he attempted to regain his nightclub in Paris, but his property had been destroyed during the Nazi occupation, and he received a financial settlement from the French government which allowed him to purchase an apartment in New York’s Harlem district.

In the 1950s, Bullard was a relative stranger in his own homeland. His daughters had married, and he lived alone in his apartment, which was decorated with pictures of the famous people he had known, and with a framed case containing his 15 French war medals. His final job was as an elevator operator at the Rockefeller Center, where his fame as the “Black Swallow of Death” was unknown.

In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to rekindle (together with two Frenchmen) the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, and in 1959 he was made a chevalier (knight) of the Légion d'honneur. Even so, he spent the last years of his life in relative obscurity and poverty in New York City where he died of stomach cancer on October 12, 1961. He was buried with military honors by French officers in the French War Veterans' section of Flushing Cemetery in the New York City borough of Queens.

In 1972, his exploits as a pilot were published in the book The Black Swallow of Death: The Incredible Story of Eugene Jacques Bullard, The World's First Black Combat Aviator by P.J. Carisella, James W. Ryan and Edward W. Brooke (Marlborough House, 1972). This book, with jacket art by famed WWI aviation illustrator George Evans, is part of the Bullard display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.

On 23 August 1994, 33 years after his death, and 77 years to the day after his rejection for U.S. military service in 1917, Eugene Bullard was posthumously commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

In 2006, the movie Flyboys loosely portrayed Bullard and his comrades from the Lafayette Flying Corps. Abdul Salis portrays Eugene Skinner, the character based on Bullard.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 12:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the "AME Church", is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816.

African: The AME church was organized by people of African descent. The church was not founded in Africa, nor is it only for persons of African descent. The church is open to people of all races.

Methodist: The church's roots are in the Methodist church. Members of St. George's Methodist Church left the congregation when faced with racial discrimination, but continued with the Methodist doctrine and the order of worship.

Episcopal: The AME church operates under an Episcopal form of church government. The denomination leaders are Bishops of the church. Episcopal, in this sense, refers to the form of government under which the church operates.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has a unique history in that it is the first major religious denomination in the Western World that had its origin over sociological rather than theological beliefs and differences, and the first African-American organized and incorporated denomination in the US. The AME church is also the church that sponsored the first independent historical black college, Wilberforce University. The church was born in protest against slavery—against dehumanization of African people, brought to the American continent as free labor. This fit well with the Methodist church's philosophy since its founder John Wesley had once called the slave-trade "that execrable sum of all villanies".

The AMEC grew out of the Free African Society(FAS) which Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others established in Philadelphia in 1787. The church was organized by African-American members of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church. The incident that led to this was the removal of Absalom Jones (1746–1818) from St. George's by the trustees while he was in the act of prayer. The congregation supported the act of the trustees, and Allen and Jones led the African-American members out of St. George's as a body. Allen went on to form the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1793. In general, they adopted the doctrines and form of government of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Jones affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal Church and would go on to become the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church.

(AME profile continues on the following posting.)

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 19, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

When officials at St. George’s MEC pulled blacks off their knees while praying, FAS members discovered just how far American Methodists would go to enforce racial discrimination against African Americans. Hence, these members of St. George’s made plans to transform their mutual aid society into an African congregation. Although most wanted to affiliate with the Protestant Episcopal Church, Allen led a small group who resolved to remain Methodists. In 1794 Bethel AME was dedicated with Allen as pastor. To establish Bethel’s independence from interfering white Methodists, Allen, a former Delaware slave, successfully sued in the Pennsylvania courts in 1807 and 1815 for the right of his congregation to exist as an independent institution. Because black Methodists in other middle Atlantic communities encountered racism and desired religious autonomy, Allen called them to meet in Philadelphia to form a new Wesleyan denomination, the AME.

While the AME is doctrinally Methodist, clergy, scholars, and lay persons have written important works which demonstrate the distinctive theology and praxis which have defined this Wesleyan body. Bishop Benjamin W. Arnett, in an address to the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, reminded the audience of the presence of blacks in the formation of Christianity. Bishop Benjamin T. Tanner wrote in 1895 in The Color of Solomon – What? that biblical scholars wrongly portrayed the son of David as a white man. In the post civil rights era theologians James Cone, Cecil W. Cone, and Jacqueline Grant who came out of the AME tradition critiqued Euro-centric Christianity and African American churches for their shortcomings in fully impacting the plight of those oppressed by racism, sexism, and economic disadvantage.

BELIEFS

The AME Motto, "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, Man Our Brother", reflects the basic beliefs of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The basic foundations of the beliefs of the church can be summarized in the The Apostles' Creed and The Twenty Five Articles of Religion.

Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 20, 2008 at 12:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

(¯`•.¸ With much love and admiration, I post the following profile of "Uncle Jesse"; a man's whose family is closely tied to mine. His death was a tragic end to a great life. ¸.•´¯)

JESSE L. BROWN

Jesse LeRoy Brown (13 October 1926 – 4 December 1950) was the first African-American naval aviator in the United States Navy.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Brown enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1946 and was appointed a Midshipman, at the Ohio State University NROTC the following year. After attending Navy pre-flight school and flight training, he was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1948. Midshipman Brown was then assigned to Fighter Squadron 32. He received his commission as Ensign in April 1949.

During the Korean War, his squadron operated from USS Leyte (CV-32), flying F4U-4 Corsair fighters in support of United Nations forces. On 4 December 1950, while on a close air support mission near the Chosin Reservoir, Ensign Brown's plane was hit by enemy fire and crashed. Despite heroic efforts by other aviators, notably LT(jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., he could not be rescued and died in his aircraft. Ensign Jesse L. Brown was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his Korean War combat service.

USS Jesse L. Brown (DE-1089) was named in honor of Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown.

Place of birth Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Place of death KIA, aircraft hit by enemy fire and crashed.
Allegiance United States of America

Service/branch United States Navy

Years of service 1946–1950
Rank Ensign

Unit Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32)
USS Leyte (CV-32)

Battles/wars Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Korean War

Awards Distinguished Flying Cross

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 21, 2008 at 1:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

African-American FIRSTS

Nobel Peace Prize
Scholar and diplomat Ralph J. Bunche became, in 1950, the first African American to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche received the award for his role as the architect of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping efforts and for having negotiated the four armistice agreements that halted the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. In 1955 Bunche was named the UN's Undersecretary for Special Political Affairs; in that capacity he oversaw UN peacekeeping operations in some of the most heated conflicts around the world. United States President John F. Kennedy awarded Bunche the nation's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, in 1963.

Novel
In 1853 William Wells Brown wrote Clotel; or, The President's Daughter, the first novel by an African American author. First published in England, Clotel is a fictional account of slave children allegedly fathered by United States president Thomas Jefferson. The first novel published in the United States by an African American author was also the first novel published by a black American woman, Harriet Wilson. Her novel Our Nig (1859) details the difficulties faced by Northern free blacks. (See the Africana Library of Black America, within the Encarta Reference Library, for the complete text of both Clotel and Our Nig. The library also includes Brown's autobiography, Narrative of William W. Brown, and his collection of abolitionist hymns, The Anti-Slavery Harp.)

Poem
In 1746 Lucy Terry, an African-born slave in Rhode Island, composed the first known poem by a black American: "Bar's Fight." The poem, which was not published until 1855, describes a Native American raid against white settlers in New England. In 1773 poet Phillis Wheatley became the first African American to publish a book, entitled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Considered the founder of African American literature, Wheatley is perhaps best remembered for her poem "On Being Brought from Africa to America," which describes her experience coming to America as a seven-year-old child and as a slave. (See the Africana Library of Black America, within the Encarta Reference Library, for the Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley, which includes the complete text of her book as well as her letters and poems from other sources.)

Pulitzer Prize
In 1950 poet and novelist Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize, which she received for her second book of poetry, Annie Allen (1949).

Brooks was praised throughout her writing career for poems that grapple with issues of art, identity, race, gender, and the relation between literature and popular culture. (Hear Gwendolyn Brooks read from her poetry in Encarta Africana, part of the Encarta Reference Library.)

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 22, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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African-American FIRSTS

Who was the first African-American in Space?

Guion S. Bluford Jr.

Bluford, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, became a NASA astronaut in August 1979. He launched into space on August 30, 1983, aboard the Challenger, on the Space Shuttle's third mission. He served on three more NASA missions and logged over 688 hours in space before leaving NASA in July 1993.

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Who was the first African-American Astronaut?

Robert H. Lawrence Jr.

He became an astronaut on June 10, 1967. Tragically, Lawrence never made it into space. A short time later, he was killed when his plane crashed during a training flight.

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Who was the first African-American to walk in space?

Bernard A. Harris Jr.

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Who was the first African-American woman in space?

Mae C. Jemison

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Who was the First African-American Space Shuttle Commander

Frederick D. Gregory

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Who was the first African-American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor?

Sergeant William H. Carney, He received the medal for bravery under fire in 1863, and was cited for gallantry in the charge of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers on Fort Wagner in the Charleston, South Carolina, harbor on July 18, 1863. From the Spanish American War to the Korean War, Blacks were denied Congressional Medals of Honor because of their race.

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Who was the first African-American awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor after the Spanish American War?

Pfc. William Thompson of Brooklyn, N.Y., who was cited posthumously on June 21, 1951 for heroism during the Korean War.

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Who was he first African-American graduate of the West Point Military Academy?

Henry O. Flipper of Georgia, who was admitted on July 1, 1873 and graduated on June 15, 1877.

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Who was the first African-American student at West Point?

James W. Smith of South Carolina, who was admitted on July 1, 1870. He left the Academy on June 26, 1874 without receiving a degree.

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Who was the first African-American graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy?

Wesley A. Brown, who received his degree on June 3, 1949.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 23, 2008 at 1:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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First African American Senator

HIRAM REVELS (R-MS)
1851-1877

On February 25, 1870, visitors in the Senate galleries burst into applause as Mississippi senator-elect Hiram Revels of Mississippi entered the chamber to take his oath of office. Those present knew that they were witnessing an event of great historical significance. Revels was about to become the first African American to serve in the Senate.

Born 42 years earlier to free black parents in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Revels became an educator and minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. During the Civil War, he helped form regiments of African American soldiers and established schools for freed slaves. After the war, Revels moved to Mississippi, where he won election to the state senate. In recognition of his hard work and leadership skills, his legislative colleagues elected him to one of Mississippi's vacant U.S. Senate seats as that state prepared to rejoin the Union.

Revels' credentials arrived in the Senate on February 23, 1870, and were immediately blocked by a few members who had no desire to see a black man serve in Congress. Masking their racist views, they argued that Revels had not been a U.S. citizen for the nine years required of all senators. In their distorted interpretation, black Americans had only become citizens with the passage of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, just four years earlier. Revels' supporters dismissed that statement, pointing out that he had been a voter many years earlier in Ohio and was therefore certainly a citizen.

Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner brought the debate to an end with a stirring speech. "The time has passed for argument. Nothing more need be said. For a long time it has been clear that colored persons must be senators." Then, by an overwhelming margin, the Senate voted 48 to 8 to seat Revels.

Three weeks later, the Senate galleries again filled to capacity as Hiram Revels rose to make his first formal speech. Seeing himself as a representative of African American interests throughout the nation, he spoke—unsuccessfully as it turned out—against a provision included in legislation readmitting Georgia to the Union. He correctly predicted that the provision would be used to prohibit blacks from holding office in that state.

When Hiram Revels' brief term ended on March 3, 1871, he returned to Mississippi, where he later became president of Alcorn College (now known as Alcorn State University).

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 24, 2008 at 1:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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Great African-Americans -- Quiz

Test you knowledge on great African-Americans. How many questions can you answer correctly without peeking?

1. What is the name of the great civil rights leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize and was assassinated in 1968?
2. What is the name of the first African-American who served on the US Supreme Court?
3. What is the name of the woman who helped hundreds of other escaped slaves flee to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad?
4. What is the name of the Haitian-French pioneer and trader who founded the settlement that would later become Chicago?
5. What is the name of the scientist who developed hundreds of products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, pecans, and soybeans, revolutionizing agriculture in the South?
6. What is the name of the scientist who developed the idea of the blood bank, saving innumerable human lives?
7. What is the name of the explorer and colleague of Robert E. Peary who was in the first group of people to visit the North Pole?
8. What is the name of the ex-slave who founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama?
9. What is the name of the first African-American woman to go into space?
10. What is the name of the first African-American to play major league baseball?
11. What is the name of the woman who refused to give up her bus seat, prompting a city-wide bus boycott? This eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses is unconstitutional.
12. What is the name of the African-American athlete who won many medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games?
13. What is the name of the inventor whose high-quality industrial inventions were the basis for the expression "the real McCoy"?
14. What is the name of the first African-American woman to be elected as a U.S. congresswoman from the deep South?
15. What is the name of the slave who sued for his freedom and lost, in a major Supreme Court case before the Civil War?

How did you do???? Well, let's see what the answers reveal.

ANSWERS:

1. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Thurgood Marshall
3. Harriet Tubman
4. Jean-Baptist-Point Du Sable
5. George Washington Carver
6. Dr. Charles Richard Drew
7. Matthew Alexander Henson
8. Booker T. Washington
9. Mae C. Jemison
10. Jackie Robinson
11. Rosa Parks
12. Jesse Owens
13. Elijah McCoy
14. Barbara Jordan
15. Dred Scott

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 25, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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Armstrong, Louis
Daniel Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) was a great jazz trumpet player, composer, and singer. He was nicknamed Satchmo because some people said that his mouth was like a satchel. Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and soon became a well-known cornet player in clubs and on riverboats along the Mississippi River. He became world famous for his incredible musical talent, especially his improvised solos. Armstrong also sang "scat," a style in which nonsense words are used in a song. Armstrong was featured in many recordings, television shows, and movies. Armstrong celebrated his birthday on July 4.

Rillieux, Norbert
Norbert Rillieux (March 17, 1806-October 8, 1894) was an African-American inventor and engineer who invented a device that revolutionized sugar processing. Rillieux's multiple effect vacuum sugar evaporator (patented in 1864) made the processing of sugar more efficient, faster, and much safer. The resulting sugar was also superior. His apparatus was eventually adopted by sugar processing plants all around the world.

Baldwin, James
James Baldwin (Aug. 2, 1924-Dec. 1, 1987) was a very important American author who wrote about the struggle of being black in America. James was the oldest of nine children and was born into poverty in Harlem, New York. He spent much of his youth reading. James' mother was a domestic worker (a maid) and his strict, cruel stepfather was a factory worker and preacher (who died in a mental hospital in 1943). James was a preacher himself for three years when he was a teenager. The author Richard Wright was James' early writing mentor. Baldwin's first book, the semi-autobiographical Go Tell It On the Mountain, was published in 1953 and is considered to be a classic American novel. Baldwin lived in France for many years, distancing himself from American life in order to examine it; Baldwin wrote, "Once you find yourself in another civilization, you're forced to examine your own." A pacifist, Baldwin participated in the Southern school desegregation struggle of the 1960s and marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. Baldwin wrote extensively about the Civil Rights Movement, including The Fire Next Time and Notes of a Native Son. Throughout his life, Baldwin used his enormous writing talent to work for racial equality. Baldwin wrote, "I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." and "Artists are here to disturb the peace." Baldwin died at the age of 63 at home in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 26, 2008 at 2 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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First Black Elected to Head Harvard's Law Review

The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School.

The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School.

The new president of the Review is Barack Obama, a 28-year-old graduate of Columbia University who spent four years heading a community development program for poor blacks on Chicago's South Side before enrolling in law school. His late father, Barack Obama, was a finance minister in Kenya and his mother, Ann Dunham, is an American anthropologist now doing fieldwork in Indonesia. Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii.

''The fact that I've been elected shows a lot of progress,'' Mr. Obama said today in an interview. ''It's encouraging.
''But it's important that stories like mine aren't used to say that everything is O.K. for blacks. You have to remember that for every one of me, there are hundreds or thousands of black students with at least equal talent who don't get a chance,'' he said, alluding to poverty or growing up in a drug environment.

What a Law Review Does

Law reviews, which are edited by students, play a double role at law schools, providing a chance for students to improve their legal research and writing, and at the same time offering judges and scholars a forum for new legal arguments. The Harvard Law Review is generally considered the most widely cited of the student law reviews.

On his goals in his new post, Mr. Obama said: ''I personally am interested in pushing a strong minority perspective. I'm fairly opinionated about this. But as president of the law review, I have a limited role as only first among equals.''
Therefore, Mr. Obama said, he would concentrate on making the review a ''forum for debate,'' bringing in new writers and pushing for livelier, more accessible writing.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 27, 2008 at 1:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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"It's my belief that God gives us all gifts, special abilities that we have the privilege of developing to help us serve Him and humanity."

* BENJAMIN CARSON
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Dr. Benjamin Carson, one of the world's most gifted surgeons, made medical history in 1987 when he performed the first successful separation of occipital craniopagus (joined at the head) Siamese twins. A specialist in pediatric neurosurgery, Carson also established a remarkable success record in performing the procedure called hemispherectomy, or removal of half the brain, to treat certain forms of epilepsy. Nineteen of the first 20 patients Carson operated on survived.

If it were not for the determination of his mother, Carson might never have discovered his gift. She worked domestic jobs to support Carson and his brother after their father abandoned the family, and she insisted that they study and read books regularly. Carson had been a poor student in elementary school, but he ended up graduating third in his high school class.

Carson credits prayer with helping him to overcome another threat to his future: his violent temper as a teenager. An episode in which he nearly stabbed a friend during an argument over a radio show shook him so much that he locked himself in the bathroom for three hours, reading the Bible and praying to God for help. Afterward, he says, the rage never returned, and he focused on achieving his dream of becoming a doctor.

He won a scholarship to Yale University and, after graduating, went on to obtain a medical degree from the University of Michigan.

In 1984, Carson joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University and soon became director of pediatric neurosurgery-- the youngest in the country, at age 33.
Carson has written an autobiography, Gifted Hands, and a motivational book, Think Big. He is currently an associate professor at Johns Hopkins. He often speaks to groups of young people to share with them the lessons he learned about how to see obstacles "as hurdles that strengthen you each time you go over one." (Parade, December 25, 1988). According to Carson, it's that kind of vision that leads to success.
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* Other Contemporary African-American Firsts

Mary Frances Berry -- First woman to head a major research university, University of Colorado, 1976.
Guion Bluford, Jr. -- First African-American astronaut in space, 1983.
Jacquelyn Barrett -- First African-American woman sheriff, Fulton County, Georgia, 1992.
Joycelyn Elders -- First African-American U.S. Surgeon General, 1993.
Patricia R. Harris -- First African-American woman in presidential cabinet, Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare, 1977.

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 28, 2008 at 12:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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Walter Jerry Payton (1954 – 1999) American Football Player

Walter “Sweetness” Payton was one of three children born to Peter and Alyne Payton in Columbia, Mississippi. He was an active member of the Boy Scouts, Little League, and his local church. At Jefferson High School, Payton played drums in the marching band, participated in the track team as a long jumper, and sang in the school choir. Outside of school he played in jazz-rock groups.

Once he began to play football, as a junior, he achieved instant success as a running back. At 5'10" he was not especially large, but his speed and strength made him one of the team's featured players. Jefferson High School was integrated with neighboring Columbia High School that year; Payton and his teammates were upset that their head coach had become an assistant, and Payton boycotted some of the spring practices in protest, but returned during the fall season. He then earned state-wide honors as a member of Mississippi's all-state team, leading Columbia to an unexpected 8-2 season.

Although Payton had established himself as one of the state’s top running back prospects, he received no invitations from Southeastern Conference colleges and universities, which were accepting only a few black players at the time. He decided to pursue his collegiate career at the historically African-American, Jackson State University, where his older brother Eddie had played football.

While attending Jackson State, Payton played alongside many future professional football players, including Jerome Barkum, Robert Brazile, and Jackie Slater. As a member of the Jackson State Tigers, Payton rushed over 3,500 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He also broke the NCAA’s scoring record by rushing for 65 touchdowns during his college career. Payton finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, leading many to speculate that he would have earned more national recognition if he had attended a better-known college. Payton graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor's degree in Communication. He acquired the nickname “Sweetness” in college.

He was drafted as a running back by the Chicago Bears in 1975. He spent his entire career with the Bears and set many records, including all-time rushing yards (16,726; now surpassed), most 100-yard rushing games (77), and most yards gained rushing in a game (275; now surpassed). Noted for his durability, Payton was the National Football League's most valuable player in 1977 (the youngest player to win the award) and won his only Super Bowl in 1985. He retired in 1987.

See his autobiography, Never Die Easy (2000).

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Posted by ijohnson (anonymous) on February 29, 2008 at 1:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

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NOTABLE BLACK AMERICAN ARTISTS

The Pioneers

Joshua Johnston (1765-1830), John James Audubon (1785-1851), Otto Reinhold Jacobi (1812-1901), Patrick Reason (1817-1856), William H. Simpson (1818-1872), and Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872) represent some of the names of the early trailblazers who were the unusual combination of black, American, and artist. A review of their work suggests that these vanguards did not focus on the issues surrounding their racial acceptance in society; but rather followed personal or business interests. For example, John James Audubon, whose mother was Haitian, devoted his lifetime to the depiction of North American flora and fauna. Robert Scott Duncanson, considered by some art historians as the first black man to earn his living as an artist, was a painter of both Hudson River landscapes and floral still lifes. Joshua Johnston, “ the first American artist of African descent to create a sizeable body of work of high quality" according to Romare Bearden’s Six Black American Artists, was listed in a Baltimore directory from 1796 to 1824 as a portraitist. Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) was a well-known landscape and genre painter from Providence, Rhode Island. Although he was the first Black American artist to win a national art prize, a first-place at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, he was denied admission into the hall to accept the award because of his race. Specializing in making bird’s-eye views of California and Nevada towns, Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918) was the first recognized Black American artist in the American West. Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), known for religious and genre paintings, was the first black artist to earn an international reputation. Although Thomas Eakins encouraged him while a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Tanner experienced much prejudice in Philadelphia, and chose to expatriate to Paris.

Finding a Voice

Ultimately, many black artists became committed to addressing the issue of racial equality in their work in response to their own bitter personal experiences. Brutally beaten by a vigilante mob while enrolled at Oberlin College, Mary Edmonia Lewis (1845-1911), the first important black sculptor in America, created works, which explored her feelings of alienation. In 1899, the sculptor, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (1877-1968) went to Paris where white students refused to share lodgings with her. Although Fuller eventually triumphed when she became a favored student of the acclaimed Auguste Rodin, she embraced her racial heritage, and became the first Black American artist to focus on African inspired themes.

(¯`*•.¸(¯`*•.¸,¸¸,ø¤º° Let’s celebrate Black History together . . . today, tomorrow, always!!! °º¤ø,¸¸,¸.•*´¯)¸.•*´¯)