Posts by dr_fran
Tortuous History Traced in Sunken Slave Ship Found Off South Africa
In 1794, a Portuguese slave ship left Mozambique for a 7,000-mile voyage to Brazil and the sugar plantations that awaited its cargo of black men and women. Shackled in the ship’s hold were between 400 and 500 slaves, pressed flesh to flesh with their backs on the floor. With the exception of daily breaks to exercise, the slaves would spend the bulk of the estimated four-month journey in the dark of the hold.
The journey lasted only 24 days. The São José Paquete Africa came apart violently on two reefs not far from Cape Town. The captain, crew and half of the slaves survived. An estimated 212 slaves perished in the sea. The remnants of the São José have been found, right where the ship went down. It is the first time that the wreckage of a slaving ship that went down with slaves aboard has been recovered.
The new National Museum of African American History and Culture, which will open in 2016 on the National Mall in Washington DC, will house an exhibit of the ship and its cargo.
Read MoreLegendary Blues Musician B.B. King Dead At 89
This tribute to the great blues musician B.B. King, who passed away on May 14, 2015, includes two videos: a trailer for a movie about his extraordinary life and another in which he performs one of his most iconic songs. King won the first of his 15 Grammy Awards in 1951 and joined the Grammy Hall of Fame 47 years later. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and the R&B Music Hall of Fame in 2014. Rolling Stone magazine also ranked him at No. 3 in its 2003 list of the 100 greatest guitarist of all time.
Read More1.5 Million Missing Black Men
For every 100 black women, there are only 83 black men. Among whites, it’s 99 men/100 women, nearly parity. Mass incarceration and early death are principal factors. In certain cities, including Milwaukee, more than 42% of black men are missing. This has serious ramifications for community and family life.
Read MoreWill Brown
Will Brown, a meatpacking industry worker, was lynched in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1919 for allegedly raping a white woman. The riot of white men leading to his lynching was a response to the new competition for jobs posed by black workers for the first time. Omaha’s was just one of many murderous riots that took place during the “Red Summer of 1919” in some three dozen cities around the country. The photo of this spectacle lynching is one of the most famous.
Read MoreA Kaffeeklatsch on Race
The constantly called-for “national conversation on race” is not some grand conclave. We need to stop calling for the it and realize that we are already in it. Charles Blow analyzes FBI Director James Comey’s recent speech re: 3 hard truths – history of law enforcement as oppression, unconscious racial bias and lazy thinking/cynicism by police.
Read MoreTonight: Premiering on BET, “The Book of Negroes” mini-series
Based on the award-winning novel by Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes tells the story of Aminata Diallo after her capture and the pain she endured as part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Starring Aunjanue Ellis as well as Cuba Gooding Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., The Book of Negroes will premiere as an epic miniseries that highlights Aminata’s powerful journey.
Read MoreFor South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Generation, Discontent Grows
The “born frees” have begun to question their country’s leadership amid rampant unemployment, limited opportunity and entrenched political corruption.
Read MoreGeorge Zimmerman Arrested On Aggravated Assault Charge
George Zimmerman, acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen, has been arrested for allegedly throwing a wine bottle at his girlfriend.
Read MoreRemembering the Black Holocaust
Dr. Fran Kaplan, Coordinator of America’s Black Holocaust Virtual Museum [Fall 2011-Fall 2017], speaks about the online museum and how, as a white woman, she became involved.
Read MoreLeBron James wears ‘I Can’t Breathe’ t-shirt for warmups
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers wears an ‘I Can’t Breathe’ shirt at the Barclays Center.
Read More