• 0 Joe Frazier Legacy: Top 5 Boxing Champion

    • Sports
    • by Hugh Smith
    • 11/16/2011

      Smokin’ Joe Frazier, who died on November 7, 2011, defeated Muhammad Ali in 1971 to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Frazier trained and developed as a boxer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He won three Golden Glove titles (1962 -1964). Joe also won the gold medal for boxing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942, won an Olympic gold medal in Rome as a light heavy weight in 1960. He defeated Sonny Liston in 1964 to win the heavy weight championship for the first time. Ali won the crown again in 1974 by beating George Foreman. "The Greatest" became the first in boxing history to win the heavy-weight title three times when he took out Leon Spinks in 1978. Ali refused to be drafted into the U.S. Army (he was a conscientious objector on religious and moral grounds). He was stripped of his first title in 1967. Five time World Middleweight boxing Champion "Sugar" Ray Robinson won the title for the first time by defeating Jake La Motta on February 14, 1951. Robinson lost and regained the crown during the 1950’s, winning it for the fifth time on March 25, 1958 beating Carmen Basilio. Michael Gerald Tyson turned professional in 1985. He stopped WBC champion Trevor Berbick in the second round in 1986 to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 20. Tyson defeated Larry Holmes, Tony Tubbs, Frank Bruno, Carl Williams, and Michael Spinks early in his career. Later, Tyson would lose to James "Buster" Douglas. Tyson reclaimed the WBC and WBA titles in 1996. In 2002, Mike suffered an eighth-round knockout in an unsuccessful title bid against Lennox Lewis. When Mike Tyson retired in 2005, he had 50 wins, 6 loses, and 2 ties with 44 knockouts. Named "Fighter of the Century," in 1960, Joe Louis Barrow was a boxing folk hero. He was known as "The Brown Bomber" when he stepped into the ring. Born in Lafayette, Alabama (1914), Lewis worked his way up the ranks to become a contender. He captured the heavyweight championship in 1937, and defended his title 25 times. Lewis was champion from 1937-1949. He’s the only champion to defend boxing’s top title while in the military, and during war. Listen to the BlackHistoryPeople.com production of Joe Louis' historic fight.

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    0 Harry Belafonte My Song: A Memoir

      (note: video/audio will auto play - use stop button below this article) What can you expect to discover when you dive through the pages of the just released Harry Belafonte My Song: A Memoir? You'll encounter the inspiring life of a great singer, actor, artist, activist, and black history pioneer. Belafonte is a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, who conquered racism while navigating life's road through Jamaica, W.I., Harlem, New York, and Hollywood. He became enthusiastic about theater while working odd jobs after the war. The Belafonte 20th century timeline covers friendships with Paul Robeson, Sidney Poitier, President John F. Kennedy, and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Nelson Mandela, Robert Kennedy, Marlon Brando, President Bill Clinton, Robert Kennedy, and Fidel Castro are discussed with respect, reverence, and honesty. Harry Belafonte's passion for activism cuts right to the core of his community awareness. This part of his persona transcends what he may be most famous for: his calypso singer image. As an African American history original, Harry Belafonte will leave a lasting legacy. Watch and listen to his one minute video below (it will auto play) as he reflects on the metaphor of song, used in the title of Belafonte's new October, 2011 book.

  • 0 The Crisis in USA Black History Education

      A memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. is great, but beyond King and Rosa Parks, a black history knowledge gap is growing among USA high school students, as only 2% of seniors in 2010 knew important facts about Brown versus the Board of Education, the landmark US Supreme Court decision from 1954. what’s behind this pathetic statistic? State education standards are ignoring civil rights history. Southern states are doing the best. Northeast and western states are doing the worst. The Southern Poverty Law Center has conducted a first of its kind study (September, 2011) about how African American history relating to civil rights is taught in high school. Take a look at the graph to see who is at the head of the class. Each state sets different expectations for teachers and students. Only 35 states (including the District of Columbia) required study of the civil rights movement as part of their state-mandated standards, framework or curriculum. To compare state performance, the SPLC study stressed knowledge content across 6 categories resulting in 85% of a state’s score: Events Leaders Groups Causes (history) Obstacles Tactics So what specifics should high school students know according to the SPLC framework? The civil rights movement was a movement composed of many individuals and was not the initiative of any single person or small group of people. All students should learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, but students should learn about at least six additional figures in the civil rights movement. Students should be able to identify major groups involved in the civil rights movement, including CORE, SCLC and SNCC. Students should be able to identify key events in the civil rights movement and place them in the correct order (Brown v. Board of Education, Little Rock, Freedom Rides, Montgomery Bus Boycott, 24th Amendment, Birmingham bombings and protests, March on Washington, 1964 Civil Rights Act, Freedom Summer, Selma-to-Montgomery march, 1965 Voting Rights Act, Watts and other uprisings, 1968 Civil Rights Act and assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Many more elements are included in the SPLC recommendations. You can read Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States 2011 or download a pdf version of the document. 2018 update: This study was updated in 2014. The link above now goes to the 2014 study and the original 2011 report.

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    0 The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Opens

    The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is the only monument dedicated to an African American on the National Mall in Washington DC. Find out more by watching and listening to this 60 second video we recorded and produced at the King Memorial on the 2nd day the new shrine was open to the public in August, 2011. This video was originally posted only on Facebook on August 24, 2011. 2018 update: Now posted to YouTube. We are not sure why at the end of the video we put February 23, 2011 on the screen. Probably a production mistake that should have said August 23, 2011. You'll see it's obviously summer!

  • 0 Black in Latin America

      Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and Peru are six countries that reflect the South American legacy of 12.5 million Africans who were shipped to the New World during the Middle Passage. Only 11 million survived the journey, according to historian - educator - author 'Skip' Gates. Black in Latin America by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., reveals the history of African-South Americans through religion, art, music, cuisine, dance, and politics. I’ve been enjoying this book on a smart phone Kindle reader, but a traditional paper book version will work just as well too! Even If you've watched the Black in Latin America television specials documenting this research, Gates' book offers many additional compelling stories. Discover more about the complex cultural differences between people of color in North and South America. The similarities will also be striking. Black in Latin America is highly recommended.

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    0 Broadcast Pioneer Seeks a Home for African American Artifacts

      Why is this legendary DJ, who coined the phrase on the radio “Burn Baby Burn,” standing in front of his very rare black history collectable collection? His pieces have gotten the attention of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Find out why the Magnificent Montague seeks a home for African American artifacts.

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    0 Black History People Android App

      Discover the profiles of nearly 100 black history people in the free Black History People App for Android smart phones. Authors, poets, civil rights, politics, education, sports, entertainment, art, business, inventors, law, medicine, science, aviation, and music are categories you can explore in the app. You can download the Black History People App from Google Play or Amazon. 2018 update: Although the latest Android version of this app looks nothing like the original, we've left the 2010 screen shot intact so you can see how far we've come since this article was originally posted on May 11, 2011! More about the latest Black History People app on our sister website Quikthinking.com (you will go directly to the app page). No searching required.

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    0 The John H. Johnson Vision

    • Media
    • by Hugh Smith
    • 04/14/2011

      John H. Johnson was a publishing pioneer way ahead of his time. Read all the back issues of Jet from Johnson Publishing between 1950 - 2005 (courtesy of Google Books):   1950 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

  • 0 A Manning Marable Reinvention Of Malcolm X

    In 1965, in New York City, at the age of 39, Malcolm X was assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom. Discover his legacy by listening to and reading about Manning Marable's 'Reinvention' Of Malcolm X.

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    0 Black History Month The Power of Word Poets

    • Poets
    • by Hugh Smith
    • 02/22/2011

    Here's our special video feature for Black History Month, 2011. Discover the power of words from the masters, including W.E.B. DuBois, Nikki Giovanni, Ntozake Shange, and others.