17 Search results for "marcus garvey"

Recently I had a series of discussions with people on Twitter and in real life about Marcus Garvey’s status as a Black leader. I was surprised to find that not everyone respected him or his ideas as much me. Why was I surprised? No idea. His ideas have long been misunderstood as simple back-to-Africa rhetoric […]

Born of Jamaican roots on August 17, 1887, Marcus Garvey is the grandfather of pan-Africanist cultural movements throughout the diaspora. His Universal Negro Improvement Association went onto inspire generations of movements, scholars and black people across the world. Today, I encourage all of you to take a moment out to remember this powerful ancestor, and […]

Ja’Loni Amor Owens In 2016, arguably the peak of activist apparel’s popularity, a number of businesses began to sell t-shirts, crewnecks, tote bags, buttons, pins and stickers with variations of the following: “I am not my ancestors; you can catch these hands”. It is understandable why variations of this phrase caught on so quickly. The […]

by Briana L. Ureña-Ravelo There has been much conversation regarding Blackness as of late. What it is, when and how it matters, and who can and cannot claim it. At times the conversation has been very illuminating and compelling, but more and more it has become overwhelmingly caustic and mired in elitist, ahistorical, and colonial […]

Dr. Carter G. Woodson has an extraordinary legacy.  He is the father of Black history, the creator of Negro History Week which would expand and become Black History Month.  The origin of Negro History week would include President Lincoln’s birthday (at the time he was a hero because people did not know he was an […]

                          Black August is a time of fasting, studying, reflecting, and discipline to honor our ancestors and people in the liberation struggle.  Black August originated in the slave house (prison) to honor our fallen Freedom Fighters, Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain […]

Last week, the nation celebrated civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. and we are a few days from entering Black History month. For as long as I could remember, Dr. King was the paramount of civil rights figures for black America and the hard hitter of every Black History program I ever participated in […]

After hearing reports about violence against black men in Casper, WY, members of a local NAACP branch took action. Since the assaults were often followed by Ku Klux Klan pamphlets being distributed, the Gillette, WY NAACP initially considered a rally against the white supremacist group, but then decided to reach out to a member of […]

We’re sure many of you remember 9 year-old Asean Johnson, whose galvanizing speech at an anti-school closings rally in Chicago became a viral sensation.

The family of the late Emmett Till have penned an open letter to Lil Wayne, challenging the Young Money emcee to address the controversy surrounding the lyrics, and imploring him to help educate others on the story of Emmett Till. Do you think Wayne should respond? Will he?

In the 1994 movie DROP Squad, an underground militant organization spots Black Americans who have sold out, exploited or otherwise turned their backs on their race and then puts them through a rigorous D.R.O.P. (Deprogramming and Restoration of Pride). Every time I watch Bruford Jamison Jr. get dropped, I wonder who among us deserves to […]

I wanted to write about something serious…really. I’ve had enlightening conversations and exchanges about abortion, interracial dating, the crack epidemic, and Marcus Garvey’s legacy in the past couple days. But I really just want to do hood rat things with my friends. My life has been hectic for the past couple months and since I […]