Meet Black America’s “Unknown Celebrity Chef”, Lena Richard, a gift to Cajun cuisine foodies everywhere. In 1892, just 27 years after the Civil War, this phenomenal chef was born in New Roads, Louisiana. In a Smithsonian Magazine interview, Marie Rhodes, Richard’s daughter and sous chef: “Her reputation was very fine…Everybody used to call her Mama Lena.”
Browsing: Lost Black History
Purvis Young is a celebrated artist and Miami native. His art is in museums and the private homes of celebrities like Jane Fonda, Damon Wayans and Dan Aykroyd. After learning of the “Freedom Walls” in Detroit and Chicago, Purvis decided in 1972 to create his own public mural at the intersection of Northwest Third Avenue and 14 Street in Overtown.
Founded in 1896, Overtown is one of the oldest Black communities in Florida. It was incorporated only 31 years after the Civil War with the aid of the Black vote. Black men were temporarily granted the right to vote so that both Miami and Overtown could become cities. Soon thereafter the state rescinded their right to vote. That move was indicative of Overtown’s Jim Crow era name of “Colored Town.” Overtown was built by those same Black men who also helped build the rest of Miami and the county’s portion of the Florida East Coast Railway. At that time South Blacks were not allowed to live in the same neighborhoods as Whites, so they built their homes on the unsuitable side of new railroad tracks. This created a hotbed for Black business.
The all-Black 54th unit from Massachusetts was the first regiment formed after Lincoln’s call for Black troops. Sergeant Carney and the other men in the unit fought with valor and gallantry. The Massachusetts Historical Society recorded, “…after several days with little sleep, food or water, the regiment was instructed to lead the attack against Fort Wagner on Morris Island. In the disastrous assault led by Colonel Shaw, the 54th suffered very heavy losses, including the loss of their commander, and nearly half of the men present were killed…” That two hour fight, often with hand to hand combat, was a winner for Black recruitment. The Boston African American Historic site gave this summary, “Through their heroic, yet tragic, assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina in July 1863, the 54th helped inspire the enlistment of more than 180,000 Black men…a boost in morale and manpower that Lincoln recognized as essential to the victory of the United States and the destruction of slavery throughout the country.”
For Black motorists, the Green Book became an essential, like food or water. Thanks to “Mr. Jim Crow, segregation hazards were omnipresent throughout the country. Black travelers not only met with the humiliation of being turned away from businesses, but also had to be ever aware of the threat of lynchings or other racist violence. The slogan on the guide’s cover also doubled as a warning: “Carry your Green Book with you—You may need it.”
Ever since our forced diaspora in 1619, we have been subjected to discrimination based on both hairstyles and hair texture. The National Institute of Health found, “Slaves were forced to shave their heads not only for issues related to lice contracted from the cramped, filthy, and inhumane quarters of the slave ships but also to strip them from any cultural identity or tribal heritage associated with hairstyles.” Racial bias still exists as a result of our hair styles like dreadlocks, twists, and braids. People have lost jobs, been denied housing and endured police harassment to name a few of the prejudicial incidents.
At its peak the eugenics movement captivated White America, with a zealous hope that it could quietly erase away “the Black Garbage”of slavery. Variations of sterilization and eugenics were legally sanctioned in 32 states. Mississippi, North Carolina, California and were the most fervid advocates of social engineering. In 1961, a White doctor gave Fannie Hamer a hysterectomy without her consent. PBS noted that the Civil Rights crusader coined the moniker a “Mississippi appendectomy.”
The first World War ended in 1918, and the soldiers returned to medals and parades. The Black veterans returned to an immediate reality check. In Europe they were treated with respect in courtesy; however, at home they were treated to the same old Negro baggage. It was an unfair dichotomy to risk your life for your country and then be disrespected for being Black.
Debutante is French, and it means female beginner. It was a young lady’s introduction to “Polite Society.” The first debutante ball in the world was Queen Charlotte’s Ball in Britain in 1780, held by King George III in honor of his wife’s birthday. For the English aristocracy this practice was used to announce a young woman’s marriageability to eligible bachelors.
The Obama White House (obamawhitehouse.archives.gov) chronicled President Obama eulogizing the death of the ‘Godmother of Civil Rights.” President Obama said, “Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dorothy Height – the godmother of the Civil Rights Movement and a hero to so many Americans. Ever since she was denied entrance to college because the incoming class had already met its quota of two African American women, Dr. Height devoted her life to those struggling for equality. She led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, and served as the only woman at the highest level of the Civil Rights Movement – witnessing every march and milestone along the way. And even in the final weeks of her life – a time when anyone else would have enjoyed their well-earned rest – Dr. Height continued her fight to make our nation a more open and inclusive place for people of every race, gender, background and faith. Michelle and I offer our condolences to all those who knew and loved Dr. Height – and all those whose lives she touched.”