history

Double dutch is still a welcome sight on sidewalks and playgrounds in Black communities throughout America. But where did it come from, and how did it become the nationally competitive sport it is today?

Double dutch is a forgotten Black community staple that goes back thousands of years. “Rope skipping” was done in Ancient Egypt and China, and eventually Europe. Dutch colonists brought the two-rope version over to America in the 1600s, which is why it was called “double dutch.”

For 100 years, Black Muslims of Brooklyn, New York vanished without a trace.

At least, that’s what patrons of the 100-year-old Brooklyn Historical Society were led to believe.  

Desperate to broaden the scope of stories told, artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed and BHS’s resident oral historian Zaheer Ali set out to curate a collection called “An Opening” that would get the facts straight. 

The Little Rock, Arkansas public school district is failing all 23,000 children under its care by allowing a contemporary “separate but equal” scheme to be carried out. Once the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette requested a full 2019 report card of the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, the results sounded a devastating alarm among the community and country.

It wasn’t right. After WWI, cotton prices soared - and Elaine, Arkansas’ Black sharecroppers weren’t seeing any profits for their labor. They wanted FAIR wages, and joining a union seemed like a smart move.

But on September 30, 1919, as they gathered to get organized, angry white men would savagely intervene.

After discovering the meeting, the crew of white men shot into the church where they met. In self-defense, the Black guards shot back, killing one of the assailants. And white anger soon turned murderous.

Artist Augusta Savage grew up in the early 1900s in Green Cove Springs, FL, a town whose KKK population still booms today. 

Her talent was indisputable from a young age, and soon she left her small town to seek new opportunities for her art to blossom in New York during the cultural explosion known as the Harlem Renaissance. 

Right away, elite art programs admired her talent and soon an invite to attend the prestigious Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts in France arrived.

Born in Paris, Kentucky in 1875, Garrett A. Morgan left school by age 14 - not uncommon for Black boys growing up in post-slavery America. 

The young teenager found work as a mechanic in Cincinnati, Ohio and, for twelve years, tinkered away repairing sewing machines. But night after night, his mind raced with inventive designs that could make the world a better place.

His first inventions included a patented sewing machine fastener and a chemical solution that could straighten wool fabrics and hair. 

Are Black people the descendants of Canaan, the cursed Biblical grandson of Noah? Many Black Americans believe so, and point to Canaan’s curse as rationale for the centuries of degradation we’ve experienced.

The story behind this belief has a long history - and is deeply intertwined with the history of slavery and racism in the United States.

According to the Christian Bible, as well as Islamic and Jewish religious texts, Ham - Noah’s son - offended Noah. Ham’s exact transgression is debated, but the result? Noah cursed Ham’s son, Canaan, and his descendants.

1. Many of the first HBCUs were created and/or sponsored by Black churches 

After the civil war, laws and land grants helped establish HBCUs. But before that, the American Missionary Association and AME churches were instrumental. 

2. HBCUs have always been controversial

Many suggest that racial progress has made HBCUs irrelevant. But even back in the 1700s, Black leaders criticized white leadership or argued that integration into established universities was a better move. The debate continues today.

She was partially raised in Barbados.

At age five, she went to the island to live with her grandmother. Grandma instilled in her a deep self-love: “Granny gave me strength, dignity, and love. I learned from an early age that I was somebody."

She didn’t intend to go into politics.

Chisholm’s first career was in education. But she saw how necessary it was for her district to have real support - so she ran for New York State Assembly, won, and started her political rise.

She walked the talk.

In 44 states, it’s effectively legal to get away with murder because of a crooked loophole. And it’s targeting some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

In these states, there’s a legal argument called the “gay panic” defense. It’s used to get a lesser charge when murdering a gay or transgender person. 

The defense goes like this: interacting with someone who is gay or transgender is so disorienting that it creates “temporary insanity.”