Sarah Parker Redmond's Unusual Life

Sarah Parker Redmond led a life that was extremely unusual for African-American women of her times. Born into a financially secure family in 1824, Redmond would grow up to become abolitionist. As one of several African-Americans who was employed as an agent of an abolitionist society, she lectured in the northeast United States and Canada. In 1859, Redmond left for England and gave anti-slavery lectures there and later also included Ireland and Scotland on her circuit. Redmond eventually settled in Italy where she lived until her death in 1894.

Harriet Tubman Implements Strategies on the Underground Railround

Widely-known for leading over 300 slaves to freedom as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman used clever strategies that led to her remarkable success. For instance, she would leave on a Saturday night because escaped slave notices couldn't be published until Monday.

Abolitionist Harriet Jacobs publishes account of slave experiences

Abolitionist Harriet Jacobs published her experiences as a slave in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl under the pen name Linda Brent. In the book, she recounted how she spent seven years hiding in a dark crawl space that measured approximately nine feet long and seven feet wide. The crawl space had a sloping ceiling that was three feet high at its largest end.

Sojourner Truth Brings Court Case to Free Son

Famed abolitionist Sojourner Truth, with the help of the Quakers, sued to free her son Peter who had been illegally sold into slavery. Peter was to be emancipated under the law of his state of residence (New York). Instead the 5-year-old was sold to an Alabama owner. The court process took several months, but Truth prevailed and Peter was returned to her.

New feature: Theme of the Week

This week we're introducing a new feature, the Theme of the Week. This week's theme is women in the abolitionist movement.

Senator Blanche K. Bruce

Blanche K. Bruce was the first African-American to serve a full term in the United States Senate. Republican Bruce represented Mississippi from 1875 to 1881. (Hiram Revels was the first African-American senator when he completed the term of former senator Jefferson Davis.)

Many African-Americans Enlist in the Union Army

By the end of the American Civil War, more than 186,000 African-Americans had enlisted into the Union Army. Black soldiers were segregated into their own regiments and were officially known as United States Colored Troops. Most regiments were led by white officers.

Source: From Slavery to Freedom

Henry "Box" Brown's Unique Escape from Slavery

Henry "Box" Brown escaped slavery by having himself shipped as dry goods to Philadelphia. The event is memorialized in the drawing at right.

Black Poetry Day honors birth of poet Jupiter Hammon

October 17 is recognized as Black Poetry Day. It's the birth date of African-American poet, Jupiter Hammon, who was born into slavery in 1711 on Long Island.

Chicago names school for native daughter

Physician and astronaut Mae C. Jemison, who is well-known for being the first woman of color to travel into space, is also an advocate for public schools. She said that she received a good education from Chicago public schools. In 1992, the city of Chicago named a public school in Jemison's honor.

Fruit of the Orchard: Environmental Justice in East Texas

This post originally appeared in the blog of the African American Environmentalist Association (http://aaenvironment.blogspot.com/).

The book Fruit of the Orchard: Environmental Justice in East Texas is a story about injustice in Winona, Texas. Excerpts: In 1982, a toxic waste facility opened in the Piney Woods in Winona, Texas. Soon after the plant opened residents started noticing huge orange clouds rising from the facility and an increase in rates of cancer and birth defects in both humans and animals. The company dismissed their concerns, and confusion about what chemicals it accepted made investigations difficult. Outraged by what she saw, Phyllis Glazer founded Mothers Organized to Stop Environmental Sins (MOSES) and worked tirelessly to publicize the problems in Winona. The plant finally closed in 1998, citing the negative publicity generated by the group.

This book originated in 1994 when Cromer-Campbell was asked by Phyllis Glazer to produce a photograph for a poster about the campaign. In the accompanying essays, Phyllis Glazer describes the history of Winona and the fight against the facility; Roy Flukinger discusses Cromer-Campbell's striking photographic technique; Eugene Hargrove explores issues of environmental justice; and Marvin Legator elaborates on how industry and government discourage victims of chemical exposure from seeking or obtaining relief.

Professor Lois Mailou Jones Trains Generations of Artists

Artist Lois Mailou Jones taught more than 2,500 art professionals during her 47 years as a professor at Howard University.

source: Howard Magazine

Historian John Hope Franklin Publishes Landmark Book

In 1947, historian Dr. John Hope Franklin published From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans. The book has become the definitive text on African-American history and today is in its eighth edition.

Arthur Ashe Takes a Stand Against South African Apartheid

In 1970, tennis great Arthur Ashe used his celebrity to fight South African apartheid. Ashe had applied for a visa to South Africa so that he could play in the prestigous South African Open. As Ashe expected, the visa was denied because of his race. Shrewdly, Ashe used the occasion to take a stand against the oppression of apartheid by calling for the expulsion of South Africa from the International Lawn Tennis Association. Ashe's outcry would be one of many blows he would strike against apartheid as an activist and as an athlete.

The 54th Massachusetts Regiment

During the American Civil War, two sons of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Charles and Lewis, fought in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which was the first to enlist African-Americans in the North. The famous regiment was depicted in the movie Glory.

source: americaslibrary.gov

Nurse Harriet Tubman

While Harriet Tubman is best known as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, she also served as a nurse in the Union Army during the US Civil War. Tubman used the folk remedies she learned in her youth to heal the sick. On at least one occasion, she successfully treated a man dying of dysentery with a brew of water lilies and geranium!

Source: americaslibrary.gov

Photographer Gordon Parks

Renaissance man Gordon Parks, the first African-American photographer for Life magazine, taught himself the craft of photography. Arguably his best known photograph is American Gothic, a portrait of cleaning lady Ella Watson holding a broom and a mop in front of the American flag.

Political Pro: Hiram R. Revels

In 1870 Hiram R. Revels became the first African-American elected to the United States Senate. A former state senator in Mississippi, Revels was also an ordained minister and later served as president of Alcorn A&M College.

Source: Britannica.com

Painter Jacob Lawrence

In 1941, painter Jacob Lawrence became the first African-American artist to be represented by a major commercial gallery.

Celebrated Poet Dr. Maya Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou is one of only two poets who have written and recited a poem on the occasion of a presidential inauguaration. In January 1993, Dr. Angelou recited On the Pulse of Morning at the inaugral of President Bill Clinton. The poem, which speaks to a dawning a new era for humankind, quickly became a bestseller and renewed Angelou's celebrity.

The Real McCoy

Inventor Elijah McCoy is the source of the phrase "the real McCoy". In 1872, he invented a lubricating cup for trains that others made inferior copies of. Therefore, those seeking the lubricating cup would ask if it were the real McCoy to make sure that weren't getting a knock-off.

Neo-classical Sculptor Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia Lewis was the first African-American to be widely recognized as a sculptor. She was born circa 1845 to an African-American father and a Native American mother. Although Lewis studied drawing at Oberlin College, sculpture captured her imagination and brought her fame and enough fortune to move to Rome. She became known for neo-classical work, including the Death of Cleopatra which she exhibited at Philadelphia's Centennial Expostion in 1876.

Bud Fowler: First Black Pro Baseball Player

John "Bud" Fowler is believed to be the first African-American to play baseball as a professional. While it is unrecorded when he began his career, by 1878 he was a pitcher with the Lynn Massachusetts Live Oaks, a white team. During Fowler's era, it was common for players to be able to play at any position. Fowler was a noted second baseman and called the best at that position in the country by Sporting Life, a contemporary weekly. Fowler's career lasted about 25 years.

Sources: Only The Ball Was White by Robert Peterson and Negro League Baseball Players Association website.

Political Pro: Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche

In 1950 Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for negotiating an end to the first Arab-Israeli war. He was the first person of color in the world to receive this honor.

source: pbs.org

Literary Luminary: Phillis Wheatley

In 1773, poet Phillis Wheatley became the first African-American to publish a book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.

source: http://www.britannica.com/

Mordecai Johnson

Eighty years ago this month in 1926, Mordecai Johnson became the first Black president of Howard University.