#bhm 2022

[browntrait]

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH BESTIES

[imhereandhistorical]

Day 7 of Black History Month is Actresses! 

Not the only Black actresses of course, but definitely some of the ones who paved the way! 

Also, I’m biased because I love Star Trek and I met Nichelle Nichols and cried so-

Image descriptions under the cut!

[Image description: This is an infographic broken up into three smaller images. The background is white, with green text and images displayed.

First image: Actress Hattie McDaniel is pictured in black and white on the left hand side of the image. She is a dark skinned woman, who is wearing shimmery clothing, that comes through even in the black and white of the photo. Green text on the right hand side of the image states her name, with the date of her win-1939. 

Below this, it says in green text “Though she was not the first Black actress on screen, Hattie McDaniel is the first one to win an Academy Award  for Best Supporting Actress. She won for her role as "Mammy" in Gone With the Wind. Though she was nominated and won, she could not attend the award ceremony because Black people were not allowed in.” 

Second image: On the right hand side, a colorized photo of actress Dorothy Dandridge is featured. She is a light skinned woman, who has her hair styled short in the fashion for the time and is looking off to the side. 

Bold green text on the left hand side states her name and date of her nomination: Dorothy Dandridge, 1955. 

Below this, it says in green text “Even though she did not win, Dorothy Dandridge was the first Black actress nominated for an Academy Award. She was nominated for Best Actress in her movie Carmen Jones. A Black woman would not win the award for Best Actress until Halle Berry 2002.” 

Underneath this text is a black and white photo of actress Cicely Tyson. She is a dark skinned woman, who has her natural hair styled back and is holding two Emmy Awards. 

Bold green text on the right hand side states her name and date of her first shows on television: Cicely Tyson, 1963. 

Below this, it says in green text “Cicely Tyson broke the television color barrier with her role as secretary Jane Foster on East Side/West Side. Before her death on January 28, 2021, Cicely continued to make strides for the Black community across her roles. Ultimately, she has won 9 awards for her work.”

Third image: On the right hand side is a color still from the science fiction show Star Trek featuring actress Nichelle Nichols. She can be seen here in her iconic red Lieutenant Uhura costume on the bridge of the Enterprise. 

Bold green text on the left hand side states her name and the premiere date for her first episodes of Star Trek: Nichelle Nichols, 1966

Below this, it says in green text “Most known for her role as Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek series, Nichelle Nichols paved the way for Black women in scientific and science-fiction roles. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr even asked her to stay on the show because of how it was influencing the upcoming generations. The first Black female astronaut, Mae Jemison, directly cites as Nichelle as the main reason why she got into STEM.”

[imhereandhistorical]

Black History Month, Day 10: Rock Musicians! 

Now, these are just a FEW of the many I could have included. But they are some personal favorites, and also people you can’t just ignore. 

I didn’t do descriptions for this one, just because it came out a bit late, but I’ll probably be adding them later! 

[imhereandhistorical]

Black History Month Day 9: Actors! 

I went for some of my favorites and wanted to acknowledge some of the actors who are also West Indian! 

I can’t help it ok. 

Descriptions under the cut! 

Also let me know if they’re too wordy? I wanted to make sure I was covering what was seen/shown in the image. 

First Image: White text on a green background says “Black History Month Day 9: Actors” in all caps. 

Below this, a black and white photo of Lincoln Perry is seen on the left hand side. He is a dark skin man, wearing a suit jacket. Dark green text on the right hand side states “Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry.” Beneath this, green text states “Often known by the stage name of "Stepin Fetchit," Perry was the first Black man to have a successful film career. Of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, he was a comedian, a vaudeville performer, and eventually a film actor. He won no awards, but he was the first Black actor with a film credit and to earn $1 million.”

Second Image: Dark green text states “Sidney Poitier” in all caps. Below this, in light green text, it states “Poitier started his career in theater, like many actors of his time. However, he couldn't sing, which made him turn to focus on regular film acting. His breakout role was in 1958  film The Defiant Ones with Tony Curtis. Both actors received nominations for Best Actor, with Poitiers nomination being the first ever for a Black actor. He then went on to win the award in 1964 for his film Lilies of the Field. By the time of his death in early 2022, he was no longer acting as he has taken time off to write an autobiography of what he's seen and dealt with in Hollywood as a Black actor.” 

On the right hand side, a black and white photo of Poitier can be seen. He is wearing a suit and is smiling at the camera. 

Below this, dark green text states “Nat King Cole” in all caps. Light green text below it says “A musician before he became an actor, Nat King Cole is well known for his songs Unforgettable and L-O-V-E. Overall, he recorded and performed over 100 songs that made their way onto popular charts across demographics. On November 5, 1956, he became the first Black actor to host their own television show. Though the show only lasted for two seasons, it was still groundbreaking for both Black and television history.”

On the left hand side, a black and white photo of Cole can be seen. He is wearing a suit and smiling at the camera. 

Third image: Below this, dark green text states “Samuel L. Jackson” in all caps. Light green text underneath this says “Jackson has been active in Hollywood since 1972. He is now the highest-grossing actor of all time, with movies he's appeared in making upwards of $27 billion worldwide. In a total of 150 films so far, he has worked with industry great such as Spike Lee, and Steven Spielberg.”

On the right hand side, a colorized photo of Jackson can be seen. He is wearing his iconic hat and glasses and facing the camera. 

[thingsreadinthedark]

Best reads of February 2022 (Black Futures Month)

#1 — Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist by Sesali Bowen https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4129714737

chantel nouseforaname's review of Bad Fat Black Girl

5/5: "People try to erase ratchet Black girls at every turn, but we are not siloed, and our impact is undeniable. In the same way that hip-

#2 — At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4536345660

chantel nouseforaname's review of At Night All Blood is Black

5/5: Blew my mind. Terrifying and yet understandable. Made me question the ways that humanity works, who gets it extended to them, who doesn

#3 — Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4581455280

chantel nouseforaname's review of Lucy

5/5: “Oh, it was a laugh, for I had spent so much time saying I did not want to be like my mother that I missed the whole story: I was not

All of these were ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

All of them were killer in their delivery, fresh in scope and exciting to me. Even Lucy which was an older book was a completely absorbing work to read! David Diop scared me but also really shook me, and Sesali Bowen was my girl this month, every page of her book was straight facts and too relatable.

These are my top 3 BHM/BFM reads this year. I loved each and every one of them!

[imhereandhistorical]

Black History Month, Day 13: The Rainbow Coalition! 

There is just so much information about the original Rainbow Coalition, and its more modern versions. I tried to synthesize as much as possible into this, but there is so much! 

[imhereandhistorical]

Day 8 of Black History Month is dedicated to rappers specifically from Brooklyn. 

It’s very specific but I’m gonna have a whole day dedicated to the Bronx later, so I couldn’t in good conscience leave out Brooklyn. 

Image descriptions under the cut! 

First image: This poster series is colored in light blue and white. The opening title says “Black History Month” and the top in small capital letters. Underneath this, it says “Day 8: Rap Greats and Pioneers.” in white text. 

Below this, on the left-hand side, is a color photo of Brooklyn, NY. All caps, light blue text on the right-hand side states “Golden Age of Hip Hop.” Below this, in black text, it states “Though hip-hop/rap originated in the Bronx, Brooklyn is where most of the rappers from the 80s and 90s originated from. This time is seen as the Golden Age of hip-hop and produced rappers that have made names for themselves in the history books.” 

 All caps, light blue text on the left-hand side states “Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def.” Below this, in black text, it states “ Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mos Def started his music career in 1994. He has worked as an actor and an activist since the beginning of his career and has been nominated for several awards.” Mos Def is seen in a color photo on the right-hand side. 

Second image: Below this, a black and white photo of MC-Lyte is featured on the left-hand side. On the right, all caps, light blue text on the right-hand side states “Lana Michele Moorer, aka MC-Lyte.”  Below this, in black text, it states “Starting in 1987, MC-Lyte released her debut single when she was just 16 years old. In the following two years, she followed the debut single with two albums, Lyte as a Rock and Eyes on This, which put her on the map and solidified her place in rap history.”

Underneath this, on the right-hand side, is a black and white photo of Biggie. On the left-hand side, all caps, light blue text states “Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie, aka Biggie Smalls.”  Below this, in black text, it states “Though he was only active for five years before his murder, from 1992 to 1997, Biggie was truly a formidable force in the beginning of hip hop and rap. He was one of the main reasons East Coast rap came back into the forefront of the rap scene, bringing the beginnings of luxury/Black luxury to the genre.” 

Third image: The third image begins with a color photo of Lil Kim on the left-hand side. On the right, all caps, light blue text states “Kimberly Denise Jones, aka Lil Kim.” Below this, in black text, it states “Arguably one of the most famous female rappers of her time, Lil Kim hit the scene with a bang because of the type of lyrics she boasted. Empowering women in a different way than MC-Lyte, Kim's lyrics received much criticism because of the vulgarity in them. However, she constantly pushed back, reminding people that she used the same words and phrases that her male contemporaries were using.” 

Underneath this, on the right-hand side, is a color photo of Jay-z. On the left-hand side, all caps, light blue text states “Sean Carter, aka Jay-z.” Below this, in black text, it states “Though he started a bit later than the others on this list, Jay-z has made constant changes in the music industry. He started Roc-a-Fella records in 1995, and from there has released, both solo and collaboratively, 24 albums. It is also argued that he helped solidify the idea of rap in luxury/Black luxury that Biggie started.” 

[offarawaysnfuturedays-inmydreams]

Black People Who Were Adopted By White Families Are Sharing Their Important Stories And Advice

"Growing up as a Black child in a white family, my parents were great, but I never learned anything about my culture from them."