The First Black President Of The Tournament Of Roses Put HBCUs Back In Formation
Photo: YouTube On New Year’s Day, the Alabama State University’s Mighty Marching Hornets led the 130th annual Rose Bowl Parade processional in Pasadena, California. The Historically Black College and University marching band was sought by Gerald Freeny, the first African American president of the Tournament of Roses. The history of HBCU’s participating in the Rose […]
Maxine Waters Is Reclaiming Her Time As The First Woman To Chair House Financial Services Committee
Photo: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post Amidst the multiple women of color who have been newly sworn into Congress as 2019 kicks off, veteran congresswoman Maxine Waters will take on a new historically significant role. Congresswoman Waters will now serve as the first woman and the first African American Chair of the House Financial Services Committee. The House […]
Read Zora Neale Hurston’s Powerful Letter To W.E.B. Du Bois About Honoring The Ancestors
Zora Neale Hurston was putting on for the culture long before the phrase came into existence. Raised in the culturally affirming environment of Eatonville, Florida (the nation’s first incorporated African American town), she was exposed to Black excellence on a daily basis. She went on to attend Howard University and later become Barnard College’s first Black graduate. As […]
Video: President Obama Surprises Crowd When He Greets and Kisses 7-Week Baby Girl
Photo via: Mom, Chelcie Edwards After playing golf in his hometown of Hawaii, Forever President Barack Obama greeted an anxious crowd and was immediately drawn to the youngest fan present. Because of Them We Can spoke to baby Paisleigh’s mother, Chelcie Edwards, to get her thoughts on the monumental moment. “To have the First Black President […]
Peter Ramsey Is The First Black Person To Direct A Major Animated Film
Photo: AP In 2012, Peter Ramsey became the first Black director of a major animated film when he directed Dreamworks’ “Rise of the Guardians.” Last night, he won his first Golden Globe for “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse,” a film that he co-directed alongside Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman. This also marks the first Golden Globes […]
Rock & Roll Icon, Jimi Hendrix Will Have Post Office Renamed In His Honor
Photo: Getty Images Washington state officials recently signed a bill that will change the Renton Highlands Post Office to the James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix Post Office. According to the Seattle Times, the post office is located less than a mile from the Jimi Hendrix Memorial where the Hendrix is buried. The bill was sponsored […]
The Best Thing About The Golden Globes Was Regina King
Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBC The best moment of the 76th Golden Globe Awards came from the incomparable Regina King, who took home her first Golden Globe for her role in Barry Jenkins’ ‘If Beale Street Could Talk.’ The film, which is based on James Baldwin’s book and life, was also nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Motion Picture […]
The ‘Destination Crenshaw’ Art Project Is A Mile-Long Tribute To Black History And Culture In Los Angeles
Photo: Destination Crenshaw Work on the new “Destination Crenshaw” art project, scheduled to begin early this year, will expose Metro riders to art work inspired by the contributions and achievements of African Americans in Los Angeles, California. The new Crenshaw/LAX Metro line will follow a route along Crenshaw Boulevard. Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson calls the project an […]
Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ Inspires A Class Curriculum That Seeks To Empower Black Girls
Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” is now being turned into a class curriculum for Black girls, and the mastermind behind it is a former assistant director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Lauren Christine Mims, also a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Virginia, was so inspired […]
You Can Now Find Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley In Shirley Chisholm’s Old Office
Photo: Diana Levine/ Boston Globe Ayanna Pressley, the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress, not only took the oath of office on the same day that Shirley Chisholm did in 1969, but she now works out of the same office that once belonged to the nation’s first Black congresswoman. Pressley called it “divine intervention.” With […]