Today we celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa, Umoja, meaning unity. Today’s principle is to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. A song for reflection: Worth Weight in Gold (Rally Round the Flag), Steel Pulse. Thought for the day: Morrison, Toni, Beloved, First Edition, Alfred A. Knopf 1987. pp 88 Learn more about the…
Lucille Clifton was a poet and author from Baltimore. She inspired people of all ages with her writing. Clifton often visited and conjured her writing in notable places around the city, making her mark on the community. Angel’s Tavern was a small bar in a historic neighborhood in Baltimore where Clifton read her poems to a reoccurring audience. From 1974-1985…
In Charlottesville, Virginia, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee will be melted down and turned into a piece of public art. The new piece of artwork will be created by the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. In addition to the Lee statue, a statue of confederate Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was removed the same day in July 2021.…
Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California is the first woman-owned restaurant specializing in native cuisine in the area. The owner of the restaurant, Crystal Wahpepah, is an enrolled citizen of the Kickapoo Nation of Oklahoma. She became very familiar with cooking for tribal events with her family at the International Friendship House. Wahpepah’s Kitchen is looking to reclaim, transform, and sustain…
Near the Arizona-Nevada border, more than 700 petroglyphs can be found at Grapevine Canyon. The petroglyphs are from 1100-1900 AD. The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe occupies the land from Mojave City to Topock and straddles the Nevada, California, and Arizona borders. Fort Mojave was established as a U.S. military outpost in 1859. There are ruins of Fort Mojave still existing…
The Native American Community Development Institute’s goal is “to create an economic engine for the Native community,” according to its President Robert Lilligren. The institute is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in addition to the institute itself houses its community assets such as the Four Sisters Farmers Market, Pow Wow Grounds Coffeehouse, and All My Relations Art. All My Relations Art…
This month the nonprofit, Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) launched its Reforesting Park Project. Their goal is to plant a tree in front of every home in the Pontchartrain Park community. The executive director of SOUL expressed that this planting project has the potential of creating a “huge environmental impact.” Pontchartrain Park came to be in 1955, in a suburban…
Early next year, Mary McLeod Bethune will make history as the first Black person to have a state-commissioned statue in the U.S. Capitol. Her statue will replace the Confederate general statue at the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. Bethune was an influential educator and civil rights activist. She founded the National Council of Negro Women, advised multiple U.S presidents, and created a…
“I, Witness” is a nonfictional series written by young adults who have experienced traumatic events. The stories are co-edited by Dave Eggers, who hopes to help young readers who have experienced traumatic situations. The books are narrated by young people to give their perspective on the incidents involving world issues. The authors would like the young readers to understand they…
21st-century technology has enabled researchers to see the faces of people who lived more than 2,000 years ago. The scientist used the DNA taken from three ancient Egyptian mummies to create digital images of what they might have looked like in their 20s. The animations created are based on DNA phenotyping which predicts an individual’s skin, hair, and eye color.…