Noire History

If you're interested in learning about the poet and activist whose poems were featured in several Harlem Renaissance magazines and anthologies despite her being based in Virginia, then my Anne Spencer Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/anne-spencer.

A review of "Lean on Me", a 1989 film about Joe Clark, a high school principal who was put in charge of a school that was underperforming academically while also struggling with multiple other issues. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/lean-on-me-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the civil rights activist who traveled Mississippi organizing campaigns and investigating civil rights crimes, then my Medgar Evers Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/medgar-evers.

A review of "Welcome to Lagos" by Chibundu Onuzo, the story of five people from different parts of Nigerian society who flee the Niger Delta in hopes of better lives in Lagos. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/welcome-to-lagos-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the jazz pianist and singer who fought racism and McCarthyism, then my Hazel Scott Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/hazel-scott.

A review of "Hoop Dreams", a classic 1994 documentary directed by Steve James about two boys growing up in Chicago and their dream of playing basketball in the NBA. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/hoop-dreams-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the gospel turned soul singer who was the first Black artist to own a record label, then my Sam Cooke Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/sam-cooke.

A review of "The Color of Money" by Mehrsa Baradaran which discusses the history of economic limitations and responsibilities placed on Black banks and capitalism. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/color-of-money-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the Afro-Latina Cuban exile who became an icon and ambassador of salsa music, then my Celia Cruz Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/celia-cruz.

A review of "Straight Outta Compton", a 2015 F. Gary Gray directed film about NWA, an iconic rap group from Compton, Los Angeles. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/straight-outta-compton-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the US Navy cook who became a hero during the attack on Pearl Harbor by carrying the wounded to safety and manning a submachine gun to return fire despite having no training, then my Doris "Dorie" Miller Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/doris-miller

A review of "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" by James Weldon Johnson, the fictional account of a biracial man looking back over his life. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/autobiography-of-an-ex-colored-man-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about New York City's first Black female assistant district attorney who developed the strategy for taking down Charles "Lucky" Luciano, then my Eunice Hunton Carter Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/eunice-hunton-carter.

A review of "Africa's Great Civilizations", a 2017 PBS miniseries hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. which charts the rise and fall of various African empires. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/africas-great-civilizations-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the computer scientist who developed the network and theory that set a record for calculations per second and contributed to the creation of the internet, then my Philip Emeagwali Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/philip-emeagwali.

A review of "One Righteous Man" by Arthur Browne which tells the story of Samuel Battle, the first Black police officer in New York City. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/one-righteous-man-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about an incident where three teens were killed by Detroit Police officers who then attempted to cover up what happened, then my Algiers Motel Murders Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/algiers-motel-murders.

A review of "Jungle Fever", a 1991 Spike Lee joint about a Black architect who has an affair with his White secretary. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/jungle-fever-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the activist who led the NAACP during the Civil Rights Movement, then my Roy Wilkins Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available http://noirehistoir.com/blog/roy-wilkins

A review of "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" by Lola Shoneyin, a novel about a polygamous Nigerian man, Baba Segi his four wives, seven children, and all kinds of drama. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/the-secret-lives-of-baba-segis-wives-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute, then my Charlotte Hawkins Brown Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/charlotte-hawkins-brown.

A review of "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool", a 2019 Stanley Nelson Jr. documentary about the life and career of the jazz legend. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/miles-davis-birth-of-the-cool-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the electrical engineer who helped develop the system for allowing peripherals and accessories to be added or connected to the personal computer, then my Mark Dean Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/mark-dean.

A review of "When Affirmative Action Was White" by Ira Katznelson which tells the story of how the progressive programs of the 1930s and 1940s solidified and expanded the White American middle class while excluding Black citizens whenever possible. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/when-affirmative-action-was-white-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the writer and activist who protested discrimination and used her work to champion Black issues, then my Shirley Graham Du Bois Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/shirley-graham-du-bois.

A review of "Ray", a 2004 Oscar-winning film starring Jamie Foxx in a biopic about the life and career of legendary musician Ray Charles Robinson (better known as Ray Charles). Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/ray-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the poet and cultural theorist who became the first President of the Republic of Senegal, then my Léopold Senghor Black History Facts profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/leopold-senghor.

A review of "Killing the Black Body" by Dorothy E. Roberts, a good book to discuss intersectionality as it touches on both race and reproductive rights. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/killing-the-black-body-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the noted author who penned the classic book, "Ain't I Woman" about intersectional racism as well as 30 other titles, then my bell hooks Black History Fact profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/bell-hooks.

A discussion of "Black and Missing", a 2021 documentary in part about Black and Missing Foundation, Inc (BAMFI) but also about the sobering fact that every year in America, hundreds of thousands of people go missing. Of the missing, a disproportionate number are people of color and in particular, Black. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/black-and-missing-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about a woman who established facilities to provide classes and programs for her local community (Locust Street Settlement) as well as a residential rehabilitation facility for girls and young women (Virginia Industrial Home School for Colored Girls), then my Janie Porter Barrett Black History Fact profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/janie-porter-barrett.

A discussion of "The Bluest Eye", Toni Morrison's debut novel which earned her a Nobel Prize. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/the-bluest-eye-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the chemist who developed "The Ball Method" which was a highly effective treatment for leprosy, then my Alice Black History Fact profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/alice-ball.

A discussion of "Claudine", a 1974 film starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones as Claudine and Rupert (aka Roop), two people living imperfect lives who meet and begin dating. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/claudine-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the first Black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in psychology, then my Inez Beverly Prosser Black History Fact profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/inez-beverly-prosser.

A review of "Stamped from the Beginning" by Ibram X. Kendi which provides a history of America's racist ideas. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/stamped-from-the-beginning-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the man who pioneered Pan-African and Africana studies, then my John Henrik Clarke Black History Short is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/john-henrik-clarke.

A discussion of "Malcolm X", a 1992 Spike Lee Joint starring Denzel Washington in the life story of the controversial leader. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/malcolm-x-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the woman who was of the early and most consistent voices in the call for reparations for Black Americans during the Civil Rights Movement, then my Audley "Queen Mother" Moore Black History Short is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/audley-queen-mother-moore.

A discussion of "Go Tell It on the Mountain", a 1953 semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin about a 14-year-old boy growing up in Harlem with his family. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/go-tell-it-on-the-mountain-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the historian who amassed a collection of 10,000 artifacts related to Black history and culture housed at Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, then my Arturo Schomburg profile is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/arturo-schomburg.

A review of "King in the Wilderness", a 2018 documentary that covers the last years of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/king-in-the-wilderness-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about a poet and memoirist whose creative work spanned books, plays, movies, and television, then my Maya Angelou Black History Short is for you. Show notes, sources, and video are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/maya-angelou.

A review of "Things That Make White People Uncomfortable", a memoir by NFL defensive end Michael Bennett which also discusses various social issues. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/things-that-make-white-people-uncomfortable-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about the Mexican general of mixed African descent who abolished slavery after helping the country achieve independence, then my Vicente Guerrero Black History Short is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/vicente-guerrero.

A review of "The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross", a 2013 documentary that tells the history of Black people in America. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross-movie-review.

If you're interested in learning about the mother of modern African literature and the first female African novelist to publish a book in English, then my Flora Nwapa Black History Short is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/flora-nwapa.

A review of "Sugar" by Bernice McFadden, the story of a world-weary prostitute who moves to a small town and forms an unlikely friendship with her neighbor. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/sugar-book-review.

If you're interested in learning about a chemist who synthesized medications from plants used to treat glaucoma and rheumatoid arthritis then my Percy Lavon Julian Black History Short is for you. Show notes and sources are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/percy-lavon-julian.

A review of "A Raisin in the Sun", a 1961 film adapted from Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play about the fictional Younger family. Show notes are available at http://noirehistoir.com/blog/a-raisin-in-the-sun-movie-review.