OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Thank you. That must've been a great feeling.
Black History Month 2023
- Thread starter OneEyedDiva
- Start date
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
GGC Eatery posted this on it's Facebook page:
"Marie Van Brittan Brown, born on January 7, 1922, was an African-American nurse and inventor from Queens, New York City. In 1966, at the age of 44, she came up with the brilliant idea to create a unique home surveillance device with a closed circuit television security system.
She and her husband, Albert L. Brown, applied for the patent and invented a system with a motorized camera that could show images on a monitor. That patent (#3,482,037) was eventually granted, and her invention went on to become a technological precursor to how modern day home security systems would be designed.
Brown's invention had very unique features for the time; The motorized camera at the door could slide up and down to look out of four peepholes. Anything the camera captured would be displayed on a monitor. Her system also included a radio-controlled lock that would allow the front door to remotely unlocked, and an audio-video alarm system that could be used to see and communicate with whoever was at the door.
For her genius invention, which obviously contributed to the future of home security systems, Brown was given a prestigious award by the National Scientists Committee (NSC). But for the most part, her invention has gone unnoticed and undocumented by the mainstream media and literature.
Sadly, Marie Van Brittan Brown died on February 2, 1999 at the age of 77-years old.
#blackhistory #blackhistorymonth2023 #blackexcellence"
"Marie Van Brittan Brown, born on January 7, 1922, was an African-American nurse and inventor from Queens, New York City. In 1966, at the age of 44, she came up with the brilliant idea to create a unique home surveillance device with a closed circuit television security system.
She and her husband, Albert L. Brown, applied for the patent and invented a system with a motorized camera that could show images on a monitor. That patent (#3,482,037) was eventually granted, and her invention went on to become a technological precursor to how modern day home security systems would be designed.
Brown's invention had very unique features for the time; The motorized camera at the door could slide up and down to look out of four peepholes. Anything the camera captured would be displayed on a monitor. Her system also included a radio-controlled lock that would allow the front door to remotely unlocked, and an audio-video alarm system that could be used to see and communicate with whoever was at the door.
For her genius invention, which obviously contributed to the future of home security systems, Brown was given a prestigious award by the National Scientists Committee (NSC). But for the most part, her invention has gone unnoticed and undocumented by the mainstream media and literature.
Sadly, Marie Van Brittan Brown died on February 2, 1999 at the age of 77-years old.
#blackhistory #blackhistorymonth2023 #blackexcellence"
feywon
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rural North Central NM
My Dad was a Merchant Marine in WWII (Blind in one eye, he was ineligible for any other military branch). i've thought in recent years, tho he didn't talk directly about it, that it probably helped shape his anti-racist views along with his tendency to approach most everything logically. The Merchant Marines were more thoroughly integrated earlier than the others and his time in service was probably his first extended close daily contact with Black people due to the de facto segregation in northern states.
feywon
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rural North Central NM
Oh, Diva how wonderful--for you and your extended family. And likely your husband's story being honored publicly may inspire others to do similar things.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Another share, which was posted by my historian friend on Facebook:
"John Lennon immortalized a master horseman and Britain’s first black circus owner, on the The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band–the song“ Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,”
Listen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erzTIvR7svI
#BlackHistory #RealHistory 2021 Day 11 PT: 1 The Black Circus
PABLO FANQUE
expert equestrian, tightrope walker, acrobat, showman–and Britain's first BLACK circus owner
Parish records show that Fanque was born William Darby in 1796 (but other accounts have him born in 1810) grew up in the English east coast port of Norwich, the son of a black father and a white mother. Nothing certain is known about Darby senior; it has been suggested he was born in Africa and came to Norwich as a household servant, even that he may have been a freed slave, but that is merely speculation. Most sources suggest that Fanque’s parent died his birth. At least one newspaper account has the father appearing in London with the son as late as the mid-1830s. Nor do we know exactly how “Young Darby” (as he was known for the first 15 or 20 years of his circus career) came to be apprenticed to William Batty, the proprietor of a small traveling circus, around 1810, or why he chose “Pablo Fanque” as his stage name.
Fanque proved to be a prodigy. He picked up numerous acrobatic skills (he was billed at various stages of his career as an acrobat and tightrope walker) and became renowned as the best horse trainer of his day.
By the mid-1830s, Fanque was noted not only as a daringly acrobatic master but also as a superb horseman, billed in the press as “the loftiest jumper in England.”
His most remarkable feat was leaping on horseback over a coach “placed lengthways with a pair of horses in the shafts, and through a military drum at the same time,” and during the 1840s, the Illustrated London News reported, “by his own industry and talent, he got together as fine a stud of horses and ponies as any in England,” at least one of which was purchased from Queen Victoria’s stables. Fanque was capable of turning out horses that “danced” along to well-known songs of the day.
John Turner, who has researched Fanque’s life more thoroughly than any other writer, says that he found little or no evidence that Fanque suffered racial discrimination during his long career. Contemporary newspapers mention his color infrequently, and incidentally, and many paid warm tribute to his charity work; the Blackburn Standard wrote that, in a world not often noted for plain dealing, “such is Mr. Pablo Fanque’s character for probity and respectability, that wherever he has been once he can go again; aye, and receive the countenance and support of the wise and virtuous of all classes of society.” After Fanque’s death, the chaplain of the Showman’s Guild remarked: “In the great brotherhood of the equestrian world there is no colour line, for, although Pablo was of African extraction, he speedily made his way to the top of his profession. The camaraderie of the Ring has but one test, ability.”
While Fanque was a well-respected member of an often disrespected profession—racism was pervasive in the nineteenth century. it took himyears to gain the wherewithal to go into business for himself. He did not own his circus until 1841.
Fanque’s showmanship, and a reputation for treating his acts well, helped him to expand his troupe. We have already seen that he was joined by William Kite, the acrobat, and John Henderson, well-known as a rider, wire-walker and tumbler, in Rochdale in 1843. By the middle of the century, historian Brian Lewis notes, Fanque’s circus had become a fixture in the north of England, so it seemed entirely natural for the schoolchildren of one mill town to celebrate a holiday with “a tour of a bazaar … refreshments and a visit to Pablo Fanque’s circus.” The troupe grew to include a stable of 30 horses; clowns; a ring master, Mr. Hulse; a band, and even its own “architect”–a Mr. Arnold, who was charged with erecting the wooden “amphitheaters” in which they generally performed. When the circus rolled into the Lancashire town of Bolton in March 1846, Fanque himself announced its coming by driving through the main streets twelve-in-hand, a spectacular feat of horsemanship that brought considerable publicity. There were many extended seasons in locations throughout England, Scotland and Ireland. At one point, the circus was based in its own purpose-built auditorium in Manchester, capable of holding an audience of 3,000.
One reason for Fanque’s success that goes unremarked in the circus histories is his keen appreciation of the importance of advertising. Among the advantages that his circus enjoyed over its numerous rivals was that it enjoyed the services of Edward Sheldon, a pioneer in the art of billposting whose family would go on to build the biggest advertising business in Britain by 1900. Fanque seems to have been among the first to recognize Sheldon’s genius, hiring him when he was just 17. Sheldon spent the next three years as Pablo’s advance man, advertising the imminent arrival of the circus as it moved from town to town. Several other mentions of Fanque also testify to his talent for self-promotion.
The lowest point of Fanque’s career, however, came on March 18, 1848, when his circus was playing in Leeds. The troupe took over a wooden amphitheater that had been erected for his rival Charles Hengler, and used it to put on a benefit performance. Partway through the show, when the pit was packed with an audience estimated at well over 600, some supports gave way and the floor collapsed, pitching the spectators down into the lower gallery used for selling tickets. Fanque’s wife, Susannah—the daughter of a Birmingham button-maker and mother to several children who also performed with the circus—was in the ticket booth, and happened to be leaning forward when the structure collapsed severely injuring his wife.
Fanque rushed to the scene, helped to move the heavy timbers, and carried his wife in his arms to a nearby tavern; a surgeon was called for, but there was nothing to be done. A few days later Susannah “was interred at the Woodhouse cemetery, where a monument records the melancholy event.”
At the investigation into her death, it was revealed that the builder’s men had partially dismantled the amphitheater before Fanque arrived, removing a number of the supporting beams, and the structure had been sold to him “as it stood,” with the new owner undertaking “to make any alterations as he liked at his own expense.”
Although Pablo still employed Arnold, the architect, nothing was apparently done to strengthen to flooring, but no charges were ever brought against either man for negligence. To make matters worse, it was discovered that as Mrs. Darby lay dead amid the pandemonium, the box containing the evening’s takings, amounting to more than £50, had been stolen.
After his wife’s death, Fanque married Elizabeth Corker of Sheffield, who was 20 years younger than he. They had several children, all of whom joined their circus, and one of whom, known professionally as Ted Pablo, once performed before Queen Victoria and lived into the 1930s.
As for Fanque himself, he survived just long enough to witness the beginnings of the circus’s terminal decline. He died, aged 76 in poverty."
=AZUSgAnQS9uzDYpwUDIq9dfG36AV6lUXTMAwzekTa980aaMI-4Yukr4pDvltmTQxz-Tf4a0CjxxADLMqExdEQ1-4DWuqRp5yYk81jYm2IEkvdWCu7hZ_qhS7P_hmVcM9MyjmfH3GRN8Mz4-FGF_uKRaOfAq3oSWPK53UfGImVZTgRyuco14OlMW41E524lMroz8&__tn__=*bHH-R']@Lavinia
"John Lennon immortalized a master horseman and Britain’s first black circus owner, on the The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band–the song“ Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,”
Listen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erzTIvR7svI
#BlackHistory #RealHistory 2021 Day 11 PT: 1 The Black Circus
PABLO FANQUE
expert equestrian, tightrope walker, acrobat, showman–and Britain's first BLACK circus owner
Parish records show that Fanque was born William Darby in 1796 (but other accounts have him born in 1810) grew up in the English east coast port of Norwich, the son of a black father and a white mother. Nothing certain is known about Darby senior; it has been suggested he was born in Africa and came to Norwich as a household servant, even that he may have been a freed slave, but that is merely speculation. Most sources suggest that Fanque’s parent died his birth. At least one newspaper account has the father appearing in London with the son as late as the mid-1830s. Nor do we know exactly how “Young Darby” (as he was known for the first 15 or 20 years of his circus career) came to be apprenticed to William Batty, the proprietor of a small traveling circus, around 1810, or why he chose “Pablo Fanque” as his stage name.
Fanque proved to be a prodigy. He picked up numerous acrobatic skills (he was billed at various stages of his career as an acrobat and tightrope walker) and became renowned as the best horse trainer of his day.
By the mid-1830s, Fanque was noted not only as a daringly acrobatic master but also as a superb horseman, billed in the press as “the loftiest jumper in England.”
His most remarkable feat was leaping on horseback over a coach “placed lengthways with a pair of horses in the shafts, and through a military drum at the same time,” and during the 1840s, the Illustrated London News reported, “by his own industry and talent, he got together as fine a stud of horses and ponies as any in England,” at least one of which was purchased from Queen Victoria’s stables. Fanque was capable of turning out horses that “danced” along to well-known songs of the day.
John Turner, who has researched Fanque’s life more thoroughly than any other writer, says that he found little or no evidence that Fanque suffered racial discrimination during his long career. Contemporary newspapers mention his color infrequently, and incidentally, and many paid warm tribute to his charity work; the Blackburn Standard wrote that, in a world not often noted for plain dealing, “such is Mr. Pablo Fanque’s character for probity and respectability, that wherever he has been once he can go again; aye, and receive the countenance and support of the wise and virtuous of all classes of society.” After Fanque’s death, the chaplain of the Showman’s Guild remarked: “In the great brotherhood of the equestrian world there is no colour line, for, although Pablo was of African extraction, he speedily made his way to the top of his profession. The camaraderie of the Ring has but one test, ability.”
While Fanque was a well-respected member of an often disrespected profession—racism was pervasive in the nineteenth century. it took himyears to gain the wherewithal to go into business for himself. He did not own his circus until 1841.
Fanque’s showmanship, and a reputation for treating his acts well, helped him to expand his troupe. We have already seen that he was joined by William Kite, the acrobat, and John Henderson, well-known as a rider, wire-walker and tumbler, in Rochdale in 1843. By the middle of the century, historian Brian Lewis notes, Fanque’s circus had become a fixture in the north of England, so it seemed entirely natural for the schoolchildren of one mill town to celebrate a holiday with “a tour of a bazaar … refreshments and a visit to Pablo Fanque’s circus.” The troupe grew to include a stable of 30 horses; clowns; a ring master, Mr. Hulse; a band, and even its own “architect”–a Mr. Arnold, who was charged with erecting the wooden “amphitheaters” in which they generally performed. When the circus rolled into the Lancashire town of Bolton in March 1846, Fanque himself announced its coming by driving through the main streets twelve-in-hand, a spectacular feat of horsemanship that brought considerable publicity. There were many extended seasons in locations throughout England, Scotland and Ireland. At one point, the circus was based in its own purpose-built auditorium in Manchester, capable of holding an audience of 3,000.
One reason for Fanque’s success that goes unremarked in the circus histories is his keen appreciation of the importance of advertising. Among the advantages that his circus enjoyed over its numerous rivals was that it enjoyed the services of Edward Sheldon, a pioneer in the art of billposting whose family would go on to build the biggest advertising business in Britain by 1900. Fanque seems to have been among the first to recognize Sheldon’s genius, hiring him when he was just 17. Sheldon spent the next three years as Pablo’s advance man, advertising the imminent arrival of the circus as it moved from town to town. Several other mentions of Fanque also testify to his talent for self-promotion.
The lowest point of Fanque’s career, however, came on March 18, 1848, when his circus was playing in Leeds. The troupe took over a wooden amphitheater that had been erected for his rival Charles Hengler, and used it to put on a benefit performance. Partway through the show, when the pit was packed with an audience estimated at well over 600, some supports gave way and the floor collapsed, pitching the spectators down into the lower gallery used for selling tickets. Fanque’s wife, Susannah—the daughter of a Birmingham button-maker and mother to several children who also performed with the circus—was in the ticket booth, and happened to be leaning forward when the structure collapsed severely injuring his wife.
Fanque rushed to the scene, helped to move the heavy timbers, and carried his wife in his arms to a nearby tavern; a surgeon was called for, but there was nothing to be done. A few days later Susannah “was interred at the Woodhouse cemetery, where a monument records the melancholy event.”
At the investigation into her death, it was revealed that the builder’s men had partially dismantled the amphitheater before Fanque arrived, removing a number of the supporting beams, and the structure had been sold to him “as it stood,” with the new owner undertaking “to make any alterations as he liked at his own expense.”
Although Pablo still employed Arnold, the architect, nothing was apparently done to strengthen to flooring, but no charges were ever brought against either man for negligence. To make matters worse, it was discovered that as Mrs. Darby lay dead amid the pandemonium, the box containing the evening’s takings, amounting to more than £50, had been stolen.
After his wife’s death, Fanque married Elizabeth Corker of Sheffield, who was 20 years younger than he. They had several children, all of whom joined their circus, and one of whom, known professionally as Ted Pablo, once performed before Queen Victoria and lived into the 1930s.
As for Fanque himself, he survived just long enough to witness the beginnings of the circus’s terminal decline. He died, aged 76 in poverty."
=AZUSgAnQS9uzDYpwUDIq9dfG36AV6lUXTMAwzekTa980aaMI-4Yukr4pDvltmTQxz-Tf4a0CjxxADLMqExdEQ1-4DWuqRp5yYk81jYm2IEkvdWCu7hZ_qhS7P_hmVcM9MyjmfH3GRN8Mz4-FGF_uKRaOfAq3oSWPK53UfGImVZTgRyuco14OlMW41E524lMroz8&__tn__=*bHH-R']@Lavinia
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Here is the tribute to my husband (edited in order that I can maintain some degree of anonymity). The bottom photo is the category under which he and two others were featured. As I mentioned in another thread, the poster boards displayed with several different categories were as tall or taller than me. Also, I'll message the unedited tribute to anyone who already knows my real name, if requested. My son sent me an entire folder of pics that I have to look through. I'll post more later. @hollydolly @Right Now @Pinky @Blessed @Gary O' @CinnamonSugar @Pecos @Nathan
@Alligatorob @horseless carriage @officerripley
@Alligatorob @horseless carriage @officerripley
Last edited:
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
What a good man he must have been Diva.. and handsome too... ... thank you for letting us see this..
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
You're welcome, of course HDWhat a good man he must have been Diva.. and handsome too... ... thank you for letting us see this..
I'm glad you appreciated reading it. And thank you... yes, he was an exceptionally handsome man (that's actually not a great picture of him).
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Another post from one of my FB friends page:
"Day 19
#BlackHistory #RealHistory
MICHAEL JACKSON'S SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE CHANGED THE HALF-TIME SHOW FOREVER 30 YEARS AGO IN 1993
CAROL CHANNING WAS THE FIRST BLACK CELEBRITY HALFTIME PERFORMER IN 1970
The NFL half-time show was low in viewership and lacked any real importance. Along with low ratings and viewership, the decision to get Jackson to perform seems like an obvious one now, but it was a stroke of genius at the time.
The first Super Bowl was held January 15, 1967, and big name acts weren't a part of the halftime performance.
College marching bands were the headliners for the first 15-minute-long halftime show. The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band was the headliner in 1967 with appearances from Grambling State University’s Marching Band and a celebrity guest: trumpeter Al Hirt. The Anaheim High School drill team also joined them on the field.
Grambling State is a historically Black College (HBCU). This was significant for 1967 when racial tensions were high, especially in Los Angeles; this was months after the Watts Riots took place.
The first celebrity Super Bowl halftime performer took the stage in 1970. Carol Channing, is known as the first celebrity performer at a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Channing, a Broadway star known for her role in Hello, Dolly!, performed in 1970 at Super Bowl IV. While Channing performed, she was actually not considered the headliner. The Mardi Gras-themed halftime show also featured the Southern University Marching Band, Al Hirt and opera singer Marguerite Piazza. Then, Channing sang a rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In."
It wasn't until Michael Jackson, who literally changed the game when it came to half-time shows with his performance at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena did half time shows become stellar."
https://youtu.be/nBkNQZ-6QHg
Excerpts/Sources:
https://parade.com/.../who-was-the-headliner-of-the.../
https://www.unilad.com/.../michael-jackson-super-bowl...
UNILAD.COM
Reliving Michael Jackson's Super Bowl performance which changed the half-time show forever
Michael Jackson's Super Bowl XXVII half-time show took place at the Rose Bowl in 1993.
"Day 19
#BlackHistory #RealHistory
MICHAEL JACKSON'S SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE CHANGED THE HALF-TIME SHOW FOREVER 30 YEARS AGO IN 1993
CAROL CHANNING WAS THE FIRST BLACK CELEBRITY HALFTIME PERFORMER IN 1970
The NFL half-time show was low in viewership and lacked any real importance. Along with low ratings and viewership, the decision to get Jackson to perform seems like an obvious one now, but it was a stroke of genius at the time.
The first Super Bowl was held January 15, 1967, and big name acts weren't a part of the halftime performance.
College marching bands were the headliners for the first 15-minute-long halftime show. The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band was the headliner in 1967 with appearances from Grambling State University’s Marching Band and a celebrity guest: trumpeter Al Hirt. The Anaheim High School drill team also joined them on the field.
Grambling State is a historically Black College (HBCU). This was significant for 1967 when racial tensions were high, especially in Los Angeles; this was months after the Watts Riots took place.
The first celebrity Super Bowl halftime performer took the stage in 1970. Carol Channing, is known as the first celebrity performer at a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Channing, a Broadway star known for her role in Hello, Dolly!, performed in 1970 at Super Bowl IV. While Channing performed, she was actually not considered the headliner. The Mardi Gras-themed halftime show also featured the Southern University Marching Band, Al Hirt and opera singer Marguerite Piazza. Then, Channing sang a rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In."
It wasn't until Michael Jackson, who literally changed the game when it came to half-time shows with his performance at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena did half time shows become stellar."
https://youtu.be/nBkNQZ-6QHg
Excerpts/Sources:
https://parade.com/.../who-was-the-headliner-of-the.../
https://www.unilad.com/.../michael-jackson-super-bowl...
UNILAD.COM
Reliving Michael Jackson's Super Bowl performance which changed the half-time show forever
Michael Jackson's Super Bowl XXVII half-time show took place at the Rose Bowl in 1993.
Last edited:
What an accomplished gentleman! And you have clearly inherited his financial acumen.
This is a woman who truly deserves to be featured during Black History Month. She was truly amazing in her contributions to civil rights. If you haven't seen the movie Till, you should.
In the summer of 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was tortured and lynched by a mob of white men while visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi. The reaction of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, to his violent murder galvanized the nation and forever changed the course of the civil rights movement in the United States. NPCA supports creating an Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Historical Park to honor and preserve Emmett and Mamie’s legacy, sharing the story that reopened the nation’s eyes to the brutal realities of racism in the South.
In recognition of what would have been Mamie Till-Mobley’s 100th birthday, here are 12 things you might not know about this matriarch of the civil rights movement, as shared in her autobiography, “Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America.”
On a family trip from Chicago to Mississippi when she was 12, Mamie noticed that her grandparents used the Sears, Roebuck, & Co. catalog as toilet paper. She went to the local white-owned drugstore to buy them some real toilet paper, but the owner refused to sell her any, suggesting they use corncobs like everyone else.
Mamie was preparing to say something when her grandfather walked in and escorted her out. According to her autobiography, “he pounded the fear of every black person in the state of Mississippi into [her].” For the first time, she appreciated the liberty she enjoyed back in Chicago. She wrote, “In Mississippi, there were certain things that black people were denied by white people. The freedom of movement. The luxury of choice. And a roll of toilet paper.”
Carthan’s house was a center of the community, part social center, part meetinghouse, part job fair and part church. She was one of the few people in the neighborhood with a telephone, and she shared it with everyone ― even leaving a key under the mat and a container for folks to leave nickels if they stopped by to use the phone.
#{image.caption}
Mamie Till-Mobley (then Mamie Bradley, center) with her mother Alma Carthan (right) at Emmett Till’s graveside. Carthan is raising her hand in prayer as his casket is lowered.
Dave Mann/Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Emmett was wearing the ring when a group of white men later kidnapped and murdered him, and it served as a crucial way for the family to positively identify him.
Mamie instructed Emmett to always say “yes, ma’am” and “no, sir” when talking to white people, and to step off the sidewalk if a white woman was walking toward him, making sure to lower his head until she passed. She told him to get on his knees in deference if he had to.
Emmett was maimed nearly beyond recognition — his killers had continued to assault him long after his death. Mamie famously insisted, “Let the world see what I’ve seen.”
The response was immediate. The family postponed Emmett’s burial by four days while tens of thousands of people filed past his open casket. Nurses were on hand to help the many who fainted — according to Mamie, one in five mourners needed physical assistance. Jet magazine published photos of Emmett’s body, forcing Americans around the country to reckon with the violent realities of racism.
Mamie kept her composure but felt her testimony hadn’t mattered at all. The jury acquitted Emmett’s murderers.
Eighteen years after Emmett’s death, while serving as an elementary school teacher, Mamie founded the Emmett Till Players, a touring troupe of young students who delivered speeches about hope, unity and determination. Inspired in part by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, Mamie saw how public speaking could teach students history, confidence and discipline. She wanted students to understand the immense sacrifices that others had made for the opportunities and freedom they had, so naturally, she named the program for Emmett.
Mamie continued speaking throughout the country until her death in 2003, connecting with mothers of other slain Black children and making sure no one ever forgot her son’s story.
She closes her autobiography by writing, “Although I have lived so much of my life without Emmett, I have lived my entire life because of him.”
12 Things You Might Not Know About Mamie Till-Mobley
She forever changed the course of the civil rights movement in the United States. Here's what you should know about her legacy.In the summer of 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was tortured and lynched by a mob of white men while visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi. The reaction of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, to his violent murder galvanized the nation and forever changed the course of the civil rights movement in the United States. NPCA supports creating an Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Historical Park to honor and preserve Emmett and Mamie’s legacy, sharing the story that reopened the nation’s eyes to the brutal realities of racism in the South.
In recognition of what would have been Mamie Till-Mobley’s 100th birthday, here are 12 things you might not know about this matriarch of the civil rights movement, as shared in her autobiography, “Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America.”
1. One of Mamie’s first lessons in racial injustice was over a roll of toilet paper.
Mississippi Reckoning
Emmett Till was murdered 64 years ago. Is it time for a national park that recognizes him and tells the story of the civil rights struggle in Mississippi?On a family trip from Chicago to Mississippi when she was 12, Mamie noticed that her grandparents used the Sears, Roebuck, & Co. catalog as toilet paper. She went to the local white-owned drugstore to buy them some real toilet paper, but the owner refused to sell her any, suggesting they use corncobs like everyone else.
Mamie was preparing to say something when her grandfather walked in and escorted her out. According to her autobiography, “he pounded the fear of every black person in the state of Mississippi into [her].” For the first time, she appreciated the liberty she enjoyed back in Chicago. She wrote, “In Mississippi, there were certain things that black people were denied by white people. The freedom of movement. The luxury of choice. And a roll of toilet paper.”
2. Her mother’s house was a gathering place for Black people who left the South in search of a new life.
Mamie’s family called their Chicago suburb “Little Mississippi” and thought of her mother Alma Carthan’s house as the Ellis Island of Chicago. Carthan helped folks adjust and find jobs and “gave them every reason to look forward, never back.” Between 1915 and 1940, half a million Black Americans moved to Chicago, more than doubling the city’s Black population, and Mamie’s town was a tiny microcosm of that change.Carthan’s house was a center of the community, part social center, part meetinghouse, part job fair and part church. She was one of the few people in the neighborhood with a telephone, and she shared it with everyone ― even leaving a key under the mat and a container for folks to leave nickels if they stopped by to use the phone.
#{image.caption}
Mamie Till-Mobley (then Mamie Bradley, center) with her mother Alma Carthan (right) at Emmett Till’s graveside. Carthan is raising her hand in prayer as his casket is lowered.
Dave Mann/Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
3. Mamie was the first Black student to make the honor roll at her high school.
Mamie was only the fourth Black student to graduate from her high school. She loved school, particularly poetry, and worked hard to maintain her status as an A student. Most of the girls in her class dropped out to get married by the time they were 16. Mamie was practically considered an old maid for waiting until she was nearly 19 to marry Louis Till.4. On her first date with Louis Till, they integrated their local drugstore.
It was Mamie’s first-ever date and first-ever banana split, and she was shocked at her future husband’s insistence that they eat their ice cream at a booth inside the drug store, rather than taking it outside. Black folks passing by saw them through the window and flocked inside, making themselves at home in the other booths. Word spread all over town, and Mamie was terrified her mother would find out, but she admired Louis for opening a door for everyone in the neighborhood.5. Mamie used one of Louis’ belongings to identify Emmett’s body years later.
Mamie’s relationship with Louis was troubled and became abusive within a year of their wedding, and he was soon deployed overseas to serve in World War II. He had served about two years when Mamie received a telegram vaguely explaining his death. The military returned only a few of his belongings — including a silver ring he’d purchased in Casablanca and had had engraved with his initials. Mamie gave it to Emmett, and it became a prized possession.Emmett was wearing the ring when a group of white men later kidnapped and murdered him, and it served as a crucial way for the family to positively identify him.
6. Mamie did not want Emmett to go to Mississippi.
Emmett had just turned 14 when he was invited to spend a week with his cousins in Money, Mississippi. Mamie and her mother were extremely reluctant to let him go, knowing that growing up in Chicago had largely shielded him from the harsh realities of racism. Emmett didn’t see a difference between himself and his white classmates or the white adults he regularly interacted with. Emmett was excited to go, however, and Mamie knew she’d have to prepare him to understand the everyday realities for Black people in the South.7. Mamie gave Emmett a “crash course in hatred.”
Before his trip, Mamie sat Emmett down and told him how to behave in front of white people. It was the first time she recalled talking to her son explicitly about race, and she could tell he wasn’t entirely sold. In her autobiography, she reflected, “How do you give a crash course in hatred to a boy who has only ever known love?”Mamie instructed Emmett to always say “yes, ma’am” and “no, sir” when talking to white people, and to step off the sidewalk if a white woman was walking toward him, making sure to lower his head until she passed. She told him to get on his knees in deference if he had to.
8. Mamie and her family created a press storm as soon as they found out Emmett was missing.
The day after a white woman claimed Emmett had whistled at her — but Emmett’s cousins say he was simply whistling while she was nearby — Mamie’s cousin called to tell her that Emmett had been kidnapped by white men in the middle of the night. Mamie and her family members gathered at her mother’s house, calling up newspapers the same day. Reporters interviewed Mamie about her son’s disappearance, and by the next morning, a cadre of Chicago power players were involved, including the NAACP, the mayor, an Illinois congressman and the governor. Although the family did not yet know that Emmett had been murdered, Mamie’s early actions would lead to throngs of reporters and spectators waiting for Emmett’s body at the train station when it arrived in Chicago a few days later.9. Mamie paid nearly a year’s salary to transport Emmett’s body back to Chicago.
Officials in Mississippi were determined to bury Emmett locally to cover up the brutality of the crime and quickly had a grave dug with his name on it. Mamie raced against the clock to persuade officials to return her son to Chicago. It would cost $3,300 — about $34,000 in today’s dollars — and she was making less than $4,000 a year at the time, but in her grief, she told the funeral director in Chicago that if she lived, she’d pay him, and if she’d didn’t, someone else would.10. Mamie fought hard to see Emmett’s body — and let others see him.
When Emmett’s body arrived in Chicago, the box was locked with the seal of the state of Mississippi. Mamie learned that undertakers on both ends, and her own relatives, had signed papers agreeing to keep the box sealed, which would have covered up the extreme violence of the crime. Mamie fought tooth and nail for the Chicago undertaker to open the box, and when she finally saw her son, she knew immediately they had to have an open casket funeral.Emmett was maimed nearly beyond recognition — his killers had continued to assault him long after his death. Mamie famously insisted, “Let the world see what I’ve seen.”
The response was immediate. The family postponed Emmett’s burial by four days while tens of thousands of people filed past his open casket. Nurses were on hand to help the many who fainted — according to Mamie, one in five mourners needed physical assistance. Jet magazine published photos of Emmett’s body, forcing Americans around the country to reckon with the violent realities of racism.
11. Defense attorneys accused Mamie of faking her son’s death.
At every turn, the defense attorneys in Emmett’s murder trial worked to play up the doubts and suspicions of the all-white, all-male jury. While Mamie was on the witness stand, one of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam’s attorneys asked whether she had an insurance policy for Emmett in case of his accidental death or murder. When she answered that she did, he accused her of working with the NAACP to dig up a body from a cemetery, plant Louis’s ring on the corpse and throw it in the Tallahatchie River where Emmett’s body was found. The defense claimed that Emmett was alive and well in Detroit with Mamie’s father — though her father was actually in the courtroom at the time.Mamie kept her composure but felt her testimony hadn’t mattered at all. The jury acquitted Emmett’s murderers.
12. Mamie served as a powerful speaker and teacher for the rest of her life.
After the trial, demonstrations broke out across the country and around the world. Mamie was flooded with speaking requests, and after each one, the NAACP experienced a huge influx of donations and new memberships. The month after the trial, Mamie was sometimes making two or three speeches a day, and though she was still struggling with her own grief, she felt a strong sense of importance around sharing Emmett’s story.Eighteen years after Emmett’s death, while serving as an elementary school teacher, Mamie founded the Emmett Till Players, a touring troupe of young students who delivered speeches about hope, unity and determination. Inspired in part by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, Mamie saw how public speaking could teach students history, confidence and discipline. She wanted students to understand the immense sacrifices that others had made for the opportunities and freedom they had, so naturally, she named the program for Emmett.
Mamie continued speaking throughout the country until her death in 2003, connecting with mothers of other slain Black children and making sure no one ever forgot her son’s story.
She closes her autobiography by writing, “Although I have lived so much of my life without Emmett, I have lived my entire life because of him.”
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Thank you DougWhat an accomplished gentleman! And you have clearly inherited his financial acumen.
Actually, I was trying to get him to inherit mine! 
And thank you for your last two very interesting contributions to this thread. I knew about Madame C.J. Walker but not that detailed information about Emmett Tills mother and her accomplishments. The press and even look backs were always focused on his horrific murder. If you don't mind, I'd like to share the information on Facebook. It's incredible how Ms. Walker became so wealthy back then with the small amount she charged for her products. Talking about being a great business woman!@Jace Thank you for that information!
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OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
I have not watched Persuasion but I do so love Bridgerton. If is about time that the industry is pushing boundaries, teaching all the way the world should have been and should be now. Time to realize that any human can do, be, accomplish anything if they want it!!
I hate to say it, we would think be this time, the crap would have stopped. My son has friends, an interracial couple. Both lovely, college educations, good jobs. They are divorcing, I think that society has put so much pressure on these young people. Making them feel that they don't belong together. I knew them both for years before they were married and thought them well suited in their goals to have a happy marriage. Who can stand up to the disapproving looks, the snide comments, some from their own families because they did not stop to think what they were saying. Geez.
I have reached the point where I am finally comfortable taking my grandson out to the park, mall or a restaurant. He is white, Japanese and Latino. He looks nothing like me, people stare, make comments if I say he is my grandson. Like I have stolen or kidnapped this child. He is now 9, he can identify me as his grandma and be believed. When he was small, there were times that people made me uncomfortable.
officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
Article: "The Little Known History of WW II's All-Black, All-Female Battalion", from atlasobscura.com, 2/14/23; to read the article: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/all-black-women-battalion-wwii-6888th?utm_source=pocket-newtab.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
The Rosewood Massacre
This is but a small excerpt from the terrible story of Rosewood from Wiki. "Before the massacre, the town of Rosewood had been a quiet, primarily black, self-sufficient whistle stop on the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Trouble began when white men from several nearby towns lynched a black Rosewood resident because of accusations that a white woman in nearby Sumner had been assaulted by a black drifter. A mob of several hundred whites combed the countryside hunting for black people and burned almost every structure in Rosewood. For several days, survivors from the town hid in nearby swamps until they were evacuated to larger towns by train and car. No arrests were made for what happened in Rosewood. The town was abandoned by its former black and white residents; none of them ever moved back and the town ceased to exist." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood_massacre
I first found out about Rosewood when I watched the movie:
This is but a small excerpt from the terrible story of Rosewood from Wiki. "Before the massacre, the town of Rosewood had been a quiet, primarily black, self-sufficient whistle stop on the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Trouble began when white men from several nearby towns lynched a black Rosewood resident because of accusations that a white woman in nearby Sumner had been assaulted by a black drifter. A mob of several hundred whites combed the countryside hunting for black people and burned almost every structure in Rosewood. For several days, survivors from the town hid in nearby swamps until they were evacuated to larger towns by train and car. No arrests were made for what happened in Rosewood. The town was abandoned by its former black and white residents; none of them ever moved back and the town ceased to exist." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood_massacre
I first found out about Rosewood when I watched the movie:
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
I don't remember where I got this from so I can't give credit to the writer, but I believe it was from a news venue's article on Black history.
Powerful !
"THE MIDDLE PASSAGE - THE SLAVE EXPERIENCE
~Just Imagine Being Packed Into The Hold Of A Ship Like This, Like Sardines With No Place To Move!
~Imagine The Person Across, Behind, Next To, Above, And/Or Below You Vomiting, Urinating, And/Or Defecating On Themselves Without Being Cleansed!
~Imagine The Stench From The Bacteria Of The Dead And Decomposing Bodies, Who Have Died Of Numerous Diseases From Being Exposed To These Deplorable Conditions, And Environment!
~Imagine The Pain And Anguish Of Our Ancestors After Being Kidnapped From Our Homeland, Our Families, Our Friends And Relatives, Never To See Them Again, And To Be Thrown Into A Ship Not Knowing Where They Were Going!
~Imagine How Shocked They've Felt, After They Arrived In A Strange Land That Was/Is Not Theirs (Ours), To Serve A Strange People Who Did/Does Not Look Like Us, To Be Ridiculed, Spat Upon, Looked Down Upon, Mistreated, Branded, Bought And Sold As Livestock, And Then Labeled As Being 2/3 Of A Human Being!
~Just Imagine...If You Could...The Sting Of The Lash... The Removal Of Our Names...The Removal Of Our Language... The Removal Of Our Religion, Our Culture, Our God...And After Their Subliminal Brainwashing Of Us.......The Removal Of Our Minds!
~Just Imagine........And Never Forget.......Our Black (Nubian) History!!!!!!!"
Powerful !
"THE MIDDLE PASSAGE - THE SLAVE EXPERIENCE
~Just Imagine Being Packed Into The Hold Of A Ship Like This, Like Sardines With No Place To Move!
~Imagine The Person Across, Behind, Next To, Above, And/Or Below You Vomiting, Urinating, And/Or Defecating On Themselves Without Being Cleansed!
~Imagine The Stench From The Bacteria Of The Dead And Decomposing Bodies, Who Have Died Of Numerous Diseases From Being Exposed To These Deplorable Conditions, And Environment!
~Imagine The Pain And Anguish Of Our Ancestors After Being Kidnapped From Our Homeland, Our Families, Our Friends And Relatives, Never To See Them Again, And To Be Thrown Into A Ship Not Knowing Where They Were Going!
~Imagine How Shocked They've Felt, After They Arrived In A Strange Land That Was/Is Not Theirs (Ours), To Serve A Strange People Who Did/Does Not Look Like Us, To Be Ridiculed, Spat Upon, Looked Down Upon, Mistreated, Branded, Bought And Sold As Livestock, And Then Labeled As Being 2/3 Of A Human Being!
~Just Imagine...If You Could...The Sting Of The Lash... The Removal Of Our Names...The Removal Of Our Language... The Removal Of Our Religion, Our Culture, Our God...And After Their Subliminal Brainwashing Of Us.......The Removal Of Our Minds!
~Just Imagine........And Never Forget.......Our Black (Nubian) History!!!!!!!"
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OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
@OneEyedDiva. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this. It is a very sensitive subject. I will not even begin to say I understand, I have no have a clue how our black community feels about the history that brought them to America and the horrors they suffered. To be kidnapped, taken to a strange place and treated badly.
I think whomever wrote these words made only one mistake, that they were treated as 2/3 a human being, when in truth, they were not treated at all as a human being. It is a disgusting thing to recognize the truth of it. Same thing with the rise of Hitler against the Jewish people, the horror, how did anyone allow that to happen, after we had already seen the horror of slavery. The fact remains, there are people, parts of the world that still behave in a horrible manner toward other humans. Countries that do not allow for the education of children. Who do not allow women to pursue education or involvement in any activity outside the home. They must be subservient to all things in marriage even if they have the capability to do so much more. Daughters may be castrated at a young age, forced into a marriage not of their choice. Killed if they break the rules of their country or do anything that might be taken as disrespectful of their families. Even so called religious people like the Amish do not educate past the eighth grade so the children are not exposed to the world.
My question is who knows what these children, these young people could accomplish with education. There could be doctors, dentists, engineers, veterinarians, biologists that could return to their communities making life better for so many. I guess we will never know because even though things have changed we still have those that will spew filth and hate only because it was passed to them by previous generations. It is sad and heartbreaking but we have a long way to go until this stops.
I think whomever wrote these words made only one mistake, that they were treated as 2/3 a human being, when in truth, they were not treated at all as a human being. It is a disgusting thing to recognize the truth of it. Same thing with the rise of Hitler against the Jewish people, the horror, how did anyone allow that to happen, after we had already seen the horror of slavery. The fact remains, there are people, parts of the world that still behave in a horrible manner toward other humans. Countries that do not allow for the education of children. Who do not allow women to pursue education or involvement in any activity outside the home. They must be subservient to all things in marriage even if they have the capability to do so much more. Daughters may be castrated at a young age, forced into a marriage not of their choice. Killed if they break the rules of their country or do anything that might be taken as disrespectful of their families. Even so called religious people like the Amish do not educate past the eighth grade so the children are not exposed to the world.
My question is who knows what these children, these young people could accomplish with education. There could be doctors, dentists, engineers, veterinarians, biologists that could return to their communities making life better for so many. I guess we will never know because even though things have changed we still have those that will spew filth and hate only because it was passed to them by previous generations. It is sad and heartbreaking but we have a long way to go until this stops.
Been There
Well-known Member
- Location
- Florida
Yes, I agree, but then when we are discharged, we seem to go our own ways, unless your outfit has a reunion, which has become “old school.” Someone has to keep a roster and then organize a reunion, which all requires a lot of work and very few want to get involved doing that. Some people don’t want to get together because of the bad memories, but I went to one reunion and it was great seeing some of the men I had dealt with and some of the stories we could share. It was an all around good day. It was also sad to learn a few that had died already. One died in a plane crash of all things in the crash in New York like a year after 911. I think in Queens.
I kept a few names and addresses and have visited a couple. It was good for a little healing.
Been There
Well-known Member
- Location
- Florida
So, does anyone remember the name Doris Miller? This is a man, not a woman. He was a cook on a Navy ship on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor. He was the first black man to be awarded the Navy Cross. It’s a good story for anyone interested.
Doris Miller
Doris Miller
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oldaunt
professional hermit
Yet no one seems to care about the atrocities visited on the Native Americans, of which much still goes on today. Whole families were butchered, children taken from parents so they could "teach them to be white" as they put it, many ending up in unmarked graves and parents never notified. They also were enslaved. Their homes confiscated and they were pushed onto pretty much worthless land they call "reservations". At least the poorer descendants of black slaves today get subsidized housing and food stamps. Not so the NA.