OneEyedDiva
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- New Jersey
After all these years on this earth, I'm still learning about the contributions made by Black people. As I've mentioned in the past, most of these things were not taught in school.
Celebrating Black History Month 2024
- Thread starter OneEyedDiva
- Start date
Elizabeth Jennings Graham, ca. 1895. On July 16, 1854, schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings Graham successfully challenged racist streetcar policies in New York City. Her case went to court and was publicized by Frederick Douglass.
Elizabeth Jennings Graham is most famously known as the “Nineteenth-Century Rosa Parks” for taking legal action against the Third Avenue Railroad Company for racial discrimination. She was born in 1827 in New York City to Elizabeth Cartwright and Thomas L. Jennings, a free Black man.
At first, Jennings argued with the conductor. “I then told him 'I have no people . . . I wished to go to church,” she wrote in the Tribune account. He refused to move the streetcar and said he “had as much time as I had and could wait just as long.” She replied, “Very well.......
Riding a Streetcar While Black in 1850s New York
"A century before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Elizabeth Jennings Graham defied the racial segregation of public transit in New York City. On July 16, 1854, Jennings (Graham was added to her name after marrying in 1860) was running late to church and tried to ride a white-only streetcar in Manhattan. The conductor told her they weren’t accepting black passengers. She was forced out of the streetcar, and a police officer inflicted injuries by physically pushing her."
Elizabeth Jennings Graham is most famously known as the “Nineteenth-Century Rosa Parks” for taking legal action against the Third Avenue Railroad Company for racial discrimination. She was born in 1827 in New York City to Elizabeth Cartwright and Thomas L. Jennings, a free Black man.
At first, Jennings argued with the conductor. “I then told him 'I have no people . . . I wished to go to church,” she wrote in the Tribune account. He refused to move the streetcar and said he “had as much time as I had and could wait just as long.” She replied, “Very well.......
The Woman Who Fought Transit Segregation in 19th-Century New York
Before Rosa Parks, there was Elizabeth Jennings.Riding a Streetcar While Black in 1850s New York
"A century before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Elizabeth Jennings Graham defied the racial segregation of public transit in New York City. On July 16, 1854, Jennings (Graham was added to her name after marrying in 1860) was running late to church and tried to ride a white-only streetcar in Manhattan. The conductor told her they weren’t accepting black passengers. She was forced out of the streetcar, and a police officer inflicted injuries by physically pushing her."
Paco Dennis
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- Location
- Mid-Missouri
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a true force to be reckoned with!
She was a journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the fight against lynching in the United States. Wells-Barnett was a pioneer in investigative journalism, writing extensively about the horrors of lynching and exposing the myths used to justify it.She also founded the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first black women's suffrage organization in Chicago, and was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a fearless leader who fought tirelessly for justice and equality for African Americans.
OneEyedDiva
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- Location
- New Jersey
From Wikipedia and he is also mentioned in a booklet about African American inventors and scientists that I got from Philadelphia's African American museum decades ago when I took my son there.
Frederick McKinley Jones (May 17, 1893 – February 21, 1961) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, engineer, winner of the National Medal of Technology, and an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[1] Jones innovated mobile refrigeration technology. He received 61 patents, 40 for refrigeration technology.[2] He co-founded Thermo King and also served as a Sergeant in World War I.[1][3]
After military service with in World War I, Jones returned to Hallock. He worked as a mechanic while learning about electronics. He built a transmitter for the town's first radio station.
Refrigeration[edit]
Around 1938, following a request by Numero, Jones began designing the Thermo Control Model A automatic truck refrigeration unit.[15] Jones designed the portable air-cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable food to prevent spoilage.[8][11] The Model A refrigeration equipment was attached to undercarriages of trucks. Chilled air was transported to the inside of the trailer via refrigerant tubing.[14] Because Model A was too heavy, Jones later developed the Model B. The Model B was smaller and lighter, but not durable. In 1941, Jones completed development of the Model C, which was mounted to the front of the truck. It was compact, light, and withstood road travel vibrations.[14][16] In 1939, Jones filed for a patent for the Model A and received a patent for it on July 12, 1949.[14][17]
Numero sold his movie sound equipment business to RCA and formed a new company in partnership with Jones, the U.S. Thermo Control Company (later the Thermo King Corporation) which became a $3 million business by 1949.[14][15] Portable cooling units designed by Jones were especially important during World War II, preserving blood, medicine, and food for use at army hospitals and on open battlefields. Model C units were manufactured for military use, following the war the units became available for commercial use.[14]
Frederick McKinley Jones - Wikipedia
Frederick McKinley Jones (May 17, 1893 – February 21, 1961) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, engineer, winner of the National Medal of Technology, and an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[1] Jones innovated mobile refrigeration technology. He received 61 patents, 40 for refrigeration technology.[2] He co-founded Thermo King and also served as a Sergeant in World War I.[1][3]
After military service with in World War I, Jones returned to Hallock. He worked as a mechanic while learning about electronics. He built a transmitter for the town's first radio station.
Refrigeration[edit]
Around 1938, following a request by Numero, Jones began designing the Thermo Control Model A automatic truck refrigeration unit.[15] Jones designed the portable air-cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable food to prevent spoilage.[8][11] The Model A refrigeration equipment was attached to undercarriages of trucks. Chilled air was transported to the inside of the trailer via refrigerant tubing.[14] Because Model A was too heavy, Jones later developed the Model B. The Model B was smaller and lighter, but not durable. In 1941, Jones completed development of the Model C, which was mounted to the front of the truck. It was compact, light, and withstood road travel vibrations.[14][16] In 1939, Jones filed for a patent for the Model A and received a patent for it on July 12, 1949.[14][17]
Numero sold his movie sound equipment business to RCA and formed a new company in partnership with Jones, the U.S. Thermo Control Company (later the Thermo King Corporation) which became a $3 million business by 1949.[14][15] Portable cooling units designed by Jones were especially important during World War II, preserving blood, medicine, and food for use at army hospitals and on open battlefields. Model C units were manufactured for military use, following the war the units became available for commercial use.[14]
Other inventions[edit]
He also developed a portable x-ray machine.[4][11][15] He also developed an early prototype of a snowmobile. It was a "snow machine" that attached skis to the undercarriage of an airplane fuselage and attached a propeller, and a sound track synchroniser (later selling the patent to RCA).[4][15] A movie-ticket dispenser, and an early radio service for local doctors were also counted among his inventions.[4]Frederick McKinley Jones - Wikipedia
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Paco here is an incredible mural collage made in Ida B Wells image as a tribute to her greatness. Too bad it erected on a wall, but I guess the floor could accommodate it's size way better. This is in Union Station, Washington, DC. There is also a full sized statue of her in Memphis.View attachment 328247
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a true force to be reckoned with!
She also founded the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first black women's suffrage organization in Chicago, and was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a fearless leader who fought tirelessly for justice and equality for African Americans.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
The Rosewood Massacre - Murder & destruction in this Black Florida town. Rosewood was a town with Black entrepreneurs and Black businesses. Watch this short video to learn about the terrible events that took place on New Year's day in 1923 that destroyed the town. It started because a White woman lied about being assaulted by a Black man. In fact, the man she was with was her lover and she didn't want her husband to find out.
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Alizerine
Senior Member
officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
An upcoming (Mon., Feb 12 in my area) documentary on the National Geographic channel: The Space Race. To watch a 2 min. video of interview with former astronaut Leland Melvin: 'More People Need to Know About This History': A Black Astronaut Speaks About Race and Space
debodun
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- way upstate in New York, USA
One of my favorite Do-Wop groups
debodun
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- way upstate in New York, USA
Another hit for The Tymes
debodun
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- Location
- way upstate in New York, USA
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
The Harlem Hellfighters. Robin Roberts (GMA) is working on a special to celebrate these heroes.
"The Hellfighters, the most celebrated African-American regiment in World War I, confronted racism even as they trained for war, helped bring jazz to France, then battled Germany longer than almost any other American doughboys. (Their nickname’s origin is unclear: it was possibly coined by enemy soldiers, the American press, or both.) Like their predecessors in the Civil War and successors in the wars that followed, these African-American troops fought a war for a country that refused them basic rights – and their bravery stood as a rebuke to racism, a moral claim to first-class citizenship." Full article:
One Hundred Years Ago, the Harlem Hellfighters Bravely Led the U.S. Into WWI
"The Hellfighters, the most celebrated African-American regiment in World War I, confronted racism even as they trained for war, helped bring jazz to France, then battled Germany longer than almost any other American doughboys. (Their nickname’s origin is unclear: it was possibly coined by enemy soldiers, the American press, or both.) Like their predecessors in the Civil War and successors in the wars that followed, these African-American troops fought a war for a country that refused them basic rights – and their bravery stood as a rebuke to racism, a moral claim to first-class citizenship." Full article:
One Hundred Years Ago, the Harlem Hellfighters Bravely Led the U.S. Into WWI
OneEyedDiva
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- Location
- New Jersey
Yes, I was planning to post about that too. But I don't want some of the posts here to also be uplifting.
OneEyedDiva
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- Location
- New Jersey
I remember this song. Deb, did you mean to put these songs in the Black Music thread?
Black Music For Black History Month
Also excellent post about Guion Bluford. I think there's a special airing on one of my streaming channels about him. Just have to figure out which one.
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officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
It came out on Feb. 4; I get it free with Xfinity On Demand but looks like it might also be available through the History Channel and A+E Networks. There are 2 (maybe more?) other shows about it: a movie with same title that came out in 2018 (director Francois Reinhardt; Xfinity On Demand for $3.99) and a 2017 program called The Harlem Hellfighters Great War (free on Freevee and Xumo Play).
Thanks for the heads up, Diva!
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OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
I'll be looking out for it. In fact, it will probably show on my Hulu homepage once it's available, so I'll let you know.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
We were posting our replies about finding the show at the same time, so I saw this after my reply # 18.
I think the one on Hulu has a different name than the one above. I saw part of the word Un (in the title during search). That program is only available with the "live" feature, which I don't have and won't pay for. I'll see if I can find it elsewhere...I have Discovery which includes some History Channel programming. Thank you for updating me. 
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
African Americans and the Railroad System
I copied this text from a source I cannot remember right now. Below are links to articles that corroborate this text.
"The link between African-Americans and the growth of American railroads is much deeper than carrying luggage or preparing a sleeping car. The entire southern railroad network that was built during the slavery era was built almost exclusively by slaves. Some of the railroads owned slaves, other railroads hired or rented slaves from slave owners. And the most shocking thing that I found was that women as well as men were actually involved in the hard, dangerous, brutal work of railroad construction and continued to work for railroads after they were built in lesser roles. But in the construction phase, little difference between the abilities, considered abilities, for black women, and white women would never have been considered for any of those jobs."
10 Astonishing Facts About the Black Men and Women Responsible for America's Railroad Systems
Resources for the history of Black railroaders – Center for Railroad Photography & Art.
I copied this text from a source I cannot remember right now. Below are links to articles that corroborate this text.
"The link between African-Americans and the growth of American railroads is much deeper than carrying luggage or preparing a sleeping car. The entire southern railroad network that was built during the slavery era was built almost exclusively by slaves. Some of the railroads owned slaves, other railroads hired or rented slaves from slave owners. And the most shocking thing that I found was that women as well as men were actually involved in the hard, dangerous, brutal work of railroad construction and continued to work for railroads after they were built in lesser roles. But in the construction phase, little difference between the abilities, considered abilities, for black women, and white women would never have been considered for any of those jobs."
10 Astonishing Facts About the Black Men and Women Responsible for America's Railroad Systems
Resources for the history of Black railroaders – Center for Railroad Photography & Art.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
The Green Book:
It's sad that this was even necessary. But during a time when beatings and lynchings were common just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm sure The Green Book helped saved lives and limbs sometimes. When you click on the picture of the book, the pages appear so that you can actually read the book. There is also a documentary about The Green Book on Paramount+.
The ***** motorist Green-book
"Summary: An annual guidebook for African-American roadtrippers founded and published by New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1967. From a New York-focused first edition published in 1936, Green expanded the work to cover much of North America. The Green Book became "the bible of black travel" during the era of Jim Crow laws, when open and often legally prescribed discrimination against
African Americans and other non-whites was widespread. Green wrote this guide to identify services and places relatively friendly to African-Americans so they could find lodgings, businesses, and gas stations that would serve them along the road. It was little known outside the African-American community. Shortly after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed the types of racial discrimination that made the Green Book necessary, publication ceased and it fell into obscurity."
A more detailed account about The Green Book can be read here:
The ***** Motorist Green Book - Wikipedia
One of my cousins, a minister had taken a trip down south with his wife who was so light that she looked like a White woman. He was pulled over by the police and asked why he had this White woman in his car! I forgot what was said and how it played out. But at least they were not hurt. Indeed Cousin Gert looked White. I remember getting on the bus one day and she was sitting up front. As I passed I said "Oh Hi Cousin Gert". Boy oh boy, people had surprised looks on their faces when they saw who I was talking to!
It's sad that this was even necessary. But during a time when beatings and lynchings were common just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm sure The Green Book helped saved lives and limbs sometimes. When you click on the picture of the book, the pages appear so that you can actually read the book. There is also a documentary about The Green Book on Paramount+.
The ***** motorist Green-book
"Summary: An annual guidebook for African-American roadtrippers founded and published by New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1967. From a New York-focused first edition published in 1936, Green expanded the work to cover much of North America. The Green Book became "the bible of black travel" during the era of Jim Crow laws, when open and often legally prescribed discrimination against
African Americans and other non-whites was widespread. Green wrote this guide to identify services and places relatively friendly to African-Americans so they could find lodgings, businesses, and gas stations that would serve them along the road. It was little known outside the African-American community. Shortly after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed the types of racial discrimination that made the Green Book necessary, publication ceased and it fell into obscurity."
A more detailed account about The Green Book can be read here:
The ***** Motorist Green Book - Wikipedia
One of my cousins, a minister had taken a trip down south with his wife who was so light that she looked like a White woman. He was pulled over by the police and asked why he had this White woman in his car! I forgot what was said and how it played out. But at least they were not hurt. Indeed Cousin Gert looked White. I remember getting on the bus one day and she was sitting up front. As I passed I said "Oh Hi Cousin Gert". Boy oh boy, people had surprised looks on their faces when they saw who I was talking to!
Remy
Well-known Member
- Location
- California, USA
I read the book "The Sweeter The Juice" and plan to re-read it. The mother of the author was also very light skinned and could almost pass. Some of the family did and had disappeared. It was heartbreaking to read that when her parent's drove away from their town, her mother had to sit in the back seat so it would look like she was being chauffeured.
I found out about the book when the author and her mother were on Oprah. This was probably in the 90's.
I found out about the book when the author and her mother were on Oprah. This was probably in the 90's.
Recently I saw a movie called "Hidden Figures". The story based on Katherine Johnson's life and accomplishments.
Katherine Johnson Biography - NASA
Katherine Johnson Biography - NASA
OneEyedDiva
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- Location
- New Jersey
I still haven't seen Hidden Figures but want to see it for sure. Thank you for posting the link. At a Black History program my husband and I hosted about 7 years ago, one of my cousins spoke about our great grand aunt who was a force to be reckoned with during the history of our city segment. He said she was involved in a field and did work that reminded him of the women in Hidden Figures.
@Remy I think I heard about The Sweeter the Juice, but never read it. Thank you for the info.