Did you know Malcolm X and Redd Foxx worked together at a restaurant in Harlem in the 1940s? In fact they were great friends. At the time they were going by the name Chicago Red and Detroit Red. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm calls Redd “the funniest dishwasher on the planet.”
Black History 365 | # 11 Melvin Van Peebles
Did you know Melvin Van Peebles is the man responsible for the blaxploitation movie genre? His first movie was based on a novel he wrote, titled The Story Of A Three-Day Pass. Which is about a black soldier’s three day escapades in Paris with a white woman. Based on his first movie’s success and controversy, he received a sizable budget for the second movie and with that he made Watermelon Man & he was given 23 days to complete the movie, which was not the normal time given to movies at the time.. That movie was met with disdain and controversy, less success. But I highly advise you to watch. It’s a bizarre film to watch now. Now with his third film the budget was revoked but that’s when he inadvertently created a whole new genre based on his independent film, Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song. It had a black lead character who was the hero. And it showed a black lead defending and besting white protagonists. This was groundbreaking when movies didn’t allow their black characters to have facial hair because facial hair showed virility. Now what happened when this style of movie was imitated and turned into a genre was the black leads were buffooned up, the political context was removed and it was just sex, violence, and mayhem. In fact, The Black Panther party made Van Peebles original Sweetback film obligatory viewing for its members. Heavy duty tough work.
Black History 365 | # 2 Kenneth Gibson
Did you know Kenneth Gibson was the 36th mayor of New Jersey? That would make him the first black mayor of a major city. From 1970-1986 he served four consecutive terms.
Black History 365 | # 3 - Aretha Franklin
Did you know that in 1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame? An icon deserving of more than a ~little~ R-E-S-P-E-C-T I would say.
Black History 365 | # 21 - Robert L. Johnson
Did you know the first black billionaire in America was Robert Johnson? The founder of BET? He became one when he sold the network to Viacom in 2000. When he got divorced from his wife Sheila Johnson in 2002, the settlement cut into his fortune. But he’s still ballin. 🤷🏾♂️