Did you know, Yolande Cornelia Giovanni, Jr. better known as Nikki Giovanni. The, writer, poet, and educator has the 2Pac coined term “Thug Life” tattooed on her forearm.
Black History 365 | # 47 Thomas Jennings
Did you know a black man, Thomas Jennings invented dry cleaning in 1821 making him also the first black man in the United States to be granted a patent.
Black History 365 | #49 Huey P. Newton
Did you know Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton earned a Ph.D. in the Social philosophy program of History of Consciousness from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1980.
Black History 365 | # 48 Yuri Kochiyama
Have you heard of Yuri Kochiyama? She was a friend of Malcolm X and was there when he was murdered. She held his head as he layed dying. She met Malcolm in 1963 and joined his group the Organization for Afro-American Unity, to work for racial justice and human rights. She described herself as red, white, and blue as a child and didn’t know how bad racism was. But on the Sunday morning of December 7th, 1941 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor obviously the people she assimilated to changed around her. At home, FBI agents came and ordered her to get her father. He was ill and recently had ulcer surgery, but they made him put on his slippers and bathrobe and took him away. He was released six weeks later, and died a day after being released from custody. The following year Japanese Americans were removed from their homes and placed in concentration camps. When the war ended she was able to return to her home, but she had trouble finding a job. She saw that Japanese people were widely seen as the “enemy” at the time. Yuri did not became an activist until the 1960s when she moved to Harlem as a middle-aged homemaker with six children. Her husband’s salary was limited so the family moved to a housing project in Harlem. Surrounded by black neighbors she became involved in struggles to improve schools and to end job discrimination. In the 1970s she joined Japanese American activists who called for the redress of their internment during World War II. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 made an official apology and authorized payments of $20,000 to former internees. Let’s end this with a quote from her, “Keep expanding your horizon, decolonize your mind, and cross borders.” Respect to Ms. Kochiyama’s legacy and her place in the struggle.
Black History 365 | # 41 - John Brown
This is John Brown, the abolitionist. The fun fact about John Brown is that he is in fact a white man. But this white man really cared and dedicated his life to the liberation of black people. An extremely religious man he felt that he was an instrument of God. He also believed that violence was necessary to end American slavery since decades of peaceful efforts had failed. He was taken to jail, severely wounded in Charles Town, Virginia. He stood trial for treason against the commonwealth of Virginia for murder and for conspiring with slaves to rebel and was hung to death. In closing, anybody can be a true ally for black liberation. But as we know revolutionaries and activists rarely see the changes that they fight and commit their lives for. Respect and love to our allies and their legacies.