Haile Selassie was the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He brought Ethiopia into the League of Nations and the United Nations and made the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa the center for Organization of African Unity (now known as African Union). He sought to help his people and increase the authority of the central government. He was forced into exile May 1935 when Italy invaded Ethiopia. He appealed for help from the League of Nations in a memorable speech and secured British assistance in forming an army with Ethiopian exiles in Sudan. In January 1941 they recaptured the capital and he was reinstated as emperor. He is the inspiration behind Rastafari where Jamaicans hold the belief that black people are a chosen people and that Selassie was the Messiah. It is also said that Nipsey Hussle (Ermias Asghedom) is a descendant of Haile Selassie. Crazy!
Black History 365 | # 95 Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)
Did you know the “Day-O” song with the lyrics “daylight come and me wanna go home” was a song Jamaican dock workers would sing working night shifts loading bananas onto ships. It was extremely hard slave labour even though the version of the song we know seems joyous and lively. It was made famous by Harry Belafonte who is a huge part of black history but that’s the origin of the song, puts it in serious context!
Black History 365 | # 94 Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jemison joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 1987 was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, during which she orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12–20, 1992.
Black History 365 | # 93 Louis Armstrong
Did you know a Jewish immigrant family helped Louis Armstrong buy his first horn? He dropped out of school and worked as a delivery boy for them. They started feeding him and eventually provided him with a bed while unofficially adopting him. He was known for wearing a necklace with the star of david on it.
Black History 365 | # 91 Richardson Viano
Did you know that a 19-year-old Haitian athlete, Richardson Viano was the sole representative of Haiti at the 2022 Winter Olympics? In fact he is the first Haitian Winter Olympian. Richardson was born in Haiti and was adopted by French-Italian couple Andrea Viano and Silvia Grosso-Viano from an orphanage along with two girls, Bellandine and Natacha. Richardson was introduced to skiing by his family via an instructor. He is 21 years old.