We must all acknowledge and treat the Shakur family as American royalty. This is Mutulu Shakur. Stepfather of Tupac Shakur — Dr. Mutulu Shakur was an acupuncturist, political theorist, & revolutionary. And after 37 years incarcerated as a political prisoner, Dr. Shakur spent just seven months free after his release in December of 2022 before he transitioned July 7th, 2023. As a part of several revolutionary movements, he became a target of the illegal Counterintelligence Program carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (COINTELPRO). This was a secret police strategy used in the U.S. starting in the 1960s to destroy and neutralize progressive and revolutionary organizations. Dr. Shakur has six biological children and several grandchildren who he maintains loving relationships with. He was an inspiration for many of the positive messages in his late adoptive son, Tupac’s, musical work. Dr. Shakur became a federal prisoner in 1986. The acts of which Dr. Shakur was convicted some thirty years ago were committed in the context of a movement seeking equal opportunities for Black people who, it is widely conceded, were suffering catastrophically from disenfranchisement, segregation, poverty and exclusion from many of the fundamental necessities that make life worth living. Dr. Shakur participated in civil rights, Black liberation and acupuncture healthcare all as part of movements of the late 1960s to the 1980s. Dr. Shakur received his tenth parole denial in March 2022. After being diagnosed with life-threatening bone cancer yet denied compassionate release, his lawsuit against the US Parole Commission and the Bureau of Prisons for unjust denials was expedited ultimately granting him a new hearing with the Parole Commission court-ordered to follow their own guidelines. He was finally released on parole on December 16, 2022. Rest in power.
Black History 365 | # 277 Pauli Murray
Peace to Pauli Murray, she was quite the pioneer. A lawyer, activist, scholar and priest. Pauli Murray was first in her class at Howard University Law school and the only woman. She is the first African American to earn a J.S.D. from Yale Law School and a co-founder of the National Organization for Women. She wore many hats and according to The Pauli Murray Center, she didn’t conform to biological sex. “Throughout the 1930s, Murray actively questioned his gender and sex. He repeatedly asked physicians for hormone therapy and exploratory surgery to investigate his reproductive organs, but he was denied gender-affirming medical care.” In 1965, Pauli became the first African-American to receive a JSD degree from Yale Law School. Murray’s accomplishments are abundant and extraordinary. Not only was Murray one of the first black women to practice law, in 1977, she became the first black female ordained priest in The Episcopal Church. Moreover, she was a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and advisor to presidents Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. In all regards, Pauli Murray was highly impressive and clearly ahead of her time. In fact, she was so ahead of her time that her importance often goes unrecognized and excluded from the popular narrative of the Civil Rights Movement. Salute!
Black History 365 | # 276 Jack Patterson
Meet Jack S. Patterson. In 1945, he became the first African-American hired by the Wisconsin Electic Railway and Transport Company (now known as MCTS). What an honor for them to be on the right(ish) side of history. Shoutout to Mr. Patterson and several others who were pioneers for this time, they really added true value to these companies. After working as a bus operator for 30 years he went on to train new bus operators for the next three years. He retired at age 65 in 1978. Salute!
Black History 365 | # 275 Terence "Bud" Crawford
The utmost respect is needed on Bud’s name. Salute to the legend! Crawford now is the unified super middleweight champion. He became the first male boxer to capture three unified division titles when he defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision. Crawford, who moved up two weight classes, went down to a knee even before the decision was announced and then wept after he was named the winner. Crawford was quoted as saying, “I was stronger. I punched harder…I felt like I was in control,” Crawford said. “I think he was trying to figure me out.” He couldn’t crack the code. Congrats to Terence Crawford.
Black History 365 | # 274 The Sears Catalogue & Jim Crow
Shoutout to Sears being on the mostly right side of history. There have been circulating stories about how Sears was revolutionary during the Jim Crow era. Now, be that as it may, we understand that the Sears company itself is not a revolutionary company nor has that been its business model. It’s a mail-order business — a retailer of general merchandise, tools, home appliances, clothing, and automotive parts and services. In fact, when shopkeepers resisted Sears’ entertaining all paying customers, they convinced their customers to burn the catalogs in public squares, and offered prizes for the most catalogs destroyed. Part of the resistance was economic, pushing back against the catalog’s threat to local businesses, but the racism of Jim Crow was also at work. In an attempt to discourage whites from using the catalog, shopkeepers told them that Sears was a black company, and that was why it sold by mail — to hide its black face. In response, Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck, the company’s founders, published photos to “prove” they were white. They were not anti-racist crusaders. Sears is not your savior. But, shoutout to them for appreciating the black dollar. That’s dope.