African American History

A House in the Hamptons?: Historic Vacation Spots of the Black Elite

Michael Henry Adams | Posted 10.19.2009 | New York

Read More: Harlem, Theodore Roosevelt, Obama Martha's Vineyard, Moet & Chandon, Obama Vacation, Noel Harkin, Rockefellers, Rene Hunter, Obama, Henessey, African-American History, Vanderbilt, Lynn Whitfield, FREDI WASHINGTON, Villa Lewaro, South Hampton, Hamptons, Michael MC COLLOM, Newport, Elite, Astors, Irvington-on-Hudson, African Americans, Yachts, Boston, Earl Graves, Norma Jean Darden, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Dr. Norman Cotton, Susan Taylor, Baltimore, Diana Vreeland, Dr. Chester Redhead, Country House, Sag Harbor, New York, New York City, Thomas Downing, Steven Robinson, George T. Downing, Golf, Ronald K. Brown, Resort, Michelle Patterson, Evidence Dance Company, Madame C. J. Walker, Ruling Elite, Isabel Washington Powell, Roosevelt, Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, A'Lelia Walker, New York News
Michael Henry Adams

Some African-Americans, seemingly born under an auspicious star, apparently have always gathered to share their leisure pursuits with others who were similarly favored.

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Slavery, Abolition, Rebellion: A Reading List

Kenneth C. Davis | Posted 08.24.2009 | Living

Read More: African-American Issues, History Books, Pat Buchanan, African American History, Books, Slavery, Reading List, Skip Gates, Sally Hemings, Henry Louis Gates Arrested, Living News
Kenneth C. Davis

All of these books should provide some correctives to the deep misunderstanding -- or desperate ignorance -- of this extremely important chapter in American History.

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NYC Slavery Walking Tour

Sheryl McCarthy | Posted 08.13.2009 | New York

Read More: Slavery, History, New-York-History, Slave Trade, New York, American History, Financial District, New York City, City Hall, South Street Seaport, African-American History, New York News
Sheryl McCarthy

I bet few New Yorkers know about the role that the hideous institution of slavery played in shaping the city physically, financially and socially.

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Bill Cosby's "Bar Mitzvah" in Cleveland

Joel Brokaw | Posted 06.29.2009 | Living

Read More: African American History, Cleveland, Bill Cosby, Alan Schwartz, Bar Mitzvah, Inner City Schools, Schools, Living News
Joel Brokaw

I told Mr.Cosby I needed to attend the Bar Mitzvah of my best friend's son. "That's quite fitting that you'll be doing that at the same time as I'm speaking," he told me with a heartfelt intensity. "Because I'm going to Cleveland for the very same purpose."

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"Gay, or Straight, Black, or White: Love is Love, Right is Right!" Right?

Michael Henry Adams | Posted 06.18.2009 | Living

Read More: Civil Liberties, Lesbian, George W. Bush, Gays and Lesbians, Harry-Belafonte, African-American History, Clarence Thomas, Civil Rights, Edna Thomas, Gay Rights, Walter Nagel, Tiger Woods, Racism, Frederick Douglass, African-American Issues, Jasmyne Cannick, Sammy Davis Jr., Phillip Johnson, Pearl Bailey, Olivia Whyndham, Michael Bloomberg, Walter-White, Mildred Loving Interracial Marriage, Lena Horne, Interacial Relationships, Interacial-Sex, Interracial Marriage, Jimmie Daniels, Gays in the Military, Seal, Martin Luther King, Jack Johnson, Homophobia, California Gay Marriage Ban, Bayard Rustin, Gay Marriage, Gay Issues, Sidney Poitier, Living News
Michael Henry Adams

Many activist gays have readily embraced the notion that "Queers" are "today's African Americans," with marriage equality an issue comparable to earlier more bitter struggles for civil rights.

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John Hope Franklin: A Precious Black Orchid

Hermene Hartman | Posted 05.03.2009 | Chicago

Read More: John Hope Franklin, John Hope Franklin Books, African American Scholarship, Segregation, American History, Racism, African-American History, Chicago News
Hermene Hartman

While most scholars are content with conducting research, writing and lecturing, Franklin was quite the activist. He didn't just write about history, he lived it.

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Black Style Now? Shouldn't the Obamas Also Choose Black Designers?

Michael Henry Adams | Posted 03.19.2009 | Style

Read More: Black Designers, Paul Williams, African American History, Elizabeth Keckley, Vertner Tandy, Fashion, Race, Joe Louis, Malcolm Harris, Michelle Obama, Style News
Michael Henry Adams

Is the fact that the Obamas have so far passed over black tailors or dress designers a triviality? Or is it a crucial indicator of what's to come?

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A Promissory Note For the American Promise

Kit Gallant | Posted 02.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Politics, Obama Rhetoric, The American Promise, American History, American Dream, Obama Inauguration, Martin Luther King Jr., Political Economy, African-American History, Race, “I Have a Dream” Speech, Civil Rights, Barack Obama, Politics News
Kit Gallant

King argued that it was the distorted state of the most fundamental conception of American political and social economy that was, in and of itself, responsible for social and economic injustice.

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Historically Black Homophobia

Terrance Heath | Posted 12.07.2008 | Politics

Read More: Religion, Equality, California Gay Marriage, Education, Gay Rights, Proposition 8, Black Voters, LGBT Rights, Religion and Politics, Discrimination, California Gay Marriage Ban, African-American History, Civil Rights, Gay Marriage, Same-Sex Marriage, Marriage Equality, Politics News
Terrance Heath

Ed. Note: I plan on writing something about black voters, the passage of proposition 8 in California, and the discussion that has ensued about whether...

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Vote for Obama Because He's Black

Michelle Haimoff | Posted 09.20.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Elections, Equality, John McCain, Youth Vote, America, Independent Voters, Democracy, 2008 Presidential Campaign, African-American History, Barack Obama Race, Race, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama 2008, History, Historic Election, Voters, 2008 Presidential Race, Black, Election 2008, McCain 2008, African Americans, White Voters, Politics News
Michelle Haimoff

Here's the thing - people are going to vote against Obama because he's black. This is the country we live in. And I know, he's only half black, yadda...

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Ninety-nine and a Half Won't Do

Lapham's Quarterly | Posted 06.14.2008 | Politics

Read More: Barack Obama African American Voters, African-American History, Civil Rights, Reconstruction, Barack Obama, Politics News
Lapham's Quarterly

Obama's nomination is perhaps most starkly contrasted with the unbridled hatred encountered by African American politicians during the post-Civil War Reconstruction period between 1865 and 1877.

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Barack Obama, Race, and the Message of Change

Martin Carnoy | Posted 06.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: Change, Race in Politics, Obama Change, American History, Slavery, Founding Fathers, Barack Obama Race, African-American History, Barack Obama, Race Card, Politics News
Martin Carnoy

Anyone who is the least bit candid on this issue knows that race permeates many aspects of American society. Why wouldn't the race issue pervade the election of a black presidential nominee?

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