View of staff behind the counter of Dr. B’s Caribbean Restaurant, set up by Doctor Barnado’s, the young people’s charity. Have a great week, everyone#librariesfromhome pic.twitter.com/C1oCr0AkM6. Though hesitant, Baker did eventually perform in the U.S. again and found the racial climate so different and so much more inviting, it made her weep on stage. Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. By archiving the tweets, we hope to begin building a directory of useful resources for anyone beginning or continuing research into Black History in Leeds. A groundbreaking feminist, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw was a key figure in the development of intersectionality to feminism in the 1980s and 1990s. Contact us on 0113 37 86982 or via [email protected] with any comments. Black History Month should be acknowledged every day of the year. A brilliant woman and inspiring feminist, Crenshaw is a woman to watch. You can't mention notable African American women without mentioning Rosa Parks (1913-2005), the "first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement." An outspoken women's activist and the "godmother of Civil Rights," Height made it her life's work to gain equality for black women after she was denied entrance to college because of her race and gender. Black History Month reflects on and honors the African-American experience from the times of slavery through the present. Angela Davis (1944) may be in her 70s, but her work as a political activist, scholar, educator, and author is far from over. Born from humble beginnings in St. Louis, Baker started out as a member of the Jones Family Band and the Dixie Steppers, and eventually made her way to the stage as a chorus girl in Shuffle Along.

As the US and Canada kick off the first Black History Month of 2016, why does it happen, and what exactly is it? Famously quoted as saying "My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders," Ella Baker (1903-1986) was a prominent civil rights leader in the 1930s whose role was mostly behind the scenes. President of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades, Dorothy Height (1912-2010) dedicated her life to helping African American women in every way she could. A tireless voting rights activist and civil rights leader, Hamer was an integral part of the Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a campaign in 1964 whose aim it was to register as many African American voters as possible in the state, as well as a key member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which she eventually became the Vice-Chair of and even represented at the National Democratic Convention in 1964. Please follow the Leeds Libraries Twitter account to see those tweets in real-time and for more Black History Month content. How Did Black History Month Begin? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. You probably know her as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, but Hattie McDaniel is more than her highly criticized role in the 1939 film. While in France, she helped with the war efforts during WWII, performing for troops, acting as a correspondent for the French Resistance, and serving as a sub-lieutenant in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. During this period, Baker started adopting what would eventually be 12 children, whom she referred to as her "Rainbow Tribe," proving people of all different races, religions, and backgrounds could live together in harmony. When she died, her body was carried to Washington, D.C., on a bus like the one she protested on, and was laid to rest in the rotunda of the Capitol, where she was the first woman and second black person to be given the honor. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Each week will have a different theme – Research, Events, Social Justice, Windrush and the People of Leeds.

More than just a civil rights activist, Davis has been involved in the feminist movement, prisoner rights, and social justice. During October the majority of our content on the Secret Library blog will focus on Black History Month, including links to relevant resources held at the Central Library and signposting to external organisations, most specifically relating to Leeds, its history and heritage.
The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog, Manuscript of John Lucas’ Memoranda Book (c.1712-1750), Liber Judiciarius: Dooms-Day Book for the County of York (1748), The Annotated Ducatus Leodiensis (c.1745), The First and Second Decree of the Committee of Pious-Uses in Leedes, The 1868 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION for Leeds, The 1874 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION for Leeds, The 1876 PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTION for Leeds, The 1880 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION for Leeds, The WING Collection (English Civil War Tracts), The GLEDHOW HALL HOSPITAL SCRAPBOOK (1915-1919), Oswald Mosley and Leeds - The Battle of Holbeck Moor 27th September 1936, So Palatial a Structure: The Grand Hotel Scarborough and Cuthbert Brodrick, Back-to-Back Houses and their Communities, Black History Month: A Brief History of the African-Caribbean Community in Leeds, Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens: A Brief History. The restaurant proved very popular for its traditional dishes of Caribbean chicken, steamed fish with cornmeal, stuffed cheese aubergine, served with gunga peas and rice, leaks, plantain and roast potatoes. Leeds’ Black History We know that our collections and our content output do not fully reflect the diversity of experience in our city; this is our starting point, but we know we have much further to go before we can begin to say that our local historical output is truly decolonised. Each week will have a different theme - Research, Events, Social Justice, Windrush and… He may be the most common part of the lesson plan in classrooms across the country, but the truth is the seeds of Black History Month were planted in 1926, when Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History founded Negro History Week, before Dr. King was even born. An influential member of the radical counterculture movement of the 1960s and former member of the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party, Davis has never been afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in, no matter how controversial, which has gotten her in trouble more than once. As a scholar of critical race theory, executive director of the African American Policy Forum, and professor of law at Columbia University and UCLA, Crenshaw's work is focused on the intersection of law and gender and racial discrimination, but she frequently writes about the immediate need for intersectionality to be a focus of modern feminism. Check out Bustle on YouTube. My niece is in kindergarten, and when I asked her if she was learning about Black History Month in school, she told me that her class was doing a project on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She listed the books they were reading and the speech they had listened too, but when I asked her what other people she had learned about in school, she gave me a classic six-year-old stare, and I realized she didn't know about all of the amazing women to be celebrated during Black History Month. From activists to authors to politicians, there are so many women whose lives and contributions should be included in the celebration of Black History Month, but for kindergartners and adults alike, those women are usually overlooked. Much of the content will take the form of an archive of tweets on the same theme delivered during our Local and Family History department’s weekly Thursday thread on Twitter.

A dedicated civil servant committed to improving the lives of the poor minorities in her state, Hamer has rightfully earned her spot in the National Women's Hall of Fame. Did you know we run Family History workshops? The successful scheme continues today with approximately 70% of the young people trained finding work in the catering industry. An activist, journalist, publisher of the Arkansas State Press, and lecturer, Bates played a key part in the Little Rock Integration Crisis in 1957 as an outspoken supporter and guide for the black students who were trying to enroll in the Arkansas public schools with white students. The first black woman to win an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress, she was also the first African American woman on the radio. Next week, we'll be once again focusing on #BlackHistoryMonth, taking a look at important events, both past and present. The image on the left is (c) Leeds Libraries, http://www.leodis.net and shows: December 1989. From fearless political activists to groundbreaking feminists, here are 13 women you should be celebrating for Black History Month, in case you need more reasons to appreciate this February. The 36 seater venue provided young people with City and Guilds, Caterbase Hotel and Catering Training Board qualifications over two years, and they were paid YTS training allowances. A true inspiration for black Americans and women everywhere, Walker's accomplishments are astounding, especially considering she did it all decades before women's suffrage and the Civil Rights movement. After her tragic death in a plane-related accident in 1926, black and female pilots nationwide began honoring Coleman with an annual fly-over tribute above her grave site.

Despite her disabilities and paralysis, Maggie Lena Walker (1864-1934) didn't let anything stop her from becoming a true leader. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account.
The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. She mentored the children who became known as the Little Rock Nine and refused to give up on the idea of desegregation and education for all, despite the many threats made against her. The son of former slaves, Woodson spent his … All rights reserved. Choosing a Person to Research. From fearless political activists to groundbreaking feminists, here are 13 women you should be celebrating for Black History Month, in case you need more reasons to appreciate this February.