Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The First Black Child in Her White School

You may have heard of Ruby Bridges.  At the age of six, she single-handedly integrated her all-white school in New Orleans.  Single-handedly, but with help.  On her first day of school, she was met by an angry white mob.  

That was in 1960.  In this NPR piece, Bridges describes the loneliness she experienced because she never saw another child in the school.  She found out later that the white children were being hidden.  She also talks about her white teacher, Mrs. Henry, who advocated for her.  Go here to listen.  


Go here for lots more Black history blogs.  

How much do you know about Ruby Bridges and/or desegregation?  Please leave your comments below.  





Monday, February 05, 2024

Review of Black History Walks in London Volume 1 by Tony Warner

If you think you know Black history, you may need to have a re-think. There is always more for us to learn.  Brother Tony Warner’s talks are always jam-packed full of information, and he updates them so that each time he gives any given  presentation, it’s never the same.  Like his talks, this book is loaded with information and fascinating facts.  

I have attended these talks for many years and I was very excited to learn that Black History Walks in London Volume I had been published. Holding it is like holding history in my hand. This is a very strong experience. 

If you are a parent, a teacher or educator, a Black history buff or just someone who wants to increase your knowledge about Black history, you need this book. And Brother Tony’s work makes it clear that Black history is world history.

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com

 

If you buy it from one of these links, I will gain a small commission.

In addition to the many Black history talks by Brother Tony Warner which I have attended   over the years, I have also attended many of the African Odysseys films he helps to curate at London’s Southbank Centre. I have thoroughly enjoyed loads of them, although some were very challenging because of the subject matter.

Brother Tony's presentations are always packed full of useful and intriguing factual information.  He is making Black history accessible to us through his detailed research and his presentations, which are always very engaging.  His work, although London-based, gives a global perspective on Black history.

Go here for my recent conversation with Brother Tony Warner.

Like his talks, Black History Walks in London Volume I very much reflects Brother Tony’s ongoing commitment to seeking out, researching and sharing detailed Black history information. In other words, he is a griot.

Brother Tony’s work deals with slavery, pre-slavery and post-slavery issues in Africa, the Caribbean, and all of the Americas, as well as London, Britain and Europe.

Of particular interest is his section on the Second World War, which he covers from several angles. Again, it contains loads of useful and fascinating factual information.

For example, did you know that.during the Second World War, German submarines targeted the waters around the Caribbean?   Or that Trinidad was home to the largest oil refinery in the British Empire? 

Or that, during the First World War, Black troops from the Caribbean were put into cold accommodation and made to stack boxes, while German POWs - the enemy - were housed in heated rooms?  

Or that, in 1919, Black troops in Washington, D.C. fought against mobs of racist white sailors who were attacking Black people?  

If you want to know more, buy the book today. It will also make a great present for the holidays or anytime. As we know, every month is Black History Month. Bring your copy along to the next Black history walk or talk and get it signed by the author (he has already signed mine).  

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com

Go here for my blog post about Black soldiers in the First World War

Go here for lots more Black history blog posts.  

What interests you the most about Black history? Please comment below and please share this blog post with your networks. Thanks for your help.  




Monday, January 08, 2024

Raise Finance for Your Business


I have recently been interviewing entrepreneurs who can help you to raise finance for your business.  

If this is of interest to you, go here for my conversation with Steve Mosley.  Not just a tax consulltant, Steve is offering loads of services that can help your business.  He can help you raise finance.  

And go here for my conversation with business expert Stacey Wilkinson.  Again, she can help you to raise finance for your business.  

For more about how you can grow your business, my Kindle ebook Affirmations for Business can help.  It includes an interview with Stacey.  You can download it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.  And if you are an Amazon Associate, you can sell it to earn a litle money.  

Here are some more of my Amazon Kindle books which you can sell.  

Have a great day!  Please leave your comments and questions below.  Thanks.  What is your best strategy for building your business?  



Tuesday, November 21, 2023

African-American Man Convinces Klansmen to Leave the KKK through Friendship

 

 

My Buddhist teacher, the Venerable Urgyen Sangharakshita, has said that anyone can be friends with anyone, that this is his religion and that he would rather die than give it up.  

This may well be true, but I don'r necessarily think this is a good thing.  I have strong feelings about explaining racism to white people.  And yet, I find this story very inspiring.  This is challenging some of my opinions, assumptions and views. 

An African American man by the name of Daryl Davis decided he wanted to go along to Klan rallies and meetings, befriend Klan members and teach them not to be racist.  So he did.  

Unlike Ron Stallworth, the person Spike Lee focused on in his film BlackkKlansman, it was not his job.  He was not an undercover police officer.  He was just someone who wanted to make a difference. 

I personally would not have seen the point in doing this.  But Davis states that 200 Klan members have left the Klan as a direct result of his befriending them.  Food for thought.  As I say, I find this truly inspiring. 

This just goes to show that anyone can make a difference.  One person can make a huge difference. 

It's amazing what communication can do.  Go here for more about Nonviolent Communication (NVC).  This is not to say that Daryl Davis uses NVC.  But what he is doing clearly works.  

What are your thoughts?  Please post below.  

See also:  The Black Man Who Attends Klan Rallies

 




Friday, October 13, 2023

Success Strategies with Zhana: Black History Month and the Month of Nonviolence

Unfortunately, this is a very, very sad time.  I am beginning the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence on a tragic note, once again.  

My guests on today's show were Dr. Lynne Muhammad, founder of the STREAM Labs, and Pastor Charetta Hodge, who is on the ministerial staff of Christhood International Ministries of St. Louis.  Both of my guests attended the recent HWPL Peace Summit in South Korea, as did my Executive Producer Naimah Latif.  

TRIGGER WARNING:  We talked about two extremely violent incidents which recently occurred in South London, and strategies for preventing these types of attacks in future. 

Go here to listen.  

To correct what was said there, 15-year-old Elianne Andam was killed when she intervened in an attack on a friend of hers by the friend's ex. 

Go here for a blog post on domestic violence.  

Go here for my conversation with Mercy Makinde on her experience of escapiing domestic violence.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2023.  

October is Black History Month here in the UK. And it is also the annual Month of Nonviolence which is held by Black Women for Positive Change, and is open to EVERYONE. And that means this is month is the annual Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence. So stay tuned for all the blogs I’ll be publishing this month.  The link for the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2023 is above.

 What are your thoughts?  Please share this with your networks and please comment below.   

Monday, September 11, 2023

The KKK in Colorado

 

According to this short film, the Ku Klux Klan have infiltrated all areas of public life in Colorado, including politics, education and health.  This has been going on for many years.  Who knew?

Far-right white supremacist groups are on the rise in the U.S.A.  

While it is important to be aware of this, it is more important for us to dwell on the positives.  The Law of Increase states that whatever we dwell on increases.  Whatever we focus on expands.  Therefore, we need to focus on our own power.  

Those of us who are conscious frequently dwell on the negatives, on our history, which is full of trauma and has been for the past 500 years.  But we are a glorious people.  Our history need not define us or our future. 

The world reflects our thoughts, feelings and emotions.  If we dwell on the positives and what we are striving to achieve, nothing and no one can hold us back.  

See also:  How to Get the Results We Want.  

Please share this with your networks.  

What are you focusing on right now - the negatives or the positives?  Please post below.  





Friday, August 25, 2023

The Black History of Oppenheimer

The recent film Oppenheimer is guilty of one crucial omission:  the involvement of people of the Congo in the development of the atomic bomb.  

As is well known, the Congolese were forced to harvest rubber after the country was made the private estate of King Leopold of Belgium.  They were subjected to amputations if they failed to meet their quotas, as well as other horrific punishments.  I talked about this history here.  

What is probably less known is that the Congolese were also used to mine the uranium which Oppenheimer used to create the first atomic bombs. The highest quality uranium in the world came from Congo.  This was a top-secret operations in which the workers were exploited.  

As the author says, "I kept seeing what was missing: Black miners hauling earth and stone to sort piles of radioactive ore by hand".    Go here to read more

Go here for more African history blog posts.  

Were you aware of the role Congo played in the creation of the atomic first bomb?  Please comment below, and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.