Celebrating Coretta Scott King with Dr. Barbara Reynolds

Dr. Barbara Reynolds of Black Women for Positive Change on Coretta Scott King - mother, organiser, campaigner, and widow of Dr. Martin Luther King.

See also:  "MLK on Why Black Is Beautiful".

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Black History: Lupita and the Warrior Women

Black History the Dora Milaje

People all over the world enjoyed the Black Panther movie. The film broke loads of box office records – and so it should have. As Lupita Nyong'o states, Black Panther was one of the highest-grossing films of all time.  I personally have seen it three times – so far. 
 

Black Panther featured the Dora Milaje – an army of women warriors whose responsibility it was to protect the King – the Black Panther.

These women were amazing – beautiful, fierce, brave – they showed incredible courage and skill.  Lupita Nyong'os character was not a member of the Dora Milaje - she played a spy who was also fierce and beautiful, and who also displayed some very impressive fighting. In the end, she put on the Dora Milaje armour and fought the battle for control of Wakanda.  

Last night, Lupita presented a programme on Channel 4 as part of their Black history season.  She discovered actual, historical African warrior women who had the job of protecting the King. It is online for the next 30 days, so I urge you to watch it if you have not done so already, or even if you have.  

Black History Walks gave a presentation last year about the historical basis of the Black Panther movie, in which Brother T. gave several examples of warrior women in Africa, who protected their monarchs.

In Dahomey, now known as Benin, Lupita discovered an historical army made up of thousands of women warriors - the Agoji.  The Agoji were press-ganged into serving, went through rigorous training and were required to obey the King.  They fought the European powers, particularly the French, who had invaded and occupied the area (and many other territories around the African continent).  

Although the knowledge about the existence of this female army is inspiring, we learned that they were also required by the King to invade other territories, notably the Yoruba territory in what is now Nigeria.  They abducted many men and women, and some of the women were enslaved in Dahomey.  Both men and women were also sold into Transatlantic slavery under the orders of the Kings.  Thus, it is also a shameful history.  

Again, watch it while it is still available online.   

Go here for more African history blogs.  

 

Black History: Break the Silence Congo Week 2014

Mutilated in Congo

In the 19th century, under the rule of King Leopold II, Congolese people were enslaved, forced to work in their own country, which had been turned into the king's private estate, and mutilated when they failed to meet the quotas that had been set for rubber extraction. 

For a fifth year, Black History Studies will take part in the Break the Silence Congo Week for Black History Month. 

The purpose of the Break the Silence Congo Week is to raise consciousness about the devastating situation in the Congo and mobilize support on behalf of the people of the Congo. 

Click here for details.  

For lots more Black history images, see:  African Images and Black History International on Pinterest. 

What Can We Learn from Our History?

The Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave has been criticised, by Samuel L. Jackson among others, for dwelling on the past rather than dealing with the present.  

But 12 Years a Slave tells us a great deal about the kinds of difficulties and challenges still faced by Black people, and Black communities.  Its clear and graphic portrayal of the violence and brutality inflicted on African people during slavery depict ways in which Black people have been mentally and emotionally scarred by the slavery experience, and by colonisation in Africa.  This continues to have long-term consequences for us and for our families and communities. 

The film may not tell us much that is new, but I suspect there are many people, particularly young people, who are not aware of the history depicted in this film.  Click here to read my review of 12 Years a Slave. 

Film Review: Long Walk to Freedom

Idris Elba as Mandela

I recently saw the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, loosely based on Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Mandela was obviously a world-renowned figure, but there was a time when he was all but forgotten. In the wake of Mandela's recent passing, this film celebrates his life and his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle.  

Long Walk to Freedom is a true African story of the heartbreak and devastation caused by the apartheid system, two people caught up in the fight against apartheid, and Mandela's long struggle which ended in triumph. 

Black Film: 83 Days

At a recent African Odysseys film event, we were privileged to view the trailer for 83 Days. 

George Stinney Jr. was a 14-year-old boy who was accused of murdering two white girls in South Carolina in 1944.  They had asked him where they could pick flowers and he had given them directions. 

A number of people were rounded up once the girls’ bodies were found, but they were all let go after George admitted he had seen the girls and given them  directions. 

George’s family were first taken out of the County, then out of the State.  So there he was, all alone, with no one to support or advise him.

The officials said he had confessed to the murder of these two girls, but they did not produce a confession.  When he was put on trial, his court-appointed lawyer was a tax attorney with no trial experience, who offered no defense.  There was no evidence against George, but he was convicted.   To this day, there is no transcript of the trial. 

So, at the age of 14, George Stinney Jr. became the youngest-ever person to be executed in the United States.  (However, we are still imprisoning children.) 

The producer, Ray Brown, said they had come up against opposition while researching this film.  As a result of their efforts,  George Stinney Jr. has now been pardoned.  

This is a story that needs to be told, and I am glad the film will be released next year.  Unfortunately, we need to remember that this was just one of a long line of State-sponsored murders of people of African heritage – and not just in the U.S.A. 

 Click here for more details of 83 Days.