Legendary Black History: Whitney Houston

On February 11, 2012 the world lost one of its greatest voices. Whitney Elizabeth Houston began what would be one of the greatest entertainment careers of all time singing alongside her mother Cissy Houston. She was soon discovered and began modeling, gracing the pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and was one of the first women of color to land the cover of Seventeen.  She recorded vocals on a number of albums for a host of artists before releasing her first solo project Whitney Houston in 1985. She’s been in the game WELL over 30 years y’all. Over the course of her seven album musical career and work on soundtracks, Whitney Houston has won over 415 awards including 6 Grammy’s, 2 Emmy’s, 22 American Music Awards and 30 Billboard Music Awards. Sit on that for a minute.

One On One With Chris Classic

  I guess it was over a year ago I got put on to some good music (soon to be shared in W.I.L.T.W.I.I.Y.).  I thought I was on to something new, but apparently, tardy to the party yet again.  Anywho, that didn’t change the fact that I had it on repeat, and was and still is a staple for my gym motivation (whenever I do decide to grace them with my presence). Over a year later, a few meet and greets at some really great events and I’m still listening to Chris Classic.

Welcome To The DreamCatcher Series

If you don’t know already, I’m a dreamer.  I’ve always been one of those people who’ve had grandiose ideas and lavish plans for some new idea.  I’ve embarked on many and given up on quite a few as well.  But unlike love, one failed venture doesn’t scare me from embarking onto the next.  My dreams feed me.  They nourish my soul and my intellect.  How can this idea be better than the last?  How will this plan keep my interest?  Who can I help with this idea?  The list only grows.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen how surrounding myself with progressive people and forward thinking ideas has become more of a priority of mine.  Inspiration and awe are great feelings!  When was the last time you were inspired? When was the last time you were REALLY proud of the accomplishment(s) of one of your friends?  I love those feelings and I don’t want them to ever dissipate. I’ve learned also as I’ve gotten older that the easiest way for something to get done is for you to do it yourself.  Why sit and wait for inspiration to come to me? It’s way more fun to go out and find it.  There are so many people and ideas in this world and the internet just makes them that much easier to be exposed to.  Many of us have can remember that first day we got the internet in our homes (I know I do.  I also remember asking my dad when it would finally happen everyday for like a week before it did lol).  Since that day, it’s been a match made in heaven lol. Anyway, I say all this to say, the internet has exposed me to even more amazing people than I already know in real life, and I’d like to share that with you.  Welcome to the DreamCatcher Series.  Here you’ll find interviews, contests and giveaways featuring people and products I’ve come across that inspire me.  Like the threads of a dreamcatcher’s web, these amazing men and women are weaving their dreams into beautiful works of art, one idea at a time.  Accomplishing one goal doesn’t mean you’re done, it means you’re ready for bigger and better things.  Join me as I pick the minds of men and women who are doing what I want to do; living their dreams.

Forgotten Black History – Black Wall Street: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921

I came across the video below on YouTube. It’s pretty long, but and easy watch and very informative.  It’s a combination of two relatively short documentaries (about 45 mins or so each), but has a few minuets of added footage before each. The first six minuets is a really moving montage of truly heartbreaking pictures, mostly of lynchings, old pictures and documents. It’s so easy to forget your history when so much of it’s ignored and covered up.

Just so you know what you’re getting into, The Tulsa Race Riot essentially was the destruction of the entire town of Greenwood, overnight. Greenwood was the most prosperous African American town in the nation at the time. There were around 11,000 residents with over 100 black owned businesses, 15 of which were doctors offices.  The devastation of course lasted longer, but it began and ended with a lie. Nineteen year old Dick Rowland was accused of attacking a white woman, Sarah Paige. I’ve found at least three or four different accounts as to the incident and it’s following accusations, but the catalyst of the riot was the printing in a local paper, The Tulsa Tribune, calling for the lynching of Rowland because of the incident (mind you, all accounts I’ve found attest to no harm being done to Paige, nor any intentional contact with her on Rowland’s behalf).

Following the tensions that arose after Rowland’s arrest, the entire town of Greenwood was destroyed.  Businesses and homes were looted then burned and innocent people were opened fire upon often by machine guns as they tried to escape. Survivors were forced into detention areas with nothing but what was on their backs and were confined there until they were “vouched for” by a white person. The actual death toll is unknown. The most common number I’ve come across has been around 300, which seems to also have been supported by the Red Cross. “Official” death tolls reported 36. It’s common knowledge among historians that this piece of history has been buried and covered up.

Certified History: Garrett A. Morgan

So, anyone who’s had my mama as a teacher knows who Garrett A. Morgan is. For those of you unfortunate enough to miss out on having the world’s greatest kindergarten teacher, I’ll give you a brief introduction. The son of former slaves, he invented what we now know to be the gas mask as well as the traffic signal. Of course he didn’t invent the models that we now use, but his inventions are the great, great granddaddies of the two.

Upon further investigation (God bless Google) I also learned that my man Garrett paid for a tutor as a teen. Check it out. He left home (Paris, Kentucky) to find work (in Cincinnati, Ohio) like many teenagers of his time. He went on to work as a handyman for a wealthy land owner and couldn’t continue to attend school. Garrett Augustus Morgan took it upon himself to hire a tutor so that he could continue his education. How bout that? And kids today can’t manage to do absolutely nothing but go to school. Where did we go wrong America? But there’s more….

Not only was Garrett Morgan an inventor, he was also an entrepreneur. This, I didn’t learn in kindergarten. He was well known in his town for being very handy and especially good at fixing sewing machines. This of course turned into many opportunities for the ambitious Morgan. In 1907 he opened his own sewing machine and shoe repair shop which grew to include a tailoring shop with a host of employees by 1909. Incidentally enough, while experimenting with a liquid that coated the sewing needles so they didn’t damage the materiels, he discovered that the liquid straightened hair as well. He made it into a cream, and boom. G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company.