Midnight Chatter...

The name was created because those who are descendants of the enslaved typically cannot identify ethnically with their ancestors. The enslaved West Africans that were forced here came from various lands and varied ethnically, linguistically, culturally. African American specifies those who have historically been in the US for hundreds of years.

Ethnicity is based on commonality of national origin, language/dialect, ancestors, homeland, history, food, and other traditions.

For instance, Haitian (nationality) can also be considered an ethnic group just as Italian-Haitians, Syrian Haitians, Chinese -Haitians. They are all ethnic groups. 

African American and Gullah a specific ethnic groups in the US.

Being Black in the US doesn’t equate to African American because not everyone considered to be “Black” in the US can identify with African American history, traditions, language, culture, beliefs, cuisine, etc.

For instance, Ghanaian immigrants and their children will be considered Black in the US, however they are still ethnically Ghanaian (For instance Akan or Ewe). Haitian immigrants and their children will be considered Black in the US however they are ethnically Haitian.

If I were to move and have children in Ghana, nationality wise my children would be Ghanaian, ethnically they would still be African American.

(I hope I explained that well)

African American is an ethnic group

Igbo is an ethnic group

Akan is an ethnic group

Wolof is an ethnic group

Haitian (can be a nationality as well) is an an ethnic group

Hmong is an ethnic group

Miss Africa USA 2014 contestants

" The Miss Africa USA Pageant is grooming a new generation of African women leaders to impact their communities in Africa, America and the rest of the world.

The Pageant enables  African  girls in America to shine the spotlight on Africa, tell their stories to the world,  inspire one another, build self esteem, and feel beautiful inside and out. This pageant is like no other, the delegates are very intelligent young women from some of the most respected educational institutions in North America, with careers spanning from the Sciences to the Arts, some in Medical School or Pharmacy School, others are upcoming Journalists or Human Rights Activists and more. “

Did that make him any less manly? Hell nawl. He still blew my back out and made me pancakes in the morning. Sheeeiiiit.

a woman’s hair can be a very intimate space 

Watching her cry and talk about how she’d had enough of white housemates taunt her, call her “Sheniqua” and tell her that she was about to “get black” and flip her mattress off of the box-spring, throw her belongings to the ground, and three of them at the same time bully her until she almost got to the point of getting violent because she’d had enough and felt so threatened. A black man who’d grown up in the south knew better than to leave her in that situation he had to physically pick her up and take her out of the room.

Had to be carried to the Have Not room, a room known basically as the punishment room. A room that most of this season has been dominated by POC and minorities that the rest of the house deemed “unworthy” or just didn’t like to be calmed down. He had to talk her down, telling her that if there was one person in the house he was going out protecting it would be her, his fellow black woman. He’d gladly throw away money to protect her and make sure no one did something to her. He told her he’d give up a bed so she could sleep in it and not have to worry about those girls. She’d said she was tired of this behavior and the comments and why should they have to back down, that they should retaliate, that they shouldn’t be weak.

She was Malcolm X in the situations while he was preaching to her like Martin Luther King Jr.

He said they had to act better than them because all eyes were on them, they had to stay calm. And thats when she broke down and cried and sobbed in his arms, while he was barely able to control his anger towards that side of the house for doing that to her. They both sat their in tears, praying to God to give them the strength to get through the rest of this competition without blowing up.

They had to decide to back down against the enemy instead of give them a taste of their own medicine. They decided to be better than that situation, I applaud them for being so strong.

Protesters Block Bus Carrying Immigrants 

A Riverside County town greeted a group of undocumented immigrants transferred into the city Tuesday by blocking the road to prevent the federal bus carrying them from entering a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.

Girls&WomenToKnow: Leanna Archer

Meet Lenna Archer, who started her Leanna Inc. a haircare line at This Long 9 years old. Leanna all nautral organic hair products has generated over $ $100,000 in revenue. Leana develops and mixes each of her products (the original hair dressing was based on a family formula), and tracks orders and customer correspondence. Her parents and two brothers assist in bookkeeping, packaging, and product testing. The company sells its shampoos, conditioners, shea butter, and other products both in stores and online. 

Leanna is a philanthropist as well in 2008 she founded the Leanna Archer Education Foundation, an organization devoted to providing better opportunities for children in Haiti. Leanna’s goal is to build schools in Haiti, while providing a Safe learning environment for over 150 students.

Peter Lely

Portrait of Elizabeth Murray

England (c. 1650)

Oil on canvas, 124 x 119 cm

ALL. THE. TIME.

Level 1: People of Color from Medieval, Renaissance, and other Early Modern European works were often literally painted over in later decades or centuries.

For example: In this painting, Giulia de’Medici (the child) was painted over in the 19th century:

Level 2: It was very fashionable in a lot of 17th and 18th century paintings to have a Black servant featured in portraits of very important historical figures from European History.

Honestly? They’re practically ubiquitous. A lot of the very famous paintings you’ve seen of European and American historical figures have a Black servant in them that have been cropped out or painted over.

Those silly stock photos from your American History Professor’s Powerpoint?

Your Professor’s PowerPoint for “George Washington”:

The actual painting:

Your professor’s Powerpoint on Jean Chardin:

The actual painting:

PowerPoint on Maria Henriette Stuart (with some commentary about the Habsburg jaw):

Actual Painting:

But, because of whitewashed history curricula, teachers and professors continue to use the cropped images because they don’t want their lecture to get “derailed” by a discussion about race.

These images are also more commonly seen on stock photo sites, including ones for academic use.

I honestly can’t find anyone really writing about this, or even any analysis on how often the cropped photos are used.

The reason they are so easy to crop out is because of the the artistic conventions which reflect the power hierarchy:

Oil paintings of aristocratic families from this period make the point clearly. Artists routinely positioned black people on the edges or at the rear of their canvasses, from where they gaze wonderingly at their masters and mistresses. In order to reveal a ‘hierarchy of power relationships’, they were often placed next to dogs and other domestic animals, with whom they shared, according to the art critic and novelist David Dabydeen, ‘more or less the same status’. Their humanity effaced, they exist in these pictures as solitary mutes, aesthetic foils to their owners’ economic fortunes.

This is drastically oversimplified, but at least it addresses it directly.

It’s also worth mentioning that part of why I focus on Europe-which is a subject of some valid criticism, considering how little time is usually spent on non-Western cultures in history related classes-is because what MUST be included in U.S. world history education by high schools and colleges is according to strict guidelines that are Eurocentric and/or Western-centric.

Educators  are often working under pretty strict conditions about what they HAVE to teach you. It’s my hope that by providing a lot of specific examples from eras and artists, professors and high school teachers will be able to make their powerpoints and handouts more representative of the people in the classroom and still stay within the dictates of their department or institution.