#anolifantneverforgets

Portrait of Rosa Parks, 1956 (Rosa Park Papers/Library of Congress)

The story of Rosa Parks’ heroism during The Civil Rights Movement is a well known one. Rosa’s refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, sparked laws to be lifted years later, enabling black people to sit where they chose.

The Library Of Congress is currently displaying a collection of rare, never-before-seen photos, letters and documents belonging to Parks, entitled Rosa Park Papers.

Here is a tiny taste of what you’ll find in the collection.

Rosa Parks at a party honoring Sallye Davis, Angela Davis’ mother, 1970 (Rosa Park Papers/Library Of Congress)

Rosa Parks standing next to tropical plants, 1970 (Rosa Parks Papers/Library Of Congress)

Rosa, Carolyn James, & Sandra at Eric’s wedding, Gulfport Mississippi, 1994 (Rosa Parks Papers/Library Of Congress)

Rosa Parks & U.S. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. picketing in front of General Motors Corporate Headquarters, Detroit Michigan, 1986 (Rosa Parks Papers/Library Of Congress)

Rosa Parks at a hair salon in Miami, 1986 (Rosa Parks Papers/ Library Of Congress)

Rosa Parks with her mother, Leona McCauley, 1972 (Rosa Parks Papers/Library Of Congress)

Pictured above is the Higdon family. This photograph was taken in the year 1898 in Britain. That is all we know about them.

Who were the Black Victorians? Mainstream history has virtually erased them from our minds and history books. We have been filled with images of slavery in America and across the world, but why is it that this chapter in black history was skipped? Why isn’t it equally common knowledge that in the midst of all of that darkness there was light, also.

Never before seen photos were uncovered, giving us over 200 images of glances into our past. Many of the photos did not include names or any details whatsoever, cloaking these people in mystery for all of time.

At one point in history, people of color were included in high society and walked the cobbled streets of Britain. The women wore intricate, voluminous gowns and wore their hair in curls and chignons. The men in suits and fair business. This may not have been the case for all black people in Britain, but for some it was. 

The Victorian Era was ruled under Queen Victoria, an era that is described as an opulent culture, although there were underlying bouts of poverty and child labor. History would like you to believe that black people didn’t arrive in Britain until 1948 during “The Empire Windrush”, when many Jamaican descendants entered the country, but that is not so. There has been proof to suggest otherwise. There is documentation that proves that it wasn’t uncommon to see black faces at a Shakespeare show. We’ve been there all along, humming softly in the background.

These images prove that you can’t take mainstream history at face value. Take the time to look behind the curtain and uncover OUR history. It’s as if our ancestors are just waiting for us to seek them out.

Who were the Black Victorians?

To see more of these images check out this video reel. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08mwrYUzPqI

On February 2, 1992 Michael Jackson gave us the gift of the Remember The Time music video. The single catapulted off of the singer’s 4th solo studio album Dangerous and into our television sets via BET, MTV and FOX simultaneously. The video also inspired documentaries showing us all of the behind-the-scenes glory. Instantly, we all were hooked.

The 9-minute production was directed by John Singleton and choreographed by Fatima Robinson. Michael takes you on a fast paced journey through ancient Egypt with lots of magic and cameos to spare. You’ll see plenty of familiar faces such as Eddie Murphy, Iman, and The Pharcyde to name a few. Plus, the wardrobe had every kid dressed as a Pharaoh for Halloween. 

It was a game changer. Remember The Time is also one of the few huge productions that portrayed Egyptians as they should be...black. Hollywood has had a habit of white-washing cultures that never belonged to them and here Michael set the record straight. 

And more than anything it’s the jam. Enjoy.

Gordon Parks: Segregation Story is a collection of 40 very rare photographs from Gordon Parks’ Life magazine article. Parks documented an extended African-American family living in segregated Mobile, Alabama during the Jim Crow era.

The photographs are a beautiful and somewhat nostalgic experience, in a sense that they remind us of our own family members, but also are a reminder of our painful history in this country. 

February has always been a month where we take a glimpse into our past to better understand and appreciate where we are today. This collection of photographs do just that. 

Pieces of the collection are currently on display at the Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago, Illinois through February 20th, 2016. To see the digital archive online visit The Gordon Parks Foundation site at 

After teasing all of us with a “secret project”, Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross dropped this beautiful visual. In the video Tracee pays homage to her superstar mother Diana Ross.

Tracee moves and grooves along to Diana Ross’s 1981 single “Work That Body” and we can’t help but wonder if some of those body suits are from Diana’s personal stash. 

Tracee shared the video via her blog http://traceeellisross.com along with the following message. 

“I was watching and thinking: why does watching this woman dancing around in barely any clothes with her tush to the camera make me feel joyful and empowered when the same kind of image in most music videos today doesn’t give me that feeling? I know this is my mom… so obviously I’m projecting a connection and I know it was a different time, it was the 80’s. But still, it didn’t feel like she was dancing as a presentation of herself or like she was offering up her bits, which I feel like most videos are these days. Often in today’s images (moving and still), we are being objectified or we objectifying ourselves. I think it is meant to be an empowered act, a reclaiming of our bodies. But that is not always what it feels like to me. I am not intending to judge, just exploring with curiosity.”

“And then it hit me: My mom felt whole and connected …and in her body in this video. I have spoken before about encouraging women to shift our gaze from how we are seen to how we are seeing and, more important, feeling. And I saw a woman feeling joyful in herself as a whole being; she didn’t seem to be presenting her ass or saying look at all the ways I can make myself look appealing to YOU. She seems to be saying, “this is ME feeling good and I am strong and sexy and joyful in ME”!”