The poster had a feel-good aura about it. Maybe it was the bright yellows and reds and greens along with the brown-complexioned people encircling the proud image of an African American soldier neatly pressed for war.…
Tag: African Americans
Blacks in the West, Panthers’ banner, soldier’s letter
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Photos
The collection was awesome. Laid out in the glass case in front of me, the display of photos of African Americans who journeyed west in the late 1800s was both expansive and illustrative. The collection included…
Some time ago, I wrote a blog post about the Lane mini chests that furniture stores handed out to high school graduates. Lane started making them available in the 1930s with the hopes that these young women would…
“New Progress of a Race” book on black history
Posted in Black history, and Books
The book was partially hidden under other items on the auction table, but from the title, I instantly knew who – not what – it was about: “The New Progress of a Race.” It had…
I don’t know Frederick Holland Jr., have never met him. But I have a lime-green case with papers and photos from his years serving in the U.S. Army in the 1940s, enrolled in a beauty school, hanging out…
Portland, ME – a city full of surprises
Posted in Art, Black history, Culture, and travel
I was a bit giddy on this crisp Sunday morning, the air more fall than summer, as my travel buddy and I walked down a hill toward a restaurant on our first day in Portland, ME.…
Nostalgia: Destination Freedom radio program
Posted in Black history, civil rights movement, history, and Radio
Confronted by so many DVDs at a recent nostalgia convention, my friend Rebecca began looking for some Amos ‘n Andy recordings. She collects African American memorabilia, and a collection is not complete without a few…
It was a room full of black folks with, I’m sure, one collective thought: These white men looking down on us from their gold-framed pictures must be turning over in their graves. Not turning over just…
More than a year ago, two photos by Teenie Harris were up for sale at Swann Auction Galleries in New York. The photos slipped past me, because I didn’t know his name. One was a photo…