A salute, 70 years overdue.
Commentary by Black Kos Editor Denise Oliver Velez
Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 27th, in the Capitol Rotunda, the first black men who served in the Marine Corps will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Many of you are already familiar with the Tuskegee Airmen, whose stories have been well documented lately, and I hope that this honor will serve to focus more attention on the historical role of blacks in other branches of military service.
First Black Marines to Receive Congressional Gold Medal
The Tuskegee Airmen, African-American pilots who fought during World War II, were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. The legislation to honor the Montford Marines was introduced by Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL) in the House last July. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) pushed Brown’s legislation through Senate and President Obama signed the bill honoring the Marines in November 2011.
The Montford Point Marine Association says there are 400 Montford Marines still living. About 100 are expected to attend the ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
Thanks to my dad, other Tuskegee Airmen, and to Bennie J McRae, Jr's wonderful website on
African American Military History I have received an education about parts of our history that are still unknown to much of the American public.
The Marines were the last branch of the service to accept blacks.
Marines integrate
Wed, 1941-06-25
On this date in 1941, the Marine Corps formally integrated. This was a result of President Roosevelt signing Executive Order 8802 months before Pearl Harbor. FDR officially opened to Blacks one of America's most celebrated all-white strongholds. In previous years, the Truman order and the Fahy Committee could not budge the services segregation. It was at the urging of his wife, Eleanor, and threatened by civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph with a march on Washington that the Fair Employment Practice Commission was established which prohibited racial discrimination by any government agency.
Black Marines were housed in Montford Point, NC, and recruiting for them had been scheduled for June 1, 1942. A quota of 200 recruits each from Eastern and Central Divisions had been set, while the Southern was to furnish 500 of the initial 900 people. These men were to be enlisted in Class III (c), Marine Corps Reserve, and assigned to inactive duty in a General Service Unit of their Reserve District. Both the service record book and the enlistment contract were to be stamped "COLORED."
The first African-American recruit to arrive at the camp was Howard P. Perry of Charlotte, NC, on August 26. From July 1942 through the end of the war, 20,000 Black men were trained at Montford Point and inducted into the Marine Corps. Black troops would train and become Marines, they would still be kept separate from the White troops. Unless accompanied by a white Marine, they were not allowed to set foot in Camp Lejeune. And after they were shipped off to battle zones, they served exclusively in all-Black units.
Melton A. McLaurin, professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina has written The Marines of Montford Point: America's First Black Marines
Drawing from interviews with 60 veterans, The Marines of Montford Point relates the experiences of these pioneers in their own words. From their stories, we learn about their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military and in the Jim Crow South; their experiences of combat and service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and their legacy. The Marines speak with flashes of anger and humor, sometimes with sorrow, sometimes with great wisdom, and always with a pride fostered by incredible accomplishment in the face of adversity. This book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three major wars.
NPR did an interview with McLaurin last year.
The Montford Point Marine Association, and the Montford Point Marine pages at the Randall Library, University of North Carolina Wilmington, are both excellent sources for narratives, photographs, and other parts of this history.
The Marine Corps has produced its own video about Montford Point:
Approximately 20,000 African-Americans enlisted in the Marine Corps from 1942 to 1949 - a time when the U.S. was at war, and the country was resistent to integration. These brave men became known as the "Montford Point Marines," and they paved the way for the Marine Corps for generations to follow.
Former Mayor of New York City,
David Dinkins, an original Monford Marine is one of the people who is expected to be in attendance tomorrow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because Holly-wouldn’t, may the best filmmaker please stand up! The Grio: American Black Film Festival.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the value of what you do is based on the people you help, magic is created. That’s the adage of American Black Film Festival founder Jeff Friday who single-handedly created a platform for some of the best writers, producers, directors, actors, and executives to promulgate in one ‘film-tastic’ venue.
As the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) celebrates its 16th year, film aficionados from all walks of life continue to show immense support for its mission to strengthen the black film-making community through resource sharing, artistic collaboration and career development. The festival boasts a great number of industry and corporate support with expected celebrities to include filmmaker Robert Townsend; actors Mekhi Phifer, Boris Kodjoe, Laz Alonzo and Jesse Williams from Grey’s Anatomy; CNN host Don Lemon and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. The festival’s ambassador this year is actress Tracee Ellis Ross, best known for her lead role on the UPN/CW series Girlfriends.
This Thursday kicked off with incredible workshops, seminars and a ground breaking special event. Imperative discussions lighted up the room as the future of Black Entertainment led to some compelling discourse. A panel of senior media executives addressed the opportunities available for content producers in the digital space along with the various ways to use the digital landscape to distribute content and create buzz.
The highlight of the evening was the HBO Short Film Competition, which is known as one of the most prestigious platforms for emerging filmmakers. This competition is known to breed extraordinary talent and also deliver quite the monetary reward with a grand prize of $20,000. Talent discovered through this competition includes filmmakers Sylvain White from (The Losers, Stomp the Yard), Frank E. Flowers from (Haven) and Saladin Patterson from (Psych, The Bernie Mac Show and The Fighting Temptations).
Andre Wilkins, director of Womack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Root spoke to NASA trailblazer Mae C. Jemison about filling the pipeline with kids who get science. The Root: A Black Female Astronaut's Mission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mae C. Jemison, the first black woman ever admitted to NASA's astronaut training program, made history when she went into orbit on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1987, using her training as a medical doctor to conduct scientific experiments in space. Decades later, her missions back on Earth include heading up a company that researches and develops advanced technologies, and promoting science literacy -- which she says means "figuring out how science impacts your world every day" -- among young people and those who educate them.
Jemison, who went to Stanford at age 16 and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering, eventually receiving her medical degree from Cornell, knows firsthand how curiosity nurtured in the classroom can inspire a science career. She recently partnered with Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme's Regional Office for North America to lead an interactive "Green Living, Green Working" sustainability workshop in which Washington, D.C., high school students were challenged to come up with creative solutions to the regional "green" issues related to health, energy, recreation, education, economy and biodiversity.
The Root caught up with her to talk about why all young people should be comfortable with science, and what it will take to fill the pipeline to careers like hers with women and people of color.
The Root: As the first African-American female astronaut, do you have a particular interest in African-American children and African-American girls specifically?
Mae C. Jemison: One of the amazing things in terms of African Americans is that we've always been involved in the sciences. You've heard the term "real McCoy," right? It comes from Elijah McCoy, a black person who created the cotton gin -- everyone used to say they didn't want a copy, they wanted the real McCoy.
It seems that we forget about the fact that we were always there -- from Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the first person to perform open-heart surgery, to Charles Drew. We don't always incorporate that and understand it. Imagine what they had to go through during that time period. It's a legacy that's very strong. It has nothing to do with me being an astronaut; it has to do with reality, and how we've always been involved in innovation.
Mae Jemison (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each year the Teach for America program recruits recent college graduates to work for two years in urban and rural public schools, hoping to inspire a lifelong commitment to education. The Root: More Blacks Than Ever to Teach for America.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A 2011 study found that the program creates more founders and leaders of education organizations than any other organization or program.
Members of Teach for America's "teacher corps" collectively reach 750,000 students -- 50 percent of whom are black. And this year, the organization announced in a press release on Monday, a higher percentage than ever of the educators are themselves African American. But according to Heather Harding, Teach for America's senior vice president of community and public partnerships, that number (700 out of 5,800) isn’t high enough.
"If we're going to reach the day when every child receives an outstanding education, we need a movement of leaders who are diverse in every respect and committed to changing things for kids," she said. "While we're proud that our current teacher corps is racially and economically diverse, we still have a ways to go. Our goal is to keep steadily increasing the diversity of backgrounds and experiences among our teaching corps."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a common take on this race in much of the black blogosphere. The Grio: New York Congressional race pits ex-Black Panther vs. Obama-lite moderate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There’s a big and bitter Congressional primary race brewing in New York that is typical of the political clashes between black candidates of late. And it’s happening in the 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn.
On the one hand, there is Charles Barron, New York City councilmember and a former Black Panther who has made controversial statements and, of all things, has been endorsed by David Duke. More on that later. And on the other hand, you have Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, the moderate, more establishment-friendly candidate who has the support of the corporate wing of the Democratic party, including a number of white members of the New York delegation such as Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Steve Israel and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
So far, Senator Chuck Schumer isn’t picking a horse in this race.
For those who know New York, the district was redrawn with much of the territory of the former 10th Congressional district to form a new district that encompasses sections of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Primarily a black and Latino district, it includes some of Brooklyn’s poorest communities. But it also includes white and conservative Jewish communities that the two candidates must compete for support. Rep. Edolphus Towns, the incumbent, is retiring, while Nadler, who represented the old 8th district, is running in the new 10th district.
Barron is a politician with a social activist background, who is perceived by his constituents as fighting for the underdog on local issues facing black, poor and working people. Consequently, he has received the support of the city’s largest public employees union, and Rep. Towns. Over the years, Barron has drawn attention from comments he has made, including calling Muammar Gadhafi a hero, and African dictator Robert Mugabe a freedom fighter.
He called Thomas Jefferson a pedophile, vowed to never salute the U.S. flag, and once said he wanted to slap “the closest white person.” And he angered Jewish leaders for calling Israel a terrorist state, and calling Gaza “a virtual death camp, the same kind of conditions the Nazis imposed on the Jews.”
*********
If the candidacy of Charles Barron — a so-called “angry black man” — raises red flags from certain constituencies, particularly whites, then those voters may view Jeffries as the better candidate, at least on paper. Yet Jeffries, the middle-of-the-road black conciliator who wants to “get along” draws the ire of others who have been down that road before.
To sum it up, Jeffries is being groomed by the corporate Democrats as a mini-Obama type of figure. And we know what happens next. Often hailed as a new generation of black leaders, Obama-lite candidates have a rather sketchy track record when it comes to issues that ordinary black people actually care about. And when they get into office, they aim to disappoint black supporters with their divided loyalties, hidden financial interests and shifty-eye syndrome.
For example, Newark mayor Cory Booker, in theory an Obama surrogate, found himself in politically treacherous waters when he defended Mitt Romney and his venture capital firm Bain Capital. That Bain other venture capitalists, Wall Street bankers and investors gave Booker over $565,000 for his mayoral campaign — and presumably their investment in Newark—provides an explanation.
Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the centrist who defended Booker’s comments, claimed his grandmother was a white woman passing for black when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006. He lost his bid for the Senate in a highly racialized political campaign where his white opponent used a racially offensive and sexually suggestive television ad featuring a white woman.
Adrian Fenty, former D.C. mayor, was cited for an offensive leadership style and ignoring his constituents. He took an unannounced vacation to Dubai that was paid for by a foreign government, while he faced allegations of cronyism as his frat brothers allegedly enjoyed plum city contracts. And he didn’t share tickets to sporting events. Meanwhile, Fenty’s schools chancellor engaged in the wholesale firing of teachers and principals, many of them black, and black faces were missing in his administration. He lost reelection miserably.
Meanwhile, former Congressman Artur Davis recently turned his back on President Obama and the Democratic Party when he became a Republican and claimed the GOP is better for blacks. In 2010, he positioned himself as the race-neutral candidate for governor of Alabama and lost the Democratic primary as a result. Davis, who voted against the president’s health care reform and refused to court the black political establishment, became the first black candidate for statewide office to lose the black vote. He even lost his own district, and rightly so.
Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Charles Barron (right), The Grio
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forgoten history. NPR: A Trailblazing Black Architect Who Helped Shape L.A.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul Revere Williams began designing homes and commercial buildings in the early 1920s. By the time he died in 1980, he had created some 2,500 buildings, most of them in and around Los Angeles, but also around the globe. And he did it as a pioneer: Paul Williams was African-American. He was the first black architect to become a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1923, and in 1957 he was inducted as the AIA's first black fellow.
His granddaughter, Karen E. Hudson, has been chronicling Williams' life and work for the past two decades. Her latest book, Paul R. Williams: Classic Hollywood Style, focuses on some of the homes of his celebrity clients. They feature many characteristics that were innovative when he used them in the 1920s through the '70s and are considered common practice now — like the patio as an extension of the house, and hidden, retractable screens.
When Paul Williams began his career, he could find no black architects to be his role models or mentors. Born in downtown Los Angeles in 1894, Williams became orphaned before he turned 4 when his parents, Chester and Lila, died of tuberculosis. A family friend raised him and told him he was so bright, he could do anything he wanted. And what he wanted was to design homes for families — perhaps because he lost his own so early in his life. Despite warnings from those who thought he was being impractical ("Your own people can't afford you, and white clients won't hire you," was one such warning), Williams became an architect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voices and Soul
by Justice Putnam
Black Kos Poetry Editor
A river pushed water-wheel turns a millstone rolling on a stone circular table grinding grains to a fine mash. Budded tight green flowers are set to soften in pure water and malt. After a day, the fine mash is added. Clouds of foam against a backdrop of steam and vapor.
Chewy Bread. Cannot live by Bread alone. Bread is the Staff of Life. Give us this day our Daily Bread. If we have Bread, we have Utopia.
Chasing Utopia
So here is the actual story. I was bored. Bored even though I had the privilege of interviewing Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, who said she pursued a degree in physics and also became a medical doctor to keep her mind occupied. Mae’s iq must be nine hundred and fifty-five or thereabouts. I asked: “How do you keep from being bored?”
And she replied: “A friend of my father’s once told me ‘If you’re bored you’re not paying attention.’”
So I said: “Beer.”
We are foodies, my family and I. My grandmother was an extraordinary cook. Her miniature Parker House rolls have been known to float the roof off a flooded house in hurricane season. Grandpapa made pineapple ice cream so rich and creamy, with those surprising chunks that burst with citrusy flavor. My sister, Gary Ann, made spring rolls so perfectly the Chinese complained to the State Department, and my Aunt fries chicken just short of burning that has been known to make the Colonel denounce his own kfc. Mommy was the best bean cooker in this world—and still is, I’m sure, in the next. I do a pretty swell pot roast myself. We are, in other words, dangerous when it comes to food.
Mommy also liked pig feet. Boiled. Not pickled.
I was sad when Mommy died. Then six weeks later Gary Ann died. Then my Aunt Ann. I tried to find a way to bring them back.
Beer.
Mommy drank Miller Genuine Draft. Gary Ann drank Bud Light. Not me. What did I have in common with those guys on tv who were throwing a football around and looking just shy of fat? Nothing. They bored me. If it was going to be beer, I needed to learn something.
Going through books, I came across Utopia. Sam Adams. The number one beer in the world. Having always been a fan of start at the top, I called my local beer store. “I’d like to order a Utopia, please.” Thinking this would be easy.
“No Way,” Keith said. “We never get that!”
ok.
I called Bounty Hunter. They have everything. That’s where I bought my Justice Series: Blind Justice, Frontier Justice, Poetic Justice. Great red wines.
“No, ma’am, we don’t sell beer.”
Utopia is only on a special allotment to Canada, where it is sold as a “Special Brew.” If I could just get to Canada, I could find my Utopia. But, dadgummit, the tsa would take it from me, claiming it was over three ounces. I’d be doggone if I would provide that group with Utopia. Never. Never. No Canada for me.
Samuel Adams’s Utopia is only brewed every other year. There will be a batch coming out this year, but it goes really quickly. There are folk who work at the Sam Adams Brewery just to be able to smell it, and I have heard, though I doubt that it’s true, that you are strip-searched when you leave work during Utopia season. Once, they say, someone belched and was immediately arrested.
Utopia is incredibly special, is the number one beer in the world because the aroma alone is worth the price. Can a beer be “chewy” while at the same time smooth as silk? Can a beer make you feel like a queen while bringing out your libido, making you want to howl? Indeed it can. Utopia makes you want a Swan for your Leda. A Lancelot for your Guinevere. A boiled pig foot for your low-down blues. Special? Are your first pair of stockings special? Is the first time your Mom let you wear lipstick special? Is your first kiss special?
It’s Utopia.
But here is the happy part. I am a poet. I occasionally get invited to speak at Important Government Agencies. I was thrilled. Sure, someone will say: Why would you, a poet, a rebel, you who hate the tsa and think railroads should make a big comeback, you who think modern wars are stupid and unworthy—why would you speak for an Important Government Agency? Well, for one thing, I am an American. So government, whether I like it or not, R Me. For another thing, I know they have the world’s best computers. I was charming. I was funny. I was very nice and a good citizen. I wanted an illegal favor.
“Please, sir,” said I, “can you find Utopia?”
“Of course, little lady,” said the Director. “It’s in your heart and mind.” He smiled a lovely smile and patted me on my shoulder. Not wanting to appear to correct him, I smiled the smile of the defeated. And waited for him to leave. I asked his assistant.
“I think,” he pontificated, “it is in your soul. Search deep and you will find it.”
I knew I needed someone of color. Finally an older man, grey hair cut short, came by. “Please excuse me,” I said, “I’m trying to find Utopia. Can you help?”
“Why sure,” he said “as soon as I can find a safe computer.” We moved into another room and he made me stand way away from him so that I could not see the screen. He pulled up a website. “Here you go.” And he was right. “I can’t buy it as it’s against the rules, but get someone else to go to this site. I hear it’s a great beer. At $350 a pint, it ought to be.”
And now that I’ve found Utopia, I am at peace. I have Utopia, and if I were Egyptian I would be buried with it. I use it to start conversations and make friends. It is not for mortals. Or Americans.
Utopia is for the gods.
-- Nikki Giovanni
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to the Front Porch!