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Let's make everything about RACE (Unapologetically Black Thread)
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Vanessa Williams was born on this date in 1963. She is a Black singer, actress, and fashion designer.
Vanessa Lynn Williams was born in The Bronx, New York.Her paternal great-great grandfather was William A. Feilds, a Black legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Her mother Helen Tinch met her father Milton Augustine Williams Jr. while both were music education students at Fredonia State Teachers College in the late 1950s. They both became elementary school music teachers after marriage, though their teaching positions were in separate districts. Williams and her younger brother Chris grew up in Westchester County, a predominantly white middle-to upper-class suburb of New York City.
A child of music teachers, Williams grew up in a musical household, studying classical and jazz dance, French horn, piano, and violin. She was offered the Presidential Scholarship for Drama to attend Carnegie Mellon University but decided instead to attend Syracuse University on a different scholarship. Thus, in 1981, Williams joined Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Drama as a musical theater major. She stayed at Syracuse through her second year until she was crowned Miss America 1984. In May 2008, Syracuse granted Williams a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. According to Syracuse News, "Williams earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and her substantial performances on stage and screen." Williams also delivered the 2008 convocation address, telling Syracuse seniors to "treasure this moment. These days are irreplaceable and are the beginning of the rest of your life."
She initially gained recognition as the first Black woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. However, a scandal arose the following year when, a few weeks prior to the end of her reign, Williams learned that Penthouse magazine would be publishing now "iconic" unauthorized nude photographs of her in an upcoming issue. Amid growing media controversy and scrutiny, Williams resigned as Miss America in July 1984. Thirty-two years later, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell offered her a public apology (during the Miss America 2016 pageant) for the events of 1984.
Williams rebounded from the issue with a successful career as a singer and actress. In 1988, she released her debut studio album The Right Stuff, whose title single saw moderate success before "Dreamin'" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States in 1989. With her second and third studio albums, The Comfort Zone (1991) and The Sweetest Days (1994), she saw continued commercial success and received multiple Grammy Award nominations; this included her number-one hit (in early 1992) and signature song, "Save the Best for Last", which she performed live at the 1993 Grammy Awards ceremonies. Her later studio albums include Everlasting Love (2005) and The Real Thing (2009).
As an actress, Williams on both stage and screen has received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Teri Joseph in the film Soul Food (1997). Her best-known television roles are that of Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty (2006–10), for which she was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives (2010–12). Williams has been married three times. She married her first husband, Ramon Hervey II in 1987. They have three children (Melanie, Jillian and Devin and divorced in 1997. She then married pro basketball player Rick Fox in 1999. They have one daughter, Sasha Gabriella Fox and divorced in 2004. In 2015, Williams married Jim Skrip. In 2016, Williams launched her own clothing line, V. by Vanessa Williams.
Vanessa Lynn Williams was born in The Bronx, New York.Her paternal great-great grandfather was William A. Feilds, a Black legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Her mother Helen Tinch met her father Milton Augustine Williams Jr. while both were music education students at Fredonia State Teachers College in the late 1950s. They both became elementary school music teachers after marriage, though their teaching positions were in separate districts. Williams and her younger brother Chris grew up in Westchester County, a predominantly white middle-to upper-class suburb of New York City.
A child of music teachers, Williams grew up in a musical household, studying classical and jazz dance, French horn, piano, and violin. She was offered the Presidential Scholarship for Drama to attend Carnegie Mellon University but decided instead to attend Syracuse University on a different scholarship. Thus, in 1981, Williams joined Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Drama as a musical theater major. She stayed at Syracuse through her second year until she was crowned Miss America 1984. In May 2008, Syracuse granted Williams a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. According to Syracuse News, "Williams earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and her substantial performances on stage and screen." Williams also delivered the 2008 convocation address, telling Syracuse seniors to "treasure this moment. These days are irreplaceable and are the beginning of the rest of your life."
She initially gained recognition as the first Black woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. However, a scandal arose the following year when, a few weeks prior to the end of her reign, Williams learned that Penthouse magazine would be publishing now "iconic" unauthorized nude photographs of her in an upcoming issue. Amid growing media controversy and scrutiny, Williams resigned as Miss America in July 1984. Thirty-two years later, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell offered her a public apology (during the Miss America 2016 pageant) for the events of 1984.
Williams rebounded from the issue with a successful career as a singer and actress. In 1988, she released her debut studio album The Right Stuff, whose title single saw moderate success before "Dreamin'" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States in 1989. With her second and third studio albums, The Comfort Zone (1991) and The Sweetest Days (1994), she saw continued commercial success and received multiple Grammy Award nominations; this included her number-one hit (in early 1992) and signature song, "Save the Best for Last", which she performed live at the 1993 Grammy Awards ceremonies. Her later studio albums include Everlasting Love (2005) and The Real Thing (2009).
As an actress, Williams on both stage and screen has received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Teri Joseph in the film Soul Food (1997). Her best-known television roles are that of Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty (2006–10), for which she was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives (2010–12). Williams has been married three times. She married her first husband, Ramon Hervey II in 1987. They have three children (Melanie, Jillian and Devin and divorced in 1997. She then married pro basketball player Rick Fox in 1999. They have one daughter, Sasha Gabriella Fox and divorced in 2004. In 2015, Williams married Jim Skrip. In 2016, Williams launched her own clothing line, V. by Vanessa Williams.
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In 1895, 200 former African slaves left Savannah, Georgia for Liberia. Much of the aid for this came through the American Colonization Society (ACS).
The society also committed itself to fostering a public-school system in Liberia, promoting more frequent ships between the U.S. and Liberia, collecting and circulating more reliable information about Liberia, and enabling Liberia to depend more on itself. Future colonists were to be selected with a view to the needs of Liberia and not to their own situations.
William Henry (Harrison) Heard led the group who used money, purchased land, and built the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the city of Monrovia, Liberia. This church stands now as the Elias Turner Memorial Chapel.
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George Lopez is catching a bad one from me if ever in my presence.
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Let me know when you see it......
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Top 10 Ways Black People Keep Racism Alive, According to Wypipo
As one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of wypipology, I am constantly searching for ways to translate my studies into real-world applications. Fortunately, there are hundreds of white people who generously take time out of their day to accuse me of being the real racist.
These scholars keep in constant contact with me to point out how I actually keep racism alive by talking about racism.
It’s a sad thing when you see a brother being a racist little **** bag like this. The division of this world depends on people continuing to act just like you. Keep up the good work little guy.
— Clayton Bigsby (@TN_Patriot84) May 1, 2018
Because I am always open to sharing the wisdom of white America, I wanted to combine the practices that tartar-saucians often describe as “race-baiting” into one top 10 countdown for those who are interested in keeping racism alive.
10. Play the Victim
One of the biggest reasons racism exists is that black people love playing the victim. It has been one of the favorite Negro pastimes ever since Africans locked themselves in chains, stowed away on American cruise ships and crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Apparently, we are so in love with this dangerous activity, we are willing to subject our bodies to bullets and police batons just to participate in our own victimhood. We have passed it down through generations by naming our children whatever the **** we want, in hopes that employers will continue the practice of throwing their résumés in the trash.
None of this is white people’s fault. It is black people’s fault because, by pointing out systemic inequalities like wage discrimination, school funding and disparities in the criminal-justice system, we waste valuable time not working twice as hard as our white counterparts to get half as much.
9. Engage in Identity Politics
When black people vote for black candidates, they are playing right into the hands of identity politics. Despite the fact that Donald Trump’s white voters were motivated by race, female voters are encouraged to vote for female candidates, Catholics voted for John F. Kennedy, Mormons voted for Mitt Romney, and politicians openly invoke their Christian identity to appeal to evangelical voters, the moniker of “identity politics” applies only to black voters.
A majority of white people have never voted for a black presidential candidate. Yet it is black people who keep racism alive because white is not considered a political identity. It is a birthright.
8. Make Everything About Race
Even when black people have no intention of playing the victim, they indirectly keep racism alive simply by making everything about race. For instance, when a group of Upper West Side parents in New York City objected to plans to integrate one of the most segregated school districts in America, The Root fellow Anne Branigin decided to make the parents’ anger all about race.
In this instance, Branigin secretly stood at the entrance to the meeting and kept black parents from attending. Then she egregiously used actual quotes from actual parents who complained about black and Hispanic children attending the schools. In this case, it wasn’t the outraged parents, the school district or the history of segregation.
It was Branigin’s fault for twisting an incident that was all about race into something that was all about race.
7. Discuss History
Black people love bringing up old **** like slavery, history and truth. They will often bring up slavery at inopportune times, like history classes. The only logical reason blacks insist on making every discussion on the Civil War about slavery and white supremacy is that every available historical document about the Civil War actually cites slavery and white supremacy as the reasons for the conflict, and mentions nothing about Southern pride and cultural heritage.
Every Confederate state that wrote a declaration of secession mentioned slavery. When Confederate President Jefferson Davis said, “[W]hite men have an equality resulting from a presence of a lower caste, which cannot exist where white men fill the position here occupied by the servile race,” he was apparently trying to keep racism alive.
He did a damn good job, too.
6. Be a Reverse Racist
One of the newest techniques in the field of racism technology is oppressing white people. Despite the fact that white people control every branch of the federal government, the financial industry, the entertainment industry, corporate America and the production of white tears, most white people feel that they are discriminated against.
Recently, white people have been forced to endure the harmful effects of only working jobs for which they are qualified and having their grades and test scores determine where they attend college. Meanwhile, blacks benefit from affirmative action mandates that allow them to apply for jobs for which they are qualified and to be accepted into colleges based on their grades and test scores.
How racist.
5. Use Facts
A 2015 study shows that the only significant determining factor in predicting whether someone shot and killed by police was unarmed is whether or not the victim was black. Schools with higher numbers of black students receive less funding. Black men receive longer prison sentences than white men who commit the same crimes.
These are facts.
But people who mention these peer-reviewed, scientific studies are playing the race card because, obviously, numbers are biased against Caucasians. As a matter of fact, pointing out the measurable, quantifiable existence of racism is, in and of itself, an extreme act of bigotry against white people.
Facts are racist.
4. Mention the Words “White Privilege”
A recent study showed that black kids born to rich parents are as likely to be incarcerated as white kids born to parents making $36,000 per year. The study showed that, regardless of the neighborhood, education or income of black parents, their children will likely earn less than white kids whose parents are poorer and less educated and live in better neighborhoods.
Black kids receive harsher discipline in schools. Whites are more likely to sell drugs, but blacks are more likely to be arrested for it. Black boys are perceived as older and less innocent than white kids the same age. Meanwhile, white children are exempt from being disadvantaged and criminalized at birth. But referring to that reality as “white privilege” means that you are attacking white people and being racist.
Fortunately, whites have solved this problem. No, they haven’t worked to eliminate prejudice (don’t be silly). Instead, they just introduced an alternative, semantics-based solution. There is no such thing as white privilege.
Black people are just underprivileged.
3. Don’t Blame Black People
It is possible to breathe life into racism without even talking to white people. For instance, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, combined with U.S. population estimates, in any given year, 95 percent of black people don’t commit a crime. In black neighborhoods, the number of anti-violence marches, education initiatives and crime-prevention groups far outweigh the number of Black Lives Matter marches.
Yet black people don’t want to talk about black-on-black crime. Why? Maybe it’s because white people never see these efforts, since media outlets don’t deem them newsworthy. Maybe it’s because, contrary to stereotypes, there is such a small percentage of black criminals. And maybe white people don’t know about these examples because there is no reason to talk to white people about black issues.
Nah, it’s gotta be because we’d rather keep racism alive by blaming whites.
2. Say “White People”
Because white people are accustomed to being seen as individuals, they hate being referred to as white people. It chaps their hides. Even laughing at the caucalicious phrase “chaps their hide” is racist, as is any variation of the term “white people,” including, but not limited to, “colonizer,” “mayonaisse American,” “undermelanated,” “a citizen of Rhythmless Nation” or “a Michael Rapaportian.”
1. Be Black
Most people don’t know that white people are scientifically incapable of tasting seasonings (which saves them a lot of money but costs them a lot in ridicule).
Being black means we get to do things that white people can’t do, which is patently unfair. Despite the fact that White History Month is celebrated 11 months every year, Black History Month keeps racism alive. BET and TV One make wypipo upset because wypipo only have 1,295 white television networks.
But the one thing that really upsets white people is the fact that they can’t use the n-word without being accused of being racist, while black people get to say it all the time. This double standard keeps racism alive because everyone knows that white people spend 22.94 percent of their time dreaming of a valid reason that would allow them to say “******” at the top of their lungs.
Even when they’re with their sorority sisters or in a presidential Cabinet meeting, they are persecuted whenever they say something that disparages black people, and it is patently unfair.
Not only does this inequality keep racism alive, but more important ...
www.theroot.com
DCAllAfrican
P
Present
Grine
Methodical Management
JRepp23
https://www.theroot.com/watch-room-filled-with-rich-white-nyc-parents-gets-bi-1825600194
As one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of wypipology, I am constantly searching for ways to translate my studies into real-world applications. Fortunately, there are hundreds of white people who generously take time out of their day to accuse me of being the real racist.
These scholars keep in constant contact with me to point out how I actually keep racism alive by talking about racism.
It’s a sad thing when you see a brother being a racist little **** bag like this. The division of this world depends on people continuing to act just like you. Keep up the good work little guy.
— Clayton Bigsby (@TN_Patriot84) May 1, 2018
Because I am always open to sharing the wisdom of white America, I wanted to combine the practices that tartar-saucians often describe as “race-baiting” into one top 10 countdown for those who are interested in keeping racism alive.
10. Play the Victim
One of the biggest reasons racism exists is that black people love playing the victim. It has been one of the favorite Negro pastimes ever since Africans locked themselves in chains, stowed away on American cruise ships and crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Apparently, we are so in love with this dangerous activity, we are willing to subject our bodies to bullets and police batons just to participate in our own victimhood. We have passed it down through generations by naming our children whatever the **** we want, in hopes that employers will continue the practice of throwing their résumés in the trash.
None of this is white people’s fault. It is black people’s fault because, by pointing out systemic inequalities like wage discrimination, school funding and disparities in the criminal-justice system, we waste valuable time not working twice as hard as our white counterparts to get half as much.
9. Engage in Identity Politics
When black people vote for black candidates, they are playing right into the hands of identity politics. Despite the fact that Donald Trump’s white voters were motivated by race, female voters are encouraged to vote for female candidates, Catholics voted for John F. Kennedy, Mormons voted for Mitt Romney, and politicians openly invoke their Christian identity to appeal to evangelical voters, the moniker of “identity politics” applies only to black voters.
A majority of white people have never voted for a black presidential candidate. Yet it is black people who keep racism alive because white is not considered a political identity. It is a birthright.
8. Make Everything About Race
Even when black people have no intention of playing the victim, they indirectly keep racism alive simply by making everything about race. For instance, when a group of Upper West Side parents in New York City objected to plans to integrate one of the most segregated school districts in America, The Root fellow Anne Branigin decided to make the parents’ anger all about race.
In this instance, Branigin secretly stood at the entrance to the meeting and kept black parents from attending. Then she egregiously used actual quotes from actual parents who complained about black and Hispanic children attending the schools. In this case, it wasn’t the outraged parents, the school district or the history of segregation.
It was Branigin’s fault for twisting an incident that was all about race into something that was all about race.
7. Discuss History
Black people love bringing up old **** like slavery, history and truth. They will often bring up slavery at inopportune times, like history classes. The only logical reason blacks insist on making every discussion on the Civil War about slavery and white supremacy is that every available historical document about the Civil War actually cites slavery and white supremacy as the reasons for the conflict, and mentions nothing about Southern pride and cultural heritage.
Every Confederate state that wrote a declaration of secession mentioned slavery. When Confederate President Jefferson Davis said, “[W]hite men have an equality resulting from a presence of a lower caste, which cannot exist where white men fill the position here occupied by the servile race,” he was apparently trying to keep racism alive.
He did a damn good job, too.
6. Be a Reverse Racist
One of the newest techniques in the field of racism technology is oppressing white people. Despite the fact that white people control every branch of the federal government, the financial industry, the entertainment industry, corporate America and the production of white tears, most white people feel that they are discriminated against.
Recently, white people have been forced to endure the harmful effects of only working jobs for which they are qualified and having their grades and test scores determine where they attend college. Meanwhile, blacks benefit from affirmative action mandates that allow them to apply for jobs for which they are qualified and to be accepted into colleges based on their grades and test scores.
How racist.
5. Use Facts
A 2015 study shows that the only significant determining factor in predicting whether someone shot and killed by police was unarmed is whether or not the victim was black. Schools with higher numbers of black students receive less funding. Black men receive longer prison sentences than white men who commit the same crimes.
These are facts.
But people who mention these peer-reviewed, scientific studies are playing the race card because, obviously, numbers are biased against Caucasians. As a matter of fact, pointing out the measurable, quantifiable existence of racism is, in and of itself, an extreme act of bigotry against white people.
Facts are racist.
4. Mention the Words “White Privilege”
A recent study showed that black kids born to rich parents are as likely to be incarcerated as white kids born to parents making $36,000 per year. The study showed that, regardless of the neighborhood, education or income of black parents, their children will likely earn less than white kids whose parents are poorer and less educated and live in better neighborhoods.
Black kids receive harsher discipline in schools. Whites are more likely to sell drugs, but blacks are more likely to be arrested for it. Black boys are perceived as older and less innocent than white kids the same age. Meanwhile, white children are exempt from being disadvantaged and criminalized at birth. But referring to that reality as “white privilege” means that you are attacking white people and being racist.
Fortunately, whites have solved this problem. No, they haven’t worked to eliminate prejudice (don’t be silly). Instead, they just introduced an alternative, semantics-based solution. There is no such thing as white privilege.
Black people are just underprivileged.
3. Don’t Blame Black People
It is possible to breathe life into racism without even talking to white people. For instance, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, combined with U.S. population estimates, in any given year, 95 percent of black people don’t commit a crime. In black neighborhoods, the number of anti-violence marches, education initiatives and crime-prevention groups far outweigh the number of Black Lives Matter marches.
Yet black people don’t want to talk about black-on-black crime. Why? Maybe it’s because white people never see these efforts, since media outlets don’t deem them newsworthy. Maybe it’s because, contrary to stereotypes, there is such a small percentage of black criminals. And maybe white people don’t know about these examples because there is no reason to talk to white people about black issues.
Nah, it’s gotta be because we’d rather keep racism alive by blaming whites.
2. Say “White People”
Because white people are accustomed to being seen as individuals, they hate being referred to as white people. It chaps their hides. Even laughing at the caucalicious phrase “chaps their hide” is racist, as is any variation of the term “white people,” including, but not limited to, “colonizer,” “mayonaisse American,” “undermelanated,” “a citizen of Rhythmless Nation” or “a Michael Rapaportian.”
1. Be Black
Most people don’t know that white people are scientifically incapable of tasting seasonings (which saves them a lot of money but costs them a lot in ridicule).
Being black means we get to do things that white people can’t do, which is patently unfair. Despite the fact that White History Month is celebrated 11 months every year, Black History Month keeps racism alive. BET and TV One make wypipo upset because wypipo only have 1,295 white television networks.
But the one thing that really upsets white people is the fact that they can’t use the n-word without being accused of being racist, while black people get to say it all the time. This double standard keeps racism alive because everyone knows that white people spend 22.94 percent of their time dreaming of a valid reason that would allow them to say “******” at the top of their lungs.
Even when they’re with their sorority sisters or in a presidential Cabinet meeting, they are persecuted whenever they say something that disparages black people, and it is patently unfair.
Not only does this inequality keep racism alive, but more important ...
Top 10 Ways Black People Keep Racism Alive, According to Wypipo
As one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of wypipology, I am constantly searching for ways to translate my studies into real-world applications. Fortunately, there are hundreds of white people who generously take time out of their day to accuse me of being the real racist.
www.theroot.com
DCAllAfrican
P
Present
Grine
Methodical Management
JRepp23
https://www.theroot.com/watch-room-filled-with-rich-white-nyc-parents-gets-bi-1825600194
Top 10 Ways Black People Keep Racism Alive, According to Wypipo
As one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of wypipology, I am constantly searching for ways to translate my studies into real-world applications. Fortunately, there are hundreds of white people who generously take time out of their day to accuse me of being the real racist.
These scholars keep in constant contact with me to point out how I actually keep racism alive by talking about racism.
It’s a sad thing when you see a brother being a racist little **** bag like this. The division of this world depends on people continuing to act just like you. Keep up the good work little guy.
— Clayton Bigsby (@TN_Patriot84) May 1, 2018
Because I am always open to sharing the wisdom of white America, I wanted to combine the practices that tartar-saucians often describe as “race-baiting” into one top 10 countdown for those who are interested in keeping racism alive.
10. Play the Victim
One of the biggest reasons racism exists is that black people love playing the victim. It has been one of the favorite Negro pastimes ever since Africans locked themselves in chains, stowed away on American cruise ships and crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Apparently, we are so in love with this dangerous activity, we are willing to subject our bodies to bullets and police batons just to participate in our own victimhood. We have passed it down through generations by naming our children whatever the **** we want, in hopes that employers will continue the practice of throwing their résumés in the trash.
None of this is white people’s fault. It is black people’s fault because, by pointing out systemic inequalities like wage discrimination, school funding and disparities in the criminal-justice system, we waste valuable time not working twice as hard as our white counterparts to get half as much.
9. Engage in Identity Politics
When black people vote for black candidates, they are playing right into the hands of identity politics. Despite the fact that Donald Trump’s white voters were motivated by race, female voters are encouraged to vote for female candidates, Catholics voted for John F. Kennedy, Mormons voted for Mitt Romney, and politicians openly invoke their Christian identity to appeal to evangelical voters, the moniker of “identity politics” applies only to black voters.
A majority of white people have never voted for a black presidential candidate. Yet it is black people who keep racism alive because white is not considered a political identity. It is a birthright.
8. Make Everything About Race
Even when black people have no intention of playing the victim, they indirectly keep racism alive simply by making everything about race. For instance, when a group of Upper West Side parents in New York City objected to plans to integrate one of the most segregated school districts in America, The Root fellow Anne Branigin decided to make the parents’ anger all about race.
In this instance, Branigin secretly stood at the entrance to the meeting and kept black parents from attending. Then she egregiously used actual quotes from actual parents who complained about black and Hispanic children attending the schools. In this case, it wasn’t the outraged parents, the school district or the history of segregation.
It was Branigin’s fault for twisting an incident that was all about race into something that was all about race.
7. Discuss History
Black people love bringing up old **** like slavery, history and truth. They will often bring up slavery at inopportune times, like history classes. The only logical reason blacks insist on making every discussion on the Civil War about slavery and white supremacy is that every available historical document about the Civil War actually cites slavery and white supremacy as the reasons for the conflict, and mentions nothing about Southern pride and cultural heritage.
Every Confederate state that wrote a declaration of secession mentioned slavery. When Confederate President Jefferson Davis said, “[W]hite men have an equality resulting from a presence of a lower caste, which cannot exist where white men fill the position here occupied by the servile race,” he was apparently trying to keep racism alive.
He did a damn good job, too.
6. Be a Reverse Racist
One of the newest techniques in the field of racism technology is oppressing white people. Despite the fact that white people control every branch of the federal government, the financial industry, the entertainment industry, corporate America and the production of white tears, most white people feel that they are discriminated against.
Recently, white people have been forced to endure the harmful effects of only working jobs for which they are qualified and having their grades and test scores determine where they attend college. Meanwhile, blacks benefit from affirmative action mandates that allow them to apply for jobs for which they are qualified and to be accepted into colleges based on their grades and test scores.
How racist.
5. Use Facts
A 2015 study shows that the only significant determining factor in predicting whether someone shot and killed by police was unarmed is whether or not the victim was black. Schools with higher numbers of black students receive less funding. Black men receive longer prison sentences than white men who commit the same crimes.
These are facts.
But people who mention these peer-reviewed, scientific studies are playing the race card because, obviously, numbers are biased against Caucasians. As a matter of fact, pointing out the measurable, quantifiable existence of racism is, in and of itself, an extreme act of bigotry against white people.
Facts are racist.
4. Mention the Words “White Privilege”
A recent study showed that black kids born to rich parents are as likely to be incarcerated as white kids born to parents making $36,000 per year. The study showed that, regardless of the neighborhood, education or income of black parents, their children will likely earn less than white kids whose parents are poorer and less educated and live in better neighborhoods.
Black kids receive harsher discipline in schools. Whites are more likely to sell drugs, but blacks are more likely to be arrested for it. Black boys are perceived as older and less innocent than white kids the same age. Meanwhile, white children are exempt from being disadvantaged and criminalized at birth. But referring to that reality as “white privilege” means that you are attacking white people and being racist.
Fortunately, whites have solved this problem. No, they haven’t worked to eliminate prejudice (don’t be silly). Instead, they just introduced an alternative, semantics-based solution. There is no such thing as white privilege.
Black people are just underprivileged.
3. Don’t Blame Black People
It is possible to breathe life into racism without even talking to white people. For instance, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, combined with U.S. population estimates, in any given year, 95 percent of black people don’t commit a crime. In black neighborhoods, the number of anti-violence marches, education initiatives and crime-prevention groups far outweigh the number of Black Lives Matter marches.
Yet black people don’t want to talk about black-on-black crime. Why? Maybe it’s because white people never see these efforts, since media outlets don’t deem them newsworthy. Maybe it’s because, contrary to stereotypes, there is such a small percentage of black criminals. And maybe white people don’t know about these examples because there is no reason to talk to white people about black issues.
Nah, it’s gotta be because we’d rather keep racism alive by blaming whites.
2. Say “White People”
Because white people are accustomed to being seen as individuals, they hate being referred to as white people. It chaps their hides. Even laughing at the caucalicious phrase “chaps their hide” is racist, as is any variation of the term “white people,” including, but not limited to, “colonizer,” “mayonaisse American,” “undermelanated,” “a citizen of Rhythmless Nation” or “a Michael Rapaportian.”
1. Be Black
Most people don’t know that white people are scientifically incapable of tasting seasonings (which saves them a lot of money but costs them a lot in ridicule).
Being black means we get to do things that white people can’t do, which is patently unfair. Despite the fact that White History Month is celebrated 11 months every year, Black History Month keeps racism alive. BET and TV One make wypipo upset because wypipo only have 1,295 white television networks.
But the one thing that really upsets white people is the fact that they can’t use the n-word without being accused of being racist, while black people get to say it all the time. This double standard keeps racism alive because everyone knows that white people spend 22.94 percent of their time dreaming of a valid reason that would allow them to say “******” at the top of their lungs.
Even when they’re with their sorority sisters or in a presidential Cabinet meeting, they are persecuted whenever they say something that disparages black people, and it is patently unfair.
Not only does this inequality keep racism alive, but more important ...
Top 10 Ways Black People Keep Racism Alive, According to Wypipo
As one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of wypipology, I am constantly searching for ways to translate my studies into real-world applications. Fortunately, there are hundreds of white people who generously take time out of their day to accuse me of being the real racist.
https://www.theroot.com/watch-room-filled-with-rich-white-nyc-parents-gets-bi-1825600194
They took that video down with the quickness!!!
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NON VIOLENCE WAS NOT AN OPTION....
Hartman Turnbow (March 20, 1905 – August 15, 198
was a Mississippi farmer, orator, and activist during the Civil Rights Movement. On April 9th, 1963, Turnbow was one of the first African Americans to attempt to register to vote in Mississippi, along with a group called the “First Fourteen”.
He was born in Mileston, Mississippi. His grandparents were former slaves and he inherited their farm. Turnbow was married twice and had six children, sons Jewross and Hartman, and daughters Mae Alice, Mae Bell, Mary and Christine. He moved to Chicago, Illinois where he met and married his second wife Dee. They returned to Mississippi with their children, settling in Tchula, where he became an independent farmer and owned his land. On April 9th, 1963, Turnbow, with a group of 13 other African Americans, including Hollis Watkins, Ozell Mitchell, and Alma Mitchell Carnegie arrived at the Holmes County, Mississippi courthouse in Lexington to register to vote.
This group became known as the “First Fourteen”. The group was approached by a number of whites who attempted to intimidate and prevent the group from registering to vote. In a thick mob of angry whites, deputy sheriff, Andrew Smith, with his hand on his gun holster, called out, “All right now, who will be the first?” At that point, Turnbow stepped forward and told the deputy sheriff "Me, Hartman Turnbow. I came here to die to vote. I'm the first." All fourteen took the literacy test and were failed by the circuit clerk. Although none of the “first fourteen” were able to register, their pride and courage drove the Movement in Holmes County.
In May 1963, Turnbow fought off an attack on his family and himself with rifle fire. Being consistent with the foundation of the freedom movement, Turnbow explained, “I wasn’t being non-nonviolent, I was just protectin’ my family.” In this instance, Turnbow exercised his right to private self-defense just like Fannie Lou Hamer. On May 7, 1963, Turnbow and his wife Dee took their daughter to choir practice at 7:00 pm. The family returned home around 9:30 pm, when Dee noticed a vent was open in the kitchen ceiling. A quick search around the house was done, but nothing was found so the Turnbow family went to sleep. Around 3:00 am on the morning of May 8th, Turnbow was awakened by the sound of an explosion, flames, and smoke. His wife and daughter ran outside while two men started to shoot at Turnbow. Turnbow, with his .22 sixteen-shooter rifle in hand, shot back at the two assailants until he emptied that .22 rifle. The two white men ran away while Turnbow and his family spent the next few hours getting the flames under control.
Sheriff Smith accompanied by a deputy and FBI agent arrived at the scene at 9:00 am. Bob Moses, a non-Mississippi voter registration worker, was also on the scene of investigation taking pictures of the fire. Moses was told to stop taking pictures by an investigator and was immediately arrested for interfering with the investigation after taking Sheriff Smith’s picture. Turnbow and several other SNCC workers were later charged for arson and arrested by Smith. The only piece of evidence at the preliminary hearing was a testimony given by Sheriff Smith. County Attorney Pat M. Barrett said he was “not a demolition expert,” but “it just couldn’t have happened. There is no way on God’s earth for that situation over there to have happened like he said it happened.” As a result of the case, Turnbow was bound over under $500 bond by the Holmes County Grand Jury. The charges against the other SNCC workers were dismissed for lack of evidence after they spent five nights in jail.
In April 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was founded. Turnbow was elected delegate of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he testified his personal accounts with voter suppression. Turnbow once confronted Martin Luther King Jr. informing him: “This nonviolent stuff ain’t no good. It’ll get you killed.” SNCC’s Joyce Ladner accompanied Turnbow and his wife in Atlantic City for the 1964 Democratic National Convention. She recalls, “Mrs. Turnbow always carried a little brown paper bag. She had a pistol in it. […] But she didn’t trust those people. I mean people had tried to firebomb her home, so she might have been in the presence of a senator and a congresswoman, but she carried a gun. Hartman Turnbow died on August 15, 1988 at Methodist Hospital of Middle Mississippi in Lexington at the age of 83. His funeral was held on August 24 at Rock of Ages Church of God in Christ in Tchula. Elder Fred Wade officiated with interment in the Pinkston Cemetery north of Lexington.
Hartman Turnbow (March 20, 1905 – August 15, 198
was a Mississippi farmer, orator, and activist during the Civil Rights Movement. On April 9th, 1963, Turnbow was one of the first African Americans to attempt to register to vote in Mississippi, along with a group called the “First Fourteen”.He was born in Mileston, Mississippi. His grandparents were former slaves and he inherited their farm. Turnbow was married twice and had six children, sons Jewross and Hartman, and daughters Mae Alice, Mae Bell, Mary and Christine. He moved to Chicago, Illinois where he met and married his second wife Dee. They returned to Mississippi with their children, settling in Tchula, where he became an independent farmer and owned his land. On April 9th, 1963, Turnbow, with a group of 13 other African Americans, including Hollis Watkins, Ozell Mitchell, and Alma Mitchell Carnegie arrived at the Holmes County, Mississippi courthouse in Lexington to register to vote.
This group became known as the “First Fourteen”. The group was approached by a number of whites who attempted to intimidate and prevent the group from registering to vote. In a thick mob of angry whites, deputy sheriff, Andrew Smith, with his hand on his gun holster, called out, “All right now, who will be the first?” At that point, Turnbow stepped forward and told the deputy sheriff "Me, Hartman Turnbow. I came here to die to vote. I'm the first." All fourteen took the literacy test and were failed by the circuit clerk. Although none of the “first fourteen” were able to register, their pride and courage drove the Movement in Holmes County.
In May 1963, Turnbow fought off an attack on his family and himself with rifle fire. Being consistent with the foundation of the freedom movement, Turnbow explained, “I wasn’t being non-nonviolent, I was just protectin’ my family.” In this instance, Turnbow exercised his right to private self-defense just like Fannie Lou Hamer. On May 7, 1963, Turnbow and his wife Dee took their daughter to choir practice at 7:00 pm. The family returned home around 9:30 pm, when Dee noticed a vent was open in the kitchen ceiling. A quick search around the house was done, but nothing was found so the Turnbow family went to sleep. Around 3:00 am on the morning of May 8th, Turnbow was awakened by the sound of an explosion, flames, and smoke. His wife and daughter ran outside while two men started to shoot at Turnbow. Turnbow, with his .22 sixteen-shooter rifle in hand, shot back at the two assailants until he emptied that .22 rifle. The two white men ran away while Turnbow and his family spent the next few hours getting the flames under control.
Sheriff Smith accompanied by a deputy and FBI agent arrived at the scene at 9:00 am. Bob Moses, a non-Mississippi voter registration worker, was also on the scene of investigation taking pictures of the fire. Moses was told to stop taking pictures by an investigator and was immediately arrested for interfering with the investigation after taking Sheriff Smith’s picture. Turnbow and several other SNCC workers were later charged for arson and arrested by Smith. The only piece of evidence at the preliminary hearing was a testimony given by Sheriff Smith. County Attorney Pat M. Barrett said he was “not a demolition expert,” but “it just couldn’t have happened. There is no way on God’s earth for that situation over there to have happened like he said it happened.” As a result of the case, Turnbow was bound over under $500 bond by the Holmes County Grand Jury. The charges against the other SNCC workers were dismissed for lack of evidence after they spent five nights in jail.
In April 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was founded. Turnbow was elected delegate of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he testified his personal accounts with voter suppression. Turnbow once confronted Martin Luther King Jr. informing him: “This nonviolent stuff ain’t no good. It’ll get you killed.” SNCC’s Joyce Ladner accompanied Turnbow and his wife in Atlantic City for the 1964 Democratic National Convention. She recalls, “Mrs. Turnbow always carried a little brown paper bag. She had a pistol in it. […] But she didn’t trust those people. I mean people had tried to firebomb her home, so she might have been in the presence of a senator and a congresswoman, but she carried a gun. Hartman Turnbow died on August 15, 1988 at Methodist Hospital of Middle Mississippi in Lexington at the age of 83. His funeral was held on August 24 at Rock of Ages Church of God in Christ in Tchula. Elder Fred Wade officiated with interment in the Pinkston Cemetery north of Lexington.
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Thomas Fuller
He was born between present-day Liberia and Benin. He was one of the millions of Black Africans and kidnapped to America as a slave at the age of 14 during the Middle Passage. He was the property of Mrs. Elizabeth Cox of Alexandria. When Fuller arrived in 1724 Virginia, he had already developed his calculation abilities. His learning consisted of number words, a numeration system of arithmetical operations, of riddles and mathematical games. The evidence of this comes from the sparse evidence of John Bardot's 1732 account of the abilities of the people of Fida (on the coast of Benin); Bardot’s account stated: “The Fidasians are expert in keeping their accounts, that they easily reckon as exact, and as quick by memory, as we can do with pen and ink, though the sum amount to never so many thousands: which very much facilities the trade the Europeans have with them”.
Fuller was a prodigy. Though he could never read or write, he had perfectly acquired the skill of details.... He could multiply seven into itself, that product by seven, and the products, so produced, by seven, for seven times. He could give the number of months, days, weeks, hours, minutes, and seconds in any period of time, allowing in his calculation for all leap years that happened in the question. He would give the number of poles, yards, feet, inches, and barleycorns in any distance say the diameter of the earth's orbit; and in every calculation he would produce the true answer in less time than ninety-nine men out of a hundred would calculate on paper.
When Fuller was about seventy years old, 'two gentlemen, natives of Pennsylvania, viz., William Hartshorne and Samuel Coates, men of probity and respectable characters, having heard, in traveling through the neighborhood in which the slave lived, of his extraordinary powers in arithmetic, sent for him and had their curiosity sufficiently gratified by the answers which he gave to the following questions: First, Upon being asked how many seconds there were in a year and a half, he answered in about two minutes, 47,304,000. Second: On being asked how many seconds a man has lived who is 70 years, 17 days and 12 hours old, he answered in a minute and a half 2,210,500,800. One of the gentlemen who employed himself with his pen in making these calculations told him he was wrong, and the sum was not so great as he had said - upon which the old man hastily replied: stop, master, you forget the leap year. On adding the amount of the seconds of the leap years the amount of the whole in both their sums agreed exactly.
Another question was asked and satisfactorily answered. Before two other gentlemen he gave the amount of nine figures multiplied by nine. In 1790 he died at the age of 80 years, having never learned to read or write, in spite of his extraordinary power of calculation. It would be interesting to search for elements of the rich traditional African mathematical education Thomas Fuller had passed through before being sold as a slave to America.
He was born between present-day Liberia and Benin. He was one of the millions of Black Africans and kidnapped to America as a slave at the age of 14 during the Middle Passage. He was the property of Mrs. Elizabeth Cox of Alexandria. When Fuller arrived in 1724 Virginia, he had already developed his calculation abilities. His learning consisted of number words, a numeration system of arithmetical operations, of riddles and mathematical games. The evidence of this comes from the sparse evidence of John Bardot's 1732 account of the abilities of the people of Fida (on the coast of Benin); Bardot’s account stated: “The Fidasians are expert in keeping their accounts, that they easily reckon as exact, and as quick by memory, as we can do with pen and ink, though the sum amount to never so many thousands: which very much facilities the trade the Europeans have with them”.
Fuller was a prodigy. Though he could never read or write, he had perfectly acquired the skill of details.... He could multiply seven into itself, that product by seven, and the products, so produced, by seven, for seven times. He could give the number of months, days, weeks, hours, minutes, and seconds in any period of time, allowing in his calculation for all leap years that happened in the question. He would give the number of poles, yards, feet, inches, and barleycorns in any distance say the diameter of the earth's orbit; and in every calculation he would produce the true answer in less time than ninety-nine men out of a hundred would calculate on paper.
When Fuller was about seventy years old, 'two gentlemen, natives of Pennsylvania, viz., William Hartshorne and Samuel Coates, men of probity and respectable characters, having heard, in traveling through the neighborhood in which the slave lived, of his extraordinary powers in arithmetic, sent for him and had their curiosity sufficiently gratified by the answers which he gave to the following questions: First, Upon being asked how many seconds there were in a year and a half, he answered in about two minutes, 47,304,000. Second: On being asked how many seconds a man has lived who is 70 years, 17 days and 12 hours old, he answered in a minute and a half 2,210,500,800. One of the gentlemen who employed himself with his pen in making these calculations told him he was wrong, and the sum was not so great as he had said - upon which the old man hastily replied: stop, master, you forget the leap year. On adding the amount of the seconds of the leap years the amount of the whole in both their sums agreed exactly.
Another question was asked and satisfactorily answered. Before two other gentlemen he gave the amount of nine figures multiplied by nine. In 1790 he died at the age of 80 years, having never learned to read or write, in spite of his extraordinary power of calculation. It would be interesting to search for elements of the rich traditional African mathematical education Thomas Fuller had passed through before being sold as a slave to America.
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This is interesting.
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If True, 
JPS
formerly instagram
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Tariq sounding like Alex Jones tombout Sandy Hook was staged
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Barron Deware Wilkins (1867 - 1924), was known as a political boss in Harlem, New York. Harlemites recalled, "You couldn't do nothing here (Harlem) if Barron Wilkins didn't give his approval.
Barron Wilkins Exclusive Club (134th Street and Seventh Ave), moved to Harlem from the Tenderloin in the early 1900s. Duke Ellington and the Washingtonians played there in the early 1920s. It billed itself as a colored club but catered exclusively to white and very light-skinned patrons. Rudolph Fisher, who was turned away because he was too dark, wrote that Barron's "wasn't a Negro cabaret; it was a cabaret run by Negroes for whites." Ethel Waters maintained that "the ordinary working colored people weren't wanted there and knew better than to try and get in."
In addition to being well known for his Barron's Exclusive Club, he was also known as a financier of black baseball teams, an early backer of boxer Jack Johnson, and a philanthropist to many in the Harlem community.
Barron Wilkins had political clout and kept up good relations with the police so that his club would not be closed for serving alcohol during Prohibition.
He was murdered May of 1924 not far from his club by gangster and gambler, Julius William Miller also known as "Yellow Charleston" who was rumored to be supplying Wilkins with bootleg whiskey.
An article from the New York Times dated Sept. 18, 1925: "Yellow Charleston Pays Death Penalty; Julius W. Miller Dies at Sing Sing for Slaying Barron Wilkins, Negro Cabaret Owner."
*Both the buildings where Yellow Charleston came out from gambling (134th off Lenox Avenue) and Barron's club building where he was murdered in front of still stands, (134th off 7th. A grocery store is there now.)*
Barron had an older brother named Leroy who also ran a nightclub known as Leroy's Cafe. His was the first black nightclub, located in the basement of 2220 Fifth Avenue, at 135th Street. It had been opened in 1910 by Leroy Wilkins, who strictly opposed all forms of racial integration, admitting only Blacks in black tie. Possibly the only club to exclude whites.
Barron Wilkins Exclusive Club (134th Street and Seventh Ave), moved to Harlem from the Tenderloin in the early 1900s. Duke Ellington and the Washingtonians played there in the early 1920s. It billed itself as a colored club but catered exclusively to white and very light-skinned patrons. Rudolph Fisher, who was turned away because he was too dark, wrote that Barron's "wasn't a Negro cabaret; it was a cabaret run by Negroes for whites." Ethel Waters maintained that "the ordinary working colored people weren't wanted there and knew better than to try and get in."
In addition to being well known for his Barron's Exclusive Club, he was also known as a financier of black baseball teams, an early backer of boxer Jack Johnson, and a philanthropist to many in the Harlem community.
Barron Wilkins had political clout and kept up good relations with the police so that his club would not be closed for serving alcohol during Prohibition.
He was murdered May of 1924 not far from his club by gangster and gambler, Julius William Miller also known as "Yellow Charleston" who was rumored to be supplying Wilkins with bootleg whiskey.
An article from the New York Times dated Sept. 18, 1925: "Yellow Charleston Pays Death Penalty; Julius W. Miller Dies at Sing Sing for Slaying Barron Wilkins, Negro Cabaret Owner."
*Both the buildings where Yellow Charleston came out from gambling (134th off Lenox Avenue) and Barron's club building where he was murdered in front of still stands, (134th off 7th. A grocery store is there now.)*
Barron had an older brother named Leroy who also ran a nightclub known as Leroy's Cafe. His was the first black nightclub, located in the basement of 2220 Fifth Avenue, at 135th Street. It had been opened in 1910 by Leroy Wilkins, who strictly opposed all forms of racial integration, admitting only Blacks in black tie. Possibly the only club to exclude whites.
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If True,
I wouldn't be surprised.
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Upholding Ancestral Tradition is Important.
Historic influences since the 17th century are the foundation of Black African cultural heritage in quilting.
West African weavers called this cloth by its original name, Nsaduaso. In Ghana, Nsaduaso is also known as Kente. Kente cloth requires many hours of careful weaving and is very expensive to make. Originally, Kente was made exclusively for and worn only by members of the royal clan. The Middle Passage brought Black Africans to the Americas by the millions and with them the traditional appliqué form of quilt making. According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. These quilts were embedded with a code, so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or even where to head next.
Some examples are:
Bow Tie = Dress in disguise to appear of a higher status
Bear Paw = Follow an animal trail through the mountains to find water and food
Log Cabin = Seek shelter now, the people here are safe to speak with
The heritage of African quilting made it through chattel slavery honing a Black legacy to be free of a white system of bondage. Black people worked in secret, equipped with needle and thread, engaging with a visual language, doing their part for freedom.
Also what is known can be traced back to the prominent influences of four civilizations of Central and West Africa: the Mande-speaking peoples (in Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and Burkino Faso); the Yoruba and Fon peoples (in the Republic of Benin and Nigeria); the Ejagham peoples (in Nigeria and Cameroon); and the Kongo peoples (in Zaire and Angola. Also the Asante and Ewe cultures of Ghana practice strip textile weaving. Blending appliqué with other European styles, Black quilters are largely responsible for turning the American patchwork quilt into an instrument of storytelling and historical documentation. Additionally, Black artists brought with them a flair for color that was uncommon to the Anglo population of the day. Appliqué wall hangings were, even in the young days of our country, a centuries old tradition for recording the histories of West African kings.
Though the native West African wall hangings were traditionally made by men, the art form here on the North American continent has been dominated mostly by women. Originally in Africa most of the textiles were made by men. Yet when slaves were brought to the United States their work was divided according to Western patriarchal standards and women took over the tradition. However, this strong tradition of weaving left a visible mark on Black quilting by women. In fact, slave women who could sew, spin yarn and thread, and weave cloth brought a much higher price on the auction block. In combining traditional African appliqué technique with traditional European quilting styles, the African American quilts were born. Black quilts tell stories, document family trees, maintain memories of departed loved ones, and share faith in God.
Perhaps no one person demonstrates the development of the African American Quilt better than Harriet Powers. Once a slave in rural Georgia, but her intricate quilts make her a celebrated artist today. Her story quilts depict biblical tales and local histories. Born in 1837, she created two quilts which are the best known and well-preserved examples of the Antebellum South and Black quilting tradition still in existence. Using the traditional African appliqué technique along with European record keeping and biblical reference traditions, Powers recorded on her quilt’s local historical legend, Bible stories, and astronomical phenomenon. She began exhibiting them in 1886 at the Cotton States and International Expo. She was "discovered" at a local county fair by a white woman named Jennie Smith when she was approximately 65 years old. Smith documented her encounter with Powers in a personal diary. Although Smith tried several times to get her to sell her quilts, Powers steadfastly refused.
The two women remained in contact though, and when the Powers' fell on hard times, Harriet sold the quilts at the urging of her husband. Mrs. Smith's diary reads," Last year I sent her word that I would buy it if she still wanted to dispose of it. She arrived one afternoon in front of my door in an oxcart with the precious burden in her lap encased in a clean flour sack, which was still enveloped in a crocus sack. She offered it for ten dollars, but I told her I only had five to give. After going out consulting with her husband she returned and said 'Owin to de hardness of de times, my ole man lows I'd better tech hit.' Not being a new woman, she obeyed. After giving me a full description of each scene with great earnestness, she departed but has been back several times to visit the darling offspring of her brain. She was only in measure consoled for its loss when I promised to save her all my scraps." Today, Harriet Powers' quilts are preserved and on display at the Smithsonian Institution's American Folk-Art display.
The traditions of quilt making have been passed on through generations and continue today. In Africa, the demand to be able to recognize people from far distances was crucial for aggressive tribes and traveling hunting parties. This textile tradition of using large shapes and bright colors is a trademark of the heritage. Traditional African weave was not regulated by specific pattern. The creator of the weave was free to change and alternate the pattern. The goal of the work was to create a large fabric of separate weaves sown together rather than one repeating pattern. The ability to recreate and change old patterns was especially important to many African tribes. A break in a pattern symbolized a rebirth in the ancestral power of the creator or wearer. And a break in a pattern also helped keep evil spirits away.
Evil is believed to travel in straight lines and a break in a pattern or line confuses the spirits and slows them down. This tradition is highly recognizable in Black improvisation of white American patterns. 21st century Black quilters have revived interest in this centuries old art form and continue to create magnificent works that tell stories, record history, and captivate the imagination.
Historic influences since the 17th century are the foundation of Black African cultural heritage in quilting.
West African weavers called this cloth by its original name, Nsaduaso. In Ghana, Nsaduaso is also known as Kente. Kente cloth requires many hours of careful weaving and is very expensive to make. Originally, Kente was made exclusively for and worn only by members of the royal clan. The Middle Passage brought Black Africans to the Americas by the millions and with them the traditional appliqué form of quilt making. According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. These quilts were embedded with a code, so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or even where to head next.
Some examples are:
Bow Tie = Dress in disguise to appear of a higher status
Bear Paw = Follow an animal trail through the mountains to find water and food
Log Cabin = Seek shelter now, the people here are safe to speak with
The heritage of African quilting made it through chattel slavery honing a Black legacy to be free of a white system of bondage. Black people worked in secret, equipped with needle and thread, engaging with a visual language, doing their part for freedom.
Also what is known can be traced back to the prominent influences of four civilizations of Central and West Africa: the Mande-speaking peoples (in Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and Burkino Faso); the Yoruba and Fon peoples (in the Republic of Benin and Nigeria); the Ejagham peoples (in Nigeria and Cameroon); and the Kongo peoples (in Zaire and Angola. Also the Asante and Ewe cultures of Ghana practice strip textile weaving. Blending appliqué with other European styles, Black quilters are largely responsible for turning the American patchwork quilt into an instrument of storytelling and historical documentation. Additionally, Black artists brought with them a flair for color that was uncommon to the Anglo population of the day. Appliqué wall hangings were, even in the young days of our country, a centuries old tradition for recording the histories of West African kings.
Though the native West African wall hangings were traditionally made by men, the art form here on the North American continent has been dominated mostly by women. Originally in Africa most of the textiles were made by men. Yet when slaves were brought to the United States their work was divided according to Western patriarchal standards and women took over the tradition. However, this strong tradition of weaving left a visible mark on Black quilting by women. In fact, slave women who could sew, spin yarn and thread, and weave cloth brought a much higher price on the auction block. In combining traditional African appliqué technique with traditional European quilting styles, the African American quilts were born. Black quilts tell stories, document family trees, maintain memories of departed loved ones, and share faith in God.
Perhaps no one person demonstrates the development of the African American Quilt better than Harriet Powers. Once a slave in rural Georgia, but her intricate quilts make her a celebrated artist today. Her story quilts depict biblical tales and local histories. Born in 1837, she created two quilts which are the best known and well-preserved examples of the Antebellum South and Black quilting tradition still in existence. Using the traditional African appliqué technique along with European record keeping and biblical reference traditions, Powers recorded on her quilt’s local historical legend, Bible stories, and astronomical phenomenon. She began exhibiting them in 1886 at the Cotton States and International Expo. She was "discovered" at a local county fair by a white woman named Jennie Smith when she was approximately 65 years old. Smith documented her encounter with Powers in a personal diary. Although Smith tried several times to get her to sell her quilts, Powers steadfastly refused.
The two women remained in contact though, and when the Powers' fell on hard times, Harriet sold the quilts at the urging of her husband. Mrs. Smith's diary reads," Last year I sent her word that I would buy it if she still wanted to dispose of it. She arrived one afternoon in front of my door in an oxcart with the precious burden in her lap encased in a clean flour sack, which was still enveloped in a crocus sack. She offered it for ten dollars, but I told her I only had five to give. After going out consulting with her husband she returned and said 'Owin to de hardness of de times, my ole man lows I'd better tech hit.' Not being a new woman, she obeyed. After giving me a full description of each scene with great earnestness, she departed but has been back several times to visit the darling offspring of her brain. She was only in measure consoled for its loss when I promised to save her all my scraps." Today, Harriet Powers' quilts are preserved and on display at the Smithsonian Institution's American Folk-Art display.
The traditions of quilt making have been passed on through generations and continue today. In Africa, the demand to be able to recognize people from far distances was crucial for aggressive tribes and traveling hunting parties. This textile tradition of using large shapes and bright colors is a trademark of the heritage. Traditional African weave was not regulated by specific pattern. The creator of the weave was free to change and alternate the pattern. The goal of the work was to create a large fabric of separate weaves sown together rather than one repeating pattern. The ability to recreate and change old patterns was especially important to many African tribes. A break in a pattern symbolized a rebirth in the ancestral power of the creator or wearer. And a break in a pattern also helped keep evil spirits away.
Evil is believed to travel in straight lines and a break in a pattern or line confuses the spirits and slows them down. This tradition is highly recognizable in Black improvisation of white American patterns. 21st century Black quilters have revived interest in this centuries old art form and continue to create magnificent works that tell stories, record history, and captivate the imagination.
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^ Demonic!
