COMMUNITY CREATOR

SUSIE BAKER KING TAYLOR (1848-1912) was born a slave at a plantation in Liberty County, Georgia as Susan Ann Baker. In 1855, as a 7 year old child in Savannah, Georgia, where there were strict laws against formal education of Black people, Baker attended two secret schools taught by Black women. By 1860 she had been taught everything these two educators could offer. She soon became a skilled reader and writer.

In 1862 at the age of 14, living with her uncle's family and other Blacks on Union-occupied St. Simon's Island, word of her knowledge and intelligence spread among the Army officers on the island. Five days after her arrival she was offered books and school supplies by Commodore Louis Goldsborough if she agreed to organize a school for the children on St. Simon's Island. Baker accepted the offer and became the first Black woman teacher to openly instruct former slaves in Georgia. She taught children during the day and adults at night.

Baker was also the first Black woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experience. It was privately published as a book in 1902, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops, later published in 1999 as ["A Black Woman's Civil War Civil Memoirs"]

BIRTH of a COMMUNITY CREATOR

SLY STONE, Musician, Songwriter, and Record Producer was born SYLVESTER STEWART on this day 3/15/1943 in Denton, Texas.

His band, SLY and the FAMILY STONE was instrumental in the development of the music genres of SOUL, ROCK, and FUNK. Sly and the Family Stone was inducted into the ROCK and ROLL HALL OF FAME in 1993.

BIRTH of a Community CREATOR

W.E.B. DuBOIS, Scholar, Sociologist, Educator, Historian, Editor, Author, and Civil Rights Activist, was born WILLIAM EDWARD BURGHARDT DuBOIS on this day 2/23/1868 in Great Barrington, Mass.

DuBois was an excellent student. He graduated valedictorian of his high school in 1884. He received a B.A. from Fisk University four years later, a second B.A. from Harvard University two years later in 1890.

In 1895, DuBois became the first Black person to earn a Ph.D at Harvard University. His doctoral thesis, "The Suppression of the African Slave Trade in America," became the first book published by Harvard University Press a year later.

In 1903 , his collection of essays , "The Souls of Black Folk," challenged the civil rights strategies of Black leaders of the day. As a result, in 1905 he helped create the "Niagara Movement," which presented an organizational challenge to White racism, and racial injustice. This led him to being a co-founder of the NAACP.

DuBois wrote numerous books, essays, and articles on the condition and progress of Black people in the United States. He was not happy with the dominance of White racism in American society and the role it played in keeping Black people  subjugated to second-class citizenship. His disillusionment over the power of White racism and what he felt was a compromising approach by Black leaders to the problem led him to become unpopular with many Blacks and Whites.

In 1950, DuBois became a Communist, believing that it offered the only hope for working class people  around the world, and the only major challenge to White racism.

In 1961, DuBois gave up his citizenship, and left the United States permanently.  He died in Accra, Ghana in 1963 on the eve of the largest Civil Rights demonstration in U.S. history, the MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

BIRTH of a community CREATOR

NINA SIMONE, Singer. Songwriter, Pianist, arranger and Civil Rights Activist, was born EUNICE KATHLEEN WAYMON on this day 2/21/1933 in Tryon, North Carolina.

SIMONE was on of the most gifted vocalists of all times, and a powerful performer, who took a song and made it hers. Her cover of jazz, blues, soul, classical, R&B, pop and gospel tunes were not limited by any previous boundaries that may have been established.

Her passion and feelings on racial equality and social injustice were addressed in her music in songs like "Four Women," "Young, Gifted and Black," and "Mississippi Goddam."

NINA SIMONE was a TRUE DIVA and a Black iconic performer who spread her vibrations throughout the world for over 5 decades.

Birth of a COMMUNITY CREATOR

TONI MORRISON, Writer, Novelist, Editor, Educator and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on this day, 2/18/1931 in Lorraine, Ohio.

Morrison is one of the most significant writers/novelists of her generation.

She has won numerous literary awards and honorary degrees, including the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL of FREEDOM in 2012.

In 1993 she was given the highest award for any writer, the NOBEL PRIZE for LITERATURE. Morrison was the first Black woman to be given such an honor.

Toni Morrison is a living literary ICON.

Birth of a COMMUNITY CREATOR

ROBERT "NESTA" MARLEY was born on this day 2/6/1945 in Nine Miles, Jamaica.

Raised as a Catholic, he converted to Rastafari in the 60's and began to grow dreadlocks as outlined

in the Holy Scriptures, Numbers 6:5.


MARLEY became famously known for blending reggae and ska music along with a dynamic vocal

style  that connected with audiences all over the world. He ultimately worked his way into the very

fabric of our lives.


HIS legend lives on!

Birth of a COMMUNITY CREATOR

W.C. (WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER) HANDY was born on this day, 11/16/1873, in Florence,

 Alabama. HANDY was a musician and composer. He composed his first tune in 1907.

Two years  later,  HANDY  wrote the   famous tune, "St. Louis Blues."

He was known world-wide as the "FATHER OF THE BLUES."


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LISA BONET was born on this day 11/16/1967, in SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.
She is an actress, best known for her role as DENISE HUXTABLE on the NBC sitcom , THE COSBY SHOW.



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To read more info on these COMMUNITY CREATORS, Google their names

community ANNOUNCEMENT

JOIN US FOR A WEBINAR TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 3 AT 12:00 EST: SPRING VALLEY IS EVERYWHERE: WHEN BEING A BLACK GIRL IS YOUR ONLY CRIME In response to Spring Valley, this webinar will amplify the voices of young women who have been impacted by overly punitive discipline policies, educators who have witnessed the criminalization of Black girls in schools, scholars who have researched the gendered and racialized dimensions of the School to Prison Pipeline, and more.   Featured Speakers: Kimberle Crenshaw- The African American Policy Forum Je'Kendria Trahan- Black Youth Project, DC Amanda Petteruti- Co-author of “The Case Against Police in Schools,” a report from the Justice Policy Institute Kisha Webster- Educator and Youth Advocate Samantha Master- Planned Parenthood Federation of America Nona Jones- PACE Center for Girls REGISTER HERE

We are outraged by the unconscionable act of violence committed in a Spring Valley math class last week. We know that violence against Black girls and women is not new; it is the same violence that brutalized Salecia Johnson, Diamond Neals, Mikia Hutchinson, and Dajerria Becton. The vicious bodily assault on the young Black high school student is indicative of the ways that Black women and girls throughout society encounter state violence on a daily basis.  This system extends beyond Spring Valley and threatens Black girls across the United States. Also join BYP100 for the entire Spring Valley Day of Action! #FundBlackFutures Twitter Townhall, 3-4 pm EST: A conversation where Black people are invited to share their experiences with criminalization in schools, lift up the work people are doing against the school to prison pipeline, and discuss the need to transfer funds from the police state to resources that actually make us safe. School to Prison Pipeline Speakout in Washington DC,6:30pm-8:30pm EST, 1536 U St. NW  Black people of all ages are encouraged to come to the BYP100 DC video station and share their experiences with criminalization in schools on video If you or your child has experienced overpolicing in schools, please send us an email at info@aapf.org. We want to hear your story! #SpringValleyIsEverywhere #BlackGirlsMatter #FundBlackCommunities

community ANNOUNCEMENT

WHEN BEING A BLACK GIRL IS YOUR ONLY CRIME! We are outraged by the unconscionable act of violence committed in a Spring Valley math class this past Monday. While we applaud the decision of Sheriff Lott to fire Ben Fields, we are deeply concerned that charges are still pending against two young Black girls.  These teenagers are not only victims of police abuse, but also of the entire regime which includes the teacher who tried to expel student from class because of a minor infraction, the administrator who escalated the situation by calling the police, the law that permits students to be arrested for “uncooperative behavior,’’ and the criminal “justice” system that continues to punish two traumatized girls rather than apologizing to them and supporting them. That these two young women are forced to confront the emotional burden of being subjected to criminal adjudication on top of having been physically and emotionally abused is further evidence of how deeply entrenched and harmful this punitive approach to education is. We know that violence against Black girls and women is not new; it is the same violence that brutalized Salecia Johnson, Diamond Neals, Mikia Hutchinson, and Dajerria Becton. The vicious bodily assault on the young Black high school student is indicative of the ways that Black women and girls throughout society encounter state violence on a daily basis.  This system extends beyond Spring Valley and threatens Black girls across the United States. Join the African American Policy Forum next Tuesday November 2nd at 12pm EST for a webinar on Black girls and discipline entitled, "Spring Valley is Everywhere: When Being A Black Girl is Your Only Crime." REGISTER HERE This webinar will amplify the voices of young women who have been impacted by overly punitive discipline policies, educators who have witnessed the criminalization of Black girls in schools, scholars who have researched the gendered and racialized dimensions of the School to Prison Pipeline, and more. Speakers will include: Kimberle Crenshaw- The African American Policy Forum Je'Kendria Trahan- Black Youth Project, DC Amanda Petteruti- Co-author of “The Case Against Police in Schools,” a report from the Justice Policy Institute Kisha Wester- Educator and Youth Advocate Samantha Master- Planned Parenthood Federation of America And more…. If you or your child has experienced overpolicing in schools, please send us an email at info@aapf.org. We want to hear your story! #SpringValleyIsEverywhere #BlackGirlsMatter Facebook Twitter Website Instagram YouTube About the African American Policy Forum Founded in 1996, AAPF was developed as part of an ongoing effort to promote women’s rights in the context of struggles for racial equality. It serves as an information clearinghouse that works to bridge the gap between scholarly research and public debates on questions of inequality, discrimination and injustice. Website: www.aapf.org  Email Address: afampolicyforum@gmail.com Phone Number: (212) 854-8041 Mailing Address: African American Policy Forum, Inc. 435 West 116th Street, Rm. 827 New York, NY 10025

birth of a COMMUNITY CREATOR

MAHALIA JACKSON was born on OCTOBER 26,1911, in New Orleans. She became one of the  most influential gospel singers in the world, who was heralded as an international singer and civil rights activist.

She sung at a rally in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956 to raise money for the bus boycott in progress at that time.

During her career with Columbia Records, she recorded over 30 albums, as well as a dozen "million seller" 45 rpm records.

Mahalia Jackson was often referred to as the QUEEN OF GOSPEL.

She died in 1972.


To read the details of her career GOOGLE her name

on this DAY

ON OCTOBER 25, 1940, BENJAMIN O. DAVIS. SR. ATTAINS THE RANK OF BRIGADIER GENERAL, BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK GENERAL IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

To read about his incredible journey GOOGLE his name

the BLACK WRITER a history

Which came first, Black writers or Black Literature? Whichever it was, JUPITER HAMMON played a major part in it's development.

Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery in 1711, in Queens, N.Y.  Although he remained a slave throughout his life, he is believed to be the first Black writer to be published in what would later become the United States of America.

His parents were among one of the first shipment of slaves to Lloyd Manor in 1687, but unlike most slaves, they learned to read and write. Jupiter, as a growing child, attended school with the Lloyd children where he also learned to read and write.

Jupiter Hammon published his first poem, "An Evening Thought. Salvation by Christ with Penitential Crienes," in 176l, and thus laid the groundwork for the tradition we know today as Black Literature.

In essence, JUPITER HAMMON became the first published Black writer in America before it was even the United States of...Think about that!





To read more about Jupiter Hammon GOOGLE his name

community CELEBRATION

Celebrating Alvin Ailey

Robert Battle, Judith Jamison, Matthew Rushing and Rachael McLaren with Budd Mishkin

Be part of an unforgettable night of dance history. The iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a fabled performance at 92Y in 1958. Led by Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, the show changed American dance forever.   Explore the company's past and future with artistic director Robert Battle, former artistic director and dancer/choreographer Judith Jamison, and dancers Matthew Rushing and Rachael McLaren. Tue, Nov 17, 8:15 pm

Learn More

TOMORROW AT NOON -#whywecantwait

FACT: Black women earn 64 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. Black women are also the primary breadwinners in a majority of Black households. Economic policy that uplifts Black communities must center Black women. Tomorrow at noon EST take a stand against the wealth disparities plaguing our families! #WhyWeCantWait: Where Do We Go From Here? Demarginalizing women and girls of color and creating an intersectional social justice agenda RSVP HERE! Speakers Include: Moderator: Alvin Starks, Director, Strategic Initiatives and Philanthropy, NAACP Kimberle Crenshaw, Executive Director, African American Policy Forum and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, Transformative Justice Coalition and Host of Igniting Change Radio Show Terry O’Neill, President, National Organization for Women Rosa Clemente, Hip Hop Activist, Lecturer and Journalist Darnell Moore, Senior Editor at MicNews and Co-Managing Editor at The Feminist Wire Mychal Denzel-Smith, Knobler Fellow and Blogger at The Nation William Darity, Professor of Public Policy, Duke University Marlon Peterson, Founder of The Precedential Group and recipient of the Soros Justice Fellowship Nimmi Gowrinathan, Feminist scholar and human rights activist LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Seward Community Co-op Nona Jones, Chief External Affairs Officer, PACE Center for Girls Jyoti Nanda, Professor at UCLA School of Law Monique Lane, Teachers College, Columbia University Kisha Webster, Director of Education and Community Development, Human Rights Campaign N'Dri Assie-Lumumba, Professor of Africana Studies, Cornell University Monica Simpson, Executive Director, SisterSong Priscilla Ocen, Associate Professor, Loyola Law School Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Professor of English Education, Teachers College Lisalyn Jacobs, Vice President for Government Relations, Legal Momentum Anika Simpson, Professor of Philosophy and Women’s Studies, Morgan State University Samantha Master, African American Leadership & Engagement Specialist, Planned Parenthood Federation of America Shay McLean, PhD Student and Activist, University of Illinois Join us and share the event widely with your networks using the hashtag #WhyWeCantWait! Please also join us for a #WhyWeCantWait Twitter chat immediately following tomorrow's event.