Celebrate Black History 365 days a year because personal growth and academic discussions should not end when February Black History Month draws to a close. Black history is American history and should be part of daily life.
How can you celebrate Black History 365 and seamlessly make it part of your day? There are many activities available. You can do them as a family, individually, or as part of a class project using these topics:
Celebrate with Fun Activities
Celebrate Music and Film
Celebrate Authors and Artists
Celebrate Inventors and Trailblazers
Celebrate Africa (Because Black History Didn’t Start in 1619)
This article will review each of the above topics and hopefully give you lots of ideas on how you can celebrate Black History 365.
Celebrate with Fun Activities
You can engage children and family with these activities. They are fun, entertaining and will improve your knowledge and insight regarding Black history.
There are virtual tours you can take. And when the time is right, you may choose to visit these places in person.
Here’s a good starting point.
TAKE THE GAIL BORDEN LIBRARY BLACK HISTORY EXHIBIT VIRTUAL TOUR
Black History Virtual Exhibit at Gail Borden Library District in Elgin, Illinois. This is a wonderful exhibit that features national Black leaders with articles and videos on each.
Watch this short video included in the Gail Borden Library Tour about Kamala Harris, the first person of color and the first woman elected vice president of the United States.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY STORYTIME SERIES
This Storytime series offers free books read online as you follow along while the narrator reads the story. The National Civil Rights Museum sponsors the series. They developed it with parents and children in mind so that they can engage today in this fun and educational activity.
The theme of the series focuses on these qualities:
Kindness
Diversity
Peacemaking
Positive Social Change
Below is a list of 12 books offered by the museum. Enjoy!
SMALL BUT MIGHTY STORYTIME SERIES
Check online at https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/visit for in-person visiting hours and ticket information for the Civil Rights Museum.
Find these National Black Leaders in the word search puzzle:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Rosa Parks - Booker T. Washington - Kamala Harris - Maya Angelou - Thurgood Marshall - Harriet Tubman- Barack Obama - Katherine Johnson - Ida B. Wells - Fredrick Douglass
Celebrate Music and Film (Part 1)
START A CONVERSATION:
WHO IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC ARTIST?
The answer to that question may be open to debate and may help you learn about black artists you may be unfamiliar with. You probably know Miles Davis, Billi Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, and Aretha Franklin. But have you ever heard of Robert Johnson?
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 - August 16, 1938) was born in Hazelhurst, Mississippi. At an early age, his brother taught him to play the guitar. As his skills grew, he later became a traveling musician, performing the blues across the South and in New York, Detroit, St. Louis, and Chicago.
His guitar playing was considered complex. Early Delta blues musicians were known for more simple guitar playing that harmonized with their voices. But Johnson used his guitar to play rhythm, slide, and bass simultaneously, all while singing.
He influenced many artists including Muddy Waters, Elmore James, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. And in 1991 at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, 52 years after his death, his recording won best historical album.
“The Complete Recordings,” released by Columbia Records in 1991, sold more than two million copies and won a Grammy for best historical album.
COLUMBIA RECORDS
James Brown
James Brown influenced musicians of all genres. He is considered the most sampled musician of all time. He was one of the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though his career brought him fame and success, his personal life was filled with strife, drug use, and accusations of abuse.
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) grew up in poverty during the depression, wore clothes made from sackcloth, and shined shoes for pennies. At age 12, he worked full-time doing odd jobs and sang in the church choir. As a teenager, he served time in a detention center where he met Bobby Byrd — an R&B singer and pianist.
In 1955 Brown joined Byrd’s singing group and they recorded “Please, Please, Please” which reached No. 6 on the R&B charts.
James Brown’s musical career spanned five decades and earned him the following titles:
The Godfather of Soul
Soul Brother No. 1
Mr. Dynamite
The Hardest Working Man in Show Business
Mahalia Jackson
Mahaila Jackson was known as the Queen of Gospel. She influenced gospel artists as well as mainstream musicians. An international singer and a civil rights activist, she was admired by audiences of all races.
Mahaila Jackson (October 26, 1911 - January 27, 1972) was born in New Orleans. She started singing at Mount Moriah Baptist Church when she was four years old. As a teen, she moved north to live with family in Chicago.
She began singing in local churches and word of her voice grew. She joined the Johnson Gospel Singers and later started performing throughout the United States with gospel composer, Thomas A. Dorsey.
Her 1947 recording of “Move On Up a Little Higher” propelled her to fame and through the years has gained many awards and honors.
“Move On Up a Little Higher”
Sold 8 million copies
Grammy Hall of Fame Award, 1998
Library of Congress National Recording Registry, 2005
Songs of the Century List, Recording Industry
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (500 Songs that Shaped Rock)
By 1954, Jackson was hosting a Sunday night show for CBS on the radio. When she sang on the Ed Sullivan Show, her appearance further helped bring gospel music to the mainstream audience.
She traveled the world. Her first European concert tour included a performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Her performances included stops in Denmark, France, Germany, India, and Japan.
She was active in supporting civil rights and traveled with Dr. King throughout the South, singing gospel songs before his speeches. And she was invited by Dr. King to sing at the March on Washington, August 28, 1963.
Her life influenced many and her voice inspired generations of musicians including Aretha Franklin. In 1997, Mahaila Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Celebrate Music and Film (Part 2)
history of blacks in film
At the beginning of the film industry, most African Americans were portrayed in a very derogatory way. For example, The Birth of a Nation characterized Blacks negatively while glorifying the Ku Klux Klan.
But in the early 1920s and 30s Black filmmakers were able to reclaim a space in the African American culture by showing Blacks in a positive light. About 500 films were produced. These films starred Black actors and were usually written, directed, and produced by Blacks for Black audiences.
Sadly many of the films were permanently lost and the remaining ones have been difficult to locate.
To preserve this early history of African American film, a box set collection of 16 films has been packaged. These films and shorts include documentaries, comedies, and dramas. The Kino Lorber Company released a five-disc collection containing 20 hours of film.
HAIR LOVE | OSCAR-WINNING SHORT FILM
Hair Love is an Oscar-winning 2019 Best Animated Short Film. Matthew A. Cherry wrote and directed the film.
The film’s message is a positive one. A young Black girl, Zuri, struggles with styling her natural hair. And with her father’s help, they achieve success.
For writer Matthew A. Cherry, part of the film’s goal was to encourage hair love among young women and men of color. And to fill the lack of representation in mainstream animated projects.
Directed by: Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing, Jr., Bruce W. Smith; Produced by: Karen Rupert Toliver, Stacey Newton, Monica A. Young, Matthew A. Cherry, David Steward II, and Carl Reed; Written by: Matthew A. Cherry. Starring: Issa Rae.
HAIR LOVE
The story was also released as a children’s book in May 2019 with Illustrations by Vashti Harrison.
THE 20 Best Black Movies On Netflix
By Jasmine Vaughn-Hall, BuzzFeed Contributor
Moonlight
See You Yesterday
School Daze
Roxanne Roxanne
Beats
Black Hollywood: They’ve Gotta Have Us
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Fruitvale Station
The Princess and the Frog
Project Power
Da 5 Bloods
Django Unchained
His House
Dolemite Is My Name
Good Burger
Loving
13th
Becoming
Homecoming
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
If you’re a Netflix subscriber, here’s a list of 20 Black films to consider adding to your watch list. They range from dramas to comedies to documentaries.
Scroll down to view the complete documentary “13th,” and to watch an interview with Simon Frederick, director of the documentary “They’ve Gotta Have Us.”
Simon Frederick interview
“They’ve Gotta Have Us” is a three-part documentary by Simon Frederick. Included are interviews by filmmakers and stars discussing the successes and misconceptions about Black films.
There have been award-winning performances and productions by Black artists, but also the belief by some in the film industry that films by Blacks don’t do well overseas.
"The color they really care the most about is green," says actor Don Cheadle, a veteran of among other things the Marvel franchise, whose blockbuster success with "Black Panther" helped chip away at those barriers.
13TH
Don’t have Netflix? Watch 13th here for free.
Ava DuVernay’s 13th explores how the loophole in the Thirteenth Amendment led to mass incarceration in the United States. The Thirteenth Amendment states that it is unconstitutional for anyone to be held as a slave, except in the case of criminals.
13th examines the strategy of controlling people of color through incarceration, in other words, slavery by another name.
CELEBRATE AUTHORS AND ARTISTS (Part 1)
Why these Black authors should be at the top of your reading list:
Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
Known for her autobiographical book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and her poem “Phenomenal Woman.” She has inspired countless people and her seven autobiographies and many volumes of poetry have influenced and help to shape other lives in surviving traumas, love, racism, discrimination.
James Baldwin
Best known for his works The Fire Next Time, Notes of a Native Son, and Go Tell It on the Mountain. His writings were insightful and spoke about humanity, race, and spirituality.
Langston Hughes (1901-1967)
Poet laureate, novelist, playwright, columnist, and social activist. Hughes's first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published in 1926. A popular writer of the Harlem Renaissance his work denounced racism and injustice and gave hope to the oppressed.
Zora Neal Hurston (1891-1960)
Author, filmmaker, and anthropologist. Her most popular novel was Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. A prolific writer, she also wrote essays, plays, and more than 50 short stories. She was known for her folk writing style, her irreverence, her wit, and her portrayal of racial struggles.
W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was a writer, poet, historian, educator, and civil rights activist. He was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and the founder and editor of its monthly magazine, The Crisis. He is best known for The Souls of Black Folk, a collection of essays that expanded upon the theme: “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line.”
These five are a wonderful starting point but don’t stop there. Keep going. There are many more authors to explore.
62 Great Books by Black Authors - 62 Great Books by Black Authors, recommended by TED speakers.
44 of the Best Books by Black Authors You Should Read in Your Lifetime - Oprah’s Daily
CELEBRATE AUTHORS AND ARTISTS (Part 2)
A Collection of African American Art
According to its mission statement of the National Gallery of Art, a national art museum in Washington, D.C., it serves “the country by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, interpreting and encouraging the understanding by the American public of original, great works of art.”
Explore a selection of works by African American artists included in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. <<CLICK HERE>>
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)
Jacob Lawrence’s artwork portrayed African-American life using browns and blacks alongside vivid colors. He called his style “dynamic cubism.”
Kara Elizabeth Walker (born 1969)
Kara Elizabeth Walker is a contemporary artist. She explores identity and race through her artwork using silhouettes and prints. Her best-known work is a room-size scene black cut-out paper silhouettes.
10 Black Artists You Should Know — on Medium.com
Celebrating Inventors and Trailblazers (Part 1)
Can You Name These Inventors
and Their Inventions?
The devices and products created by Black inventors have helped to make lives easier, more enjoyable. Their resourcefulness and hard work have enriched society in the United States and worldwide.
Learning about the achievements of these sharp minds brings pride and hope to students. Pride in seeing people they can identify with making such important achievements and hope in knowing that they can do the same, create an invention.
To know that you can have a dream and imagine something, then make it come true. Students, everyone, at any age, can become a visionary. Take an idea, grow it and produce something worthwhile, useful to the inventor and society, and make the world a better place.
Learning about inventions makes you more aware of the contributions that Blacks have made to society. You learn that inventors come from a diverse group of people. No matter your age or ethnicity, you too can have the imagination and wherewithal to create. You come to understand what it takes and you may have enthusiasm for learning and for making your dreams come true.
The names of the inventors and their inventions? Here are the answers:
PATRICIA BATH, PATENT NO. 4,744,360 — LASERPHACO PROBE (IMPROVED CATARACT TREATMENT)
PATRICIA BATH
Patricia Bath (November 4, 1942 - May 30, 2019) improved cataract treatment with her 1986 Laserphaco Probe invention. Her method for treating cataracts by laser is still in use worldwide.
GARRETT MORGAN
Besides inventing a version of the three-position traffic signal, Garrett Morgan invented other devices.
His smoke hood (a predecessor of the gas mask) was successfully used in July 1916 when an explosion in a waterworks tunnel trapped construction workers and released toxic gas.
The water tunnel rescue proved the effectiveness of Morgan's breathing mask. Many fire departments used the device to enter dangerous areas while battling fires.
GARRETT MORGAN, PATENT NO. 1,475,024 — THREE-POSITION TRAFFIC SIGNAL
Morgan also created and produced a chemical straightening and hair-processing solution. Then he formed a successful company based on his hair product inventions along with a complete line of hair-care products.
ALEXANDER MILES
Alexander Miles (May 18, 1838 - May 7, 1918), an inventor and businessman, developed an improvement upon elevator door opening and closing automation.
In Alexander Miles’s design, the elevator doors were automated through a series of levers and rollers.
ALEXANDER MILES, PATENT NO. 371,207 — ELEVATOR DOOR AUTOMATION
Before automation, the shaft doors and elevator doors had to be closed manually by an operator or by passengers. If the shaft doors were not closed properly and the shaft was exposed, a horrible injury could result from a fall.
Miles also worked as a real estate investor and barber. He became the first Black member of the Duluth, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
ELIJAH MCCOY
Elijah McCoy (May 2, 1844 - October 10, 1925) was born in Ontario, Canada. His parents were runaway slaves who fled Kentucky through the Underground Railroad. In 1847 his family moved to Michigan.
Although he was a certified mechanical engineer, he was not able to find work in his chosen field due to racial barriers. He took a job and a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad. As a trained engineer and as an employee with hands-on experience, he was able to see the inefficiencies and improvements that were needed to make the engines run smoother.
ELIJAH MCCOY, PATENT NO. 1,136,689 — AUTOMATED LUBRICATION FOR LOCOMOTIVES
Lubrication of engine parts was done manually with a handheld oil can. One of his first designs was a lubricating cup that fit into the steam cylinders of locomotives. His patented automatic lubricator was dubbed “The Real McCoy” to distinguish it from less efficient imitators that had entered the market.
VALERIE THOMAS
As a child, Valerie Thomas (born February 8, 1948) had an early interest in electronics that was sparked by seeing the inside parts of a television as her father tinkered with the set and by reading a library book called The Boy’s First Book on Electronics.
Thomas grew up in a time when young girls were not encouraged to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes. But she continued her pursuit and after high school, she attended Morgan State University where she was only one of two women who majored in physics.
Valerie Thomas graduated from college in 1964 with honors and accepted a position at NASA as a data analyst and mathematician.
While at NASA, Thomas studied images and wondered how they could be transmitted in three dimensions. She compared flat vs concave mirrors. Flat mirrors produced images that seemed to be behind the mirror or inside of it. But with concave mirrors, images were in front of the mirror, appearing to be real.
VALERIE THOMAS, PATENT NO. 4,229,761 — ILLUSION TRANSMITTER
She began experimenting in 1976, looking at the relationship between an object’s image and its position relative to concave mirrors and if this could produce realistic, three-dimensional images. She believed that improvements could be made in video and possibly even one day in television.
In 1980 Thomas obtained a patent for her illusion transmitter that uses concave mirrors to produce images. The device is regularly used by NASA and scientists are working on ways to incorporate the technology into tools for surgeons, video screens, and TV sets.
“There have been references to the Illusion Transmitter producing holograms, which surprised me since I remembered holograms being produced using lasers,” said Valerie Thomas. — WKMG Orlando
Thomas said that there are products today based on her patent, and she envisions the Illusion Transmitter as being a TV where images are projected into the air instead of a screen, and can be seen without wearing special 3D glasses.
Thomas served as associate chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office at NASA. She earned her doctorate from the University of Delaware. Dr. Valerie Thomas retired from NASA in 1995.
LONNIE JOHNSON
Lonnie Johnson has more than 100 patents. But what is his most famous invention? The Super Soaker!
LONNIE JOHNSON, PATENT NO. 4,591,071 — THE SUPER SOAKER
Johnson was born in Mobile, Alabama on October 6, 1949. He was a curious child and an inventor from an early age. He made small toys, go-carts, windmills, and rockets. While in high school, he built a robot named “The Linex.” The only Black student in a science fair competition, his robot won first place.
After graduating from Williamson High School, an all-Black school, he attended Tuskegee University on a math scholarship. He graduated college with a degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in nuclear engineering.
In 1975, after college, he worked for the Air Force to fulfill his ROTC obligation. While there he received his first patent for a device called “ Digital Distance Measuring Instrument,” an early type of DVD-reading technology.
He was recruited by NASA in 1979 and began working in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While at NASA he worked on the Galileo spacecraft, developing its power supply mechanism. Johnson rejoined the Air Force in 1982 where he worked on an extremely sensitive project, the first B-52 stealth bomber.
It was in the early 1980s that he was experimenting at home and accidentally shot a stream of water across the room. His idea for a toy water gun was born, but it would be years before his design reached fruition.
At a New York toy fair, Johnson had a chance encounter with a representative from toymaker Larami Corporation. They took an interest in his water gun which at the time he called the Power Drencher.
By the summer of 1991, the redesigned and renamed Super Soaker was on the shelves. That summer alone, more than two million were sold. Later Larami Corporation became a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc.
The Super Soaker has grossed over $1 billion over the last 30 years. In 2015, the Super Soaker was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Johnson is focused on helping the next generation of scientists, especially young people of color. “At large corporations,” Johnson said, “the minority representation is only 10 percent or so, but minorities are 30 percent of the population — soon to be 40 percent. We can’t maintain technology leadership in the world when we’re leaving large segments of our population on the sidelines. We need all hands on deck. That’s something I emphasize to people every opportunity I get.”
Celebrating Inventors and Trailblazers (Part 2)
Claudette Colvin
A trailblazer is someone who takes a new path, a pioneer who’s not afraid to upset the status quo.
Claudette Colvin, at 15, was such a person. She set an example for future generations. She was the first person arrested for disobeying Montgomery, Alabama’s bus segregation ordinance. On March 2, 1955, she was arrested nine months before Rosa Park’s arrest.
Claudette was on her way from school when the bus driver ordered her and her classmates to vacate a row of seats and move to the back of the bus in order that a White woman could sit towards that front of the bus. Her classmates moved to the back but Claudette refused to move. Police officers removed her from the bus, handcuffed her, and took her to jail.
IN HER OWN WORDS….LISTEN TO CLAUDETTE COLVIN’S MARCH 2, 2015, NPR (NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO) INTERVIEW.
IN HER OWN WORDS….Read Claudette Colvin’s story in Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice.
Tuskegee Airmen
The United States Congress created the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1939 to make sure there would be enough pilots available during wartime. On January 16, 1941, it was announced that a unit of all-Black fighter pilots was to be trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
The Tuskegee Airmen were formed in 1941 as the first African-American military pilots. The military's decision to allow African Americans to serve as pilots was not universally popular.
Some white officers and enlisted men were openly hostile to the Tuskegee Airmen who battled racism, discrimination, segregation while also having to fly and fight in a war.
They were mostly assigned to air defense missions and escort missions, but they also took part in bombing missions. They never lost a bomber to enemy fire.
Although they faced discrimination from other units, the Airmen were distinguished by their performance, including escorting bombers engaged in the strategic bombing of Nazi Germany.
The Tuskegee Airmen, with their skills and courage, helped lead to the desegregation of the U.S. military.
THE NEGRO LEAGUES
The Negro Leagues were founded in 1920. During segregation, African American baseball players were not allowed to play on the same teams as White Americans and were excluded from playing in the Major League and the affiliated minors.
The Cuban Giants, the first African American professional baseball club, was originally formed in 1885.
Though there were few, if any, Cubans on the team, the Cuban Giants did play in Cuba during several winter seasons.
Black players, wanting to compete professionally, but barred from playing with Whites, formed their own teams.
The Negro Leagues’ popularity and success lasted until the late 1950s. In 1947, when Jackie Robinson appeared in games with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Larry Doby appeared with the Cleveland Indians, the Major Leagues began to slowly integrate.
In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced that it was classifying the seven "Negro Major Leagues" as major leagues, recognizing statistics and approximately 3,400 players who played from 1920 to 1948.
Celebrate Africa
(BECause Black History Didn’t Start in 1619)
3 AFRICAN EMPIRES YOU SHOULD KNOW
Yes, there was the Egyptian Empire, a world power for over 3,000 years. At its height, it ruled over the Middle East and North Africa. It is well-known for being one of the most influential empires in history. But there are many other African empires that hold an important position in world history. Three important empires of note are Kush, Aksumite, and Songhai.
(1) THE KINGDOM OF KUSH
Kush helped shape the cultural and political viewpoint of northeastern Africa for more than 3,000 years and was a major power in Africa from the 7th century BCE to the 4th century CE.
The region of Kush was the main source of gold for the Egyptians who referred to Kush as Ta-Sety (“The Land of the Bow”), because of the skilled Kushite archers. The Egyptians also knew the land as Ta-Nehsy (“Land of the Black People”).
The larger territory around Kush was later referred to as Nubia.
Kush was located between the Cataracts of the Nile. The Nile’s cataracts were a group of six shallow lengths or whitewater rapids that were used as navigation points.
In the northern region, the first cataract corresponds to the modern area of Aswan, Egypt. The sixth cataract is 1,100 kilometers or 720 miles south, north of Khartoum, Sudan.
There were a series of three capitals in Kush, each corresponding to a distinct time period: Kerma, Napata, and Meroe. It was during the Napata era that the Kushites ruled Egypt’s 25th dynasty.
KUSH: KERMA CAPITAL
The Kerma capital flourished between 2500 BCE and 1550 BCE. It dominated the Nile Valley between the first and fourth cataracts. Its size rivaled that of ancient Egypt.
Nubians farmed, fished, and hunted; cared for cattle and sheep, and produced metal goods and ceramics. But it was commerce that secured their power in the region. Their trade routes spread far beyond Egypt and stretched into the central and southern regions of Africa. Many kingdoms depended on Kush to supply them with incense, gold, and other luxuries.
At times, Kush’s relationship with Egypt was peaceful and sometimes tumultuous. Around 1500 BCE Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose I of the 18th Dynasty attacked the city of Kerma, ending its reign as Kush’s capital, and taking control of the region.
It wasn’t until the 25th Dynasty that the Nubians regained control.
KERMA POTTERY
1750 to 1550 BCE
The Classic Kerma phase lasted from approximately 1750 BCE to 1550 BCE. One of the most unique products of Kerma was its ceramics. The pottery was characterized by a rich red-brown base and a black top separated by an irregular purple-grey band. The black tops and interiors were finely crafted by hand, without using a potter’s wheel, and had a lustrous metallic appearance.
KUSH: NAPATA AND THE 25TH DYNASTY
While Egypt struggled with political conflict, fragmented power, and civil unrest, the Kushites no longer worried that Egypt might invade their empire. The Kushites established Alara as the first king of the Kingdom of Kush and proclaimed Napata as its new capital.
Kushite heartland and Kushite Empire of the 25th dynasty circa 700 B.C.E. (map: Lommes, CC BY-SA 4.0)
From their capital city Napata, the Kushites launched military operations, became more and more powerful, and eventually cemented their rulership over Nubia and all of Egypt.
Rulership of the Kush Kingdom flowed from Alara to his son Kashta, then Kashta’s son Piye, and Piye’s brother, Shabaka establishing the 25th Dynasty of Egypt (approximately from 773 BCE to 664 BCE).
Taharqa (Khunefertumre), a son of Piye, was possibly the most influential pharaoh of the 25th Dynasty. Under his guidance, large-scale projects such as monuments and temples were increased throughout Egypt at Memphis, Thebes, and Jebel Barkal.
STATUE OF TAHARQA
A black granite statue from around the 6th century BCE discovered in 2003.
Displayed at the Western Deffusa site museum at Kerma, Sudan.
Far from destroying Egyptian culture, the Kushite pharaoh’s preserved it. Their century-long reign was characterized by a relatively reliable and stable government. They revived the state religion and attempted to expand the empire eastward.
Around 664 BCE, the Assyrian Empire invaded Egypt and defeated the Kushite armies. Tantamani, the Nubian Pharaoh, retreated to Napata and later traveled further south to the Meroe, the new Kushite capital city.
KUSH: CAPITAL AT MEROE
The final period of the Kingdom of Kush is sometimes called the Meroitic period, after its capital at Meroe. Being farther south, Meroe provided greater safety and became the primary residence of its rulers from the 3rd century BCE onwards. Meroe became the site of most royal burials as the tradition of burying royalty at Napata was abandoned.
The most significant artifacts of Meroitic civilization are probably their pyramids. More than a dozen Kushite kings, queens and other nobles are interred with pyramids. A single necropolis or cemetery at Meroe has more pyramids than all of Egypt. Similar to Egyptian pyramids, Meroe pyramids are tombs. But unlike Egyptian pyramids, the burial chamber is beneath the pyramid, such that the pyramid is more like a giant headstone where Egyptians were entombed inside the pyramid.
MEROE PYRAMIDS
At the same time that Kush was losing its connection with Egypt, its exposure to the cultures of southern Africa was growing stronger. With Meroe positioned as a port city on the Nile, trade routes to both the Red Sea and the interior of African were attainable. The Nile also made irrigation possible, keeping Meroe’s land fertile for agriculture.
The wealth of the Kingdom of Kush came from the continued control of their trade routes. With Meroe on the banks of the Nile, Kush created an industrial and agricultural network. The Nile made irrigation possible, allowing Meroë to have land that was an agriculturally fertile area. Meroe sat next to profitable iron and gold mines. They exported cereals, grains, tools, and iron weapons.
The Kingdom of Kush prospered for centuries at Meroe. It even developed its own alphabet and language.
The final history of Kush is one of gradual extinction. In 350 CE the king of Aksum marched down from the Ethiopian highlands and conquered Meroe.
Although the city would continue for another 20 years, it was effectively destroyed by the Axumites.
(2) THE AKSUMITE EMPIRE
The Kingdom of Aksum (also known as Axum) was located on the coast of the Red Sea just above the horn of Africa. It was founded in the first century CE in what is now modern-day Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, Eritrea, and Yemen.
The kingdom flourished from the 3rd to the 6th century CE and its capital Askum was a vital city and an active commercial and cultural center.
Aksum was a major international trading authority. They traded with Arabia, eastern Mediterranea, and Egypt, providing a link between the Asiatic world and the Mediterranean.
Aksum Kingdom Trade Routes
The trade routes along the Nile Valley led to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean made Aksum a favored destination for merchants. When the Aksuites gained control over territory previously controlled by Kush, they were able to expand their trading network inland.
The Empire exported gold, emeralds, and ivory to Rome and India and in exchange received silk and spices. Aksum had vast deposits of gold and iron which were valuable trade commodities. Aksum also traded salt which they had in abundance. Part of their economy involved the trading of slaves which had existed in Ethiopia going as far back as 1495 BCE.
The Aksumite kings bore the official title ngś ngśt meaning King of Kings. Theirs was a hierarchy with kings at the top, then nobility, then the general population.
ASKUMITE COINS, CHRISTIANITY & GE’EZ
The Askum Kingdom was the first sub-Saharan African state to mint its own coins. And in doing so, created a profitable mix of ideas from different cultures. Their gold and silver coins have Greek inscriptions, Sabaean religious symbols, yet were minted in adherence to Roman standard weights.
ASKUMITE GOLD COINS
In the 4th century (around 340-356 CE) under the rule of King Ezana, Aksum adopted the Orthodox tradition of Christianity displacing its former polytheistic and Judaic doctrines.
Afterward, the sun and the moon, symbols of their old religion no longer appeared on their coins. They were replaced with a cross on the reverse side of the coin which symbolized the kingdom’s shift to Christianity.
The new religious symbolism on the coins had political indications, as well, and aligned Aksum’s religious identity with its principal trading partners, Rome and later Byzantium.
The coins also had a unique significance in Aksum history. They gave evidence of the existence of Aksum and the names of their rulers. And the inscriptions showed that the Aksumites were literate and had knowledge of both Ethiopic and Greek languages.
The Aksumites created their own alphabet, Africa’s only indigenous written script, Ge’ez, which is still in use in Ethiopia today.
SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
Aksumite kings traced their ancestry to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, a royal lineage claimed by all emperors of Ethiopia. They believed that Menelik formed the Solomonic dynasty from which the rulers of Ethiopia (up to the 1970s) are said to be descended.
Accounts describe Sheba, Queen of Aksum, traveling to Jerusalem where she met Solomon. Years later, her son, Menelik went to Jerusalem where he was recognized by Solomon as his son.
When Menelik returned to Aksum, he took with him the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, a gold-covered wooden chest that contained the two stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed.
The Ark of the Covenant is now allegedly housed in Aksum in the Chapel of the Tablet, next to the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. No one is permitted to see the Ark which is guarded by a single monk who has been appointed for life. He is the only one who is authorized to go enter the chapel. Prior to his death, he must choose the next guard.
THE OBELISK OF AKSUM — Outside the city of Aksum, are Aksumite cemeteries marked by enormous gravestones called stelae or obelisks. These giant obelisks mark the tombs of noblemen and emperors buried in the underground chambers.
The Kingdom of Askum went into decline due to a likely combination of several issues: increased competition from Muslim Arab traders; drought and climate changes; and attacks by invaders.
Several seasons of drought and changing flood patterns of the Nile altered Askum’s agriculture, and along with overfarming, decreased crop yield lead to a reduction in the declining empire’s food supply.
The people of Askum were forced to go farther inland to the highlands. Today the city Askum is a country village.
The date of the end of the Aksumite Empire is difficult to determine. It is believed that the empire was destroyed around 1000 CE.
Surviving as a much smaller territory to the south, the remnants of the once-great Kingdom of Axum would eventually rise again and form the great Kingdom of Abyssinia in the 13th century CE.
(3) THE SONGHAI EMPIRE
The Songhai Empire (also known as Songhay) reigned from 1460-1591 CE. Songhai began as a small kingdom along the Niger river, but with the rise of King Sunni Ali (1464-1492 CE), Songhai expanded its territory.
By deploying his naval fleet on the Niger River and equipping his calvary with armor, Sunni Ali (aka Sonni Ali Ber) defeated Mali and replaced it as the most important empire in West Africa.
The Songhai Empire covered modern southern Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria; dominated thousands of tribes; and controlled a region about the size of the United States, making it the largest empire in African history.
With its capital at Gao, Songhai was able to control the trans-Saharan trade through the cities, Djenne and Timbuktu. The Songhai caravan trade brought rock salt, fine cloth, glassware, and horses to the region. They exchanged these items for gold, ivory, hides, kola nuts, spices, and slaves.
The Songhai city of Timbuktu, with a population of around 100,000 in the mid-15th century CE, was a prosperous commercial hub where Italian, Arab, and Jewish merchants traded. Timbuktu was also a cultural center where renewal of Islamic scholarship took place at the university in Timbuktu. Across the Muslim world, Timbuktu gained a reputation for scholarship and learning.
Though Islam was the dominant religion of the Songhai government, more than 90 percent of the subjects were non-Muslim and a policy of religious freedom was adopted.
In 1493, statesman and military leader Moḥammad I Askiya (also spelled Muhammed I Askia) conquered the Songhai throne. He died in 1538 and was buried in Gao beneath a pyramid.
After Askiya’s death, the empire suffered through years of political chaos, ineffectual leadership, and multiple civil wars until 1591 when it was conquered by the Moroccan Empire.
Mohammad I Askiya’s tomb is still standing and has become one of the most revered mosques in all of West Africa and an important remnant of the Songhai Empire.
USING AFRICAN HISTORY AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE
Sudanese-British journalist, Zeinab Badawi, shares the important belief that to understand yourself, you first have to understand your history. Then you can move forward with pride.
Badawi hosts television and radio programs and has received numerous awards. She produces programs about Africa in association with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
THE AFRICA YOU DON’T SEE ON TELEVISION
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Cote D’ivoire
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles Island
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY 365
CARTER G. WOODSON
Historian, author, journalist, and founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History
In 1926 when Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week, he saw it as a way of remembering the often forgotten accomplishments of African Americans; a way to recognize the people and important historical events.
He hoped that celebrating heroic Black figures, whether soldiers, inventors, or entertainers, would demonstrate to America the important role that Blacks had in creating America, and therefore deserved to be treated equally as citizens.
Negro History Week became Black History Month in 1976 and stretched into a month-long celebration that highlighted Black culture, history, and accomplishments.
The expansion is and was a welcomed development that allowed more time for communities and schools to integrate Black history into lesson plans and local events.
For individuals, families, communities, and educational institutions who would like to continue the lessons and awareness of the month-long celebration, why not find ways to explore Black history whenever possible?
Whether through projects, family history, books, movies, entertainment, or games, opportunities to learn more about the past abound and there are many ways to celebrate:
Celebrate with Fun Activities
Celebrate Music and Film
Celebrate Authors and Artists
Celebrate Inventors and Trailblazers
Celebrate Africa (Because Black History Didn’t Start in 1619)
Studying the past can nurture a sense of pride in understanding how much was overcome and can instill a sense of urgency in seeing how far there is to go in reaching full equality.
LEARN MORE ABOUT IT
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The Nations Biggest Collection Of Racist Objects Are All In A Michigan College Basement
Meet a woman who changed the face of medicine (Patricia Bath)
This NASA Scientist Changed the Way We See Satellite Images of Earth
Isma’il Kushkush, “In the Land of Kush,” Smithsonian Magazine (Sep 2020)
Mark, Joshua J. "The Kingdom of Kush." World History Encyclopedia.
Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe - UNESCO, World Heritage Convention.
The Aksum Kingdom: Trade and Ancient Africa | Africa's Great Civilizations
Missouri State University: Celebrating Black History (Month)
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) - Slavery Narratives
READ MORE ABOUT IT
Sources:
Gospel Queen On The King's Highway: The Power and the Glory of Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson: Gospel Takes Flight, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Preserving the History of America’s First Black Filmmakers, PBS.org
As Oscars near, 'They've Gotta Have Us' Looks at Black History in the Movies, CNN, February 5, 2020
Documentary '13TH' Argues Mass Incarceration Is An Extension Of Slavery, NPR, December 17, 2016
“Hair Love” Sends a Positive Message About Black Hair and Dads, The Accolade.org
Before Rosa Parks, A Teenager Defied Segregation On An Alabama Bus, NPR.org
Valerie Thomas: Illusion Transmitter, https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/valerie-thomas
Life and Work of Valerie L. Thomas, https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/robinlindeenblakeley/?page_id=76
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/15/us/super-soaker-lonnie-johnson-great-big-story-trnd/index.html
Lonnie Johnson: Inventor, Engineer, Entrepreneur. A Complete Timeline.
https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/commerce-trade-ancient-africa-kush
https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/commerce-trade-ancient-africa-kush
https://oi.uchicago.edu/museum-exhibits/nubia/kushite-kingdom
https://www.ducksters.com/history/africa/kingdom_of_kush.php
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/east-africa2/ethiopia/a/the-kingdom-of-aksum
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/east-africa2/ethiopia/a/aksumite-coins
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/songhai-empire
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-I-Askia/Fall-from-power-and-death