We Are Speaking: Today In Black History

Today In Black History: Baker's Keyboard Lounge

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:16:52 GMT

Issue #1,044 Today In Black History, Monday, June 29, 2026

June is Black Music Appreciation Month. Black Music Month was initiated in 1979 by Philadelphia songwriter Kenny Gamble, pioneering radio DJ Ed Wright, and media strategist Dyana Williams. These three music icons successfully campaigned the idea to President Jimmy Carter, who held the first White House reception celebrating Black music on June 7, 1979.

This month in Today In Black History, we will highlight a few of the famous and lesser-known Black musicians.
Today, we publish the last of the 2026 Black Music Appreciation Month posts.

There’s a place on Livernois Avenue on Detroit’s west side where the music never really stops. Even when the doors are closed, the echoes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ella Fitzgerald seem to linger in the walls — seasoned into the wood like decades of good smoke and better nights. That place is Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, located at 20510 Livernois Avenue on the “Avenue of Fashion,” and its story is as rich, layered, and enduring as the jazz it has championed since 1934.

Where It All Began

The story starts, humbly enough, with a sandwich. In 1933, Chris and Fannie Baker opened a small lunchtime restaurant on Detroit’s northwest side. Modest. Practical. Delicious, no doubt. But it was their son Clarence who heard something more in that little room — a frequency waiting to be tuned. In 1934, he began booking jazz pianists, and just like that, a legend was born.

Clarence had a gift beyond booking talent. He had presence. Working the house personally each night, he cultivated an atmosphere so warm and inviting that the world’s greatest musicians wanted to perform there. By the 1950s, Baker’s had become a magnet for jazz royalty. Art Tatum played those keys. Dave Brubeck swung through. Louis Armstrong blew the roof off. Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Chet Baker, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller — the list reads like a who’s who of the American musical canon.

A Global Jazz Landmark

It’s no small thing to call yourself the oldest continuously operating jazz club in the world. But that’s precisely what Baker’s Keyboard Lounge is — a distinction officially recognized by the International Association of Jazz Educators. In a music scene that has seen clubs come and go across New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and beyond, Baker’s has quietly, stubbornly, beautifully kept its doors open through it all.

A few years ago, Baker’s was actually featured on the TV game show “Jeopardy.”

Answer: Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit!
Question: What is the world’s oldest continually operating jazz club?

The club’s intimate “listening room” format — the kind of space where you can see the pianist’s hands and feel the bass in your chest — was the crucible in which jazz evolved from the 1930s through the 1960s. Baker’s didn’t just witness that evolution. It was part of it.

Detroit recognized this, too. The club was designated a Michigan Historic Site in 1986, and in 2016, the city named it a protected historic landmark. The famous piano-key-shaped bar, an icon in its own right, has served drinks to music lovers for nearly a century.

New Hands on the Keys

In 2011, Eric and Jacqueline Vaughn Whitaker (affectionately known as “Jackie Vaughn”) and Hugh William Smith became co-owners of Baker’s. They understood what they were inheriting — not just a business, but a sacred cultural institution — and have worked to honor that trust while carefully breathing new life into the space.

This past spring, Baker’s temporarily closed its doors for a focused renovation. The result? Nearly $100,000 in upgrades that refreshed the venue from the inside out without touching its soul. A brand-new outdoor patio invites guests to enjoy Detroit evenings under open skies. The bar area got a fresh facelift. New lighting gives the intimate room a warm, updated glow. And the furniture — comfortable, inviting, and fitting for a room this storied — got a welcome upgrade.

The menu evolved, offering an elevated culinary experience that now includes vegan, vegetarian, and healthier fare alongside the classic offerings. Same great spirit, broader welcome.

Keith and I were honored to attend the Media Preview the day before the official reopening weekend. It was glorious and awe-inspiring.

The Music Goes On

When Baker’s reopened after renovations, it didn’t just open its doors — it opened a chapter. The jazz is still live. The piano bar still gleams. The ghosts of the greats are still in the room.

Baker’s Keyboard Lounge has survived nine decades by doing one thing brilliantly: creating a space where music and community meet. In Detroit, that’s not just history. That’s home.

Today In Black History

In 1864, Samuel Crowther, the Bishop of Niger, became the first Black bishop of the Church of England.
In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the creator of Negro History Week, which expanded into Black History Month, won the NAACP Springarn Medal for his research into Black history.
In 1956, during the Olympic trials, Charles Dumas high-jumped 7’ ½”, becoming the first person to jump over 7 feet in U.S. Olympic history.
In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment and violated the Eighth Amendment. At that time, 81% of death row convicts were Black and other minority groups.
In 1976, the African Nation of Seychelles gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
In 1982, the 1865 Voting Rights Act (VRA) was extended.
In 2023, the Republican-majority Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that college race-based admissions programs used to increase diversity are illegal under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: The Fisk Jubilee Singers

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:21:07 GMT

Issue #1,042 Today In Black History, Wednesday, June 24, 2026

June is Black Music Appreciation Month. Black Music Month was initiated in 1979 by Philadelphia songwriter Kenny Gamble, pioneering radio DJ Ed Wright, and media strategist Dyana Williams. These three music icons successfully campaigned the idea to President Jimmy Carter, who held the first White House reception celebrating Black music on June 7, 1979.

This month in Today In Black History, we will highlight a few of the famous and lesser-known Black musicians.

There’s a moment in 1871 that changed American music forever. A small, exhausted group of young Black singers boarded a train in Nashville, Tennessee, with almost nothing to their name — no guarantee of success, no warm reception waiting for them, and certainly no idea that their voices would one day echo in the concert halls of Europe and the corridors of the White House. They were the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and what they carried with them was priceless: the sacred songs of their enslaved ancestors.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers were founded in 1871 under the direction of George Leonard White, the treasurer and music teacher at Fisk University in Nashville. The school, established in 1866 to educate formerly enslaved people, was in desperate financial trouble. Desperate to keep Fisk’s doors open, White assembled eleven students and set out on a concert tour of the Northern United States. The name “Jubilee” was a nod to the biblical Year of Jubilee — a time of liberation and freedom.

The early tour was rough. Audiences were sometimes hostile, and hotels regularly turned them away. But when the singers performed, something remarkable happened. Crowds who expected novelty were moved to tears instead. The songs the Jubilee Singers shared — “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Go Down, Moses,” “Steal Away,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” — were Negro spirituals, the deeply felt, often coded songs created by enslaved Black Americans. These weren’t folk curiosities. They were testimonies.

The tour slowly caught fire. The group raised enough money to save Fisk University — and then they didn’t stop. In 1872, they performed at the World Peace Jubilee in Boston before an audience of 40,000 people. President Ulysses S. Grant received them at the White House. Newspapers that had once ignored them now celebrated them.

Their international tour, beginning in 1873, was nothing short of historic. In Britain, they performed for Queen Victoria, who was so moved she commissioned a portrait of the group. They toured Germany, where composer Antonín Dvořák later credited their spirituals as a major influence on his landmark New World Symphony. They sang for heads of state, packed concert halls, and returned home with over $150,000 — an enormous sum that funded the construction of Jubilee Hall at Fisk, the first permanent building in the American South built expressly to educate Black students. That building still stands today.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers did something no institution could have planned: they took music that was in danger of fading from memory and placed it at the center of American cultural life. Before their tours, Negro spirituals were often dismissed or overlooked. The Jubilee Singers treated them as the masterworks they were — performing them with full artistic seriousness on the world’s most prestigious stages. In doing so, they forced the world to listen.

Their influence rippled outward into virtually every corner of American music. Gospel, blues, jazz, and soul all draw from the well of the spiritual tradition the Jubilee Singers championed. Artists from Mahalia Jackson to Beyoncé carry forward a legacy that runs directly through those eleven students who boarded a train in 1871.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers never stopped. The ensemble has continued performing without interruption for over 150 years, making it one of the longest-running musical groups in American history. In 2008, they were awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush. In 2022, a collection of their early recordings from 1909 was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Their story is one of survival, artistry, and profound dignity. They sang when the world tried to silence them — and the world, eventually, couldn’t help but listen.

Today In Black History

In 1884, John R. Lynch, a former congressman from Mississippi, was elected temporary chairman of the Republican convention and became the first Black person to preside over the deliberations of a national political party.
In 1885, Samuel David Ferguson, a consecrated bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, was named bishop of Liberia, becoming the first Black American with full membership in the House of Bishops.
In 1896, Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute, received an honorary degree from Harvard University.
In 1937, Mary McLeod Bethune, an educator and civil rights leader, became the first woman to receive a major federal appointment when she was named Director of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration.
In 1960, Patrice Lumumba became the first Prime Minister of the independent nation of Congo.
In 1971, Daniels and Bell of New York became the first Black-owned securities firm admitted to the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1972, the Democratic National Convention approved the nomination of Yvonne Braithwaite Burke as co-chairperson.
In 1988, Atlanta University and Clark College, two of the nation’s oldest HBCUs, merged to create Clark Atlanta University.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Carmen de Lavallade

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 16:19:03 GMT

Issue #1,041 Today In Black History, Monday, June 22, 2026

June is Black Music Appreciation Month. Black Music Month was initiated in 1979 by Philadelphia songwriter Kenny Gamble, pioneering radio DJ Ed Wright, and media strategist Dyana Williams. These three music icons successfully campaigned the idea to President Jimmy Carter, who held the first White House reception celebrating Black music on June 7, 1979.

This month in Today In Black History, we will highlight a few of the famous and lesser-known Black musicians.

Born on March 6, 1931, in Los Angeles, Carmen de Lavallade grew up in a world rich with heritage. Her Creole parents had deep roots in New Orleans, and she spent much of her childhood with her aunt Adele. Adele wasn’t just family; she owned one of the first Black history bookstores on Central Avenue, a place that surely sparked Carmen’s early love for culture. It seems excellence ran in the family, too—her cousin, Janet Collins, made history as the first Black prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera, setting a path that Carmen would soon follow and expand in her own beautiful way.

Carmen’s own journey into ballet started at sixteen. After high school, she earned a scholarship to study with Lester Horton, whose Los Angeles dance company was truly ahead of its time in its inclusivity. By 1949, she was a member of the Lester Horton Dance Theater, and from 1950 to 1954, she shone as its lead dancer. It was here that she really found her voice, blending technical skill with a dramatic presence that would become her trademark.

Life changed in 1954 when she made her Broadway debut in “House of Flowers.” That show was a real turning point—not just for her career, but for her heart. It’s where she met Alvin Ailey, who had moved to New York just to be her dance partner, sparking a lifelong friendship that changed American dance. It’s also where she met the love of her life, dancer and designer Geoffrey Holder. They married the following year and shared an incredible sixty-year partnership. One of their most touching collaborations was her solo “Come Sunday,” which Geoffrey choreographed to a spiritual sung by Odetta.

What made Carmen so special was her incredible range. In 1956, she stepped onto the stage at the Metropolitan Opera as the prima ballerina in “Samson and Delilah” and “Aida,” becoming one of the first Black women to ever hold that prestigious title. She had this wonderful ability to move between worlds—ballet, modern dance, opera, and even Hollywood movies like “Carmen Jones” (1954) and “Odds Against Tomorrow” (1959). Over the years, she worked with the absolute best in the business, from Agnes de Mille to John Butler, creating a legacy that truly represents the heart of twentieth-century dance.

In 1958, she helped start the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, giving her talent to what would become a global institution. She later shared her wisdom at Yale and Harvard, serving as a choreographer and resident performer. But Carmen never really stopped dancing. In 1996, at the age of 65, she co-founded PARADIGM, a dance collective for performers over 50. It was her way of saying that dance, and the beauty of a body in motion, doesn’t have an age limit.

The beautiful story of her life with Geoffrey was captured in the 2005 documentary “Carmen and Geoffrey.” Even after Geoffrey passed away in 2014, Carmen kept going—performing, teaching, and mentoring well into her nineties. She was a living lesson in what it looks like to live a life of discipline and grace.

In 2017, the Kennedy Center awarded her its highest honor, celebrating a lifetime of improving American culture. It was a well-deserved moment for a woman who spent over seventy years showing the world that excellence and Blackness are one and the same.

Carmen de Lavallade passed away on December 29, 2025, in New Jersey at 94. She leaves behind more than just dates and awards; she leaves a trail of beauty and a generation of dancers who saw, through her, that grace can be its own powerful form of defiance. She didn’t just open doors; she made every room she entered better just by being in it.

Today In Black History

In 1884, Lane College, formerly the C.M.E. High School, was founded in Jackson, Tennessee.
In 1870, Congress created the Department of Justice primarily to arrest members of the KKK.
In 1938, boxer Joe Louis knocked out the German Boxer Max Schmeling, humiliating Adolf Hitler.
In 1963, 13-year-old Stevie Wonder released his first single, “Fingertips,” the first live, no-studio recording to go No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
In 1965, Arthur Ashe led UCLA to the NCAA tennis championship.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed a bill extending the 1965 Voting Rights Act through 1975 and lowering the voting age to 18 for all elections.
In 2015, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds after the massacre of 9 members of the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Juneteenth

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:15:26 GMT

Issue #1,038 Today In Black History, Friday, June 19, 2026

Help us to reach our June 2026 goals: +1600 total subscribers and +75 paid subscribers:
Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

I republish this post every year on Juneteenth.

My dear friend Jamon Jordan is a highly respected educator in Detroit and the official historian for the City of Detroit. He offers walking tours of historical sites in Detroit and Michigan for groups from across the country and around the world. He is also the president of the Detroit Chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which was founded in 1915 by my own great-granduncle, Dr. Carter C. Woodson.

Dr. Woodson also founded Negro History Week on February 7, 1926. Negro History Week is now Black History Month. The reason Black History Month is in February is that Negro History Week was celebrated in February.

As Jamon explains, Kwanzaa, Black History Month, and Juneteenth are “FUBU” (For Us By Us); none of those events was “given to us” by others.

On my previous podcast, Jamon was a guest for Kwanzaa, Black History Month, and Juneteenth every year. The depth of his knowledge and the way he presents Black American and African history in general, as well as historical figures of all races and events, for the City of Detroit are unparalleled.

If you are on Facebook and you love history, you really need to follow Jamon.

In 2019, Jamon wrote an article about the actual significance of Juneteenth for Black people. As he beautifully explains it, Juneteenth is not “just when the slaves in Texas finally got the news…” It is much more important and meaningful than that.

With Jamon’s permission, I am reprinting his entire 2019 essay on Juneteenth. I am sure you will find it as illuminating, interesting, affirming, and educational as I did.

“Juneteenth” by Jamon Jordan, Official Historian for the City of Detroit

The significance of Juneteenth rests on a principle in African culture that prioritizes “we” over “I.”

On April 16, 1862, Congress passed, and Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for Washington DC. This law officially ended slavery in the nation’s capital.

The slaveowners were given $300 for every enslaved person they freed. The enslaved Africans were offered $100 if they left the country and went to Haiti or Liberia.

In Washington, D.C., there is an Annual Emancipation Day celebration on April 16th.

It hasn’t caught on anywhere else.

Why not?

Some states ended slavery on their own before and during the Civil War.

Vermont ended slavery in its constitution on July 8, 1777. After doing that, the state was denied admission into the United States for over a decade.

As important as that historical fact is, we don’t have a celebration for that.

Why not?

Because it freed SOME people.

Michigan, which had slavery from the French arrival in 1701 until the 1833 uprising to free Thornton & Lucie (Rutha) Blackburn, officially ended slavery on January 26th, 1837.

There is no Freedom Celebration in Detroit on January 26th.

Some people would not be enslaved. But what about Black people in other places?

President Abraham Lincoln declared that the Emancipation Proclamation would take effect on January 1, 1863, but the Proclamation only applied to the southern areas in rebellion - the Confederate states.

Immediately, any person enslaved in the South in an area that was under Union army occupation was freed.

The Proclamation led many Africans to escape their enslavers and reach Union lines to obtain their freedom, and many of them joined the Union Army.

Word got around, and within 6 months of the Emancipation Proclamation, a million Black people escaped from plantations to Union lines.

They freed themselves.

There are numerous Emancipation Day celebrations during the first week of January. But they are not on the scale of Juneteenth.

In the Black community, churches hold watch night services on December 31 - New Year’s Eve, which originated with the Emancipation Proclamation becoming law on January 1, 1863.

But Watch Night is not a celebration.

On June 1-2, 1863, Harriet Tubman led a troop of Union soldiers into South Carolina to the Combahee River. There, they freed 750 Black people from slavery.

There is no freedom celebration on June 1st or 2nd.

On January 31, 1865, Congress approved the 13th Amendment, which made slavery unconstitutional.

There is no freedom celebration on January 31st.

The reason why Juneteenth is so significant is only a LITTLE about the Black people in Texas who were informed of their freedom on June 19, 1865, by Union General Gordon Granger, when he brought a regiment into Galveston, Texas.

The reason why Juneteenth resonates with Black people is that it is NOT the honoring of SOME Black people who got free from escaping, or from lawsuits, or from buying their freedom, or from slave revolts, or from being manumitted by their slaveowners, or by state constitutions, or by the Emancipation Proclamation.

It is the celebration of freedom AT LAST for ALL OF US.

This idea from African culture is that freedom is not really about “some” of us. But it really is about “ALL” of us. (Bold is added by me…)

This is why, when Harriet Tubman escaped in 1849, she went back over and over to help others.

This is why Second Baptist Church in Detroit was a station on the Underground Railroad.

This is why Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, a writer, an Underground Railroad agent, and an antislavery orator.

This is why Isabella Baumfree became Sojourner Truth.

When you celebrate Juneteenth, you’re not just recognizing the people who were freed in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.

You’re honoring the total fight for freedom in Elmina, Cape Coast, and Goree Island.

On the Whydah, the Susan Constant, the Clotilda, and the Amistad.

You’re honoring David Walker, Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner.

Because it wasn’t just about THEM. It was about ALL OF US.

Juneteenth, unlike the Compensated Emancipation for Washington, D.C., or the Emancipation Proclamation, is not about SOME OF US.

It’s about ALL OF US.
And Black people created Juneteenth.
That’s why Juneteenth is important.

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

This post is free to read. To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Charles Mingus

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:09:44 GMT

Issue #1,038 Today In Black History, Monday, June 15, 2026

June is Black Music Appreciation Month. Black Music Month was initiated in 1979 by Philadelphia songwriter Kenny Gamble, pioneering radio DJ Ed Wright, and media strategist Dyana Williams. These three music icons successfully campaigned the idea to President Jimmy Carter, who held the first White House reception celebrating Black music on June 7, 1979.

This month in Today In Black History, we will highlight a few of the famous and lesser-known Black musicians.

Charles Mingus: The Life, Times, and Influence of Jazz’s Angry Man

Unless they specifically study jazz music, younger people may not have heard of Charles Mingus or even remember that jazz is a uniquely American musical form. That is one reason why I thoroughly enjoy researching and writing about jazz legends like Charles Mingus.

I remember when, a few years ago, Madam Vice President Kamala Harris visited a record store in D.C. and said she was looking for some jazz LPs. The store owner at first recommended some of the better-known musicians, such as Duke Ellington or Louis Armstrong, but Madam VP said no; she wanted something by Charles Mingus. The store owner was shocked by her choice, but he did have those recordings to sell.

Charles Mingus was born on April 22, 1922, at an Army base in Nogales, Arizona, and raised in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. His mixed heritage—African American, Native American, Swedish, and Chinese—and the racial tensions he encountered as a child shaped a worldview that would later explode across his music.

He began on the trombone and cello before settling on the double bass as a teenager, a choice partly forced by the era’s racial politics: Mingus once said he was discouraged from pursuing classical cello because Black musicians were not welcomed into symphony orchestras. That early rejection planted a seed of defiance that never left him.

By his early twenties, Mingus was already an exceptional bassist, playing with bandleaders like Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Lionel Hampton, who recorded Mingus’s composition “Mingus Fingers” in 1947. In the early 1950s, he moved to New York and quickly became part of the bebop revolution, performing and recording with giants including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell.

Mingus was never content to simply play other people’s music. In 1952, he co-founded Debut Records with Max Roach, one of the first major artist-owned record labels in jazz, giving musicians more control over their work in an industry that routinely exploited Black artists. This entrepreneurial streak reflected a broader principle: Mingus believed musicians deserved ownership over their art and their livelihoods, decades before that became a common demand in the music business, when Ray Charles and Prince demanded ownership over their own music.

As a composer, Mingus defied easy categorization. He fused the structured intensity of Duke Ellington—whom he revered as a primary influence—with the freedom of gospel music, the fire of bebop, the blues, and elements of what would become free jazz. His compositions often shifted tempo and mood abruptly, mixing collective improvisation with tightly arranged passages.

That willingness to confront racism and injustice head-on set Mingus apart from many of his contemporaries. “Fables of Faubus” was so politically charged that Columbia Records initially refused to release it with its lyrics intact, fearing backlash; Mingus later recorded the full version, with its biting words, on an independent label. Throughout his career, Mingus used his music as a form of social commentary, addressing segregation, police brutality, and the everyday indignities faced by Black Americans.

Mingus was also a generous mentor and bandleader, nurturing the talents of musicians such as Eric Dolphy, Jaki Byard, Charles McPherson, and Roland Kirk. His Jazz Workshop ensembles became training grounds for some of the era’s most adventurous players, and his rehearsals—often demanding and unpredictable—pushed musicians to internalize complex compositions without relying solely on written notation, in a manner closer to an oral tradition.

In the early 1970s, declining health slowed Mingus’s pace, but his creative ambitions did not shrink. In his final years, Mingus was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which gradually robbed him of his ability to play. He continued composing until his death on January 5, 1979, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he had traveled seeking alternative treatments.

Mingus’s influence reaches far beyond jazz. His insistence on musical and economic independence inspired generations of artists to seek control over their own work. His fusion of composition and improvisation influenced everyone from later jazz innovators to rock, funk, and hip-hop artists who have sampled his recordings. The Mingus Big Band continues to perform his music today, and “Mingus Ah Um” remains a staple of college jazz curricula. Beyond the notes, Mingus left a model of the artist as truth-teller—someone who refused to separate music from the politics and pain of the world around him, and who demanded that both his art and his humanity be taken seriously.

Today In Black History

In 1864, the U.S. Congress passed legislation equalizing pay for Black soldiers.
In 1877, Henry O. Flipper became the first Black graduate of West Point.
In 1897, Black inventor R.A. Butler patented a train alarm.
In 1921, African American female pilot Bessie Coleman became the first U.S. woman to receive a pilot’s license from the French Federation Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
In 1921, Sadie Tanner Modell Alexander became the first Black person to receive a Ph.D. In Economics, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1968, Ellen Holly became the first African American on daytime television in the role of “Carla” on “One Life to Live.
In 1971, Vernon E. Jordan was appointed executive director of the National Urban League.
In 1971, 17-year-old Cheryl White became the first Black female professional jockey.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Run DMC

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:07:06 GMT

Issue #1,036 Today In Black History, Wednesday, June 10, 2026

June is Black Music Appreciation Month. Black Music Month was initiated in 1979 by Philadelphia songwriter Kenny Gamble, pioneering radio DJ Ed Wright, and media strategist Dyana Williams. These three music icons successfully campaigned the idea to President Jimmy Carter, who held the first White House reception celebrating Black music on June 7, 1979.

This month in Today In Black History, we will highlight a few of the famous and lesser-known Black musicians.

Run DMC: The Kings from Hollis Who Changed Everything

I must admit that, as a really OG Boomer, I’m not as into rap music as most of my younger friends and family members are. But I know and understand the importance of Run DMC. I enjoyed researching and writing about this group.

They walked out of Hollis, Queens, wearing black hats, black leather jackets, and unlaced Adidas shell-toe sneakers — and they walked into history. Run DMC didn’t just make music. They fundamentally transformed what hip-hop could be, what it could look like, and who it could reach.

Formed in 1981, Run DMC consisted of Joseph “DJ Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. They were not street hustlers or gangsters. They were middle-class Black kids from Queens who chose to represent themselves exactly as they were — and in doing so, they gave an entire generation permission to do the same. Their aesthetic was deliberate: no glitter, no capes, no showmanship borrowed from funk or soul tradition.

Their 1984 debut single It’s Like That / Sucker MCs announced an entirely new era. Run DMC used the form to deliver blunt social commentary. “It’s like that, and that’s the way it is,” they rapped, cataloging unemployment, poverty, and the indifference of a system that turned its back on Black communities.

But it was their self-titled debut album, also released in 1984, that announced hip-hop as a serious album format. It became the first rap album to go gold, the first to be nominated for a Grammy, and the first to crack the pop charts in a meaningful way.

The group’s most explosive cultural moment came in 1986 when they collaborated with Aerosmith on Walk This Way — a track that didn’t just cross racial and genre lines but practically erased them. The music video, which featured Steven Tyler and Joe Perry crashing through a wall to join Run DMC on stage, was a visual metaphor for everything the collaboration represented: the forced integration of two American musical traditions that had long been kept apart by industry segregation. The song became a top-five pop hit and, crucially, reintroduced Aerosmith to a new generation while simultaneously proving that hip-hop could command the mainstream on its own terms.

Their 1986 album Raising Hell became the first rap album to reach platinum status, and the tour that followed introduced hip-hop to arenas across America. For many young people — Black, white, Latino — it was the first time they had seen the culture in that kind of space, at that scale. Run DMC didn’t bring hip-hop to the mainstream by becoming something else. They brought the mainstream to hip-hop.

Beyond music, the group reshaped fashion, media, and commerce. Their relationship with Adidas led to a groundbreaking endorsement deal — the first major corporate partnership with a hip-hop act — after the company saw thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden raise their sneakers in the air during a performance of “My Adidas.”

Tragedy struck on October 30, 2002, when Jam Master Jay was shot and killed in his recording studio in Jamaica, Queens. His murder shook the hip-hop world and left an irreplaceable void. The case remained unsolved for nearly twenty years before two men were finally indicted in 2020.

Run DMC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, the first hip-hop act to receive that honor. The recognition was long overdue, but it acknowledged that the music they made in the early 1980s had not aged into nostalgia. It had become the foundation.

Hip-hop is now the most consumed music genre in America. The artists at its helm — whether they acknowledge it or not — are standing on ground that Run DMC broke. They came out of Hollis with a beat, a message, and an unshakeable sense of themselves. That was enough to change the world.

Today In Black History

In 1794, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in Philadelphia.
In 1854, James Augustine Healy, who later became the first Black American Roman Catholic Bishop, was ordained a priest at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
In 1897, the Hotel Robinson became one of the first businesses in San /diego, California, to be owned and operated by an African American, and the oldest continuously operated hotel in Southern California.
In 1899, the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was founded in Cincinnati, OH.
In 1981, hockey goalie Grant Fuhr was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, becoming the first Black professional hockey player.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Ma Rainey

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:34:37 GMT

Issue #1,035 Today In Black History, Monday, June 8, 2026

June is Black Music Appreciation Month. Black Music Month was initiated in 1979 by Philadelphia songwriter Kenny Gamble, pioneering radio DJ Ed Wright, and media strategist Dyana Williams. These three music icons successfully campaigned the idea to President Jimmy Carter, who held the first White House reception celebrating Black music on June 7, 1979.

This month in Today In Black History, we will highlight a few of the famous and lesser-known Black musicians.

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey stands as one of the most influential and pioneering figures in early Black American music history. Born on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, she became known as the “Mother of the Blues.”

Ma Rainey’s early years were spent in the entertainment industry, beginning her career as a performer in minstrel shows and traveling circuses during the late 1800s. She married Will Rainey in 1904, and together they formed a performing duo, traveling extensively throughout the South. It was during these formative years that Ma Rainey developed her distinctive vocal style, characterized by a rich, powerful mezzo-soprano voice and an innovative approach to phrasing and emotional expression, drawing on the experiences and sorrows of everyday Black Americans.

The turning point in Ma Rainey’s career came in the early 1920s when the recording industry began to recognize the commercial potential of blues music. In December 1923, she made her first recordings for Paramount Records, launching what would become a prolific recording career. Between 1923 and 1928, she recorded nearly 100 songs, many of which became classics. Her recordings sold remarkably well, making her one of the first African American women to achieve substantial commercial success as a recording artist. Songs like “See See Rider,” “Prove It On Me,” “Bo Weevil,” and “Moonlight Midnight” showcased her versatility and emotional depth.

Ma Rainey wrote and sang about themes that were rarely discussed in mainstream music: infidelity, poverty, racial injustice, and women’s independence. Her song “Prove It On Me” boldly addressed her lesbian relationships, making her one of the earliest artists to openly sing about queer love.

Beyond her recordings, Ma Rainey was an exceptional live performer. She toured extensively with her own revue, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” traveling to theaters across America and performing for audiences hungry for authentic blues music. Her stage presence was commanding; she wore ornate, glamorous gowns, distinctive makeup, and commanded the attention of everyone in the room. She was not merely singing; she was telling stories that resonated deeply with her audiences.

Ma Rainey mentored Bessie Smith, who would become another legendary blues singer, and influenced countless other artists who followed. Her approach to blues singing—emphasizing emotional truth over technical perfection, addressing real-world concerns, and maintaining artistic independence—became a template for generations of blues and jazz musicians. Artists from Billie Holiday to contemporary performers have acknowledged their debt to her pioneering work.

Ma Rainey was a savvy businesswoman who understood the value of her talent and negotiated favorable recording contracts. Despite the racial segregation and gender discrimination she faced throughout her life, she maintained her dignity and refused to be diminished by the systems arrayed against her.

Ma Rainey’s career began to decline in the late 1920s as musical tastes shifted and the Great Depression impacted the recording industry. She retired from performing in 1933 and returned to her hometown of Columbus, Georgia, where she lived quietly until her death on December 22, 1939, from heart disease.

Today In Black History

In 1789, James Madison introduced the proposed Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, in the House of Representatives.
In 1861, the state of Tennessee voted to secede from the Union.
In 1892, a 7/8th white shoemaker, Homer Plessy, refused to go to a segregated train car after successfully purchasing a first-class ticket.
In 1953, the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in restaurants in Washington, D.C., led by civil rights activist, journalist, educator, NAACP charter member, suffragist, and honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Mary Church Terrell.
In 1948, John Rudder became the first African American commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In 1968, James Earl Ray, who was eventually convicted of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was arrested at a London airport and charged with the assassination.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Peabo Bryson

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:44:17 GMT

Issue #1,034 Today In Black History, Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Peabo Bryson: A Voice of Soul and Sophistication

Peabo Bryson was one of the most acclaimed and commercially successful R&B/soul singers of the 1980s and 1990s. Born Robert Peabo Bryson on June 13, 1951, in Greenville, South Carolina, he exemplifies the transformative power of dedication, talent, and artistic integrity.

Bryson developed his craft performing in local churches and community venues, where his exceptional vocal talents were quickly recognized. His classical training, combined with his natural instinct for rhythm and melody, created a unique artistic signature that would later distinguish him from his contemporaries.

The pivotal moment in Bryson’s career came in 1976 when he signed with Capitol Records. However, it was his collaboration with Roberta Flack on the 1978 single “Don’t Make Me Wait for Love” that introduced his voice to a broader audience. Flack and Bryson became one of the most celebrated duet pairings in music. Throughout the 1980s, Bryson’s solo career flourished with albums like “Straight from the Heart” (1984) and “Take No Prisoners” (1987).

Among his most significant contributions to popular music are his celebrated collaborations on major film soundtracks. Bryson lent his voice to the “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” film, performing the iconic duet “Tale as Old as Time” with Angela Lansbury. Additionally, his work on the “A Whole New World” theme showcased his ability to elevate animated film music to sophisticated artistry. These contributions expanded his reach beyond traditional R&B audiences and introduced his voice to millions of families worldwide.

Peabo Bryson’s contribution to music extends beyond commercial success. He helped establish a template for how soul and R&B could achieve mainstream acceptance without sacrificing artistic integrity or cultural authenticity. His vocal technique—characterized by impeccable breath control, precise intonation, and a remarkable ability to convey genuine emotion—has been studied and admired by musicians across genres.

Over his career, Peabo Bryson earned multiple Grammy nominations, NAACP Image Awards, and numerous other accolades recognizing his contributions to music and entertainment. His albums have been certified gold and platinum, reflecting both critical acclaim and popular success.

Robert Peabo Bryson passed away on June 2, 2026, at the age of 75, following a stroke.

One of my favorite Peabo Bryson songs!

Today In Black History

In 1884, Black inventor Granville T. Woods received a patent for a steam boiler furnace.
In 1884, John Roy Lynch was elected temporary Chairman of the Republican Party, becoming the first Black person to lead the deliberations of a major national party.
In 1906, Belgian King Leopold II claimed the Congo as his private possession.
In 1919, the Liberty Life Insurance Company of Chicago, the first legal reserve company organized by Blacks in the North, was incorporated.
In 1946, the Supreme Court banned segregation in interstate bus travel after Irene Morgan was fined $10.00 for refusing to move to the back of the bus.
In 1949, Wesley A. Brown became the first Black graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy.
In 1999, Time Magazine named the studio album “Exodus” by Bob Marley as the best album of the century.
In 2008, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) became the first Black person to win the Democratic Party presidential primary.
In 2019, Jay-Z was named the world’s first billionaire rapper by Forbes Magazine.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:10:55 GMT

Issue #1,033 Today In Black History, Monday, June 1, 2026

The Tulsa Massacre

The Origins of Greenwood

During the official “Indian Removal” that took place in much of the 19th century, free Blacks and the slaves and relatives of the “Five Civilized Tribes” (the Cherokee, Muskogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations) ended up settling (voluntarily or involuntarily) in the Oklahoma Territory, which was also set up as “Indian Territory” until Oklahoma became a state in 1907. The then-majority-Black population hoped to escape the slavery and Jim Crow laws of their previous residences.

In the early 20th century, hundreds of Black people established their own highly successful businesses, churches, schools, and other institutions in a 4,000-acre area on the edge of the Tulsa community. As recommended by Booker T. Washington and supervised by C.W. Greene, the area was called “Greenwood” and formally organized in 1901. By 1921, there were about 10,000 Black residents of Greenwood.

Black Wall Street

The Greenwood district was one of the most commercially successful and affluent majority African-American communities in the United States. In addition to the businesses, schools, and churches, Greenwood also had African-American attorneys, entrepreneurs, doctors, and other professionals. It was known across America as “Black Wall Street.”

As the population grew and the land expansion started touching on the boundaries of the segregated white areas of Tulsa, white residents became increasingly resentful and jealous of the wealth of the Greenwood community.

One day, a Black shoe shiner was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman on an elevator, and the Tulsa Race Massacre started.

For decades, “mainstream historians” called this event the “Tulsa Race Riot,” implying that the Blacks were the perpetrators and the source of the problem. It is only relatively recently that this is now called the…

Tulsa Race MASSACRE

There are many conflicting reports about the initial incident that sparked the white mob attacks, but most people agree that a 19-year-old Black shoe shiner who worked in a building in Tulsa near Greenwood was getting on the elevator run by a 17-year-old white girl to get to the top floor where the colored bathroom was located, and apparently touched her in some way.

The Black young man was arrested, and there were rumors that he might be lynched. That brought many Blacks to the courthouse to attempt to defend him, and several altercations between armed Blacks and whites ensued.

The smaller incidents escalated on Memorial Day, Tuesday, May 31, and by Wednesday, June 1, the white mobs, armed with rifles and machine guns, were looting homes and businesses in Greenwood and taking Black residents to detention or shooting them in the streets. The Tulsa police chief deputized many white men and authorized them to go into Greenwood to stop the “Negro uprising.”

Early in the morning of June 1, according to several eyewitness reports, at least 12 private planes began circling Greenwood and dropping burning turpentine balls onto multiple buildings in the neighborhood. This was the first time that an American city was attacked with bombs from airplanes.

Finally, later on Wednesday, June 1, the Oklahoma National Guard was deployed, martial law was declared, and the massacre and related activities ended.

Although exact numbers are not available, it is estimated that between 100 and 300 people died, and the entire commercial area of Greenwood, including 191 businesses, a junior high school, several churches, and the only Black hospital, was destroyed. About 1,500 homes were burned or looted. The estimated property damage totaled more than $33 million (in 2020 dollars).

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Tulsa was not the first nor the last…

Although the Tulsa Massacre was the first time an American city was bombed from the air with official government approval, the event was not the first nor the last of similar incidents where white mobs destroyed Black areas in the United States.

The activist and entertainer Common devised a map of many of the areas of devastation over the last 150 years or so. Common urges people to do their own research into these events so that we never forget and never let such massacres happen again in America.

Today In Black History

In 1835, the 6th National Black Convention met in Philadelphia with 35 delegates from six states and the District of Columbia.
In 1843, Sojourner Truth (Isabella Baumfree), a preacher, abolitionist, public speaker, and women’s rights advocate, left New York and began her 1st journey to help escaped Blacks find housing and work in the North.
In 1855, U.S. adventurer William Walker conquered Nicaragua and reestablished slavery in that country.
In 1862, the African Slave Trade Treaty ADT was passed as a bilateral treaty between the U.S. and the UK, abolishing the slave trade in all U.S. possessions.
In 1864, the Florida General Assembly, composed of 19 Black and 57 white members, met in Tallahassee.
In 1868, the Texas constitutional convention, composed of 9 Black and 81 white delegates, met in Austin.
In 1941, the 85th Tank Battalion, the first Black tank battalion, was activated.
In 1963, Jomo Kenyatta was sworn in as the first prime minister of the Dominion of Kenya.
In 1973, WGPR of Detroit, Michigan, became the 1st Black-owned television station permitted to operate.
In 1977, the American Heritage magazine published the oldest identifiable photographs of African slaves.
In 1995, Andrew F. Brimmer became the first Black governor of the Federal Reserve.
In 1995, Esther Silver-Parker became the first Black president of the AT&T Foundation.

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Sonny Rollins

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 27 May 2026 16:10:37 GMT

Issue #1,031 Today In Black History, Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

Sonny Rollins: The Saxophone Colossus Who Revolutionized Jazz

I love most genres of music, and jazz is one of my favorites, although I wish I knew more about the jazz greats, such as Sonny Rollins, one of the greatest jazz saxophonists ever. I really enjoyed researching his life and influence before his recent death.

Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins stands as one of the most influential and innovative saxophonists in the history of jazz. Born on September 7, 1930, in New York City, Rollins would spend decades reshaping the boundaries of his instrument and transforming the entire landscape of jazz music.

Rollins’ early life in Harlem, where he began his musical journey on piano before switching to the saxophone at age nine. By his teenage years, he was already studying the work of Coleman Hawkins and absorbing the bebop revolution that was reshaping jazz.

His recording career began in earnest in the early 1950s, and by the mid-1950s, Rollins had established himself as a major force in jazz. Albums like “Saxophone Colossus” (1956) became definitive works that showcased his emerging style. The album featured the now-iconic recording of “St. Thomas,” a calypso-inflected tune that demonstrated Rollins’ ability to bring fresh energy to musical material.

What set Rollins apart from his contemporaries was his approach to improvisation. Rather than relying primarily on harmonic sophistication, Rollins was a master of thematic development. He could take a simple melodic idea and spin it into elaborate variations, creating solos that were both intellectually rigorous and emotionally moving, which influenced generations of musicians who came after him.

Sonny Rollins was the last person alive in this iconic Harlem photo, “A Great Day In Harlem,” by Art Kane.

Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, Rollins created a remarkable body of work with collaborators including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Duke Ellington. His tenor saxophone voice was distinctive—full-bodied, assertive, and undeniably soulful. He recorded numerous landmark albums, including “Freedom Suite” (1958), a response to racial injustice in America, and “The Bridge” (1962), which marked his triumphant return to recording after a self-imposed sabbatical. This break from the music industry, during which he famously practiced on the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, demonstrated his commitment to artistic growth and his refusal to compromise his musical vision.

Rollins experimented with modal jazz, embraced world music influences, and remained engaged with the avant-garde developments in jazz even as he maintained his deep connection to the swing tradition. This balance between tradition and innovation, between accessibility and artistic challenge, made him a bridge figure in jazz history.

Beyond his instrumental prowess, Rollins earned respect for his integrity and his commitment to using his art for social commentary. His “Freedom Suite,” performed with drummer Max Roach, directly addressed the civil rights struggles of Black Americans.

Recognition of Rollins’ genius came through numerous accolades, including Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and induction into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. Universities honored him as a visiting artist and scholar. Yet perhaps his greatest achievement was his influence on fellow musicians. Virtually every saxophonist who came after him had to grapple with his innovations and find their own path in relation to his legacy.

Sonny Rollins’ career proved that jazz was a serious art form capable of profound expression, and that a musician dedicated to continual growth and experimentation could remain vital and relevant for an entire lifetime. Sonny Rollins stands as a monumental figure whose contributions to music and to human expression remain immeasurable.

Sonny Rollins died at his home in Woodstock, NY, on May 25, 2026, at the age of 95, after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

Today In Black History

In 1863, Andrew Cailloux, a Black captain, led the First and Third Native Guard’s assaults on Rebel positions during a Civil War battle at Port Hudson, LA, helping the Union gain control of the Mississippi River. This was the longest military siege in American history.
In 1873, Elijah McCoy patented his improved lubricating cup that lubricated the train engine when it ran out of steam.
In 1890, Black inventor F.J. Ferrell patented a snow-melting apparatus.
In 1963, Jomo Kenyatta was elected as the first Prime Minister and Founding Father of Kenya.
In 1942, U.S.sailor and mess attendant Dorrie Miller became the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross for manning an anti-aircraft gun and, with no previous training in gunnery, shot down a number of Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
In 1958, Ernest Green became the 1st African American to graduate from Central High School in Little Rock, AK.
In 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris became the 1st woman to deliver the commencement address at the U.S.Military Academy graduation ceremony in West Point, New York.

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: Memorial Day

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 25 May 2026 14:03:25 GMT

Issue #1,030 Today In Black History, Monday, May 25, 2026

Please share and subscribe to help us grow this publication.
Share We Are Speaking
Subscribe now
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!

Formerly Enslaved Americans Create and Celebrate “Decoration Day”

This is an edited re-posting of an article we published on Memorial Day in 2022.

Memorial Day in the United States is observed on the last Monday of May. The sole purpose of Memorial Day is to honor those who died while serving in any branch of the military.

Many people mistakenly use this day to remember those family members, friends, and colleagues who are veterans but died after their service was completed.

While those remembrances are nice, probably healing, and well-meaning, those people are not the ones we honor on Memorial Day.

I have many family members who served, including my father, my uncles, and several cousins. But they died after their service, often decades later. Veterans Day, observed every year on November 11, honors them and all veterans.

The Origins of Memorial Day

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was observed immediately after the Civil War. People decorated the graves of those who died while in service with flags and flowers.

The Civil War claimed more lives than any other conflict in United States history and established the country’s first national cemeteries.

One of the earliest Decoration Day ceremonies was organized by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1865, less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered.

At the time, the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club was transformed into a makeshift prison for Union soldiers captured by the Confederate Army. More than 260 Union soldiers died from disease and exposure, and their bodies were quickly buried in a mass grave behind the grandstands.

Almost immediately after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, former enslaved men and women exhumed the bodies from the mass grave in Charleston and reinterred them in a new cemetery.

On May 1, 1865, more than 10,000 people, including the formerly enslaved and white missionaries, staged a parade around the race track. The procession was led by 3,000 black schoolchildren carrying armloads of roses and singing the Union marching song “John Brown’s Body.”

The all-Black 54th Massachusetts regiment members were in attendance and performed double-time marches.

This was the earliest recorded observation of Decoration Day in Charleston, South Carolina, the city where the Civil War began in April 1861 with the attack on Fort Sumter.

However, in 1996, the United States officially named Waterloo, New York, the “birthplace” of Memorial Day because, on May 5, 1866, Waterloo hosted a community-wide event during which businesses were closed, and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

The Evolution of Memorial Day

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, then the leader of Northern Civil War veterans, called for a national day of remembrance for Civil War veterans. He chose May 30th as the official date because that date was not associated with any particular battle. By 1890, every state had declared May 30 a state holiday.

Today, nine southern states also officially recognize a Confederate Memorial Day, with events held on the birthday of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.

Although initially meant to commemorate those soldiers lost in the Civil War, after the United States had many other wars, Memorial Day evolved to honor all military losses during all conflicts and wars, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Memorial Day was not officially recognized nationally until the 1970s, when so many Americans died in Vietnam.

For over one hundred years, Memorial Day was observed on May 30, no matter the day of the week on which the date fell. However, in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, establishing Memorial Day as a federal holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May so that federal employees could have a 3-day weekend.

The change went into effect in 1971 and included Presidents’ Day, observed on the 3rd Monday in February, and Columbus Day, observed on the 2nd Monday in October. This is also the official Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

Later, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day was added as a remembrance on the 3rd Monday in January. In October 2021, President Joe Biden declared that the 2nd Monday in October would now be known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day while keeping Columbus Day as the name of the official federal holiday.

Columbus Day has been rightly renamed “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” by many states, and by President Joe Biden, to honor the original inhabitants of this land. Donald Trump tried to bring back “Columbus Day,” supposedly honoring a man who never set foot on the North American continent and is a known murderer, sexual abuser, and pedophile—just Trump’s kind of person.

Other official federal holidays, including New Year’s Day (January 1), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Thanksgiving (the last Thursday of November), and Christmas Day (December 25), are still observed on their original dates, no matter the day of the week on which they fall.

For over twenty years, the late Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), a decorated World War II veteran, unsuccessfully lobbied for Memorial Day to return to its original date of May 30.

How Memorial Day is Observed Today

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Since World War I, wearing a poppy on Memorial Day has been a tradition inspired by a poem written at the time.
Most Memorial Day celebrations include parades by veterans and speeches by politicians, visits to cemeteries to “decorate” the graves of those lost in battle, and thousands of veterans making an annual pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
The official time for remembrance on Memorial Day is 3 pm.
The President of the United States annually lays a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Since 1937, members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment have guarded the Tomb, taking exactly 21 steps in each direction. The “Old Guard,” as the soldiers are known, guards the Tomb 24/7, no matter the weather.
The American Flag should be hung at half-staff until noon, when it is raised back to the top.
The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1922. The son and only surviving child of President Abraham Lincoln, 78-year-old Robert Todd Lincoln, attended the dedication ceremony.
Memorial Day is also celebrated as the unofficial start of summer, with people having barbecues and picnics. It is the only warm-weather three-day weekend until Labor Day in September.

No matter how you feel about war overall, it is still a fact that over 1.3 million Americans have died while in service, and today is the day to honor them. The United States flag represents all of us, not just the vocal right-wing minority who try to declare only themselves as true patriots.

You are welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

To financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.

Today In Black History: A History of Voter Suppression in the United States

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 20 May 2026 16:15:55 GMT

Issue #1,029 Today In Black History, Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Photo by Jonathan Capehart

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by December 31, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

On Sunday, May 17, 2026, hundreds of voting rights supporters once again marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. This march was in response to the April 29, 2026, SCOTUS decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which concluded that using race as the primary factor in creating a second majority-minority district violates the 14th Amendment.

Edmund Winston Pettus (July 6, 1821 – July 27, 1907) was an American lawyer, politician, and military officer who represented Alabama in the United States Senate from 1897 to 1907. He first served as a senior officer of the Confederate States Army. After the war, he was Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, which terrorized and often killed African Americans.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge was named after him to memorialize his history of restraining and imprisoning African Americans in their quest for freedom after the Civil War.

The Department of Justice was instituted in 1870 primarily to find and arrest Ku Klux Klan members who were killing African Americans trying to exercise their right to vote.

A History of Voter Suppression and Solutions Throughout American History

The right to vote stands as a cornerstone of democracy, yet throughout American history, millions have been systematically prevented from exercising this fundamental right. Voter suppression has taken many forms, evolving across two and one-half centuries to maintain white power structures and limit political participation among marginalized communities.

The Early Era of Voter Suppression

From the nation’s founding, voting rights were restricted to white male property owners. Women were entirely excluded until the 19th Amendment in 1920, while Black Americans faced centuries of disenfranchisement. After the Civil War, Reconstruction-era policies briefly expanded voting rights, but the subsequent rise of Jim Crow laws in the South reintroduced systematic barriers, including literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses. These mechanisms, though facially neutral, were deliberately designed to prevent Black citizens from voting while exempting white voters.

Twentieth-Century Tactics

The 20th century witnessed both persistence and evolution in voter suppression tactics. Literacy tests remained widespread despite widespread voter fraud and inconsistent administration. Poll taxes—fees required to vote—were weaponized against poor and minority voters. Grandfather clauses allowed individuals whose grandfathers could vote to bypass literacy tests, conveniently exempting most whites while excluding nearly all Black voters. Additionally, violence and intimidation through organizations like the Ku Klux Klan created a climate of fear that kept many from polling places.

Solutions and Legislative Response

The Civil Rights Movement catalyzed crucial legislative protections. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 represented a watershed moment, prohibiting literacy tests and requiring federal approval for changes to voting laws in jurisdictions with histories of discrimination. This landmark legislation, combined with the 24th Amendment, which eliminated poll taxes, removed many formal barriers. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 further expanded access by requiring voter registration opportunities at various public agencies.

Modern Voter Suppression and Contemporary Solutions

Despite legal protections, voter suppression persists in modern forms. Voter ID laws, purges of voter rolls, limited polling locations in minority neighborhoods, and reduced early voting periods create new barriers—often disproportionately affecting communities of color and elderly voters. The Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County decision weakened the Voting Rights Act, eliminating preclearance requirements that had prevented discriminatory voting changes.

The latest Supreme Court decision on the Louisiana voter suppression/redistricting case is Louisiana v. Callais, decided on April 29, 2026.

The Ruling (6-3 Vote): The Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional map that created a second majority-Black district, calling it an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”

This case represents a major shift in voting rights law, significantly weakening protections that have been in place for decades.

Almost immediately, several southern states, all former Confederate states, started reworking their districts to dilute or eliminate Black representation.

These two Supreme Court decisions have all but obliterated the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but people are fighting back hard.

Contemporary solutions include comprehensive voting reform proposals. Automatic voter registration would remove administrative obstacles, while expanding early and mail-in voting provides flexibility and accessibility. Protecting voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals restores political voice to communities historically targeted by the criminal justice system. States and advocacy organizations have also worked to prevent arbitrary voter roll purges and ensure adequate polling locations in underserved areas. Federal voting rights legislation, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, aims to restore protections weakened by recent court decisions.

When the Democrats regain the majority in the House after the 2026 midterms, restoring voting rights will be high on their agenda.

Today In Black History

In 1861, North Carolina became the 11th and last state to secede from the Union.
In 1868, P.B.S. Pinchback and James J. Harris served as delegates to the Republican National Convention, becoming the first Black people to hold national political positions.
In 1890, John Stephens Durham was named U.S. Consul to the Dominican Republic.
In 1942, the U.S. Navy first permitted Black recruits to serve.
In 1958, Robert Nelson C. Nix was elected as the first Blacks Congressman from Philadelphia.
In 1961, a white mob attacked the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, causing Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Sr. to send in the National Guard.
In 2000, Octavia E. Butler’s “Parable of the Talents” won the 1999 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
In 2008, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) obtained the majority of pledged delegates in the Democratic Primary.

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by December 31, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

Available for iOS and Android

Today In Black History: Dr. Jane C. Wright

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:05:50 GMT

Issue #1,028 Today In Black History, Monday, May 18, 2026

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by December 31, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

Dr. Jane Cooke Wright stands as one of the most remarkable pioneers in medical science and cancer research. Born on November 30, 1919, this trailblazing African American physician revolutionized how the world approaches cancer treatment. Her groundbreaking work in chemotherapy research continues to influence oncology practice today.

Jane’s father, Dr. Louis Tompkins Wright, was himself a renowned surgeon and a pioneering figure in African American medicine. Jane developed a deep passion for medicine and a commitment to advancing human health. She earned her medical degree from New York Medical College in 1945, at a time when the medical field was overwhelmingly male and predominantly white.

Dr. Wright’s most significant contributions came through her innovative work in cancer chemotherapy during the 1950s and 1960s. While many researchers were focused on radiation and surgery as primary cancer treatments, she boldly pursued the potential of chemical compounds to fight the disease. She developed new methods for testing cancer drugs and pioneered the use of methotrexate and other chemotherapy agents to treat various cancers.

Perhaps most impressively, she achieved remarkable remission rates in childhood leukemia—a disease that was previously considered essentially untreatable. Her work gave hope to families and transformed cancer from what seemed like an inevitable death sentence into a disease that could be managed and, in many cases, overcome.

Beyond her laboratory achievements, Dr. Wright was a dedicated clinical physician and educator. She served as an associate professor of surgery at New York Medical College and was the director of the cancer research foundation at her institution. She believed that research should ultimately serve humanity, and she never lost sight of the human beings behind the statistics and medical data.

Dr. Wright was named one of the top ten women physicians in the United States and received the Mademoiselle magazine award for outstanding achievement. Her research was published in prestigious medical journals and presented at international conferences. However, what truly defined her legacy was the impact of her work on actual patient outcomes and the doors she opened for other African American physicians and women in medicine.

Throughout her career, Dr. Wright faced discrimination and obstacles that many of her white, male counterparts never encountered. Yet she used those barriers as motivation to excel and to prove that talent, dedication, and intelligence know no color or gender. She became a mentor to younger physicians and actively worked to create opportunities for underrepresented groups in medicine.

Dr. Jane Cooke Wright retired from active practice in 1967 but continued to influence the medical field through her legacy. She passed away on January 26, 2013, at the age of 93, leaving behind a lifetime of achievements that fundamentally changed cancer treatment. Her innovative approach to chemotherapy, her dedication to clinical excellence, and her unwavering commitment to advancing medicine for all people make her an inspiring figure in both the history of medicine and the history of African American achievement.

Today In Black History

In 1652, Rhode Island enacted the first law declaring slavery illegal.
In 1869, Robert Tanner Freeman became the 1st African American to graduate from Harvard Dental School.
In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the doctrine of “separate but equal” in education and public accommodations and began the age of “Jim Crow.”
In 1983, the U.S. Senate revised the immigration laws, giving millions of illegal aliens legal status under an amnesty program.
In 1991, the Republic of Somaliland declared independence from Somalia.
In 2000, the South Carolina General Assembly voted to remove the Confederate flag from the dome in the capital of South Carolina.

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by December 31, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

Available for iOS and Android

Today In Black History: Hercules Posey

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 06 May 2026 16:15:52 GMT

Issue #1,026 Today In Black History, Wednesday, May 6, 2026

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

From before the founding of the United States through the Civil War, enslaved Africans didn’t just accept their lot in life. Many used various strategies and schemes to gain freedom for themselves and their families.

Hercules Posey was one of those enslaved people. He was the official presidential chef who outsmarted his owner, President George Washington, and asserted his own freedom in Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States.

He commanded a kitchen with the authority of a general. He dressed like a gentleman, walked with the confidence of a free man, and cooked meals that dazzled the elite of a new nation. Yet Hercules Posey was enslaved — the property of George Washington, the very man who proclaimed liberty as America’s founding ideal. His story is one of extraordinary talent, quiet resistance, and an act of defiance that Washington never forgot.

Hercules came to Mount Vernon as an enslaved field worker, but by the late 1780s, he had become Washington’s head chef, overseeing the preparation of elaborate meals for one of America’s most powerful households. When Washington assumed the presidency and moved to Philadelphia — then the nation’s capital — Hercules moved with him, running the kitchen at the President’s House on High Street.

Contemporary accounts describe him as a commanding presence: immaculately dressed in a blue cloth coat, a long white apron, and a black velvet cap. He was known to scold kitchen workers who crossed him and to move through the city’s markets with an air of authority that turned heads. To those who didn’t know his status, he could easily have been mistaken for a prosperous free man of Philadelphia.

Washington trusted Hercules to an unusual degree. He was granted the rare privilege of selling kitchen drippings and leftover scraps from the presidential kitchen, pocketing the profits for himself. This income allowed him to dress well and move about the city with a degree of independence nearly unheard of for enslaved people of the era. He used that freedom wisely — gathering information, cultivating contacts, and quietly building the conditions for something larger.

What Washington likely did not consider was that his own laws would work against him. Pennsylvania had passed the Gradual Abolition Act of 1780, which stated that any enslaved person residing in the state for six consecutive months would be legally entitled to freedom. To prevent this, Washington rotated his enslaved staff back to Virginia before that threshold could be reached — a calculated move to maintain his human property while appearing to honor Pennsylvania law. Hercules was subject to these rotations.

So on February 22, 1797 — George Washington’s 65th birthday — Hercules vanished. He walked away from Mount Vernon while Washington himself was in Philadelphia, and he was never found. It was a masterpiece of planning.

Washington was stunned. But he was gone — almost certainly to Philadelphia, where he had connections and could blend into the city’s substantial free Black community.

In the years that followed, a visitor to Mount Vernon reportedly asked Hercules’s young daughter, Evey, if she was sad her father had left. She replied that she was glad — because her father was now free.

For generations, Hercules Posey was a footnote in Washington’s story. Now he is recognized as a man who managed his own circumstances. Hercules Posey did not wait to be freed. He freed himself.

Today In Black History

In 1626, Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organized the purchase of Manhattan Island for 60 gilders of goods from the Canarsie Indians of the Lenape.
In 1787, African Lodge No. 459 was organized in Boston, MA, with Prince Hall as Master.

In 1794, General Toussaint Louverture switched sides and ambushed his former Spanish allies at Saint-Raphaël in Haiti.
In 1861, Arkansas and Tennessee became the 9th and 10th states to secede from the United States.
In 1886, Black inventor M.A. Cherry patented the tricycle.
In 1960, President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act.
In 1967, four hundred students seized the administration building at HBCU Cheney State College in Pennsylvania.
In 1969, Howard Lee was elected mayor of Chapel Hill, NC, becoming the first Black person elected mayor of a predominantly white North Carolina city in modern times.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) were confirmed the winners in South Africa’s first post-apartheid election.

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

Available for iOS and Android

Today In Black History: James Baskett

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 04 May 2026 16:15:55 GMT

Issue #1,025 Today In Black History, Monday, May 4, 2026

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

James Baskett: A Trailblazing Life in the Shadows of Hollywood

Unlike my husband and younger daughter, who practically live at the movies, I am not really a movie-goer. I only see about 2-3 movies a year in the theaters. I’ve recently seen “Michael,” “Avatar,” and of course “Sinners,” which I saw twice in the theater. Very unusual for me.

Today, the work of Black actors and directors is much more prevalent, and Black production companies are making very successful films meant for general audiences.

However, through my studies in Black history, I do know that until the late 1960s, almost all of the roles by the major studios relegated Black actors to stereotypical representations. “Lilies of the Field,” released in 1963, was one of the exceptions. It starred Sydney Poitier, who became the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

In 1948, James Baskett became the first Black actor to receive an honorary award for his role in the controversial movie, “Song of the South.”

James Baskett was born on February 16, 1904, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up with a passion for performance that expressed itself early. He worked steadily in Black theater and radio before making his way to Hollywood, where opportunities for African American actors were severely limited, often reduced to demeaning stereotypes or outright exclusion.

In the 1930s and early 1940s, Baskett found consistent work on radio and in small film roles, gradually building a reputation as a skilled, versatile performer. He was particularly acclaimed for his comedic timing and his warm, expressive voice — qualities that would eventually define his most famous role. He also appeared in a number of films produced specifically for Black audiences, known as “race films,” which allowed African American performers to play full, complex human beings rather than the caricatures mainstream Hollywood typically offered.

His crowning achievement came in 1946, when Walt Disney cast him as Uncle Remus in Song of the South, a live-action and animated hybrid film based loosely on the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris. Baskett anchored the film with a performance that transcended the material. He also provided the voice of the animated character Br’er Fox, demonstrating his remarkable range within a single production. The film’s centerpiece song, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” became one of the most recognizable tunes in Disney history, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The following year, at the 20th Academy Awards ceremony in 1948, James Baskett received an honorary Oscar — presented by actress Ingrid Bergman — in recognition of his “able and heart-warming characterization” of Uncle Remus. He was the first African American male actor ever to receive an Academy Award of any kind. The honor was deeply meaningful, even as it arrived with painful ironies: Baskett had been unable to attend the film’s Atlanta premiere because, as a Black man, he was not welcome in the segregated theaters where it screened. This was the same rejection that Hattie McDaniel, the first Black actor to win an Oscar, experienced in 1940 when she was denied entry to the theater at the premiere of “Gone With The Wind” in Atlanta. McDaniel received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

James Baskett’s health had been deteriorating for some time. He suffered from a serious heart condition and diabetes, and the physical demands of his later career took a toll. The Oscar came just months before his death. James Baskett passed away on July 9, 1948, in Los Angeles, at just 44 years old. He died before he could fully witness the legacy he had created.

In the decades since, Song of the South has become a deeply controversial film, with entirely valid criticisms for its romanticized portrayal of the post-Civil War South and its racial stereotypes. Disney has declined to give the film a wide release since 1986. Yet, Baskett brought humanity and grace to the role while enduring the systemic inequality that would have defeated many others.

Today In Black History

In 1818, the Netherlands and Britain signed a treaty to combat the slave trade.
In 1891, Black Dr. Daniel Hale Williams founded the Provident Hospital and Training School in Chicago, the first Black-owned and operated hospital in the United States.
In 1896, Black Cowboy Bill Pickett was credited with inventing “Bull Dogging,” the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground.
In 1897, Black inventor J.W. Smith received a patent for a lawn sprinkler.
In 1959, Black singer Ella Fitzgerald won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance at the first Grammy Awards.
In 1961, the CORE (Congress for Racial Equality) organization began the “Freedom Rides” from Washington, D.C., designed to test the South’s compliance with the Interstate Commerce Commission’s desegregation order.
In 1970, Black playwright Charles Gordone won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1969 play, “No Place to Be Somebody.”

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

Available for iOS and Android

Today In Black History: Frederick Lamar McGhee

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:05:49 GMT

Issue #1,023 Today In Black History, Wednesday, April 29, 2026

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

Frederick Lamar McGhee, born into slavery, was Minnesota’s first African American lawyer, its most consequential early civil rights leader, a renowned orator, and a criminal defense lawyer famous for his courtroom victories. His break with Booker T. Washington and subsequent alliance with W. E. B. Du Bois led to the founding of the Niagara Movement and then the NAACP.

Frederick McGhee was born on October 28, 1861, in Aberdeen, MS. Both of his parents died young, so as a teenager Fredrick followed his brothers, Matthew and Barclay, to Chicago.

In Chicago McGhee was an attorney in the offices of Chicago’s most distinguished Black lawyer, Edward H. Morris. He also met and married the Kentucky-born Mattie Crane.

In 1889, probably at the insistence of St. Paul newspaper publisher John Q. Adams, McGhee moved to St. Paul. When admitted to the bar in June, he became Minnesota’s first African American lawyer.

McGhee became a passionate defender of civil rights during a particularly challenging era. He was instrumental in organizing and leading the Afro-American League of Minnesota, an early civil rights organization dedicated to combating discrimination and advocating for equal treatment under the law. Through this organization and his legal work, he challenged unjust laws and practices that disenfranchised African Americans, particularly addressing issues of voting rights, employment discrimination, and access to public accommodations.

This was the Jim Crow era, and McGhee participated in every national civil rights organization that strove to find a way to fight racial discrimination. The most prominent of these at the turn of the century was the National Afro-American Council, for which he served as an officer. He arranged for its 1902 convention to be held in St. Paul, and for Booker T. Washington, the preeminent Black leader of the time, to attend. However, as Washington took control of the organization. McGhee publicly broke with him in 1903, and was soon joined by W. E. B. DuBois. With other dissenters, they formed, in 1905, the Niagara Movement, which advocated immediate and full equality of Black Americans. In 1909, Niagara morphed into the NAACP, led by DuBois.

One of McGhee’s most notable contributions was his involvement in cases challenging the separate-but-equal doctrine that had taken hold in American law. He understood that legal segregation was fundamentally unjust and worked tirelessly to expose its inherent inequality. His legal arguments anticipated civil rights positions that would gain broader acceptance decades later, demonstrating remarkable foresight and moral clarity.

McGhee believed that the Constitution’s promises of equal protection and due process should apply to all Americans, regardless of race. His ability to articulate the case for civil rights in compelling, accessible language made him an effective advocate both in and out of the courtroom.

In his personal life, McGhee was a family man (he and his wife had one adopted daughter), a churchgoer, a homeowner (in Frogtown, near the corner of University and Dale), and the owner of a cabin on the Apple River in Wisconsin. It was there in the summer of 1912 that he suffered an accident that led to a blood clot, and then an embolism that killed him a few weeks short of his fifty-first birthday.

McGhee was also an eloquent writer and public speaker who used his platform to educate the public about the injustices facing African Americans. He published articles, delivered speeches, and engaged in public debates, always maintaining a thoughtful, reasoned approach while refusing to compromise on fundamental principles. His ability to articulate the case for civil rights in compelling, accessible language made him an effective advocate both in and out of the courtroom.

Frederick Lamar McGhee passed away in 1912, but his legacy endures as a testament to the power of individual courage and professional excellence in the service of justice. He demonstrated that African American lawyers could command respect in their field and use their legal knowledge to advance the cause of racial equality. His pioneering efforts helped establish a tradition of Black legal activism that would grow stronger throughout the twentieth century.

Today In Black History

In 1845, Macon B. Allen and Robert Morris, Jr. became the first African Americans to open a law practice in the United States.
In 1854, Ashmun Institute (later Lincoln University) received its charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, becoming the 1st Black degree-granting college in the United States.
In 1890, Black inventor Henry Faulkner patented the ventilated shoe, placing holes in specific locations within the shoe, allowing for adequate circulation and greater comfort.
In 1967, Aretha Franklin released the single “Respect,” written by Otis Redding, which was the Billboard Song of the Year.
In 1968, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, in his role as president of the SCLS, began the Poor People’s Campaign, leading a delegation of leaders representing poor whites, Black, Native Americans, and Latinos to Capitol Hill for conferences with cabinet members and congressional leaders.
In 1977, author Alex P. Haley won the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Roots.”
In 1983, Harold Washington was sworn in as the first Black mayor of Chicago, IL.
In 1992, the L.A. riots began, sparked by the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King. There were about 50 deaths and up to $1 Billion in property damage.

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

Available for iOS and Android

Today In Black History: Abraham Lincoln

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:06:07 GMT

Issue #1,022 Today In Black History, Monday, April 27, 2026

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

Abraham Lincoln, The Man, the Myth, and the Complicated Truth

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, is one of the most mythologized figures in American history. He is invoked as the Great Emancipator, the savior of the Union, a man who gave his life so that a nation conceived in liberty might live up to its promise. All of that is true — and yet the full portrait of Lincoln is considerably more complicated, especially when viewed through the lens of Black history.

Like most of you, I was taught that Abraham Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents and that he should be revered without question. However, as a retired educator specializing in English, history, and government, I have learned more about President Lincoln’s political views.

Today’s Republicans, especially the MAGA Republicans, like to “remind us” that Lincoln was a Republican, but they conveniently forget to mention that the Republicans of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were completely different from the Republicans of the latter 20th century and beyond.

The Republican Party emerged in the Midwest (specifically Ripon, Wisconsin, and Jackson, Michigan) as a direct response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which threatened to expand slavery into Western territories.

Led by its first elected president, Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865), the GOP successfully guided the Union through the Civil War and spearheaded the abolition of slavery.

During Reconstruction, “Radical Republicans” pushed for civil and voting rights for newly freed African Americans.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family relocated to Indiana and later to Illinois, always in search of better land and better odds. His mother died when he was nine; his formal schooling totaled less than a year. What Lincoln lacked in education, he made up for in relentless self-teaching, reading borrowed books by firelight until he could argue law with the best-trained attorneys in Illinois.

He taught himself enough to pass the bar in 1836 and built a thriving legal practice in Springfield. He married Mary Todd in 1842, entered national politics as a congressman, and eventually became the unlikely Republican nominee for president in 1860 — a one-term congressman whose greatest asset was that he had made fewer enemies than anyone else.

Lincoln’s presidency began before he was even inaugurated. Seven Southern states had already seceded by the time he took the oath of office in March 1861, and the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April ignited four years of civil war.

Lincoln was a masterful wartime leader — patient, strategic, and willing to bear enormous personal grief while projecting public resolve. He held together a fractious coalition of generals, Cabinet members, and congressional factions. He absorbed military disasters and kept fighting. He understood that the war’s purpose had to expand beyond restoring the old Union if the North was going to sustain the will to win.

But Lincoln was explicit, even blunt, about his priorities. In an 1862 letter to newspaper editor Horace Greeley, he wrote: “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do that.” The Union came first. Slavery’s fate was a strategic calculation as much as a moral one.

When Lincoln first called for men to join the Union Army in 1861, he specifically disallowed any Black people, free or slave, to join the military, because that would mean giving them arms that could have been used against white people.

Lincoln’s personal views on race were a product of his time and place — that is, they were not abolitionist views. He found slavery morally wrong and said so, repeatedly. He called it an injustice that mocked America’s founding ideals. But on the other hand, for much of his adult life, he did not believe in racial equality or in Black citizenship.

In his famous 1858 debates against Stephen Douglas, Lincoln was direct: “I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and Black races.” For years, he supported a plan to colonize freed Black Americans in Africa or Central America — a position that many Black leaders, including Frederick Douglass, vigorously and publicly rejected.

Through the Emancipation Proclamation that took effect on January 1, 1863, Lincoln freed enslaved people only in Confederate-held territories — not in the border states that had remained loyal to the Union. It was, at its core, a war measure designed to destabilize the Confederacy and encourage enslaved people to flee or resist.

And yet, Lincoln’s views evolved. By 1864 and 1865, he was privately and publicly supporting limited Black voting rights. Douglass, who met Lincoln three times, ultimately called him “the first great man that I talked with in the United States freely.” The Thirteenth Amendment, which was ratified to completely abolish slavery, was pushed through Congress with Lincoln’s active involvement.

Lincoln did not free Black Americans out of the conviction that they deserved equal humanity — at least not initially. He freed them because it helped win a war, and then found that his moral compass was catching up to his political decisions. That arc matters. It is not a story of a saint; it is a story of a politician who grew — imperfectly, incompletely, but consequentially — under the pressure of history. Black Americans did not wait for Lincoln to free them; they seized freedom themselves in enormous numbers and forced the question onto Lincoln’s desk. That truth belongs at the center of any honest reckoning with his legacy.

Today In Black History

In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes removed federal troops from Louisiana, ending Reconstruction.
In 1903, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the clauses in the Alabama constitution that disfranchised Black Americans.
In 1903, Maggie Lena Walker was named president of the St. Luke Bank and Trust, which she founded in Richmond, Virginia, becoming the first Black woman to head an American bank.
In 1960, the African nation of Togo gained its independence from France.

In 1961, the African nation of Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain.
In 1964, the African countries of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.

Available for iOS and Android

Today In Black History: Celia Cruz

Pamela Hilliard Owens — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:15:08 GMT

Issue #1,020 Today In Black History, Wednesday, April 22, 2026

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful subscribers!
Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
All new subscribers (free and paid) will receive this valuable eBook! If you don’t have yours, download it below.
Reclaiming The Narrative Why Learning Black History Changes Everything Generic Copy
231KB ∙ EPUB file
Download
Download
We Are Speaking is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Become a PAID subscriber!

Celia Cruz: The Queen of Salsa and an Enduring Legend

Celia Cruz stands as one of the most influential and iconic figures in Latin American music history. Born Úrsula Stella Isabela Martínez Imbert on October 21, 1925, in Havana, Cuba, she would become the undisputed “Queen of Salsa,” a title earned through her extraordinary voice, charismatic presence, and unrelenting passion for music.

From her early days, Celia demonstrated exceptional vocal talent. She studied music theory and voice at the Havana Conservatory, honing the skills that would eventually captivate audiences worldwide. Her breakthrough came in the 1950s when she joined the Sonora Matancera, one of Cuba’s most famous orchestras. For fifteen years, she served as their vocalist, recording numerous hit songs and becoming a household name throughout Latin America. Her powerful mezzo-soprano voice, capable of conveying both vulnerability and tremendous strength, set her apart from her contemporaries.

In 1960, following the Cuban Revolution, Celia made the difficult decision to leave her homeland. She emigrated to the United States, a move that proved transformative for both her career and the trajectory of salsa music globally. Despite the pain of exile and the challenges faced by Cuban immigrants, she refused to stop singing. Instead, she channeled her experiences into her music, creating performances infused with emotional depth and cultural authenticity.

The 1970s and 1980s marked the golden era of Celia’s career. Her collaboration with the legendary orchestra leader Tito Puente produced some of the most memorable salsa recordings of all time. Together, they created a synergy that elevated salsa music to unprecedented heights of popularity and artistic achievement. Albums like “Celia & Johnny,” recorded with Johnny Pacheco, and her numerous other collaborations solidified her status as the premier female voice of salsa. Her energetic performances, characterized by her infectious enthusiasm and signature catchphrase “¡Azúcar!” (Sugar!) became legendary.

Celia Cruz was a trailblazer who paved the way for Latina performers in an industry that often marginalized them. Her influence extended far beyond salsa; she participated in projects spanning multiple genres, collaborating with artists from diverse musical backgrounds and proving the universal appeal of her artistry.

Celia’s cultural impact was profound and multifaceted. She remained deeply connected to her Cuban heritage and the broader Latino community throughout her life. She used her platform to advocate for Cuban and Latino visibility in American popular culture during a time when such representation was limited. Her unwavering pride in her roots, despite decades of exile, made her an emblem of cultural resilience for millions.

Throughout her life, Celia received numerous accolades, including Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and countless honors from governments and cultural organizations. She performed well into her eighth decade, never compromising the quality of her performances or the infectious energy that defined her stage presence.

Celia Cruz passed away on July 16, 2003, but her legacy remains vibrantly alive. She will forever be remembered as the Queen of Salsa, a pioneering artist who enriched the cultural landscape and proved that true artistry knows no limits.

It was recently announced that Celia Cruz will be inducted into the 2026 Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Today In Black History

On September 9, 1739, the first and largest recorded slave uprising in the British mainland colonies occurred near Stono, South Carolina.
In 1868, Oscar James Dunn was elected Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana.
In 1884, the U.S. recognized King Leopold III’s Congo Free State.
In 1919, Black inventor S.H. Love patented improvements to the military gun.

Our goal is to make “We Are Speaking” a best-selling publication by July 1, 2026, increasing our reach and influence! To achieve our goal, we will need 15 new paid subscribers every week, or 5 new paid subscribers for each of the three days per week we publish. If you value our publication, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year. We appreciate your financial support! We appreciate your financial support!
Become a PAID subscriber!

You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.