#African American History Month

[barbielore]

As February is Black History Month / African-American History Month (I'll be honest I don't know whether either of those terms are preferred - if someone could let me know, I would appreciate it), I thought I would make a post about how Mattel and the Barbie brand have intersected with this.

I have previously made some posts about this subject so just to collate some links:

A brief history of depictions of Black Barbies.

One of Mattel's first media tie-in dolls - Julia from the show Julia.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Barbie to commemorate America's first Black sorority.

Backstory on two of the dolls in the Barbie doll line depicted exclusively as Black women - Christie and Nikki.

The lore of Brooklyn and Malibu.

To expand on the above - I must shout out again Kitty Black Perkins by name even though I mentioned her in the history of Black Barbies post. Perkins is a now-retired Barbie designer credited with designing the first Barbie to be depicted as Black (that is to say, not a Francie or a Christie or another character - but Barbie), among other Barbies.

In addition to the first Black Barbie, Perkins is credited with design of four Holiday Barbies, as well as a number of other Barbies and friends of Barbie - apparently designing or having input into the design of hundreds of Barbies.

Without the influence of Perkins, it's very possible that we would not have modern doll releases featuring Brooklyn as a lead alongside Malibu.

Mattel have included a number of historical Black women in their Inspiring Women collection; this is not all of them by any means, but an example.

[hazbintrashbin]

I made an exterminator OC!! Based on a fun little "Choose Your Adventure" TikTok by this user here! Go check it out, and perhaps make your own OC(s) based on it!

Her name is Kora, as y'all can see, basically a play on Lute's name being that of an instrument as well. In honor of African American History Month, I implore you to go research a kora! Anywho, I don't think I consider this OC a serious one, mostly made for the sake of the challenge alone. Nevertheless, she's here, she's fierce, and she was... very time-consuming to draw, much to my irritation!

[donnasmusicqkblr]

Black History is American History - djG

@donnasmusicqkblr

[blackmail4u]

Julian Bond - Quote

Check out this powerful quote from Julian Bond and get a glimpse of his civil rights activism. Click the link to learn more or listen via podcast. #BlackMail4u #BlackHistory #JulianBond #BlackHistoryMonth #CivilRightsMovement #BlackHistoryFact

Welcome To Black Mail! Where we bring you Black History, Special Delivery. “Good things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who agitate!” -Julian Boyd. What a powerful quote by civil rights activist, politician, and educator Julian Bond. Bond was born in 1940 in Nashville, Tennesse. He met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr while attending Morehouse College. While at Morehouse, Bond…

[brianfrench1995]

Jet Magazine cover - November 8th, 1962. Marlene White Northwest Airlines

[tammyquest-blog]

I made a miniature art gallery for African American Heritage Month at the Castro Valley Library. It was a fun class.

[k12academics]

The center focuses on the enrichment of all young people.

We currently send our qualified instructors out to many schools to teach youth African drumming, dance, history, language, culture, stilt-walking, & song. Simultaneously, our instructors infuse life-lessons in their courses.

Some of the more cognitive courses are conflict-resolution, public speaking, anger management, life-skills, and positivity in the community.

Some elective courses include sewing, crafting, jewelry making & costume-making.

Most of our programs culminate in a course ending ceremony (recital) where the participants are invited to showcase their talents and the children actually MC, and narrate the event (partially in a West African dialect).

[longliveblackness]

Congo is silently going through a silent genocide. Millions of people are being killed so that the western world can benefit from its natural resources.

More than 60% of the world's cobalt reserves are found in Congo, used in the production of smartphones.

Western countries are providing financial military aid to invade regions filled with reserves and in the process millions are getting killed and millions homeless.

Multinational mining companies are enslaving people especially children to mine.

•••

La República Democrática del Congo vive un genocidio silencioso. Millones de personas están siendo asesinadas para que la parte occidental del mundo pueda beneficiarse de sus recursos naturales.

Más del 60% de las reservas mundiales de cobalto se encuentran en el Congo, y se utiliza en la producción de teléfonos inteligentes.

Los países occidentales están proporcionando asistencia financiera militar para invadir regiones llenas de reservas y en el proceso millones de personas mueren y millones se quedan sin hogar.

Las empresas mineras multinacionales están esclavizando a la gente, especialmente a los niños, para trabajar en las minas.

Street Art and Photo by Artist Eduardo Relero

(https://eduardorelero.com)

[jstor]

Dorothy Porter is known as the "Dewey Decimal Decolonizer."

Dorothy Porter was an African American librarian who worked to challenge and decolonize library systems, including the Dewey Decimal System, which traditionally marginalized non-Western perspectives and cultures. She advocated for more inclusive classification systems that better represented diverse voices and histories.

Porter's work emphasized the importance of equity and representation within library collections, aiming to create spaces that reflect the richness and complexity of human experiences. Her efforts have contributed to ongoing discussions and actions toward decolonizing library practices worldwide.

Read more about Dorothy Porter here.

[originalhaffigaza]

[ts-wicked-wonders]

Black history: Did you know?

Phillis Wheatley was only 12 when she became the first female African American author published.

Despite Phyllis Wheatley’s fame, we know surprisingly little about her early life. She was taken from her home in Africa when she was seven or eight, and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. The family taught her to read and write, and encouraged her to write poetry as soon as they witnessed her talent for it. In 1773, Phyllis published her first poem, making her the first African American to be published. She was only 12 at the time.

Read more: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley

[mimi-0007]

[donnasmusicqkblr]

African American History Month 2024 - djG

CLICK ME!! (VIDEO CLIP BELOW)

[alwaysbewoke]

[usnatarchives]

Beyond the Stars: Mae Jemison’s Odyssey ✨

Happy Black History Month!

This Black History Month, we spotlight the extraordinary life of Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. Born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Jemison’s journey into the stars is a testament to the power of dreams and determination.

From an early age, Jemison showed a keen interest in science and space, but noticed the absence of women astronauts. She pursued her passion relentlessly, earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an M.D. from Cornell Medical College. Before joining NASA, Jemison was a general practitioner and served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where she managed health care for other volunteers. In 1987, Jemison’s dream became reality when she was selected for NASA’s astronaut program. On September 12, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on mission STS-47, Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space, serving as a mission specialist. During her eight-day mission, she conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness, contributing valuable data to the field.

Jemison’s honors include induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and the Texas Science Hall of Fame, among others. Her story is not just one of breaking barriers in space exploration, but also of inspiring generations to pursue their dreams, regardless of birth and obstacles.

For more information on Mae Jemison’s groundbreaking journey and contributions to science and humanity, the National Archives holds numerous resources that illuminate the lives and achievements of African American pioneers:

[queerism1969]