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**We wanted to publish this item last month during the celebration of Black History. It’s a short month and we were busy with other projects. We’ve decided to publish this item to celebrate the selection of John Ridley’s screen adaptation of the Steve McQueen directed film as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  Best Picture of 2013.**

The herald to Black History Month historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week.”  It was created in 1926 in the United States. February was selected because it is the birth month of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States who issued the proclamation freeing the slaves in the Southern Confederacy; Frederick Douglass, social reformer, orator,  statesman, and writer was also one of the most celebrated former slaves of his time.

“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization.” ~ Carter G. Woodson, innovator of Black History Week

The producers, writers and actors of the venerated sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, (SNL), provide us with a comical new perspective on the annual February tradition of celebrating the historic achievements of US, Canadian, and British citizens of Black African descent, members of the African Diaspora.

This year they composed and performed a humorous presentation in the rap genre 28 Reasons to Hug a Black Guy, featuring Jay Pharoah, Kenan Thompson and Sasheer Zamata. We believe this piece totally explains, for those who are new to the celebration, for people in other nations, as well as some whites in the US who do not understand, the historic reason for celebrating great courage in the face of overwhelming adversity…SLAVERY!

Perhaps there would not be a racial issue if the North had shamed the very concept of discrimination based on race. If American racism toward blacks were made to be as disgraceful as discrimination against the Jews then maybe the situation in the US after the end of slavery never would have occurred. Germany was shamed on the international stage for its detestable treatment of the Jews during the Third Reich, the period 1933 to 1945; that ended the discrimination against Jews in Germany and most of Europe. This is what we think ought to have happened in the United States of America at the end of the domestic conflict, the War Between the States. It is also known as the American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865. (more…)

Twenty six years ago in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, during the 1988 Winter Olympics an American figure skater named Debi Thomas made history. At the time of the competition she was the first American black female to hold U.S. National titles in ladies’ singles figure skating.

Thomas is the only African American who ever won a medal in the Olympics in figure skating. She is the first African American to win a medal in any Winter Olympic sport.

Debra J. Thomas, now a private practice medical professional since 2010, began her figure skating career in 1983 when she represented the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.

Thomas was winner of the 1986 U.S. national title and the 1986 World Championships; those achievements earned Thomas the ABC’s teevee network’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year award in 1986. Thomas was the first female athlete to win those titles while attending college full-time. (more…)