Black History

The Origins of Juneteenth (Podcast)

June 16, 2021 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

Juneteenth is a state holiday that commemorates June 19th, 1865, the day slavery ended in Texas. Over the last decade, a push to make Juneteenth a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States has gained momentum.

What do we know about Juneteenth and its origins?

In this episode of the Ben Franklin’s World podcast, Annette Gordon-Reed, an award-winning historian at Harvard University and Harvard Law School, is a native Texan and she joins us to discuss the early history of Texas and the origins of the Juneteenth holiday with details from her book, On Juneteenth (Liveright, 2021).

‘Black Devils’ At War In Europe & At Home

June 13, 2021 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

On April 6th 1917 America declared war against Germany. It was the first time in the nation’s history that the United States sent soldiers abroad to defend foreign soil. In May 1917, General John Joseph “Black Jack” Pershing was designated Supreme Commander of the troops in France. He assembled the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in July 1917 and its involvement on the battlefield tipped the balance in favor of Allied Forces towards the middle of 1918. [Read more…] about ‘Black Devils’ At War In Europe & At Home

New Book Considers The Last Slave Ships & New York

June 6, 2021 by Alan J. Singer Leave a Comment

The city of New York was at the center of the illegal trans-Atlantic slave trade during the 1850s and early 1860 conveying kidnapped and enslaved Africans from the coast of West Africa primarily into Cuba where there was an expanding sugar industry.

In The Last Slave Ships: New York and the End of the Middle Passage (Yale Univ. Press, 2020), John Harris, a professor of history at Erskine College in South Carolina, estimates that between 1853 and 1867, 474 shipments carrying almost 200,000 men women and children were brought to Cuba. Most of this was brokered by transplanted Brazilians and Portuguese known as the Portuguese Company, who shifted their operation to New York because of the decline of the Angola to Brazil slave trade in the 1850s. Harris argues they were supported by the pro-slavery faction of the city’s Democratic Party and its chief financial institutions. [Read more…] about New Book Considers The Last Slave Ships & New York

An Interview With State Museum Curator Jennifer Lemak

May 31, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The latest episode of “Empire State Engagements” features a conversation with Dr. Jennifer A. Lemak, Chief Curator of History at the New York State Museum and co-editor of the journal New York History, about her book Southern Life, Northern City (SUNY Press/Excelsior Editions, 2008). [Read more…] about An Interview With State Museum Curator Jennifer Lemak

1932 Adirondack Killing Sparks Questions About The Role Of Race

May 6, 2021 by Eliza Jane Darling Leave a Comment

Ernie Blanchard and Lester Turner who lodged an indignant complaint against an unnamed black man living in the Adirondack woods in 1932 were no strangers to crime. They were well acquainted with a range of infractions – from illegal construction to rum-running to illicit hunting. For some of those crimes they were fined, others were the subject of casual boasts long after the fact. [Read more…] about 1932 Adirondack Killing Sparks Questions About The Role Of Race

John Brown Farm Celebrates 125 Years of State Ownership

May 4, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In 2021, the state of New York will celebrate 125 years of being caretaker to the John Brown Farm in North Elba, just outside of Lake Placid in the Adirondack Park.

Brown came to the area to help recently freed slaves become farmers. At that time in New York State, black men (and only black men) needed to own $250 dollars worth of land to be eligible to vote. Brown immersed himself in this new community of black farmers and participated in a wide variety of organizing. [Read more…] about John Brown Farm Celebrates 125 Years of State Ownership

Harlem & The Hellfighter Band That Set France Jazz Mad

May 3, 2021 by Jaap Harskamp 4 Comments

When Paris first heard American jazz, it is – from our perspective – impossible to make sense of the cultural thunderbolt that must have hit audiences. This music was so wholly different to European ears that it was either scornfully rejected or eagerly accepted. [Read more…] about Harlem & The Hellfighter Band That Set France Jazz Mad

Touring Harriet Tubman Statue on Crossroads of Rockland History

April 20, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On the April 2021 episode of “Crossroads of Rockland History,” the topic was the nationally-touring sculpture: Harriet Tubman – Journey to Freedom by Wesley Woffard.

The sculpture will be placed in the Haverstraw African American Memorial Park for seven weeks beginning April 20th, 2021. Clare Sheridan’s guest was Virginia “Ginny” Norleet, founder of the Haverstraw African American Connection (HAAC). Ginny spoke about how the HAAC arranged for this sculpture to be in Haverstraw, and the auxiliary programs planned for each Saturday while the sculpture is in Haverstraw. [Read more…] about Touring Harriet Tubman Statue on Crossroads of Rockland History

Trailblazing Women: Mary McLeod Bethune

March 14, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

As a presidential advisor of African American Affairs during the Roosevelt administration, Mary McLeod Bethune formed the Federal Council of Negro Affairs, which would become known as the Black Cabinet. [Read more…] about Trailblazing Women: Mary McLeod Bethune

Trailblazing Women: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett

March 10, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Born enslaved in Mississippi in 1862, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett dedicated her life to fighting for racial and gender equality. She was a journalist, suffragist, advocate of racial justice, and anti-lynching activist. [Read more…] about Trailblazing Women: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett