Tag Archives: African-American

Meet Lena Richard, the Celebrity Chef Who Broke Barriers in the Jim Crow South

In 1949, nearly a year after New Orleans’ WDSU-TV went live for the first time, Lena Richard, an African American Creole chef and entrepreneur, brought her freshly prepared dishes to a family-style kitchen TV set and took to the screen to film her self-titled cooking show—the first of its kind for an African American. Continue reading Meet Lena Richard, the Celebrity Chef Who Broke Barriers in the Jim Crow South

9 Amazing Facts About the Life of James Forten You May Not Know

Forten’s Grandfather Freed Himself from Enslavement by Escaping to Philadelphia

James Forten (Sept. 2, 1766 – March 4, 1842) was born free to Thomas and Margret Forten. It’s believed that Forten’s grandfather freed himself from enslavement by escaping and finding refuge in Philadelphia. He was educated in a Quaker school that was created by white abolitionist, Anthony Benezet, but he had to leave in order to work full time to support his family. At nine years-old he became the man of the house after his father died.

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African Involvement in Slavery?

I want to tell you a story and give you a thesis. It is only a perspective and is clearly a work in progress. I raised the question of why so many African-Americans and other Africans in the Diaspora repeat, largely without investigation, that Africans sold other Africans into slavery. Many of them do it with relish. Such an assertion is very harmful . It bothers me and I think that it is largely rooted in self-hate and ignorance.

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