“They sat there
dressed in African garb & dark sunglasses
listening to the brothas play
taking notes
We didn’t realize who they were until their next recording had been released:
The Beatles Play Soulmusic”

. - Haki Madhubuti

Today’s #RootDisruptor is Matthew Henson. Born to sharecroppers on a farm in Nanjemoy, Md., Matthew Alexander Henson became the first African-American Arctic explorer, and is credited by many as the first man to reach the North Pole, in 1909. Henson was an associate of the American explorer Robert Peary on seven voyages over a period of nearly 23 years. Henson served as a navigator and craftsman, traded with Inuit and learned their language. He was known as Peary’s “first man” when it came to tackling the arduous expeditions. #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #OurHistory #BHM #BHM2015

Today’s #RootDisruptor is none other than: Anna Arnold Hedgemen. A civil rights leader, politician, and writer, Anna Arnold Hedgemen was also the first African-American student at Hamline University, a Methodist college in Minnesota. After college she became a teacher, and during her tenure, Hedgemen witnessed segregation and decided to fight for its end. After holding a position as assistant dean of women at Howard University in 1946, Hedgemen later moved to New York and became the first African-American woman to hold a mayoral cabinet position in the history of the state. #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #Our#History #BHM

Today we’d like to acknowledge #RootDisruptor Claudette Colvin. On March 2, 1955, a full nine months before Rosa Parks’ famous arrest, Claudette Colvin was dragged from a Montgomery bus by two police officers, arrested and taken to an adult jail to be booked. She was only 15 years old and was the first person to be arrested for defying bus segregation in Montgomery. Her arrest and her story has long since been forgotten, but it provided the spark for the Black community in Montgomery that ultimately led to Parks’ actions, the bus boycott, and the Supreme Court ruling to end segregation on buses. #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #BHM #BHM2015 #OurHistory

Today we honor #RootDisruptor William T. Shorey. Affectionately known as the “Black Ahab,” William T. Shorey was a black whaling captain who escaped prejudice at sea. After learning navigation and moving up rapidly through the ranks, Shorey would become the only African American ship captain on the west coast. #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #OurHistory #BHM #BHM2015

In honor of Black History Month, we’re celebrating the innovators and game-changers who ‘disrupted’ our history all month long. Today we honor the legacy of Robert Smalls.

Robert Smalls was an enslaved African-American born into slavery in Beaufort, S.C., who after the American Civil War, became a sea captain and politician. He freed himself, his crew and their families from slavery on May 13, 1862, when he led an uprising aboard a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, and sailed it north to freedom. His feat successfully helped persuade President Abraham Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army. #RootDisruptor #BlackHistory #OurHistory #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM2015

Happy birthday #LangstonHughes! Today would have been the legendary poet, author, and social activist’s 113th birthday. Known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America, celebrating Mr. Hughes is the perfect way to kick-off #BlackHistoryMonth.

Today we honor the legacy of Septima Poinsette Clark. Septima Poinsette Clark is perhaps the only woman to play a significant role in educating African Americans for full citizenship rights without gaining sufficient recognition. Known as the “Grandmother of the American Civil Rights Movement,” Septima Poinsette Clark developed the literacy and citizenship workshops that played an important role in the drive for voting rights and civil rights for African Americans. In 1920, while serving as an educator in Charleston, Clark worked with the NAACP to gather petitions allowing blacks to serve as principals in Charleston schools. #RootDisruptor #BlackHistoryMonth #OurHistory #Legend #BlackHistory

James L. Allen was a photographer who ran a studio in Harlem from the 1920s to 1940s. There he photographed many of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance, including Paul Robeson and Langston Hughes.

From: Portraiture and the Harlem Renaissance: The Photographs of James Allen (1999)

#blackhistorymonth #harlemrenaissance #langstonhughes #paulrobeson #photography #portraitphotography #bookstagram #books #library (at Widener Library)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8uFF0Hnl_9/?igshid=1bsrqqwolr88w

We’re a couple days late celebrating the birthday of Langston Hughes (born February 1, 1902). This image is from an edition of “Let America be America Again”, originally published in 1938. As usual, Hughes’ words still have relevance today; the facing page reads:

“O, let my land be a land where liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real and life is free”

#langstonhughes #blackhistorymonth #poetry #bookstagram #books #blues #library (at Harvard Yard)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HODM4H8JV/?igshid=oyvfvw6uo2py

Keeping our #BlackHistoryMonth celebration going, your Nonfiction Friends are here with a feature on Black #writers and #poets. Amidst their talk about #love, #valentines, and #chocolates, learn about some #Blackpoets and the beautiful works they’re known for. Check out the episode anywhere podcasts are heard and find this week’s #anthology on #soulmates, #family, and #friends, IT’S ALL LOVE edited by @maritagolden in 810.9 on our #Nonfiction shelves.

Share your favorite poem(s) by Black authors with the #nffriendscast on Twitter @ NFFriendscast! #osceolalibrary #poetry #writing #valentinesday #relationships #blackauthors #librarypodcast
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXkS2phGE2/?igshid=1f8s20ekiseph

Your Nonfiction Friends are celebrating #BlackHistoryMonth in every episode this month, starting with #biographies! The #nffriendscast each chose two #historical figures to cover. Rebecca chose famous #singers, Billie Holiday (bottom left) and Ella Fitzgerald (top right), and Josh chose famous #astronauts, Mae Jemison (top left) and Guion Bluford (bottom right)! How did their stories begin? What walls did they break? Find out anywhere #podcasts are heard!

Read more fascinating biographies in this week’s book, BLACK AMERICAN BIOGRAPHIES: THE JOURNEY TO ACHIEVEMENT edited by Jeff Wallenfeldt in the 920 shelf of the Nonfiction section. Know some more #funfacts our hosts didn’t mention? Share them on Twitter @ NFFriendscast! #osceolalibrary #librarypodcast #billieholiday #ellafitzgerald #maejemison #guionbluford #historicalfigures #blackhistory #representation #representationmatters
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKzgYPTBZtD/?igshid=1ut7ri7mmw5gm

It is said that “ to envision the future 100 years forward, we must examine the history 500 years back”. The NASSI pop up takes you through snippets of the history of African peoples, starting from pre colonisation. Here is a taste of the opening experience. The conversations that were occurred among the community after going through this five room installation was moving and a part of our healing process to live into a new future. Open Wednesday - Sunday 10-6pm. At 546, 9th St Old Oakland, California. Please go check it out if you’re in the area and see some of my motion art on display alongside other artists.
|| Video & Edit : @teddy_ruxpin || #nassi #rebirth #afrofuturism #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #africa #blackart #popup #events #artinstallation #content #media #exhibition #musician #visualstorytelling (at Old Oakland)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuGQ-oRF7-6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=skmo9trqpdbs

No two minds ever come together without a third invisible force, which may be likened to a ‘ third mind’. #createeveryday #visualart #visualstorytelling #artdirector #mind #vision #surrealism #blackhistorymonth #augmentedreality #content #media #film #music #architecture #blackart (at British Airways i360)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt0welrFp1P/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qh5rkvrli1ba

The New Age Of Afro Surrealism - Embracing the disturbing and bizarre. #mondaymotivation #afrosurrealism #londonlife #blackhistorymonth #artdirection #blackart #creativedirector #musician #contemporaryart #contentcreator #media #festival #artistsoninstagram #ar #vr #visualart #animation #architecture || Video and animation : @vincefraser || Music : @therealghetts || (at London Stadium)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtvQ3nOl-ju/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=y7cmzqdyi08h

The man who has no imagination has no wings - ( Muhammad Ali ) Shout out my bredren, UK Afrofuturist Benji Reid for this one ☝#wingsarenotonlyforbirdstheyareforminds #elevate #visualstorytelling #artdirection #photography #choreography #animation #ideas #contemporaryart #motion #music #blackart #collaboration #afrofuturism #blackhistorymonth #content #media #surreal #newbreed || Photography: @benjireid || Motion : @vincefraser || Music : @flyinglotus || (at Manchester, United Kingdom)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtddNcTl4kj/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=80a8kji8t1sw

Making Moves with Dancer @yoe.apolinario

Throughout #BlackHistoryMonth, celebrated during February in the United States and Canada, we’re highlighting next-generation creatives of color who are shaping the future of their communities. Each of the featured accounts was selected by writer, curator and activist Kimberly Drew (@museummammy).

“Yoe Apolinario (@yoe.apolinario) invites you into her creative growth and uses her platform to highlight other dance communities around the world,” says Kimberly of the professional dancer who is based in Los Angeles. “I found a video of Yoe dancing alongside SHEstreet (@sheopatra_jones) on [singer] Diana Ross’ Instagram. In the video, they are both in suits and busting out some of the most fly, futuristic dance moves I’ve seen in a long time. While following Yoe’s account, I was exposed to the beauty and strength of Instagram’s dance community. Yoe is fierce, committed and she’s invited us all along for the ride.”

Shifting Perspectives with Los Angeles-Based Brand @nosesso

Throughout #BlackHistoryMonth, celebrated during February in the United States and Canada, we’re highlighting next-generation creatives of color who are shaping the future of their communities. Each of the featured accounts was selected by writer, curator and activist Kimberly Drew (@museummammy).

“I have to start by saying I want every single thing that they make,” says Kimberly Drew (@museummammy) of the Los Angeles-based brand No Sesso (@nosessola), led by designer Pierre Davis. “This desire comes from the fact that I feel like the clothes were made for me, all of me: a black queer woman. As a brand, No Sesso invites us all to feel like we can belong. Italian for ‘no sex or gender,’ I was totally sold when my friend shared their account with me. No Sesso totally shifts how many people think about what fashion can do. I can’t wait to see what they do next.”

How Is Your Mental Health ? Especially With Everything Thats Going On In The World And The Media Right Now? ⁠⠀
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Iv Had To Do A Little Mental Maintenance Myself Over The Past Few Weeks.⁠⠀
Taking A Step Back From The Media And Negativity Is Always Encouraged And Recommended.⁠⠀
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Im Still Apart Of This Fight, And Will Continue To Fight For Change. WE NOT DONE YET!⁠⠀
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Planning On Getting Back To More Normal Content Soon Yall. ⁠⠀
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#melanin #blackpride #blackexcellence #blackgirlmagic #black #blackbusiness #africanamerican #blackandproud #blacklegacybrand #blacklegacy #blackwomen #dreamchasers #blackhistorymonth #blackman #blackgirls #blacklove #blackhistory #blackisbeautiful #love #blackpower #blackamericatoday #blackowned #blackmen #melaninpoppin #buyblack #webuyblack #naturalhair #selfcare #mentalhealthawareness #healing
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdr-GHpGjD/?igshid=en1iu6q7jhq