Friday, February 28, 2014

I CHOOSE HOPE: HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!

I CHOOSE HOPE: HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!

My Greatest Moments In Black History to Date!
From Slavery, to Lynching, to Discrimination & Segregation... Only through HOPE were We Allowed to Dream of the "AMERICAN DREAM" and Only In America Would/Could that be made Possible!
"THE END OF SLAVERY" - The war ended in April 1865 and following that surrender, the Emancipation Proclamation was enforced throughout remaining regions of the South that had not yet freed the slaves. Slavery continued for a couple of months in some locations.[citation needed] Federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, to enforce the emancipation, and that day is now celebrated as Juneteenth in several states.
The thirteenth amendment, abolishing slavery, was passed by the Senate in April 1864, and by the House of Representatives in January 1865.[108] The amendment did not take effect until it was ratified by three fourths of the states, which occurred on December 6, 1865, when Georgia ratified it. On that date, all remaining slaves became officially free.
Legally, the last 40,000 or so slaves were freed in Kentucky by the final ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in December 1865. Slaves still held in Tennessee, Kansas, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and twelve parishes of Louisiana also became legally free on this date.
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States#The_end_of_slavery
"CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT" - The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Between 1955 and 1968, acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience produced crisis situations between activists and government authorities. Federal, state, and local governments, businesses, and communities often had to respond immediately to these situations that highlighted the inequities faced by African Americans. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56) in Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the influential Greensboro sit-ins (1960) in North Carolina; marches, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965) in Alabama; and a wide range of other nonviolent activities.
Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the Civil Rights Movement were passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that restored and protected voting rights; the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional European groups; and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. African Americans re-entered politics in the South, and across the country young people were inspired to take action.
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955-1968)
"FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" - Just 40 years after the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination and battle against Racism & Segregation, In 2008 Barack Obama became President! Whether You area Democrat or Republican, Black or White, Like him or Not... This was a GRrrreat Moment in History and a Day that I thought I would Not see in My Lifetime... I wish My Dad was still alive, He Marched on Washington and I know I would have accompanied him Hand in Hand to Mr Obama's Inauguration!!
Barack Hussein Obama II (Listeni/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States, and the first African American to hold the office. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, running unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 2000.
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
Just because February is Coming to a Close, the Stories of Our History Must Continue to be told Year Round! Please join Us @: www.facebook.com/BACK2BLACKHISTORY
#BlackHIstoryMonth #IChooseHope #hopeseries #spreadinghope
@polyvore @polyvore-editorial @lillibunneh

Thursday, February 27, 2014

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!: "The Triple Threat"

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!: "The Triple Threat"

Whether you are Fan or Not "SCANDAL" Is Black History In the Making!
ABC makes African American History and Created a "Triple Threat" with first dramatic network television series written and produced by an African-American woman (Shonda Rhimes) for an African-American woman (Kerry Washington) in the lead role that is based on an African- American Woman (Judy Smith).

Scandal is the first network TV drama with a black female lead character in 38 years. ABC does it again. In 1974, Teresa Graves who starred as a sassy undercover police officer, Christie Love on ABC’s short-lived Get Christie Love (Nominated Golden Globe – 1975 for “Best TV Actress – Drama.)
Another first is the show’s inspiration, Judy Smith, Washington, D.C. crisis communications pro, who also serves as co-executive producer of the show. This isn’t exactly a first for ABC, while most readers may be too young to remember, 62 years ago, Ethel Waters starred as the first African-American on network TV in the ABC sitcom Beulah. Even with that said there still has been far too few black women playing dramatic leads on television.
Read More @: http://spiritualmindedmagazine.com/scandal/
And "Keep Calm Because Scandal Is Back" Tune- In Tonite @ 10pm on ABC
#blackhistory #scandal #oliviapope #shondarhimes #judysmith #gladiators
For More Black History Feel Free to join My Page @: www.facebook.com/BACK2BLACKHISTORY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN!!!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! FEATRUTING: Jesse Eugene Russell

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! FEATRUTING: Jesse Eugene Russell

Jesse Eugene Russell (born April 26, 1948) is an African-American inventor and one of the visionaries’ whose innovative perspectives profoundly influenced the wireless communications industry, the driver of growth in 21st century. Trained as an electrical engineer at Tennessee State University and Stanford University, and recognized globally as a thought-leader, technology expert and inventor in the field of wireless communication for over 20 years, Russell has played a major role in shaping the wireless communications industry direction through his visionary leadership and innovative perspectives for standards, technologies as well as innovative new wireless service concepts.
He holds numerous patents and continues to invent and innovate in the emerging area of next generation broadband wireless networks, technologies and services, which is frequently referred to as 4G. Russell was inducted into the United States’ National Academy of Engineering during the Clinton Administration for his innovative contribution to the field of Wireless Communication. He pioneered the field of digital cellular communication in the 80s through the use of high power linear amplification and low bit rate voice encoding technologies and received a patent in 1992 (US patent #5,084,869) for his work in the area of digital cellular base station design.
Read More @: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Russell
African-Americans can take pride in what Russell has achieved in the planet’s business advancements. From being honored by the Clinton administration for his work in cell phones and wireless communication, Russell continues to innovate, specifically in the next generation (4G) broadband wireless communication technologies, products, networks, and services. Rising from a disadvantaged background, Russell's career, and knowledge in wireless technology and standards advanced as he served in numerous high-level corporate positions; Director of the AT&T Cellular Telecommunication Laboratory (Bell Labs), Vice President of Advanced Wireless Technology Laboratory (Bell Labs), Chief Technical Officer for the Network Wireless Systems Business Unit (Bell Labs), Chief Wireless Architect of AT&T, and Vice President of Advanced Communications Technologies for AT&T Laboratories (formerly part of Bell Labs).
Read more @: http://www.blackvoicenews.com/news/news-wire/46914-a-black-man-father-of-the-cell-phone.html
Russell is currently Chairman and CEO of incNETWORKS, Inc. a New Jersey-based Broadband Wireless Communications Company focused on 4th Generation (4G) Broadband Wireless Communications Technologies, Networks and Services.
#BlackHIstoryMonth  #happyblackhistorymonth

Monday, February 24, 2014

PERSUN: "HOUNDSTOOTH" MINI

PERSUN: "ShabbyCHIC"

PERSUN: "ShabbyCHIC"

PERSUN Perfect: Vintage Inspired

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Blooming Brilliance Contest ~ Featuring: Marilyn Monroe

Blooming Brilliance Contest ~ Featuring: Marilyn Monroe

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!: Mary Ellen Pleasant

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!: Mary Ellen Pleasant

Most have Never heard of who considerably may be the First Black Female Millionaire of our Nation, Ms Mary Ellen Pleasant. As much of a LOver of History I am, especially local History, until this morning I had never heard of her either.
Mary Ellen Pleasant (born 19 August 1814-1817 - died 4 January 1904) was a 19th Century female entrepreneur of partial African descent widely known as Mammy Pleasant, who used her fortune to further the abolitionist movement. She worked on the Underground Railroad across many states and then helped bring it to California during the Gold Rush Era. She was a friend and financial supporter of John Brown, and was well known in abolitionist circles. After the Civil War, she took her battles to the courts in the 1860s and won several civil rights victories, one of which was cited and upheld in the 1980s and resulted in her being called “The Mother of Human Rights in California”. An exhibit detailing these events can be seen at the Women's Museum of California in San Diego.
When Mary Ellen arrived in San Francisco (known as Yerba Buena briefly), she passed as white, using her first husband's name among the whites, and took jobs running exclusive men’s eating establishments, starting with the Case and Heiser. She met most of the founders of the city as she catered lavish meals, and she benefited from the tidbits of financial gossip and deals usually tossed around at the tables. She engaged a young clerk, Thomas Bell, at the Bank of California and they began to make money based on her tips and guidance. Thomas made money of his own, especially in quicksilver and by 1875 they had amassed a 30 million dollar fortune between them. J.J., who had worked with Mary Ellen from the slave-stealing days to the civil rights court battles of the 1860s and '70s, died in 1877 of diabetes.
Mary Ellen did not conceal her race from other blacks, and was adept at finding jobs for those brought in by Underground Railroad activities. Some of the people she sponsored became important black leaders in the city.
After the war, she publicly changed her racial designation in the City Directory from "White" to "Black", causing a little stir among some whites. She began a series of court battles to fight laws prohibiting blacks from riding trolleys and other such abuses. She usually prevailed.
Pleasant successfully attacked racial discrimination in San Francisco public conveyances when she and two other black women were ejected from a city streetcar in 1866. Her lawsuit, Pleasant v. North Beach & Mission Railroad Company, outlawed segregation in the city's public conveyances. Her efforts earned her the title "mother of the Civil Rights Movement" in California. Her lawsuit set a precedent in the California Supreme Court and was used in future civil rights cases, such as an 1893 case over segregation in housing.
Please Read More on this Innovative Pioneer @: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellen_Pleasant

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH & HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH & HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

MY #1 SHERO and A TRUE WOMAN of GOD!!!
My Mom ~ Sis Jessie K Wilson is a Phenomenal Woman! Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas she received her Bachelor's Degree from Philander-Smith. Upon graduation she moved to Berkeley California and became a member of Phillips Temple CME Church (still a member)where she later met & Married My Dad in 1952.
Later when My Dad became too ill to work the Mother of 7 became the First African-American Woman Deputy of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department.
In 1972, after My Father's Death she never remarried but continued to raise us with the same Morals, Values & Ethics that had already been instilled.
Sis Wilson became the First Female Chairperson of the Steward Board of Phillips Temple and held that office for 11years.
Upon her retirement, she became a Foster Parent for Many Children, and later became the First African-American Woman to Serve two Consecutive terms on the Grand Jury.
At 86, she is still surrounded by Children and has recently become a Great-Great Grandmother.
Sis JK enjoys Church (still a Steward & Missionary) Reading, Gardening, Hot Tea, Ice Cream, Jewelry and More Jewelry!!!
Though My Mom doesn't sew much anymore she is a Great Seamstress and made the African outfit in this pic and her wedding Gown , among many Of Our Fancy Church, Prom & Wedding Gowns!
Hats Off to My Mom...To Know Her Is to LOve Her... She's the GRrrrrreatest and I Thank GOD for Her!!!

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH & HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

1952 ~ My Mom & Dad on their Wedding Day!!!


HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH & HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!


Monday, February 17, 2014

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!: DOWNTON ABBEY WELCOMES COLOR...

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!: DOWNTON ABBEY WELCOMES COLOR...
Like My Granny use to say, "There's a Fly in the Milk!"
LOLOLOL! (she was born in the late 1800's)
With an All white Cast and (what seemed to be) an All White England, Downton Abbey has proven to be a part of Black American History!
The 1920's have Roared into Downton Abbey and has brought Jazz & a Black Musician with it! Being a Great LOver of History and Downton Abbey, I have awaited this Moment since the show began. Well just about a year ago I read; for a storyline about race relations in the 1920s, casting agents were reportedly looking for someone with a "certain wow factor." As reported by the British tabloid the SUN, Casting notes sent out to actors agents earlier this month describe "Ross" as "Male, 25-30. A musician (singer) at an exclusive club in the 20s," adding that the character will be "black and very handsome. A real man (not a boy) with charm and charisma." He also has to "sing brilliantly" and have a "certain wow factor."
Then in May of last year 'Downton Abbey': Gary Carr Joins Cast As Jack Ross, A Jazz Singer And First Black Character, a London-born actor who has appeared on the television series "Bluestone 42" and "Death in Paradise." Well, Mr Carr, Ross or which ever name you choose to go by has finally arrived... and he is All that they were looking for!
Despite the fact that the show focuses on white aristocrats and their servants in the early 20th century, "Downton Abbey" has been criticized for its lack of diversity, though creator, Julian Fellowes, has said he has wanted to introduce more black and Asian characters if he could do it in a way that was "historically believable."
The period from the end of the First World War until the start of the Depression in 1929 is known as the "Jazz Age". Jazz had become popular music in America, although older generations considered the music immoral and threatening to old cultural values. Dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom were very popular during the period, and jazz bands typically consisted of seven to twelve musicians. Important orchestras in New York were led by Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman and Duke Ellington. Many New Orleans jazzmen had moved to Chicago during the late 1910s in search of employment; among others, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Jelly Roll Morton recorded in the city. However, Chicago's importance as a center of jazz music started to diminish toward the end of the 1920s in favor of New York.
Though jazz music burst into mainstream Britain in 1919, with the arrival of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the popularity of ragtime music in the Edwardian era laid the foundations for the acceptance of this syncopated music and its black (and sometimes white) musicians. During most of the First World War, Dan Kildare and his orchestra made Ciro’s nightclub the place to be for a spot of after hours fun–and drinking after curfew. Kildare, an American of Jamaican heritage, first earned his stripes in James Reese Europe’s venerable Clef Club Orchestra (the first black orchestra and first jazz musicians to play at Carnegie Hall in 1912) before taking the group–after Europe resigned to form the Tempo Club–to Joan Sawyer’s Persian Garden.
Well, for the Residents of Downton Abbey, their Kissin'-Cousin Lady Rose seems to Not be able to Keep her hands or anything else off the Handsome Jazz Singer... and I can't blame her!!
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920s_in_jazz
ref: http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/music/jazz-in-1920s-1930s-britain/

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH - Inventors Spotlight: Granville T Woods

Colored Pants - OUTFIT ONLY Contest: "Royal Blue"

Colored Pants - OUTFIT ONLY Contest: "Green"

Colored Pants - OUTFIT ONLY Contest: "Coral"

Sunday, February 16, 2014

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH & HAPPY SUNDAY!: Mahalia Jackson

Heart Broken Contest: "SNAPPED"

Heart Broken Contest: "SNAPPED"

Heart Broken Contest: "SNAPPED"

Friday, February 14, 2014

Love, Your Polyvore Friend Contest: To All My Poly/Fam!!!

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH &HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Love, Your Polyvore Friend Contest: My To Supporters!!!