Oscar Micheaux Stamp

Negro Leagues Stamp

The United States postal service maybe in deep financial trouble but they continue to strike gold with their entries to The Black Heritage stamp series and their stead fast recognition of Black history and culture. Please visit The Museum of UnCut Funk new acquistions page to read more about the Oscar Micheaux and Negro Leagues stamps and visit our previous blog pages to see our stamp collection.

Crimson Tide six sheet courtesy of Posteritati

The subject of Blacks in Motion Pictures provides some of the most interesting studies along with the many controversial interpretations of the roles they played on the silver screen.  The messages or themes of these movies have over the years presented a mixture of images based upon what was thought to please the viewers of each particular film. However, many of those films showed Black characters in negative stereotypical roles which the average Blacks would never truly identify as being like themselves.

Black Gold three sheet courtesy of Posteritia

Independent Black Filmmakers:

Ocsar Micheaux

The early 1900’s  saw for the first time the formation of the Independent Black Filmmaker who took up the cause of counter-attacking the making of The Birth of a Nation. They sought out their own financing in order to produce films with more positive images of Blacks. The Birth of a Race (ca. 1918) was the first independent Black film undertaken and produced by Emmett J. Scott, personal secretary to Booker T. Washington of the Tuskeegee Institute. The film was released in 1919 but never drew movie goers.

The Johnson Brothers, George P. and Noble Johnson, had already begun movie making as the Lincoln Motion Picture Company which opened for business in the summer of 1915. They wanted to produce movies which presented Blacks “in everyday life, human beings with human inclination, talent and intellect.” By 1916, they completed and distributed two films, The Realization of the Negro’s Ambition (1916) and A Trooper of Troop K (1916).

Two years before these films, Bert (Egbert Austin) Williams (1873-1922), the famed actor, singer and vaudevillian, became the first Black to appear as a star in a motion picture. His 1914 film, Darktown Jubilee, was not well received even though he appeared in Blackface.

By Right of Birth, 1921, was another one of the “hope for success” movies produced by The Lincoln Motion Picture Company. It covered the portrayal of Black life featuring successful middle-class Blacks.

The seeds were now planted, and 1918 brought to the forefront the legendary name of Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951). Micheaux is credited with keeping the Black independent movie production industry alive from 1918 thru 1948.

Oscar Micheaux posters courtesy of Separate Cinema

Race Movies: 1927-1948

The year of 1927 ushered in a new era in the motion picture industry. The use of sound films or the “talkies” was the new technique connecting the silent staged scenes in movies to the voices of actors and the action of those scenes. The usage of blackface in sound films was still a carry over from the silent films when depicting Blacks in movie roles. The old minstrel shows of entertainment by using exaggerated Black characters was also a continued trend.

The popular rendition of Al Jolson as the Jazz Singer, produced in 1927, and two white sisters, Rosetta Duncan (in blackface) and Vivian Duncan (in natural face), as Topsy and Eva in 1927 dealt with Whites in characterizations of Blacks. In the sound films, the actors were forced to be convincing or sensitive or silly and stereotypic. Soon the Black dialect and “suitable” musical talents of both Black and white actors had to fit into the making of “talkie” motion pictures. Entertainment had to be more convincing by phasing out the blackfaced white actors and the use of more “suitable” Blacks in Black character roles.

The roles of Blacks during the 1929’s thru 1940’s saw the rise of Black actors seeking work but only receiving roles dealing with light comedy, music, or dance. Therefore we see Stepin Fetchit getting star billing as an Black actor in a series of films as the slow-talking, lazy-like plantation Negro (Hearts in Dixie, 1929). The film, Hallelujah (1929), conveyed multiple themes of Black stereotypes exhibited in song, dance, blues, spirituals, and frivolity, making star billing with Nina Mae McKinney, a light-skinned Black woman as a standard barer for future lead roles when using Black women. Other stars to receive star billings were Ethel Waters (On with the Show, 1929) and Lorenzo Tucker, who was given the name of the Black Valentino, appearing in Wages of Sin (1928), The Black King (1931), Daughter of the Congo (1930), and Temptation (1936). The famed Bessie Smith made her only screen appearance in the short film, St. Louis Blues (1929).

Below are a few Black Cast movie posters from the collection of The Museum of UnCut Funk.

Contributor: Learn About Movie Posters

 

I had the pleasure of representing Cedric Smith in my galley, Eclectic Connection, several years ago. He is one of the nicest artists I have had the opportunity to work with. I loved his art then and I love it now. I can’t get enough of that Funky Stuff!

Cedric Smith was born in Philadelphia in 1970. He grew up in Thomaston, Georgia, where he moved with his family when he was a young boy. He currently resides in Savannah, Ga.

 

Smith is a self taught artist who while eschewing the “so-called rules of art”, has created a personal genre of work. Smith started painting postage stamps with images of African Americans after hearing a line from Public Enemy front man Chuck D: “most of our heroes don’t appear on no stamps.” Later, he moved to painting magazine covers and now, he focuses on vintage-looking advertisements, calling attention to the lack of Black representation in advertising. He draws on a wide range of influences and sources, both traditional and contemporary, and which include landscape art, pop art, brand advertising and photography to express his poignant observations of life in the rural south. A prolific artist, Cedric works with a honed discipline on his compositions, seamlessly morphing photographic images into his richly textured pieces, applying and removing layers and lettering.

Cedric has a blog called  Vintage Blood, where he posts new paintings and stunning photographs along with his vintage finds. Please visit Cedric Smith and his art at CedricSmith.com

 

Sting Like a Bee signed by Muhammad Ali circa 1979. Courtesy of The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection

 

The Art

I co-owned an art gallery for 4 years and I have the privilege to meet some fascinating collectors, dealers and celebrity artists. They have all had their opinions as to what art meant to them. In my mind if I liked what I saw and could identify with the images I made my purchase.

As my appreciation for art intensified I was contacted by an Australian art dealer who had an offering on a Muhammad Ali lithograph. He e-mailed me pictures and I was captivated by the imagery. I’m a huge fan and collector of animation and comic book art so this litho had to be in my collection.

Now art is subjective and many a art critics have panned celebrity art. Baird Jones, a critic for Artnet.com says “celebrity art combines the worst of several worlds. Since most stars who make art have little art training, their work tends to be a historical, a Hollywood version of naïve or outsider art. Furthermore, since celebrity art is shunned by top galleries, it’s usually displayed side-by-side with kitsch and low-grade prints”. He may be right in his opinion but Muhammad Ali is a cultural icon and any memorabilia from his years as a boxer, activist and humanitarian has increased in value and is extremely sought after.

You decide what art means to you but 20 to 30 years from now you’d wish you had a part of Ali’s sports history in your collection. The Ali lithos are all 18 by 24 inches, and were published in 1979 in editions of 500. Three have religious imagery and cost $8,500 each: Under the Sun, which shows a jet plane; Guiding Light, showing an image of a lighthouse; and the eponymous Mosque II. The fourth is a cartoonish scene of the boxing ring, titled Sting Like a Bee, that retails for $12,500 and by today’s standards for buying art is considered a bargain.

Although the art is hard to find and is sought after by fans and collectors alike, these are truly one of a kind pieces and should be apart of any collection.

Under The Sun signed by Muhammad Ali. Courtesy of Ro Gallery

Mosque ll signed by Muhammad Ali. Courtesy of Ro Gallery

Guiding Light signed by Muhammad Ali. Courtesy of Ro Gallery

 

The Man Behind the art:

Who would’ve thought that a stolen bike was the key to the beginning of the Muhammad Ali story? But it was. In 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay’s bike was stolen while he and a friend were at the Columbia Auditorium. 
Young Cassius found a cop in a gym, Joe Martin, and boiling with youthful rage, told Martin he was going to “whup” whoever stole his bike. Martin admonished, “You better learn to box first.” Within weeks, 89-pound Cassius had his first bout—his first win.

For the next 27 years, Cassius would be in that ring. Even in his youth, he had dreams of being heavyweight champion of the world. But his life would take turns that no seer could’ve predicted.

Young Cassius dedicated himself to boxing with fervor unmatched by other young boxers. Indeed, it was his only activity. As a teenager, he never worked. He boxed and trained. He had 108 amateur bouts. According to Joe Martin, Clay set himself apart from the other boys by two things: He was “sassy,” and he outworked all the other boys. The work paid off: 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves championships; two National Golden Gloves championships; two National AAU titles before he was 18 years old. And the son of Odessa, whom he lovingly referred to as “Bird,” and Cassius senior, “Cash,” to everyone, won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1960 in Rome months after his 18th birthday.

Although Cassius returned home to a parade, Louisville was still, in 1960 part of the segregated South. Even with a medal around his neck, Cassius was refused service at a local restaurant.

At the time, Cassius has managed by the Louisville Sponsoring Group, a consortium of wealthy local white businessmen. The LSG, as it became known, put young Cassius with veteran trainer, Angelo Dundee, after failed attempts to with the Mongoose, Archie Moore, and a turn down by Ali’s boxing idol, Sugar Ray Robinson.

With Dundee in his corner, from his Miami base, Cassius blazed a trail through the heavyweight division with his unorthodox style that defied boxing logic. He was a “headhunter.” He never threw body shots (he adopted this style in his youth because he had reach and because he didn’t want to get close enough to get hit). And he “danced.” Because of Clay’s powerful legs—maybe the strongest in the history of boxing—he literally floated in the ring. He invented the “Ali Shuffle;” a foot maneuver where he would elevate himself, shuffle his feet in a dazzling blur, and sometimes deliver a blow while dancing.

The third element that Clay brought to boxing was his mouth. He never shut up. He became known as, “The Louisville Lip.” It was more than banter; it was a constant harangue. In a time when boxers never talked to the media—their managers always spoke for them—Clay did all his own talking. He even went so far as to predict the round. “To prove I’m great he will fall in eight!”

While training for his title bout against the fearsome heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston, Clay met Cap’n Sam, a Nation of Islam minister of the local Miami mosque. Cap’n Sam introduced Cassius to NOI spokesman, Malcolm X. Malcolm and young Cassius bonded on a deep level. Malcolm brought Cassius into the Nation of Islam.

Despite the 7-1 odds, Clay upset Sonny Liston in Miami and became heavyweight champion of the world in 1964. The next day, Clay announced to the world that he was a member of the Nation of Islam and that his name was Cassius X. The X reflecting the unknown name that was taken from him by the slave owners centuries before.

The national response was immediate, negative and intense. Cassius X, soon to be given the name Muhammad Ali, by NOI founder, “The Messenger,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, chose to disassociate himself from his friend and mentor Malcolm X after the Messenger suspended Malcolm. Herbert Muhammad, eldest son of Elijah, was installed as Ali’s new manager as Ali continued to defend his crown against all comers.

In 1967, as the Vietnam War was escalating, Ali was called up for induction into the Armed Services. Ali refused induction on the grounds of religious beliefs. He was, in fact, a practicing Muslim minister. This refusal led to the now-famous Ali quote, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong…”

The national furor over that comment combined with Ali’s refusal to be inducted into the Armed Services, caused virtually every state and local entity in America to cancel Ali’s boxing licenses. Ali final fight of 1967 was against Ernie Terrell, who incensed Ali at the weigh-in by calling him “Clay.” Ali pounded him in the ring with taunts of, “What’s my name?!!”

Ali did not fight again for 2 ½ years. He was stripped of his championship title, his passport taken; all his boxing licenses were cancelled. He lost an initial court battle and was facing a 5-year prison term. Ali made money during his exile by speaking to colleges. He was the first national figure to speak out against the war in Vietnam.

In 1970, after a 2 ½ year layoff, and with the mood of the country changing, Ali staged his comeback, first against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta then for what was billed as, “The Fight,” his first match against undefeated champ, Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.

Ali fought valiantly, but lost. The 2 ½ year exile had cost Ali his legs. He could no longer dance. He lost that night in the Garden, but months later he won his biggest fight, the Supreme Court, reversed his conviction and upheld his conscientious objector claim. Ali was free of the specter of jail, and free to travel to box anywhere in the world.

Several matches followed, including an unexpected loss to ex-Marine, Ken Norton; a win in their next bout; an uninspired win against Joe Frazier. But these matches were but window dressing for the biggest match of Ali’s career: The Rumble In the Jungle.

George Foreman was a fearsome champ. He had thunder and destruction in both hands. He had easily knocked out Ken Norton and had lifted Frazier off the mat with one blow.

Promoter Don King got the government of the African nation of Zaire to guarantee the unheard of sum of 10 million dollars for the fighters. In Kinshasa, Ali derived strength from the African people. They adored him. They yelled, Ali Bomaye! (Ali kill him).

Going into the fight, Ali was 3-1 underdog. His fight doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, had a jet ready to spirit Ali away to a neurological hospital in Spain after the fight. But Ali had other ideas.

Because of the heat, Ali realized he couldn’t dance from Foreman for the whole fight. He invented, “The Rope-A-Dope,” a strategy that allowed Foreman to pound on him until Foreman tired. His corner men yelled at him to get off the ropes, but Ali persisted with his strategy for seven rounds and then in the eighth round, when Foreman was spent, Ali came off the ropes and scored a shocking knockout! Ali was the king again.

After the legendary “Thrilla In Manila,” the rubber match against Frazier, who some have deemed, the greatest boxing match ever, Ali fought and lost to young Olympic Champion Leon Spinks. He subsequently regained his title against Spinks, thus becoming, at that time, the only man in heavyweight history to win the crown three times. Ali ended his career 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 defeats.

Ali has three ex-wives and nine children: Maryum, Rasheeda, Jamillah, Hana, Laila, Khaliah, Miya, Muhammad Junior, and Asaad. Ali is married to the former Lonnie Williams of Louisville. Ali has known Lonnie since her family moved across the street from the Clay family when she was 6 years old.

Ali has inspired millions worldwide. He gave people hope and proved that anyone could overcome insurmountable odds. He gave people courage. He made fighters of us all. This is Ali and never comes another.

Please visit The Muhammad Ali Center – www.alicenter.org

Contributor: Gregory Allen Howard, he is the award-winning screenwriter of Remember the Titans. He also wrote the original story for the movie, ALI.

The Museum of UnCut Funk has acquired the latest stamps from the United States Post Office Black Heritage Series, the Distinguished Soldiers stamp featuring Doris Miller and the Anna Julia Cooper stamp.

Doris Miller, known as “Dorie” to shipmates and friends, was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller. He had three brothers, one of which served in the Army during World War II. While attending Moore High School in Waco, he was a fullback on the football team. He worked on his father’s farm before enlisting in the U.S Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class, at Dallas, Texas, on September 16, 1939, to travel, and earn money for his family. He later was commended by the Secretary of the Navy, was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently was promoted to Cook, Third Class.

Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro (AE-1) where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on January 2, 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he became the ship’s heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia and on 3 August, and was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.

Miller described firing the machine gun during the battle, a weapon which he had not been trained to operate: “It wasn’t hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us.”

During the attack, Japanese aircraft dropped two armored piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the crew abandoned ship while West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom. Of the 1,541 men on West Virginia during the attack, 130 were killed and 52 wounded. Subsequently refloated, repaired, and modernized, the battleship served in the Pacific theater through to the end of the war in August 1945.

Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on April 1, 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked:

This marks the first time in the conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I’m sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.

On December 13, 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay’s aircraft supported operations ashore between November 20-23, 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on November 24, while cruising near Butaritari Island, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead November 25, 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died.

In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.

Commissioned on June 30, 1973, USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate, was named in honor of Doris Miller.

On October 11, 1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S.

Source: The Navy Museum

 

Anna Julia Cooper, a woman born into slavery in North Carolina nine years prior to the Civil War, reached milestones as the first woman to publish a book on Black feminism, “A Voice from the South by a Black Woman from the South,” and one of the first Black women to earn a doctorate from world renowned University of Paris, Sorbonne.

Her accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. On Thursday, June 11, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Anna Julia Cooper Commemorative Stamp at the Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Northwest.

Cooper, who also worked as a teacher and principal at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth (later known as M Street School and today as Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School), was honored by the Postmaster of Washington, D.C., Yverne Pat Moore, Vice President and Consumer Advocate for the United States Postal Service Delores J. Killette, Professor of English at University of Maryland Carla L. Peterson, Dunbar High School Principal R. Gerald Austin, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Cooper is the 32nd honoree to be inducted into the Black Heritage Stamp Series.

“Anna Julia Cooper once said, ‘The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class – it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.’ Her actions to support these memorable words during her life are the reason the Postal Service has chosen Ms. Cooper as the subject of the 32nd stamp in the Black Heritage series,” Killette said.

Cooper was freed from slavery after the Civil War and received a scholarship to attend the St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute, known today as St. Augustine’s College, in 1868. Cooper graduated and married George A.C. Cooper in 1877. Two years later, her husband died and Cooper moved to Ohio and attended Oberlin College, distinguishing her as one of the first Black women to graduate from the school. Cooper earned a degree in math and returned to St. Augustine to teach math, Greek and Latin.

In 1887, Cooper moved to the District where she was invited to teach science and math at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, the most prestigious high school for Black students in the country at that time. Cooper became principal of the school in 1902.

“Although Ms. Cooper was born in Raleigh, N.C., Washington, D.C. claims her as one of its own because she lived her life here and she worked as an educator, feminist, and an activist in our nation’s capital,” Moore said.

“I want to thank the postal service for holding this ceremony. For me, this is very special. This is not the quite the same Dunbar I graduated from, but it is on the same ground,” Norton said.

“This was the first public high school in America for Black children, but it became known nationally and internationally for its faculty. Dunbar would not have become Dunbar without the standards and the aspirations of teachers like Anna Julia Cooper. She set such high standards that in turn they encouraged Black children throughout the District of Columbia to believe that they could go to college and to believe that Dunbar High School would prepare them to go to the best colleges in the United States,” Norton said.

Source: The Washington Informer

 

Original Production Cel use to film the opening of Soul Train. This cel is part of the collection of The Museum of UnCut Funk

 

Original Production Drawing used to create the original production cel to Soul Train. This drawing is part of the collection of The Museum of UnCut Funk

 

It was the little show that could. Beginning its ride as a local dance show on Chicago’s WCIU-TV, “Soul Train” chugged its way to Los Angeles and into pop culture history. The syndicated franchise’s impact is chronicled in the 40th-anniversary tribute “Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America.”

 

Narrated by actor Terrence Howard with an original score by the Roots’ Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, the 90-minute documentary abounds with performance clips and commentary by former dancers and crew members as well as music executives (Clive Davis, Antonio “L.A.” Reid) and major performers who appeared on “Soul Train,” including Chaka Khan,Snoop Dogg, Aretha Franklin and Sly Stone. At the helm is “Soul Train” creator/producer/host Don Cornelius.

The special, produced by VH1 Rock Docs and Soul Train Holdings, doubles as entertainment and history lesson. The innovative show’s August 17, 1970, debut was bracketed on one side by the civil rights movement and on the other by the emergence of black empowerment.

“This is so much more than a story about a man with a vision for a music dance show,” says Kenard Gibbs, a co-principal in Soul Train Holdings with Peter Griffith and Anthony Maddox. “Had it not been for the social and political forces stirring the pot, the show probably wouldn’t have been as successful. It empowered African-Americans, showing our culture and creativity in a light not seen on TV. This was reality TV at its best.”

After its 1971 move to Los Angeles, “Soul Train” spun off award shows as well as a No. 1 R&B/pop hit in 1974, MFSB’s “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia”). The Gamble & Huff-produced single originally was billed as “The Theme From ‘Soul Train.’”

Cornelius jokes in the documentary that the hit’s title change was his “one mistake.” During a recent phone interview, though, he said his fondest memory is the show’s early validation by major R&B talent.

“Gladys Knight & the Pips helped us start out, but we didn’t know where it would go from there. We were just determined to make this happen, feeling it was the right kind of show for this country at the time,” he recalls. “Then one day James Brown walked onto the sound stage. A few months later came the Jackson 5, and then Stevie Wonder. So we’re thinking, ‘OK, this might work.’”

The show later hosted performances by such pop stars as Elton John and David Bowie.

Contributor: Gail Mitchell

 

 

 

 

The Museum of UnCut Funk has a warm spot in our collection for Vintage Black Advertising Memorabilia and we have a few HAMBONE pieces as a part of our collection. Whether it be crate labels, tins or posters we collect it all for the both the historical and artistic value of the items. We feel it is important to understand the racist and stereotypical way that Blacks have been portrayed in product advertising throughout history. HAMBONE is one of the many caricatures that personifies racists advertising from the last century.

Hambone was the nickname of Tom Hunley, a folk-wisdom spouting ex-slave who lived in Greenwood Mississippi. Hunley was interviewed late in his life by a young Memphis editorial cartoonist James Pinckney Alley “J.P.”

Alley who was taken by Hunley’s humorously philosophical tone, and turned the old man’s pithy observations on life into a syndicated illustrated column called “Hambone’s Meditations” which debuted in 1916 and was soon followed by two books. When J.P. died in 1934, his son Calvin took over his work, and the Hambone character continued in newspapers until 1968.

 

Starting in the late 1920’s, two different cigar companies (over time, not at once) were licensed to market cheap cigars under the character’s name and Alley’s illustration. The image on the cigar box label is a satire on Lindberg’s 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic ocean.

 

 

 

Source: Cigar History.info

 

 

Many of you may know that the Negro League was established on February 13, 1920, at a YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri. Andrew “Rube” Foster, the man who organized the league, served as its president.

Foster was known as “the father of Black baseball.” This first league was known as the Negro National League with member teams in the South and Midwest. The NNL operated successfully until 1931.

With the help of Edward Bolden as it chair, on December 16, 1923 the Eastern Colored League was formed and in 1924 the very first Negro World Series was played between the ECL and the NNL champions. The ECL collapsed in the spring of 1928 but the member teams reemerged in 1929 as the American Negro League.

The depression brought difficult times for Black baseball. In 1932, the East-West League was formed, but folded before the season ended. The Negro Southern League was the only Black professional league to survive the 1932 season. The NSL was a minor league before and after the 1932 season.

In 1933, the Negro National League was formed again. This was the only Black professional league operating until 1937. The league included teams from the East and the Midwest through 1935. By 1936, the NNL was operating exclusively in the East. As in the white major leagues, the Negro Leagues had their own World Series. Over the years, eleven inter-league Black World Series were held. The NNL and ECL played from 1924 through 1927. Champions from the second NNL and the NAL competed from 1942 through 1948. Also in 1933, the Black teams began all-star game competition. The game was known as the East-West game and was played each summer at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. This game was considered more important than the World Series and annually attracted between 20,000 and 50,000 fans.

Below is a map of some of the most prominent Negro League teams and the states that they represented.

What wasn’t uncommon about baseball then was women took part in Negro League baseball, among them Toni Stone, Mamie Johnson and Connie Morgan. Stone played from 1949 until 1955 with such outfits as the New Orleans Creoles and the Indianapolis Clowns. Johnson (nicknamed “Peanut”) was the first woman to pitch in the Negro Leagues, and built an impressive record of 38 wins and only 8 losses for her career. Morgan started in an all-women’s league (where she had a .368 batting average) before joining the Clowns in 1954.

 

 

 

 

The Museum of Uncut Funk celebrates the players and history of the Negro Leagues. The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection includes a complete set of original pins from the Negro Leagues. Below are a few pins from the collection.

Tennessee Rats

 

 

 

 

So it took the election of the first Black President, a beautiful Black first lady and two Black tween girls living in the White House for Disney to make a Black princess movie. The new Disney film is a classic tale but has a fresh, hip and cooler look. Yes, the story line is the same -- girl kisses frog, frog turns into a prince, with some strange going ons in between.

Disney went out on a animated limb by producing an animated film with a Black princess. Will fans of Disney films accept this new princess? Well, why not? Didn’t more White Americans vote for Obama than any other ethnic group?

The film opens in December 2009.

The story is set in Jazz Age New Orleans, with this princess-in-the-rough working as a waitress. She is only royal in her mind, and dreams of opening a restaurant in the French Quarter. Aside from breaking a race barrier, the animated film is a throw-back to another era: The movie is hand-drawn, with zydeco-style songs by Randy Newman and stars actress Anika Noni Rose as the princess, Tiana, and queen of daytime, Oprah Winfrey, as the voice of her mom. (Source: Yahoo Buzz Line)

 

The Museum of UnCut Funk is elated that Disney has finally come all the way out of it’s racial and stereotypical bag to produce a film with a Black lead in true Disney form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Anika Noni Rose: Disney’s First Animated Black Princess

Jumping from the stage to the world of animation, Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose takes on her most enchanting and monumental role yet: Princess Tiana, Disney’s first animated black princess.

“This feels amazing,” Rose, 36, told PEOPLE this week at the Manhattan unveiling of the toy line for The Princess and the Frog. “Not only is she the first black princess, she’s the first American princess. So, the scope and the significance is larger than people even realize.”

Regal Role

In the meantime, Rose is enjoying her newfound role as “Princess of America.”

“I’m not like, skipping down the street with it, but when you take a moment and you think about the fact that this is what America has chosen to put out as Princess-hood, Princess-dom, it’s amazing,” she said.

In The Princess and the Frog, set in New Orleans, Tiana’s mother is voiced by Oprah Winfrey.

Rounding out Disney’s multicultural royalty (see below) are Mulan, from China; Pocahontas, who is Native American; and, from the Middle East, Jasmine. (Source: People)

Torchy Brown first appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier in the 1937-38 comic strip Dixie to Harlem, drawn by the first Black Female Cartoonist, Jackie Ormes. Torchy Brown was later syndicated around the country until it’s end in 1940. The strip was resurrected in the 1950’s as Torchy and the Heartbeats. Since then, Torchy Brown, the feisty and independent singer and dancer has appeared in her own TPB and several hardcover tributes to her creator, Jackie Ormes.

 

The emergence of Torchy Brown marked the first appearance of an independent Black woman in a nationally syndicated comic strip. Torchy’s self-reliance drove her to leave her Mississippi home at an early age and pursue her dreams of performing on stage, ultimately becoming a staple act at Harlem’s Cotton Club. Torchy Brown’s creator, Jackie Ormes is also the creator of ‘Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torchy Brown was made into a popular paper doll in 1947. In keeping with Torchy Brown’s forward-thinking themes, the character often tackled hot-button issues like racism, pollution and social injustice in a comedic and approachable way. Because Torchy’s syndication was largely limited to papers with circulation extended only to Black constituents, the character has only recently gained long overdue widespread attention.

 

 

 

About the Cartoonist:

 

Zelda Jackson “Jackie” Ormes, by most accounts, became the first nationally syndicated Black woman cartoonist in 1937. The “Touchy Brown” series first appeared in the Black-owned Pittsburgh Courier in 1937, and eventually appeared in fourteen syndicated newspapers. Ormes’s strips depicted Blacks in a very different fashion which was not the norm of her day.

 

Typically Blacks were shown as servants or exaggerated caricatures of the “Buckwheat” or “Steppin Fetchit” variety. In contrast, Ormes’s female characters were independent and strong.  Jackie Ormes said “I have never liked dreamy little women who can’t hold their own”.

Jackie Ormes The Book

Jackie Ormes: The First Black Woman Cartoonist chronicles the life of a multiply talented woman who became a successful cartoonist. Ormes’s cartoon characters–Torchy Brown, Candy, Patty-Jo, and Ginger–delighted readers of Black newspapers such as the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier between 1937-56. This biography provides an invaluable glimpse into the history and culture of that era. As a member of Chicago’s Black elite, Ormes’s social circle included leading political figures and entertainers of the day. People who knew her say that she modeled some cartoon characters after herself as beautifully dressed and coiffed females, appearing and speaking out in ways that defied stereotyped images of Blacks in the mainstream press. Ormes’s politics, which fell decidedly to the left and were apparent to even a casual reader of her cartoons and comics, eventually led to her investigation by the FBI during the McCarthy era. In the late 1940s, Ormes transformed cartoon character Patty-Jo into a doll that is now a collector’s item.

Source: Comic Vine and JackieOrmes.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

As The Museum of UnCut Funk searches for items that are unique, different and funky, we continue to add items to our Black coin collection. Items that feature Blacks like our Slave Tokens are not only historically important but key acquisitions in our Black coin collection.

Am I Not A Woman

 

The token was issued by the Abolitionist Movement to promote the cause. Sojourner Truth with her dialect changed the question to “Ain’t I a Woman”.

 

 

 

 

 

“Ain’t I A Woman?” is the name given to a speech, delivered extemporaneously, by Sojourner Truth, (1797-1883), born Isabella Baumfree, a slave, in New York State. Some time after gaining her freedom in 1827, she became a well known anti-slavery speaker. Her speech, which became known as Ain’t I a Woman? was delivered at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio on May 29, 1851.

Truth argued that while American antebellum (pre-Civil War) culture often placed white women upon a pedestal and gave them certain privileges (most notably that of not working), this attitude was not extended to black women.

 

 

Am I Not A Brother

Am I Not A Brother is a 1795 Anti-Slavery token minted in England by the Anti-Slavery Society.

The tokens central design motif illustrates a male slave manacled and in chains, kneeling on the ground, in supplication. Legend on reverse reads: “*MAY SLAVERY OPPRESSION CEASE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD”. The central motif is of clasped hands with a chain−decorated edge. This late 18th century British anti−slavery token propagandized the abolitionist sentiment throughout the British Empire and contributed to the ultimate outlawing of slavery in British held lands in 1833. Tokens of this pattern circulated in America and, with similar tokens of American origin, popularized and propagandized the abolitionist cause.

 

Good grief! Franklin’s 41!!!

It happened on a beach on July 31, 1968.

The white boy’s little sister threw his beach ball into the water. The Black boy who was swimming retrieved the ball and took it back to him. The white boy thanked the Black boy, and that was how Charlie Brown met Franklin in “Peanuts.”

With that appearance, Franklin became the first Black person in Charles Schulz’s magnificent comic strip.

HAPPY 41ST FRANKLIN!

Had Charlie truly been a blockhead, when Franklin brought him his ball, he could have said something stupid like, “Good grief! I didn’t know you people could swim.” Instead, future strips show Franklin and Charlie playing ball.

Franklin was never as big a star as Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, Schroeder or Pigpen. He didn’t have a last name and wouldn’t even win a contest for best Afro among the “Peanuts” characters.

But as the first Black in the most successful comic strip of all time, Franklin is the greatest Black cartoon figure in American history. Even though it was the end of the racially charged 1960s when Schulz introduced Franklin, the cartoonist wasn’t attempting any kind of political statement, and Franklin being darker than his friends was never something commented on in the strip. Franklin’s debut and the appearance a few months later of The Jackson 5, fronted by the otherworldly talented Michael Jackson, was a wonderful representation of Black adolescents. Franklin proved to be wise and dignified and has never done anything he should have to apologize for except for the strange dance he did with the other kids in, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Like Charlie, he’s close to his grandfather and, like Linus, he quotes the Old Testament. His father was in Vietnam and, most of all, Franklin has a good heart. Nowhere was that more evident than in a 1969 strip in which Peppermint Patty cries because of shoes she’s required to wear to school. Franklin says, “All I know is any rule that makes a little girl cry has to be a bad rule.”

So here’s to a comic strip trailblazer, a thoughtful and decent lad who loves his grandfather, is loyal to his friends and never made any little girls cry.

You’re a good man, Franklin.

Source: By CARY CLACK

The Original Production Cel of Franklin drumming is a part of The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection.

 

 

Here are a few examples of Tokenism and Racism In Western Comics…

Tomahawk #128 – 1970

DC Comics

Healer Randolph was a former slave who learned herbal remedies and folk medicine and one day saved his master using his knowledge. His master happened to be a doctor who taught him everything he knew and allowed him to use his last name. During the Revolutionary War, Randolph was freed and he encountered Tomahawk and his Rangers. They needed a medic and he agreed to accompany them provided he just saved people and not carry a weapon or engage in battle himself.

After the Tomahawk title ceased it’s run Randolph’s character was never used again.

Source: Dart Adams

 

Reno Jones & Kid Cassidy, Gunhawks 1-7 – 1972

Blacks Fighting for the Confederacy…

Oh Really Marvel Comics Group!

The Gunhawks were Kid Cassidy and Reno Jones. As introduced in Gunhawks #1 (1972), Cassidy was the son of a plantation-owning family in the antebellum American South, and Jones was a Black employee of the family who was friends with Cassidy. They fought together for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, with Jones fighting the Union because their soldiers had kidnapped his lover, Rachel Brown. After the war, they became wandering gunfighters, the Gunhawks, and continued searching for Rachel.

During the course of Gunhawks #6 (1973), Kid Cassidy was shot and killed and Jones was blamed for the crime. (In the Destiny War, published in 1999, the Avenger Hawkeye, revealed that Cassidy had been killed prior to 1873).

With the next issue, the series was retitled as Reno Jones, Gunhawk, making Jones Marvel’s second Black character to have his own self-titled series, after Luke Cage, Hero for Hire. (The Black Panther had taken over the lead in the Jungle Action  series a few months prior, but the Panther’s name was not included in the series’ title.) As it turned out, Reno Jones, Gunhawk #7 was also the final issue of the series and the Gunhawks vanished into obscurity.

Weird Western Tales #48 – 1978

Slaveboat…

DC Comics

Weird Western Tales is a Western genre comic book title published by DC Comics, which ran from June/July,1972 to August,1980. It is perhaps best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (1977) when the character was promoted to his own eponymous series.

Scalphunter, an American raised by Native Americans, took Hex’s place as the featured character in Weird Western Tales.

The drama in Weird Western Tales #48 pertains to the character named Cinnamon. Cinnamon is really Katherine “Kate” Manser, the daughter of a sheriff in a small Western town. After her father is killed by bank robbers, she is sent to an orphanage, where she secretly trains herself in gunfighting. Upon leaving the orphange, she becomes a bounty hunter in order to search for her father’s killers.

In this issue a boat load of slaves are held in bondage and need to be freed from the grips of the white man. Scalphunter is among those who fight for freedom. He fights the horrors of slavery, everyone is freed until the next time Scalphunter is need to defeat the white man.

Weird Western Tales #29 – 1975

Breakout at Fort Charlotte…

DC Comics

Although this issue is not a part of The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection it has been added to this blog entry to highlight how comfortable white writers in the 70’s were with using racist language in comic books.

Excerpt:

“The commander calls for his orderly, a Black soldier and berates him for allowing Jonah to get into the bedroom. He tells the orderly that Jonah can have free reign of the stockade area. Jonah, mentally notes that it seems like the Black man has no real home in the North or the South. Later, the orderly comes in and explains that he found red clay on the hooves of Jonah’s horse. That may lead them to where Jonah’s platoon is camped. The commander orders that a platoon be sent out to check a nearby marsh.

That morning, Jonah’s entire platoon is captured in their bedrolls and not one shot is fired. As they are being taken to Fort Charlotte, some of the men are already blaming Hex, calling him a “sneaky, nigger-lovin’…” before being threatened by Jeb. Once they are all in the fort, the commander has Jonah brought out and publicly thanks him for turning traitor on his friends.”

Need I say more!!!

Sources:

The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection

Looking for a Face Like Mine by William Foster lll

Absolute Astronomy.com

DC Comics Database

Marvel Comics Database

Wikipedia

 

 

Bertram A Fitzgerald is the publisher of the Golden Legacy Series of Black History Comic books. During the decade between 1966 and 1976 he acted as editor and publisher for the series and wrote almost half the books. He also oversaw production of 7 issues of the integrated teen comic Fast Willie Jackson, as well as an anti drug comic.

Mr Fitzgerald was born in 1932 in Harlem, New York, the first child of Bertram Fitzgerald Sr. and Hattie E. Sessoms. His father had been born in Jamaica, and lived in Cuba before coming to the US, and his mother was born in Virginia.

Bertram had only been a cursory reader of comics as a child, reading only a small amount of the newsstand’s offerings, but he liked the Classics Illustrated series. He remembers enjoying the adventure stories of the early issues. The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe, the Count of Monte Cristo, the Last of the Mochicans, and Moby Dick, these stories touched his imagination and he equally enjoyed reading the biographies of the writers at the end of the book. But as much as he identified with the heroes of these sagas, so too was he offended by the stereotypical portrayal of his race in such books as Uncle Toms Cabin.

His love of reading grew past the comic book stage and Fitzgerald progressed to more adult material, and eventually found himself in the Air Force, a fan of W. Sommerset Maughm, and reading biographies of Alexander Dumas and Alexander Pushkin. He was dismayed that in each of these biographies, the writers took great pains to separate Dumas and Pushkin from their African heritage. He recalled this fact was also omitted from the Classics Comics biography of Dumas he had read years before, and wondered how it would’ve effected his own life to have known this great writer had been Black at a time when his own understanding of the world and his potential in it was being formed, and he began to think of comics in a different way. He began to think of comics as a misused tool for education and social change. Fitzgerald remained in the Air Force during his college years, being stationed in Texas, California, Wyoming and Michigan, where he attended night school after completing his military duties. He graduated from Brooklyn college in 1953 with a degree in accounting.

In 1966, Fitzgerald was working for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance when he jumped feet first into publishing. He acted as defacto editor of the first edition of Golden Legacy, though in hindsight, he feels he wasn’t fully prepared for the complexity of the job. He decided on the topic for the first issue, and approached his Army friend Leo Carty, with whom he’d worked before, designing a board game Fitzgerald had created based on the stock market. He asked him to write and illustrate it. Fitzgerald later made minor changes in the script.

The first edition of Golden Legacy Volume 1, The Saga of Toussaint L’ Ouverture, and the Birth of Haiti was published in 1966, and now only needed to be distributed. Fitzgerald had had a difficult time finding a printer able to do good four color work on a Black oriented magazine, eventually having to settle on a small out of state printer who’s lack of modern printing equipment is apparent on the early editions, and now he faced the same problems with distribution. Comic books were seen as entertainment, not education, the market for Black educational material was considered marginal indeed, and Fitzgerald was unable to break into this biased newsstand monopoly. Instead he worked briefly with a loose group of independent distributors called commission men, who supplied the Black community with specialized products like darker stockings, beauty products and dream books, which were overlooked by white distributors. He found it difficult to get paid by these men.

Volume 2, the Saga of Harriet Tubman, with story by Joan Bacchus and art by her and Tom Feelings was produced and distributed this way, but by Volume 3 Fitzgerald was looking for a more creative method of funding and distribution.

He approached the Coca Cola Company with the idea that since Blacks accounted for a greater per capita share of soft drink sales than whites, they should acknowledge this by cultivating Black customers through sponsorship of Black culture. Coke was interested and they asked Fitzgerald to suspend newsstand distribution until they could work out a deal, which took about a year.

During this time Fitzgerald was introduced to Tom Feelings, an artist with a similar vision who had already prepared an illustrated feature on Crispus Attucks for another publication, and this feature was adapted for the third volume of Golden Legacy, with additional artwork by golden age artist Ezra Jackson.

This is the first issue to list Dr. Benjamin Quarles, Professor of History at Morgan State College as consultant, and is the first issue to feature a full color back cover ad for the Coca Cola Company featuring photos of Black models.

One of Coca Cola’s concerns was the lack of printing quality on the early issues, but with their new financial backing, Fitzgerald was able to to get a better press to take his business.

Fitzgerald believes it was his background as an accountant that allowed him to work out this deal to everyone’s advantage where Coca Cola bought ads before publication and would then buy bulk amounts of comics at a great discount to distribute them free to schools, libraries, and organizations such as the NAACP, the Urban League and the Reading is Fundamental programs. 11 titles were published this way over the next several years, and the final few books were published under similar arrangements with a number of other companies. Bowery Savings, Equitable LIfe, Avon Cosmetics, A & P Food Stores, AT&T, Woolworths, Exxon, Columbia Pictures, McDonalds and Philadelphia Electric all became supporters of this series.

Howard Darden became art director with Volume 7, and new material was published through 1976, with an approximate total of nine million copies distributed.

In 1976 – 77 Fitzgerald tested the waters with an integrated teen comic called Fast Willie Jackson. It ran 7 issues between Oct 1976, and #7, September 1977. This book, while not code approved, received newsstand distribution and each issue had increased sales, but unfortunately did not reach the break even point until the last issue, and Fitzgerald was unable to continue publishing just as he was finalizing the sale of animation rights to Filmation, who had a current hit with Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids.

In 1983, an out of state entrepreneur wrote Fitzgerald enquiring about buying a lot of comics and asking about circulation. Fitzgerald wrote a letter in return giving him these figures. From out of state this person was able to use this letter to falsely convince Fitzgerald’s printer that they had a business relationship, and arrange for a reprinting of the series on credit, a feat Fitzgerald was never able to do, being required to pay up front for all his printing despite major corporate clients. The entire series of 16 volumes was bootlegged, with the copyright illegally assigned to the interloper.

Fitzgerald had experienced discrimination and racism before, both subtle and gross, in both his private and business lives. It was hard to say sometimes which was which, or which was worse. In his dealings with printers and distributors, it wasn’t necessary for him to be specifically slighted racially as an individual, but the generalized misconception that comic books about Black history wouldn’t sell led them to be marginalized conceptually, and that inevitably to other blatant oversights, such as the omission in the Classics Illustrated series of Alexander Dumas’ racial heritage. These ’small’ oversights eventually form a big picture where the audience for this material is marginalized to the point of never seeing a reflection of themselves in the general culture.

Fitzgerald had felt at a couple of points that as a business oriented community activist he may have been under surveillance by Cointelpro or similar program to neutralize Black activism. He received calls from all types of individuals and organizations and felt it only logical if any of his callers were under surveillance then he also would be by
extension.

It was a stressful time for Fitzgerald. He was confounded by his experience with the court system over the four year copyright trial that followed. He sued the out of state party, who effectively disappeared, and his printer. He was originally given a monetary award, but liability had been split and the award was against the out of state entrepreneur, from whom Fitzgerald knew he would never collect. Upon appeal, he was given a larger award, but refused his legal fees, which ran to the amount of the award. The printer then appealed. Fitzgerald had suffered two heart attacks during this time and was warned by the judge ‘You’ll die before you get any of this money’. Mr Fitzgerald at this time was working for the Office of the Mayor of New York City as spokesman and advocate for the communications industry, and rather than appeal his case for the third time he retired to his full time occupation.

During the decade in which he produced 16 volumes of Golden Legacy Comics, Bertram A Fitzgerald left a legacy of his own, comprising of the most successful series of Afrocentric comics to date. The Golden Legacy comics are thoroughly professional in their writing, art, and production values, and full of enough historical surprises to interest adult readers presented in a package accessible to younger readers. Golden Legacy Volume 10 covers the mutiny on the slave ship Amistad, which has been made into a movie by Steven Spielberg. These comics utilized the talents of young unknown Black writers and artists, some of whom have gone on to positions of prominence, such as Joan Bacchus Maynard, who is now executive director for the Weeksville Society, excavating Black revolutionary war sites in Brooklyn, as well as established cartoonists of other races such as Charles Molina, Tony Tallarico and Don Perlin. Despite the racial hassles he experienced himself, Fitzgerald’s only criteria for those he employed was that they could produce professional work. ‘I just couldn’t bring myself to be a hater,’ he said recently, ‘it just didn’t make sense to justify their hatred in any way.’

Golden Legacy Comics are still in print and available through Fitzgerald Publishing Co. You can purchase these comics at their website – http://www.golden-legacy.com.

The Golden Legacy Series is a part of The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection. The Fast Willie Jackson Comic Series is also a part of The Museum Of UnCut Funk Collection, and is profiled in a previous blog entry.

Source: Tom Christopher

GOLDEN LEGACY COMICS

Volume 1 – The Saga of Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Birth of Haiti (1966)

Writer: Leo Carty

Art: Leo Carty

Volume 2 – The Saga of Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her people (1966)

Writer: Joan Bacchus

Art: Pencils: Joan Bacchus

Inks: Tom Feelings

Volume 3 – Crispus Attucks and the Minutemen (1967)

Writer: Tom Feelings

Art: Tom Feelings and Ezra Jackson

Volume 4 – The Life of Benjamin Banneker (1968)

Writer: Francis Taylor

Art: Ezra Jackson

 

 

Volume 5 – The Life of Matthew Henson (1969)

Writer: Joan Bacchus

Art: Joan Bacchus

 

 

 

Volume 6 – Alexander Dumas and Family (1969)

Writer: Bertram Fitzgerald

Art: Ezra Jackson

 

 

 

 

Volume 7 – Frederick Douglas Part 1 (1969)

Writer: Bertram Fitzgerald

Art: Howard Darden

 

 

 

Volume 8 – Frederick Douglas Part 2 (1970)

Writer: Bertram Fitzgerald

Art: Howard Darden

 

 

 

Volume 9 – The Life of Robert Smalls (1970)

Writer: Bertram Fitzgerald, Don Perlin

Art: Don Perlin

 

 

 

 

Volume 10 – Joseph Cinque and the Amistad Mutiny (1970)

Writer: Joan Bacchus

Art: Joan Bacchus

 

 

 

Volume 11 – Men of Action: White, Wilkins & Marshall (1970)

Writer: Bertram Fitzgerald

Art: Ezra Jackson,

Don Perlin, Tony Tallarico

 

 

Volume 12 – Black Cowboys (1972)

Writer: Don Perlin

Art: Don Perlin

 

 

 

Volume 13 – Martin Luther King, Jr (1972)

Writer: Bertram Fitzgerald

Art: Don Perlin

 

 

 

Volume 14 – The Life of Alexander Pushki (1972)

Writer: Warren Parker

Art: Tony Tallarico

 

 

 

 

Volume 15 – Ancient African Kingdom (1972)

Writer: Robert Fitzgerald

Art: Howard Darden

 

 

 

Volume 16 – The Black Inventors Latimer and Woods (1976)

Writer: Bertram A Fitzgerald

Art: Leo Carty, Tony Tallarico

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shindana Toys, a division of Operation Bootstrap, Inc., was a South Central Los Angeles, California cooperative toy company formed in 1968, one of many Operation Bootstrap initiatives undertaken following the 1965 Watts riots. Company proceeds supported businesses in the Watts area.

Shindana (a Swahili word roughly meaning “to compete”) Toys was community-owned and founded by Louis S. Smith, II and Robert Hall. The latter was the company’s first CEO and President; though he was succeeded in both posts by Smith. The Chase Manhattan Bank, the Mattel Toy Company, Sears Roebuck & Co. and Equitable Life Assurance helped finance portions of the Shindana Toys operations.

From a shop on Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California, Doris Conner–an African American, entrepreneurial businesswoman–along with her daughters, Lynne and Tuesday Conner, created, designed, and manufactured many of the clothes worn by Shindana Dolls. They also manufactured the Flip Wilson and Redd Foxx dolls.

Shindana Toys was historically significant for being one of the first toy companies (if not the first) to market ethnically-correct Black dolls. A goal of the company was to raise Black consciousness and improve self-image. In a 1970’s Los Angeles Associated Press article, company president, Louis Smith said, “We believe that only by learning to love oneself can one learn to love others…Shindana believes that by marketing black dolls and games that both black and white children can learn to relate to at an early age, the company can foster the spirit of what Shindana is all about, love.”

 

 

Black Celebrity Dolls

Shindana dolls were created with the likenesses of positive Black celebrities, including Flip Wilson, Jimmie Walker, Julius Erving aka Dr. J., O.J. Simpson, Marla Gibbs, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmie Walker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julius Erving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redd Foxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Dolls Include Cuddly Li’l Souls

This line featured “soft cloth-body rag dolls with natural-style hair” and clothing imprinted with uplifting phrases like “Peace,” “Right On,” “I’m Proud, Say It Loud”, and “Learn, baby, learn.” The last phrase was a transformation of the “Burn, baby, burn” chants heard during the Watts Riots. These dolls were given names like “Sis,” “Natra,” “Wilky,” and “Coochy.”

 

Marla Gibbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Friends Collection

This collection featured Black, Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic boys and girls–most about 12 inches tall and with attention given to ethnic details.

 

Career Girl, Wanda:

“Each of Wanda’s boxes included a little pamphlet explaining the doll’s particular profession. Photos of real Black women in these professions and their comments about the nature of their jobs gave suggestions on what the child might do to learn more about the job.” Some of Wanda’s careers included nurse, skydiver/race car driver, tennis player, and singer.

Slade, Super Agent

Education played a major role in the creation of the Shindana doll line. Shindana refused to make military figures for obvious reasons. The president of the company, Mr. Lou Smith, transformed the slogan, “Burn, Baby Burn” (chanted during the 1965 Watts riot) to “Learn, Baby Learn”. Shindana manufactured several male figures and dolls made in the likeness of both male and female Black celebrities, but never a military figure.

One of their most popular male figures/dolls, Slade, Super Agent, continues to be highly sought after today. This 9-1/2″, obviously Shaft-inspired, quite handsome doll was accesorized with crime-solving gadgets, but no weapons. Today, Career Girl Wanda and Slade, Super Agent continue to command astronomical final bid amounts on online auction sites.

Mr. Lou S. Smith, II. believed that through his dolls, black children would gain a positive self-image. In a 1970’s Los Angeles Associated Press article, Mr. Smith stated, “We believe that only by learning to love oneself can one learn to love others.” He added, “Shindana believes that by marketing black dolls and games that both black and white children can learn to relate to at an early age, the company can foster the spirit of what Shindana is all about, love.”

Mr. Smith and Mr. Hall are now both deceased, but their legacy lives on through their remarkable, ethnically correct Shindana dolls — “Dolls made by a Dream”.

According to Black Dolls 1820-1991, an Identification and Value Guide, (BDIVG) book 1, The B. Wright Toy Company, Inc., circa late 1960s-?, was “the first ‘Negro’ toy company to manufacture dolls and stuffed toys”. Beatrice Wright was a female entrepreneur who realized the need for natural-looking dolls for children of color. Her dolls were known as the “Ethnic People Dolls”.

While this company also manufactured several different Black dolls, the most highly sought after ones today are Christine and Christopher (pictured left, courtesy of Debra Richardson). Christine and Christopher can still be found today on the secondary market. They are 19” tall, constructed of rigid vinyl, have brown sleep eyes and black rooted hair.

It is uncertain when the B. Wright Company closed its doors, but some of its molds were sold to Totsy. The dolls continued to be manufactured under that company’s name throughout the late 1980s and possibly into the early 1990s.

 

 

 

Investment Aspects of Black History Collecting

Elvin Montgomery

February 1, 2002

Black History is Now an Industry and is Becoming a Big Business:

What African Americans have said, done, produced and been through is now the focus of an ownership explosion. An increasing number of people want to do more than just hear about it, read about it or argue about it – they want to own it and accumulate it. Like it or not, various types of Black history and culture is being sought after, bought, sold and collected on a scale that was unimaginable 10 years ago. Prices for rare, original or interesting Black history and culture objects are rising rapidly. There is now such a thing as an investment grade object (i.e. one which will rise in market value and will provide a significant increase over the original purchase price). It should be noted that most Black history items are not investment grade but some are and some that are not today in that category will be in future years. Black history collectibles (discussed here) are different from so-called Black memorabilia collectibles which tend to focus on images of Blacks (usually perceived by others and often derogatory or stereotypical) rather than on what has actually happened to Blacks or what Blacks have produced or done. Black history items include books, documents and other ephemera, posters, autographs, photographs, artworks and three-dimensional artifacts (ranging from records, political buttons and Masonic medals to slave-made quilts and furnishings).

Despite exciting investment potential, Black history collectibles are a new type of investment and collecting for profit has definite risks. Like any investment, Black history items involve complexity, unpredictability and possible losses as well as gain and opportunity. The field has many uncertainties, pitfalls and swiftly changing market forces. Considerable knowledge, shrewd decision making and hard work is required to safely produce an adequate return. Unfortunately, there is little published information such as price history data to guide investors. This article expresses personal opinions and experiences and is intended to inform people about collecting trends and issues, but under no circumstances is it to be construed as investment advice.

Key Black History Collecting Trends

From both the collecting and investment point of view, a number of interesting trends and notable developments are occurring in Black history collecting.

COMMERCIAL USES OF BLACK HISTORY HAVE INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY: Advertisers, publishers, software makers, film makers, designers, and industries connected with sports and music, etc. have all become interested in Black history and seek to profit from its popularity. Commercial consumers of Black History, music, images, and objects find that they provide fresh arresting and absorbing experiences with considerable commercial usefulness.

MORE EMPHASIS ON ONE’S OWN BLACK HISTORY: More collectors are seeking Black history items that are closer to them in content, time frame, geography or personal significance. More and more people are becoming interested in their own Black history (their town or state, their occupation, their families, their schools) and not just the great national figures and topics. The rise of widespread interest, local history, and genealogy among African Americans is part of this trend.

MORE SPECIALIZATION AND DIVERSIFICATION: At its upper levels, the field has become more specialized and sophisticated. Rather than collect general Black history items, people now are specializing (in art, music, sports or military for example). Many collectors already have most of the general, common things and want different, more specialized material.

MANY COLLECTIONS ARE BEING SOUGHT, BOUGHT, SOLD OR SCRUTINIZED: Many major Black history and culture collections of books, documents, art and artifacts (some forgotten for many years) have been “rediscovered,” have changed hands, or become the subject of scrutiny or controversy. This has sometimes resulted in an outflow of valuable historical items from the Black community to those who can afford to acquire them.

THE RISE OF THE VISUAL: Many collectors now focus on visual and displayable objects (posters, prints, photos, etc.) rather than books and sometimes do not seem to read as much as they once did. Photographs, a major and very important collectible area is now all the rage and cuts across numerous specialty topics (e.g. sports, music, autographs, politics, etc.).

NEW COLLECTING SPECIALTIES AND THEMES CROP UP CONSTANTLY: Black history is a living, growing field that has changed over the years and will continue to change. New interests, themes, perspectives, and insights arise and exert an influence on collectors, scholars, dealers, and the public mind. Thus, perceptions change about what should be known, collected and considered important or valuable to own. Though some values and tendencies remain stable, new trends are cropping up all the time. Traditional aspects of Black history that will always be important, studied and collected include slavery, music and entertainment, and sports (where Blacks have been the focus or active participants for many years). Other areas have become well established within the past 30 years such as Black military history and Black art. Constant growth and change involves new collectors entering the field and sometimes even veterans who switch. Such collectors bring new energy, pursue new specialties and explore new themes.

Key Points to Remember When Collecting and Investing

Again, Investment in collectibles (or anything else) is fraught with the possibility of loss as well as gain. Thus, proceed with caution and at your own risk and don’t invest more than you can afford to lose and are willing to lose.

Know why you are buying and distinguish investment from hobby, esthetic or research buying (i.e. buying for fun, beauty, or information).

It must be stressed clearly and firmly that no one can predict with certainty what is a good investment in terms of rising prices, and a lot depends on one’s circumstances (investment budget, ability to hold rather than cash in quickly, historical interests, etc.

Think about whom is likely to buy items after you in order to gauge appreciation potential.

It is safer to invest in items that have wide, diverse markets (i.e. those items that have many potential buyers from several fields of interest).

Scarce, original, in-period, vintage items rather than new or common ones are likely to increase in value. Avoid recently manufactured, mass produced “collectibles of the future” that have little resale value. Old is usually better than new but original is definitely better than reproductions for investment purposes. Usually, only original, in period, authentic, vintage items in good condition with research value will have considerable resale value and investment potential.

In historical investing, items that have information content and tell a story are usually much more desirable than anonymous items that are difficult or impossible to research, explain or put into historical context. Items that can be described in terms of a specific time, place or person have more appeal than those that confront the next buyer with many unknowns.

Like the stock market, successful investing in Black history collectibles requires hard work and accumulated skill, not just luck. To recognize good buys and find undervalued material, one must research purchases, use reference books, study diligently and learn from knowledgeable people.

Deriving maximum profits from collectibles usually involves investing more than just the purchase price of an item. Beyond what is paid for an item, there are additional investments often required to reap a substantial gain such as the time needed to research the item’s historical significance and money for appraisal, insurance, conservation and marketing to potential buyers.

Buying and holding historical items for a period of months and years often leads to greater returns that a quick “flip” (i.e. selling for a quick profit soon after buying). Time is needed to research scarcity and historical value, locate the best buyers, and allow market demand to reach a peak.

To maximize long-term profit one must buy “ ahead of the market” and invest in things that are currently undervalued and not yet widely appreciated or fully priced.

It is often wiser to concentrate and specialize, buying a number of related items or accumulating a collection of similar items in a specialized field rather than buying miscellaneous, scattered, unrelated items. A “mishmash” of different types of items is not as attractive to specialist buyers willing to pay high prices as a collection that really says something about a given subject in detail with examples of different facets of the same theme.

Stay aware of and go to exhibits, books, films and other events that relate to one’s investments.

Collect books, exhibition catalogs, publicity materials and scholarly papers, etc. in your field.

In terms of selling, different buyers have different buying characteristics. Some buyers know more than others, some more than the seller. Some buyers may spend more but take longer and require much more red tape than others. Some demand more documentation (in terms of description and provenance) than others. Some (e.g. dealers or collectors) pay quicker but want bigger discounts.

New areas constantly emerge. Some traditional areas of Black history collecting and research will always retain value but newer, emerging areas – though more risky – might appreciate faster.

One’s goals and circumstances (e.g. ability to take risks or hold items over time ) as well as market conditions and opportunities will determine one’s collecting and investment strategy.

Source: Elvin Montgomery

A specialist dealer in African American history materials. He acquires and makes available vintage, informative and collectible books, photographs, documents and other artifacts about the African American experience to libraries, museums, collectors, educators and researchers. Montgomery constantly monitors the market for African American history materials and is a close observer of new trends in the field — in popular, scholarly, collecting and investing arenas. It is his firm conviction that there is much yet to be done in exploring and explaining African American history and that many people, both African Americans and numerous others will benefit from the lessons that can be learned from it.

 

 

This is one of the most important and significant times in Black History. To celebrate the election of a Black man as the 44th President of the United States, as well as the many achievements of Black Americans, I have selected a few of my favorite historical figures from the Museum collection to profile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Banneker was a Black astronomer, clockmaker, and publisher who was instrumental in surveying the District of Columbia.

He was born in Maryland on November 9, 1731. At the age of 21, Banneker’s life was changed when he saw a neighbor’s pocket watch. (Some say the watch belonged to Josef Levi, a traveling salesman.) He borrowed the watch, took it apart to draw all its pieces, then reassembled it and returned it running to its owner. Banneker then carved large-scale wooden replicas of each piece, calculating the gear assemblies himself, and used the parts to make a striking clock, the first wooden clock in the United States. The clock continued to work, striking each hour, for more than 40 years.

Driven by this fascination, he turned from farming to watch and clock making. One customer was a neighbor named George Ellicott, a surveyor. He was so impressed with his Banneker’s work and intelligence, he lent him books on mathematics and astronomy. With this help, Banneker taught himself astronomy and advanced mathematics. Starting about 1773, he turned his attention to both subjects. His study of astronomy enabled him to make the calculations to predict solar and lunar eclipses, even correctly contradicting experts of the day, and to compile an ephemeris for his Benjamin Banneker’s Almanac, which he published from 1791 through 1796. He became known as the Sable Astronomer.

In 1791, Banneker sent then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, a copy of his first almanac along with an eloquent plea for justice for Blacks, calling on the colonists’ personal experience as “slaves” of Britain and quoting Jefferson’s own words. Jefferson was impressed and sent a copy of the almanac to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris as evidence of the talent of Blacks. Banneker’s almanac helped convince many that Blacks were not intellectually inferior to Whites.

Also in 1791, Banneker was hired to assist brothers Andrew and Joseph Ellicott as part of a 6-man team to help design the new capital city, Washington, DC. This made him the 1st Black presidential appointee. An apocryphal story says that he worked with Pierre L’Enfant and when L’Enfant threw a temper tantrum and quit, taking his drawings with him, Banneker was able to reproduce said drawings from memory. Many historians doubt the story and claim the two men never even met. True or not, it does not diminish Benjamin Banneker’s accomplishments.

Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in a one-room, dirt-floored cabin in Atlanta, Texas, to George and Susan Coleman, the illiterate (unable to read and write) children of slaves. When Bessie was two years old, her father, a day laborer, moved his family to Waxahachie, Texas, where he bought a quarter-acre of land and built a three-room house in which two more daughters were born. In 1901 George Coleman left his family. Bessie’s mother and two older brothers went to work and Bessie was left as caretaker of her two younger sisters.

Education for Coleman was limited to eight grades in a one-room schoolhouse that closed whenever the students were needed in the fields to help their families harvest cotton. Coleman easily established her position as family leader, reading aloud to her siblings and her mother at night. She often assured her ambitious church-going mother that she intended to “amount to something.” After completing school she worked as a laundress and saved her pay until 1910 when she left for Oklahoma to attend Langston University. She left after one year when she ran out of money.

After befriending several leaders in South Side Chicago’s Black community, Coleman found a sponsor in Robert Abbott (1868–1940), publisher of the nation’s largest Black weekly, the Chicago Defender. There were no Black aviators (pilots) in the area and, when no White pilot was willing to teach her to fly, Coleman turned to Abbott, who suggested that she go to France. The French, he insisted, were not racists and were the world’s leaders in aviation.

Coleman left for France late in 1920. There she completed flight training at the best school in France and was awarded her Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (F.A.I.; international pilot’s license) license on June 15, 1921. She traveled Europe, gaining further flying experience so that she could perform in air shows.

Coleman left Orlando, Florida, by train to give a benefit exhibition for the Jacksonville Negro Welfare League, scheduled for May 1, 1926. Her pilot, William D. Wills, flew her plane into Orlando, but had to make three forced landings because the plane was so worn and poorly maintained. On April 30, 1926, Wills piloted the plane on a trial flight while Coleman sat in the other cockpit to survey the area over which she was to fly and parachute jump the next day. Her seat belt was unattached because she had to lean out over the edge of the plane while picking the best sites for her program. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, the plane dived, then flipped over, throwing Coleman out. Moments later Wills crashed. Both were killed.

Coleman had three memorial services—in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Chicago, the last attended by thousands. She was buried at Chicago’s Lincoln Cemetery and gradually, over the years following her death, achieved recognition at last as a hero of early aviation.

Matthew A. Henson was the longtime assistant to Robert E. Peary  on his expeditions to the North Pole. Henson is believed to be the first man to actually reach the pole, some 45 minutes ahead of Peary, on April 6, 1909.

Henson ran away from home at the age of 11 and went to sea as a cabin boy. An able and intelligent seaman, he was hired by Peary in the late 1880s and accompanied him on his 1891 Greenland expedition. An expert with sleds and dogs and fluent in the Inuit language, Henson joined Peary off and on for nearly two decades in the quest to reach the pole.

Although Peary was celebrated for the achievement, he was also criticized in that era for not taking along a White man. Peary frequently praised Henson as the best man for the job, but Henson’s role was largely unrecognized for years. After reaching the pole he earned a living as a customs clerk in New York and occasionally lectured on his experiences. In 1947 Henson published his story, A Negro at the North Pole (with a foreword by Booker T. Washington) and toward the end of his life he received many awards and tributes. On April 6, 1988 his body was moved from Woodlawn Cemetery in New York and re-interred next to Peary’s tomb at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D. C.

Space Voyager Lt. Commander Steel Jones is a Shuttle Mission Specialist. His duties include space walks, repairing and retrieving satellites, and inspecting the exterior of the Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). He has participated in more than 100 shuttle launches since 1981, with missions ranging from microgravity experiments to deploying satellites to transporting crew to the ISS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harriet Tubman, self-emancipated slave, conductor for the Underground Railroad, Union spy, army scout and nurse. Originally called Araminta, Harriet Ross Tubman was born on the Brodas plantation, Dorchester County, Maryland. She was disabled by narcoleptic seizures throughout her life after sustaining a severe injury to her head during her youth. Despite this frailty, Tubman’s considerable strength and endurance were legendary. As a field slave, she mastered the secrets of woodcraft and navigation–skills that ensured her success as a conductor for the Underground Railroad. After her escape in 1849, Tubman returned to the South over fifteen times to rescue more than two hundred slaves. She successfully freed all of her family and never lost a single passenger during any of her escapes. More than forty thousand dollars was offered for her capture.

Tubman was a pivotal character in the war against slavery, first with the Underground Railroad, later with the Union army. She joined forces with the leading abolitionists of the day: William Still , Thomas Garrett, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and John Brown. After emancipation, Tubman served in the Union army as a spy, a scout and a nurse. She was the only woman in American military history to plan and execute an armed expedition against enemy forces.

After the war Tubman recounted the story of her life to Sarah Elizabeth Bradford who wrote her biography, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman (1869). Using the small profits from her biography and her military pension, Tubman established a permanent home for aged ex-slaves in Auburn, New York.

 

 

 

Malcolm X, Nation of Islam  minister, orator, and autobiographer. Born Malcolm Little (and later also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925. Malcolm X was the fourth of eight children of the Reverend Earl Little and his wife, Louise. Soon after Malcolm’s birth the Littles moved to the outskirts of East Lansing, Michigan. When Malcolm was six, his father died, presumably murdered by the Black Legion, a violent racist group similar to the KKK and the Little home life became more and more difficult. Louise was eventually placed in the state mental hospital, and her children were declared wards of the state. In 1941, Malcolm moved to Boston to live with his half sister, Ella. He became caught up in the nightlife of Boston and later New York. After a few years in the underworld of Harlem, selling drugs and working for call-girl services, Malcolm began a burglary ring in Boston. In 1946, at the age of twenty-one, he was arrested for armed robbery and sent to prison.

During his six years in Charlestown Prison, Concord Reformatory, and Norfolk Prison, Malcolm underwent a spiritual and intellectual transformation. While interred he corresponded with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the African American sect, the Nation of Islam. He converted to the Nation, attracted by its idea that Whites are devils. In prison he also undertook a rigorous process of self-education, which included copying every page of the dictionary.

Upon his release he changed his name to Malcolm X, the X representing the unknown name of his African ancestors and their culture that had been lost during slavery. After personal meetings with  Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm became a minister for the Nation. From 1952 to 1963 Minister Malcolm X helped build the Nation of Islam from a tiny sect to a significant force in urban Black America. His commanding stage presence, quick wit, and erudition, combined with the authenticity of his experience as a street hustler, made Malcolm a remarkable orator and a dynamic leader.

In 1963, jealousy in the Nation of Islam over Malcolm’s increasing celebrity and Malcolm’s discovery of violations of the Muslim’s strict moral code by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad precipitated a painful and bitter split. Once out from the strict teachings of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm drifted from the primarily spiritual philosophy of the Nation to a more political Black nationalism and tentatively to a more internationalist philosophy—Pan-Africanism. Malcolm’s position on race relations in the United States at the time of his assassination on February 21, 1965 at the Audobon Ballroom in Harlem has not been resolved. His major literary achievement, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), composed during the last two years of his life with the writer Alex Haley contains a montage of Malcolm’s perspectives and only invites speculation as to which direction Malcolm’s philosophy would have taken.

The Autobiography, published posthumously, stands as a major twentieth-century Black literary work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elvis was a hero to most

But he never meant shit to me you see

Straight up racist that sucker was

Simple and plain

Mother fuck him and John Wayne

Cause I’m Black and I’m proud

I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped

Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps…

 

Fight the Power

Public Enemy

From the 1998 soundtrack from Do The Right Thing

 

 

Since 1940, over 150 accomplished Black Americans have been honored by being featured on a U.S. postage stamp. The U.S. Postal Service has issued Black history related stamps to commemorate Black men and women who have contributed to America’s history and who have made a significant difference in the areas such as civil rights, sports, science and music.

Here are a few of my favorites from The Museum of UnCut Funk Collection:

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

In 1940, Booker T. Washington became the first Black American to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp. In 1881, Booker T. Washington became the first principal at Alabama’s Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University), and over the next several decades emerged as the foremost educator and spokesman for Blacks. Washington also helped found the National Negro Business League in 1900 and served as an advisor to presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

This stamp was issued April 7, 1940.

 

 

 

MATTHEW HENSON

Matthew Henson was Admiral Robert Peary’s most trusted member of the expedition that discovered the North Pole. Born in Charles County, Maryland in 1866, Henson went to sea at age 13 and for several years traveled all around the world. When he first met Peary,

Henson was in his early twenties and their shared sense of adventure bound them together for more than 20 years. Henson accompanied Peary on several attempts to reach

the North Pole, which they finally reached together on April 6, 1909.

This stamp was issued May 28, 1986.

 

 

JEAN BAPTISTE POINTE DU SABLE

A pioneer and entrepreneur, Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable is acknowledged to be the founder of Chicago for having established the first permanent trading post at the mouth of the Chicago River in 1779. At his settlement, Du Sable exhibited skill and knowledge as a merchant, fur trader, farmer and businessman.

This stamp was issued February 20, 1987

 

 

 

 

IDA B. WELLS

Ida B.Wells devoted her life to educating people about the horrors of discrimination against Blacks and women. Her first job was as a teacher, but she became a journalist when she started to write about her experiences of suing a railroad company for discrimination. Much of her journalism career centered on the anti lynching crusade and voting rights for women. She was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and she founded the first suffrage club for Black women.

This stamp was issued February 1, 1990.

 

 

 

BUFFALO SOLDIERS

Courageous Black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments helped patrol the West after the Civil War. Their bravery and toughness won them respect from Native Americans, who honored them with the name “Buffalo Soldiers” after the rugged plains animal they revered. Buffalo Soldiers also served with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in the battle of San Juan in the Spanish-American War.

This stamp was issued April 22,1994.

 

BILL PICKETT

William M. “Bill” Pickett invented the cowboy sport of steer wrestling, also called bulldogging.” Employing a technique he saw ranch dogs use, Pickett would bite the steer’s lip to make it more docile and easier to control. Starring in this event, he and his horse Spradley became a box-office draw in rodeos at home and abroad. Pickett was voted into the National Cowboy and Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1971.

This stamp was issued October 18, 1994.

 

 

JIM BECKWOURTH

During his life as a frontiersman, James  P. “Jim” Beckwourth was a miner, guide, fur trapper, company agent, army scout, soldier and hunter. On a scouting expedition in the early 1850s, he discovered a pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Sacramento Valley, opening a clear pathway to California.

This stamp was issued October 18, 1994.

 

 

 

BESSIE COLEMAN

Bessie Coleman was the first Black to receive a pilot’s license, which she earned in France after being denied entry into flight schools in the United States. She returned to the United States and performed in air shows as a stunt flyer. Her goal was to establish a flight school for Blacks, but she died tragically in a plane crash on April 30, 1926, before she could realize her dream.

This stamp was issued April 27, 1995.

 

 

 

 

JOHN HENRY

John Henry is a Black folk hero who symbolizes

strength and determination. The stories about John Henry are not just “tall tales,” they are based on the life of a real person, a former slave working on the railroads after the Civil War. In the stories, John Henry, a strong “steel-driving man,”accepted the challenge of trying to outperform a steam-powered drill. Swinging a heavy hammer in each hand, he beat the machine but died soon after — some say from exhaustion, others say from a broken heart on realizing that machines would replace muscle and spirit.

This stamp was issued July 11, 1996.

 

 

MADAM C.J. WALKER

Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, Madam C.J.Walker became a beauty products pioneer and one of the nation’s first female millionaires. In the early 1900s, using her husband’s name (Charles Joseph Walker), she developed a very successful business manufacturing hair goods and preparations, and her company eventually became one of the country’s largest Black owned business. Walker also became one of the era’s leading Black philanthropists and political activists, strongly supporting education, charitable institutions, political rights and economic

opportunities for Blacks and women.

This stamp was issued January 28, 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the number of new Black Broadway shows that have opened in the past few years, like The Color Purple, there has been much written about the increase in Black attendance on Broadway. However, Blacks have been acting, writing, scoring and attending Broadway shows since the late 1800’s, so it’s not a new phenomenon. Here is a chronological history of the Great White Way in Black from 1896 – Present.

THE GOLD BUG (September 21, 1896)
Casion Theatre. Starred Bert Williams and Geoge Walker. The production introduced the Cake Walk. Dance music by Victor Herbert; Book & Lyrics by Glen MacDonough.

CLORINDY: THE ORIGIN OF THE CAKEWALK (June 28, 1898) Casino Theatre Roof Garden. First all Black written, Black performed show to play before White audiences. Music written by Will Marion Cook (1869-1944); Book & Lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

A TRIP TO COONTOWN (April 4, 1898)

Third Avenue Theatre. First Black musical to break from the minstrel pattern. First Black showto be organized, directed, performed, produced, and managed by Blacks. Music by Bob Cole.

IN DAHOMEY (February 18, 1903)

New York Theatre for 53 performances. Broadway’s first Black musical in a major house. Starred Bert Williams and George Walker. Book by A.J. Skipp (Jesse Shipp). Lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Ran seven months in London at the Shaftesbruy Theatre (1903). Re-opened on Broadway (1904).

THE SHOO-FLY REGIMENT (1907)

John Rosamond Johnson and Bob Cole.

THE RED MOON (1909)

John Rosamond Johnson and Bob Cole. Billed as “A Sensation in Red and Black.”

THE POLICY PLAYERS (1900)

Bert Williams and George Walker.

THE SONS OF HAM (1900)

Williams and Walker.

IN DAHOMEY (1903)

Williams and Walker. First all Black show to play a major Broadway theatre.

ABYSSINIA (1906)

Williams and Walker.

BANDANNA LAND (1908)

Williams and Walker.

SHUFFLE ALONG (May, 1921)

63rd Street Theatre. Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake.

PUT AND TAKE (1921)

Irvin Miller, Spencer Williams, Tim Brymm and Perry Bradford.

STRUT MISS LIZZIE (June 19, 1922)

Henry Creamer and Turner Layton.

PLANTATION REVUE (1922)

Roy Turk and Russell Robinson.

OH JOY! (1922)

J. Homer Tutt and Salem Tutt Whitney.

LIZA (1922)

Irvin Miller (libretto).

HOW COME (1923)

Eddie Hunter (libretto).

RUNNIN’ WILD (October 29, 1923)

James P. Johnson and Cecil Mack (score). Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles (libretto). Introduced “The Charleston”.

THE CHOCOLATE DANDIES (1924)

Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake.

BLACKBIRDS OF 1926
Produced by Lew Leslie.

BOTTOMLAND (1927)

Clarence Williams.

 

AFRICANA (1927)

Harry Akst, Joe Howard and Donald Heywood (score).

RANG TANG (1927)

Ford Dabney and Jo Trent (score). Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles (libretto).

SHOWBOAT (1927)

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstien II.

KEEP SHUFFLIN’ (1928)

Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles (libretto).

BLACKBIRDS OF 1928 (May 9, 1928)

Liberty Theatre. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields (score). Lew Leslie (producer). The longest-running black musical of the 1920’s.

DEEP HARLEM (1929)

Joe Jordan, Homer Tutt and Henry Creamer (score). Salem Whitney and Homer Tutt (libretto).

MESSIN’ AROUND (1929)

James P. Johnson and Perry Bradford (score).

PANSY (1929)

Maceo Pinkard (score).

HOT CHOCOLATES (1929)

Thomas “Fats” Waller, Andy Razaf and Harry Brooks (score).

BAMBOOLA (1929)

D. Frank Marcus and Bernard Maltin (libretto).

BLACKBIRDS OF 1930

Eubie Blake and Andy Razaf (score).

THE GREEN PASTURES (February 26, 1930)

Marc Connelly. Play with music sung by the Hall Johnson Choir.

BROWN BUDDIES (1930)

RHAPSODY IN BLACK (1930)

Mann Holiner and Alberta Nichols (score).

FAST AND FURIOUS (1931)

Mack Gorden, Harry Revel and J. Rosamond Johnson.

SINGIN’ THE BLUES (1931)

John McGowan (libretto). Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields (score).

SUGAR HILL (1931)

Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles (libretto).

OL’ MAN SATAN (1932)

Donald Heywood.

SHUFFLE ALONG OF 1933 (December 26, 1932)

Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle (score). Flournoy Miller (libretto).

RUN LITTLE CHILLUN (March, 1933)
Hall Johnson.

FOUR SAINTS IN THREE ACTS (February 20, 1934)
Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein.

AFRICANA (1934)

Donald Heywood. Billed as “A Congo Operetta”.

 

PORGY AND BESS (October 10, 1935)

George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. Based on DuBose and Dorothy Heyward’s 1924 play, PORGY.

 

SWING IT (1937)

Eubie Blake, Cecil Mack and J. Milton Reddie.

HOT MIKADO (1939)

Dave Greggory and William Tracy (lyricists). Based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s MIKADO.

SWINGIN’ THE DREAM (November, 1939)

Jimmy VanHeusen and Eddia De Lange (score). Gilbert Seldes and Erik Charell (libretto).

CABIN IN THE SKY (1940)

Vernon Duke, John Latouche and Lynn Root. First Black performed Broadway show to be filmed in Hollywood.

CARMEN JONES (1943)

Oscar Hammerstein II. From Bizet’s CARMEN.

HOUSE OF FLOWERS (1945)

Harold Arlen (score). Truman Capote (libretto).

CARIB SONG (1945)

William Archibald and Baldwin Bergersen. Choreographed by Katherine Dunham.

ST. LOUIS WOMAN (1946)

Starred Pearl Bailey. Harold Arlen (score). Arna Bontemps and Countee Cullen (libretto).

BEGGAR’S HOLIDAY (1946)

Duke Ellington and John LaTouche (score).

LOST IN THE STARS (1949)

Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson. Based on Alan Paton’s CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY.

THE BARRIER (November, 1950)

Jan Meyerowitz (score). Langston Hughes (libretto). Operatic version of Hughes’s 1935 drama MULATTO.

SIMPLY HEAVENLY (1957)

David Martin (score). Langston Hughes (libretto). Billed as “a comedy with music”.

BLACK NATIVITY (1961)

Langston Hughes (with composer Jobe Huntley).

FLY BLACKBIRD (1962)

James Hatch and Clarence Jackson.

TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (1963)

Langston Hughes (with composer Jobe Huntley).

BALLAD FOR BIMSHIRE (1963)

Irving Burgie and Loften Mitchell.

TRUMPETS OF THE LORD (December, 1963)

Vinnette Carroll. Adapted from James Weldon Johnson’s GOD’S TROMBONES.

GOLDEN BOY (1964)

William Gibson (libretto). Starred Sammy Davis, Jr.

HALLELUJAH, BABY (1967)

Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green (score). Arthur Laurents (libretto).

HELLO DOLLY (1968)

Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart. “All-Negro Dolly” produced by David Merrick . Starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.

THE BELIEVERS (1968)

Josephine Jackson and Joseph A. Walker.

BUCK WHITE (1969)

Oscar Brown Jr.

PURLIE (1970)

Gary Geld (score). Ossie Davis, Peter Udell and Philip Rose (libretto). Based on Davis’s 1961 play PURLIE VICTORIOUS.

AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH (1971)

Melvin Van Peebles.

DON’T PLAY US CHEAP (1972)

Melvin Van Peebles.

DON’T BOTHER ME, I CAN’T COPE (1972)

Micki Grant. Directed by Vinnette Carroll of The Urban Arts Corps.

 

RAISIN (1973)

Judd Woldin and Robert Britten (score). Lorraine Hansberry and Robert Nemiroff (libretto). Based on Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A RAISIN IN THE SUN.

FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW WAS NOT ENUF (1974)

Stageplay by Ntozake Shange. Winner of the Obie Award.

THE WIZ (1975)

Charlie Smalls (score). William F. Brown (libretto).

YOUR ARMS TOO SHORT TO BOX WITH GOD (1976)

Alex Bradford and Micki Grant (score). Directed by Vinnette Carroll of The Urban Arts Corps.

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (May, 1978)

Richard Maltby Jr. (arranger). Thomas “Fats” Waller revue.

 

EUBIE (1979)

Eubie Blake revue.

ONE MO’ TIME (1979)

Vernel Bagneris (libretto).

SOPHISTICATED LADIES (1981)

Duke Ellington revue.

LENA HORNE: THE LADY AND HER MUSIC (1981)

Starred Lena Horne.

DREAMGIRLS (1981)

Henry Krieger (score). Tom Eyen (libretto).

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (1982)

Set in Chicago. Play written by August Wilson.

JINTEY (1983)

Play written by August Wilson.

 

WHOOPI GOLDBERG (1984)

Starred Whoopi Goldberg.

JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE (1984)

Play written by August Wilson.

FENCES (1985)

Pulitzer Prize winning play written by August Wilson. Starred James Earl Jones.

SARAFINA! (1988)

BLACK AND BLUE (1989)

Musical revue.

THE PIANO LESSON (1989)

Pulitzer Prize