NATIONWIDE (April 7, 2022) – On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Because of her…
Beattles Paul McCartney “Blackbird” written to support civil rights activist
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney wrote the song “Blackbird” to acknowledge what he witnessed during a visit to America and watched on television in his home country of England. Paul McCartney was visiting…
Colored People of West Knox Concord Recorded in 1881 Gift Bible: Beck Day 13 Artifact
Submitted by, Beck Cultural Exchange Center February 13, 2022 The opening pages of a presentation or ceremonial bible have pages reserved to record the recipient’s immediate family tree and from where they…
Day 1: Knoxville Black History from Beck Center Archives
DAY 1: The Knoxville Negro was a 1929 publication of some of Knoxville’s Most Prominent (African-American) Negroes The Knoxville Negro was a 100-page book of biographies of some of Knoxville’s influential Black…
American History
December 26, 1966, the first Kwanzaa holiday (December 26 to January 1st) was celebrated. Kwanzaa was introduced to African-Americans in 1966, by Dr. Maulana Karenga to promote, teach and connect African-Americans with…
Kwanzaa: A Celebration of African Culture, Community
The Kwanzaa holiday was established in America in 1965, by activist and educator Dr. Maulana Karenga. His intent was to educate generations of indoctrinated peoples of their African culture and traditions as…
THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
December 14, 1926: Singing tenor, Roland Hayes performed at the Lyric Theater to a mixed-race audience at the invitation of the Knoxville Altruistic Club, a Black organization. His performance earned top reviews. December…
Handell’s “Messiah” Concert was 50 year Knoxville College Chorus and community tradition
East Tennesseans looked forward to the Knoxville College Coleridge-Taylor Chorus December performance of “Messiah” that became an annual tradition. By Patricia Williams, East Tennessee Enlightener KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (December 2021) – On December 17,…
The oldest living WWII veteran Lawrence Brooks is 112, wants to be remembered as a ‘good soldier’
By Kristine Froeba, The Military Times Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2021 Republished, December 7, 2021 – Louisiana’s Lawrence Brooks, aged 112, smiled as his daughter, Vanessa, tenderly placed his new garrison cap on his…
THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Black citizens banned together and initiated the…
Oak Ridge 85 to be honored in Washington D.C.
The community is encouraged to attend a send-off for members of “The Oak Ridge 85” traveling to Washington D.C. to be honored. OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (Nov. 28, 2021) – There are only…
HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS: Most Decorated US WWI Regiment
The Harlem Hellfighters: The Incredible Story Behind the Most Decorated United States Military Regiment in World War I First posted on Thursday, February 4, 2021 President Calvin Coolidge paid tribute to African…
This Week in American Black History
November 1, 1945: Ebony Magazine was published with an initial press run of 25,000 copies. November 1, 1951: Jet Magazine was released. November 2, 1986: President Ronald Reagan signed into law, the Martin…
African American Women and Suffrage in Knoxville
“A Delicate Balance: African American Women and Suffrage in Knoxville” KNOXVILLE, TN (September 2021) – National celebrations of the 2020 centennial anniversary of women gaining the right to vote were sidelined by…
BECK RACIAL JUSTICE TOWNHALL: Knoxville Red Summer Race Riot August 1919
The BECK RACIAL JUSTICE TOWNHALL Series XIV at 4 pm, Friday, August 27, via ZOOM, will be on the nation’s Red Summer and the 2-days of racial violence that erupted in Knoxville…
Tulsa Retired Police Officer Reveals “WHY COPS KILL AND HOW TO STOP THEM”
BlackNews.com – (August 2, 2021) – Meet Charlie Rose whose new book Why Cops Kill and How to Stop Them reveals his personal story as a police officer many years ago in the Greenwood area of…
“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July” Frederick Douglass’ Searing 1852 Oratory has Relevance today
“What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to…
Components of the Juneteenth Flag have meaning
It’s official! As of June 16, 2021, the Juneteenth Flag has a national holiday to be recognized, celebrated and flown. An additional red, white, and blue flag could be flown over the…
Selma Bridge Crossing 65th Jubilee, Beyond the Bridge: People Power, Political Power, Economic Power
Selma, AL (March 2021) – Over a half-century and 10 days have passed since peaceful marchers were met with brutal police violence On March 7, 1965, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in…
A Conversation with OR 85 member Ernestine Avery
This is one of those rare opportunities to learn of a historic event from someone who was there over 65 years ago! OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (April 25, 2021) – Ernestine Avery was…
Criminalizing the Mountain South: Persistent Inequalities roundtable
Haines Morris Endowment Roundtable is a free virtual event that is open to the public, Wednesday, April 14, 5:30-7:30 pm. Registration required using the link provided below. The Black Lives Matter uprising…
Passion Project, examines Selma to Montgomery Bloody Sunday using modern technology
Auburn University’s Passion Project chronicles the significance of ‘Selma’s Bloody Sunday’ in an effort to; name the brave nameless participants, share the experience of marchers on their way to the bridge and…
UT Residence Halls to be Renamed for two Black Trailblazers
KNOXVILLE, TN (March 2021) – Theotis Robinson didn’t want the admissions office to know he was Black. So after graduating from Knoxville’s Austin High School, he left off the school’s name when…
56th Annual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee to be Virtual with Global reach
Free registration is open for the 2021 virtual Historic 56th Annual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee. Themed “Beyond the Bridge: People Power, Political Power, Economic Power” is planned to be global, and historic….
Little Known Local Black History: Willie Charles Booker
Oak Ridge, Tn – Willie Charles Booker passed aws on January 22, 2021. He was one of 85 students assigned to be among the first black students to integrate Oak Ridge School…