Ooh, ooh! *jumps up and down* If I may reprint most of this from Toon Zone ...

Warning: long post ahead! Pack your provisions!

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Favorite people section:

Favorite scientist: Garrett Morgan, inventor of the traffic light and the safety hood.

Close second: inventor Eli McCoy (from whom we get the expression "the real McCoy").

Favorite all-around: Miss Rosa, Mother Parks. Her bus is in the Henry Ford Museum. I stood in the line for her viewing at the Wright Museum (see below) and got there at 3:30 in the morning. Then I went to work. It was worth it. If you've ever seen her mug shot, she sat down! The only time I've seen that happen. BTW, a teacher in the line reminded us that when Rosa Parks stood up to the back-of-the-bus laws, not only was the Civil Rights Movement still in its infancy, but the Women's Movement hadn't gotten off the ground at all. So she launched two movements and defied two laws (obey the white, obey the male). It was really dangerous.

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Museum section:

Once upon a time there was a Toon Zone (and NarniaWeb) poster who enjoyed museums. Yrs. Truly happened to read an old newspaper which featured a full-page tribute/obituary to a Dr. Charles Wright in Detroit. As yours truly doesn't live in Detroit, this must have been an important man for the news to travel so far. It seems he'd founded a museum, the largest of its kind in the world. Naturally I had to go.

Charles Wright was an ob/gyn physician who kept his collection of American and African memorabilia in his office's waiting room. In time the collection outgrew the waiting room, then the suite, then a converted mobile home, then its first brick building. Today's Charles Wright Museum of African American History now resides in a state-of-the-art 120,000 square foot facility on the Warren Avenue "museum row." (I counted three museums in two blocks.)

I paid $3 parking and $5 admissions. Since I invited you, you get in today for free. Sorry, no photography allowed inside the museum hall. (I've seen similar rules in genealogical libraries -- something about old papers not being able to withstand the intense light.) Just follow with your imagination.

You will open elaborate doors to the massive stone rotunda. To the right is the gift shop, to the rear the auditorium (seats ca. 150), and ahead a sculpture of the African Madonna Yom marking the entrance to the main floor. Yom has no feet so that she will not be mired in the past ; she is pregnant to show hope for the future.

The museum is sweeping and open, making tour groups very navigable here. The exhibit closest to the entrance is dedicated to inventions and discovery. Here we find astronaut Mae Jemison's inflight suit, on loan from NASA. We see Garrett Morgan's safety hood (invented 1914). He originally marketed it to firefighters. I've heard of it but I didn't know it was that big. Hey, it works and that's all that matters, right? In 1916 Morgan and his brother donned safety hoods to rescue dozens of people from a disaster. The publicity brought in orders from all over North America, but --

(as Brother Price said, "Y'all got your airsick bags? because this'll make you sick")

over half the fire departments cancelled their orders when they learned the device was invented by a Black man. (Too bad for the victims, huh.) The U.S. Army did purchase a safety hood and modified it to become the gas mask that saved troops from poison gas during World War I. So the army, air force pilots, submariners, and firemen can all trace their equipment back to Morgan's safety hood. He was one of the most prolific inventors in American history.

Did you know that the banjo was originally the West African instrument the banjar? Did you know that the Franklin Delano Roosevelt profile minted on the American dime was sculpted in 1943 by Dr. Selma Burke? Or did you know that free Blacks used to be called African Americans after the Revolutionary War but they chose to change it? This was because of the insults and pressure to "go back to Africa." Many free Blacks moved to Liberia or Haiti. However, only the free were coerced to leave. Slaves had to stay. "There was a sense that free Blacks had an obligation not to abandon the enslaved." Consistent with this proto-abolitionist movement, free Blacks stopped calling themselves African and started called themselves "colored" or "colored Americans."

Anyhow, I didn't start the exhibits in order so that's why you didn't either. To start the exhibit in order, you have to go to the back wall. Now that I've figured it out, we're here at the back. Here we find a chart of ancient African empires. (Africa is oriented upside down in accordance with Kemet belief.) A notice credits the Dogon people of Mali with discovering the white dwarf star Sirius B several centuries before anyone else, a fact which influenced their theology. It also influenced their art, which tends to be directed skyward. A display case includes artifacts from many cultures : the Ashanti, Akan, Mende, Yoruba, Bamana, Igbo, Senufo, Dogon, Kota, Shona, Salampus, and Kuba. There's a beautiful stretch of kente cloth framed on the wall.

Next are panels and exhibits tracing the Middle Passage from Africa to the Americas. Several preserved documents : docking manifest of a slave ship in Mobile, Alabama ; diagrams of the interior of a fully-packed slave ship ; a bill of sale for a mother and all her children. Sets of shackles are preserved.

The Underground Railroad exhibit makes special mention of Michigan's contributions to the UR's success (the museum being located in Michigan, after all). The code name for Detroit was Midnight because it was usually the last stop before Canada (a.k.a. Heaven, Canaan, or Promised Land). There were other reasons the state became so prominent to the Railroad. Once a crowd intentionally started a riot so that in the confusion a Black couple could escape from jail. Then in Cass County (south of Kalamazoo) the locals repulsed two parties of slave catchers. The South printed long denunciations of Michigan's "fanaticism." As a result, even more escapees gravitated there.

Do you like model ships? Two families sacrificed their family heirlooms (well over a century old) to create a model of the slave ship Sunny South. The hull was carved from a chest belonging to the Bland family and the sails contributed by a Jewish sailmaking family the Bennetts. Caption : "Each with the memory of a holocaust of their people, this model ship exemplifies the possibility of healing."

But dominating the museum floor is a life-size cross-section of the interior of a slave ship. This mockup recreates neither the largest nor the smallest ship of that purpose. Printed around the "hull" are the names of more than 2,500 ships implicated in the slave trade. Inside the hull are sculptures of people. Slavers preferred to ship young adults. Therefore local students volunteered to be cast as figures for the exhibit.

On the other side of this ship, an exhibit marking the Civil War leads to the Jim Crow displays. These sections list the absurd restrictions and loopholes that determined who voted and who did not vote. Collectibles from the era vary from unique to offensive, from print materials to kitchen items, from a Klan hood to a tube of "Darkie Toothpaste." (Yes, that's a brand name.)

A section shows the growth of the Detroit area as a result of the automobile jobs to be found there. (Local emphasis again.) Richard Wright and many others went to Chicago, but census records show that the Black population of Detroit increased an incredible 661 percent between 1910 and 1920. Too often, though, the Klan followed the workers north, playing on Northerners' fears of losing their new jobs.

A display case still holds the dress that Carlotta Walls, one of the "Little Rock Nine," wore in 1957 on her first day of school. Also included is her report card, which placed her on the honor roll. And then --

and then they told me it was closing time and I had to leave! Aiiee! I didn't even get to see the Sixties, or the Motown exhibit, or the Panthers-at-the-Olympics, or the Seventies, etc. etc. etc. (Maybe it's not all bad I went out of order. If I'd saved the inventions displays for the end, I wouldn't have seen them at all.) I didn't even get to see the gift store or anything in the picture gallery. The guidebooks (Mobil, Frommer, Fodor) all tell you this museum takes an hour. I was there longer than that, I'm a fast reader, and I only saw half of it. Believe me, it takes longer than an hour.

The museum is in Detroit on Warren Avenue east of M-1 (Woodward Avenue) and west of I-75 (exit 53-A). It shares a parking lot with the Science Center.

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Fun facts section:

At Toon Zone a few years back, for Black History Month I read the collection In Montgomery and Other Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks. I also mentioned to an acquaintance at church that the Davidic line (from which Jesus descended) had several individuals believed to be Black, or at least according to I Chronicles they came from Black nations (i.e. Ruth definitely, Batsheba probably, Tamar possibly). This woman promptly turned to her nine-year-old daughter and said, "Did you know that Jesus was part African-American?" Um, no, they were Black but they weren't African and they weren't American. So I observed Black History Month 2004 by banging my head on a desk.

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History section:

Juneteenth is a holiday that is celebrated in June, but what better time than winter to introduce a summer holiday!

Aside from Hawaii (which was conquered), Texas is the only U.S. state which was once a country. In September 1862 President Abraham Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation to free all slaves in Confederate territory effective January 1, 1863. However, due to its persistent independent streak and its great distance from the Union capitol, Texas chose to suppress news of the Proclamation. They succeeded for almost three years.

In June 1865, two months after civil war ended, Union General Gordon Granger and his army arrived in Galveston. He was stunned to learn that not only had Emancipation never been announced, but that other Southerners had shipped their slaves to Texas with the intention of reclaiming them when the war ended. Therefore Granger wrote General Order #3 repeating that "all slaves are free." The first Juneteenth Freedom Day festival was celebrated there June 19th, 1866.

It is best known in Texas but spread to other states as freedmen migrated looking for work. It became a legal State of Texas holiday on January 1, 1980. This was the first official holiday for an emancipation celebration in the USA. Proponents hope to have it recognized nationally because the original Emancipation Day has been overshadowed by other festivities on January 1st (New Year's Day).

Juneteenth has something for everyone, sort of a combination of revival tents, parades, picnics in the park and family storytelling. Traditional foods of the day include barbecue, potato salad, strawberry sodapop, watermelon and homemade ice cream. Mmmm. I brought the sodapop. Who wants one?

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Story section:

Finally, Dr. Frederick K.C. Price did a 76-part sermon on "Race, religion & racism" which I believe is available at his FaithDome website. (Note: Price is "Word of Faith," name-it-and-claim-it.) He closed his series with the classic story I'll reprint here:

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A little something to close out this year's Black History Month. This article was read by TV preacher Dr. Frederick K.C. Price during one of his sermons. (He numbers the sermons ; this is from #RA 76.)

DR. PRICE : "As I close this message, I want to end it on a positive note. Someone has put into a very eloquent story form some things that black, white, brown, red and yellow need to know about Black people. This little article is called "A DAY OF ABSENCE," titled, Author Unknown."

{TOM's note: The short story is not to be confused with an old theater play of the same name.}

This is a story of a little boy named Theo, who woke up one morning and asked his mother, "Mom, what if there were no Black people in the world?"

Well, his mother thought about that for a moment and then said, "Son, follow me around today, and let's just see what it would be like if there were no Black people in the world." Mom said, "Now go get dressed, and we will get started."

Theo ran to his room to put on his clothes and shoes. His mother took one look at him and said, "Theo, where are your shoes? And those clothes are all wrinkled, son. I must iron them." However, when she reached for the ironing board, it was no longer there. You see, Sarah Boone, a Black woman, invented the ironing board, and Jan E. Melseger, a Black man, invented the shoe-lasting machine.

"Oh well," she said. "Please go and do something to your hair." Theo ran in his room to comb his hair, but the comb was not there. You see, Walter Sammans, a Black man, invented the comb. Theo decided to just brush his hair, but the brush was gone. You see, Lydia O. Newman, a Black female, invented the brush.

Well, this was a sight. No shoes, wrinkled clothes, hair a mess. Even Mom's hair, without the hair-care inventions of Madam C.J. Walker. Well, you get the picture.

Mom told Theo, "Let's do our chores around the house and then take a trip to the grocery store." Theo's job was to sweep the floor. He swept and swept and swept. When he reached for the dustpan, it was not there. You see, Lloyd P. Ray, a Black man, invented the dustpan. So he swept his pile of dirt in the corner and left it there.

He then decided to mop the floor, but the mop was gone. You see, Thomas W. Stewart, a Black man, invented the mop. Theo yelled to his mom, "Mom, I'm not having any luck."

"Well, son," she said, "Let me finish washing these clothes, and we will prepare a list for the grocery store. When the wash finished, she went to place the clothes in the dryer, but it was not there. You see, George T. Salmon, a Black man, invented the clothes dryer.

Mom asked Theo to go get a pencil and some paper to prepare their list for the market. So Theo ran for the paper and pencil but noticed the pencil lead was broken. Well, he was out of luck, because John Love, a Black man, invented the pencil sharpener. Mom reached for a pen, but it was not there, because William Purvis, a Black man, invented the fountain pen. As a matter of fact, Lee Burridge invented the typewriting machine, and W.A. Lovitt the advanced printing press.

Theo and his mother decided to head out to the market. Well, when Theo opened the door he noticed the grass was as high as he was tall. You see, the lawnmower was invented by John Burr, a Black man.

They made their way over to the car and found that it just wouldn't go. You see, Richard Spikes, a Black man, invented the automatic gear shift, and Joseph Gammell invented the supercharge system for internal combustion engines.

They noticed that the few cars that were moving were running into each other and having wrecks because there were no traffic signals. You see, Garrett A. Morgan, a Black man, invented the traffic light.

Well, it was getting late. So they walked to the market, got their groceries and returned home. Just when they were about to put away the milk, eggs and butter, they noticed the refrigerator was gone. You see, John Standard, a Black man, invented the refrigerator. So they just left the food on the counter.

By this time Theo noticed he was getting mighty cold. Mom went to turn up the heat, and what do you know! Alice Parker, a Black female, invented the heating furnace. Even in the summertime, they would have been out of luck because Frederick Jones, a Black man, invented the air conditioner.

It was almost time for Theo's father to arrive home. He usually takes the bus, but there was no bus, because its precursor was the electric trolley, invented by another Black man, Elbert R. Robinson. He usually takes the elevator from his office on the 20th floor, but there was no elevator, because Alexander Miles, a Black man, invented the elevator.

He also usually dropped off the office mail at a nearby mailbox, but it was no longer there, because Philip Downey, a Black man, invented the letter-drop mailbox -- and William Barry invented the postmarking and cancelling machine.

Theo and his mother sat at the kitchen table with their heads in their hands. When the father arrived, he asked, "Why are you sitting in the dark?" Why? Because Louis Howard Lattimer, a Black man, invented the light bulb filament.

Theo quickly learned what it would be like if there were no Black people in the world, especially if he were ever sick and needed blood. Charles Drew, a Black scientist, found a way to preserve and store blood, which led to his starting the world's first blood bank. And what if a family member had to have heart surgery? This would not have been possible without Dr. Daniel L. Williams, a Black doctor who performed the first open-heart surgery.

So if you ever wonder, like Theo, where we would be without Black folk, well, it's pretty plain to see, we would still be in the dark.

{The end.}

Harriet Tubman who developed the underground railroad.

Malcolm X....he was never afraid to speak his mind and he died for doing so.

Martin Luther King...he changed the world!

Frederick Douglass

Marcus Garvey...

W.E B Duboise
To be continued!

The people in this list have two things in common: 1. black, 2. Christian. Hyperlinks: Wikipedia. If they have an official site, it will appear there. Check out YouTube for the songs listed below!

Samuel Morris, African [Liberia] prince who converted to Christianity as a teenager and attended Taylor University [Indiana]
Olaudah Equiano, 18th-century British freedman and abolitionist [appears in Amazing Grace (2007)]
Phillis Wheatley, 18th-century African-American poet who wrote "On being brought from Africa to America"
George Washington Carver, American scientist, botanist, educator and inventor
Star Parker, American advocate and spokesperson for conservative causes
Thomas A. Dorsey, American gospel songwriter. Fav songs: "Precious Lord, take my hand," "Peace in the valley"
CeCe Winans, American gospel singer. Fav songs: "Alabastor Box," "Throne room"
Wintley Phipps, Trinidad and Tobago [now living in US] pastor and gospel singer. Fav songs: "It is well with my soul"; also appeared on Savior: A Modern Oratorio.
Mandisa, American singer and songwriter who appeared on American Idol. Fav song: "Voice of a Savior."
Jessy Dixon, American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor. Fav song: "Peace be still."
Alicia Williamson Garcia, American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter, miraculously healed of cancer. Fav song: "We are not ashamed" [hyperlink: official site]
Babbie Mason, American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter. Fav songs: "In all of His glory," "Shine the light," "Isn't that just like God" [hyperlink: official site]
Larnelle Harris, American gospel singer and songwriter. Fav songs: "Too high a price," "God loves you," "I've just seen Jesus," "He loved me with a cross"; also appeared on Savior: A Modern Oratorio.
Lynda Randle, American gospel singer, sister of Michael Tait, currently with the Newsboys and formerly with DC Talk. Fav songs: "God on the mountain," "One day," "I'm free," "Jesus got a hold of my life."
Andrae Crouch, American gospel singer and songwriter. Fav songs: "The blood will never lose its power," "My tribute [To God be the glory]," "I'm gonna keep on singing."

EDIT: Nicole C. Mullen, American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter! I'm listening to "My Redeemer Lives" right now on YouTube. Other fav song: "Call on Jesus."

Here's some more!

Donnie McClurkin, American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor. Fav songs: "Stand," "We fall down"
Sister Mary [not Catholic], a friend from Trinidad and Tobago who sings at our Wednesday night meetings
Smokie Norful, American gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor. Fav songs: "I need you now," "I understand."
Michael Steele, American politician, current RNC chair, former lieutenant governor of Maryland
LeVar Burton, American actor, director, author. I loved Reading Rainbow as a child!
James Earl Jones, American actor

Paul Rusesabagina, for his help to people during the horrible times of slaughter in Rwanda. By the way, Don Cheadle, my favorite black actor, performed his role wonderfully in Hotel Rwanda, a film that is very heavy, but worth watching.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread!

Mods: I guess you can lock it now. It isn't February anymore.

And thanks for bringing this subject to the fore, 220CT.