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CONTENTS
features Pg 5
The Chicago Defender
Pg 9
Historic Black Couples
Pg 15 The Black Panthers: Feeding the Children First Pg 19 The Influence of The Nation of Islam for the Advancement of Black People Pg 22 A True Star Never Fades: Josephine Baker Story Pg 26 What About The Image of The Black Man Pg 27 COVER STORY Black Voices To Remember
FROM THE EDITOR This month we honor a rich history, that’s rooted from the origins of time. It’s a history that is shaped by people of many shades, combined into one race, with multiple blood lines. These people have “derived and conquered” the four corners of the earth! They are everywhere! They are black people. This month we shall take attention to their great achievements, specifically in America.
Political representatives in the past did not protect the rights of blacks in America (i.e. Jim Crow), which therefore started an up-roar of movements in America. These movements created a base for blacks in the United States to have a voice as it related to the economic, social, educational and political future of the people as a whole.
According to Dr. Huey P. Newton (who was one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party), 50 million blacks were killed as a result of racism in America (this statement was made in an interview while Newton was in jail). This mass extermination of blacks makes the suffrage of black Americans one of the greatest genocides in history. This is what black leaders fought so passionately for. This gave black leaders a purpose greater than themselves. It was a matter of freedom.
From the Atlantic Slave Trade, to the Emancipation Proclamation, down to Reconstruction, following the Great Migration, sequenced by the Civil Rights Movement; this month we honor the efforts of those who shed their blood, loss their freedom and boldly battled the good fight for blacks to enjoy a free life in America. Now, it’s our turn, the generation of today, to continue to fight the good fight for our children. We can use our voices and gifts to revolutionize our world! Now, let’s write the plan, make it clear and get motivated!
Journalistically yours,
Chief Editor Cryss Walker Managing Editor Britney Embry Photography Michael Vandiver Contributing Writers Antoine Moore Bria Brown Ryan Whaley Eric Thompson Leslie Fields Mohammed Luwemba Art Director Tyrone Owens, Jr. Sales Inquiries topflightmag@gmail.com 248-783-6037
Cryss Walker Chief Editor @iamtopflight topflightmag@gmail.com
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The Chicago Defender: The Beginning of Black Media Reporting On Race Riots, Lynchings and The Great Migration By Antoine Moore
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obert S. Abbott founded The Chicago Defender on May 5, 1905. Abbott worked as a printer and schoolteacher before attending law school. Unable to find work once completing law school he created The Defender. The publication was the nation’s most influential black weekly newspaper by World War I, based outside of Chicago. Abbott started this newspaper out of his landlord’s kitchen (where his first issue was produced). The Defender was used to educate and inspire African Americans to migrate to the northern parts of America. With the help of The Defender, between 1915- 1925, one and a half million southern African Americans migrated to the North. Abbott started with an investment of 25 cents, producing 300 copies. According to the Encyclopedia of African American Society, in 1910 Abbott hired his first full time employee by the name of J Hockley Smiley, who helped the paper attract a national audience. Being a northern paper, The Defender had more freedom to speak on the racial inequalities and voice their opinions. Graphic images and red ink were used to capture the reader’s attention to convey the horrid attacks on African Americans. The Defender didn’t use the word “negro” or “black”, but instead referred to African Americans as “The Race”.
was circulated person to person and read aloud in both barbershops and churches”. The Chicago Defender’s local circulation soon passed the three rival papers in Chicago at the time: The Board AX, The Illinois Idea and The Conservator. The Chicago Defender was the first black newspaper to have circulation over 100, 000; the first to have a health column and also the first to have a full page of comic strips. A variety of well-respected black writers wrote for The Defender, including Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes. In the 1920s The Defender added a page solely for children called “Bud Billiken Page” which led to the Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic. The newspaper came from starting in a kitchen to impacting African Americans across the nation. During World War I the pamphlet pushed it’s most aggressive and influential campaign in support of “The Great Migration” movement. History. com says The Great Migration was “the relocation of more than six million African Americans from the rural south to the cities of the North, Midwest and West from 1916 to 1970, had a huge impact on urban life in the United States.” The Defender raised caution to those remaining in the south. Job listings and train schedules were posted to aid in the relocation. It is said to believe at least 110,000 people relocated to Chicago between the years of 19161918, almost tripling the black population. World War 1 wasn’t the only time Abbot supported a movement, in 1919 the newspaper provided coverage of the Red Summer Riots of 1919, which was a series of race riots in cities across the country. The Defenders fought for antilynching legislation and for integrated sports.
The Defender was read heavily throughout in the south but not everyone supported it. The paper had to be smuggled into the south because white distributors refused to circulate it, and groups such as the “KKK” tried to seize issues and even threaten its readers. Abbott would not let the Klu Klux Klan and other hate groups stop his distribution using entertainers and African American railroad porters to spread the issues. Having the newspaper accessible urged southern blacks to Mr. Abbott died February 24, 1940 where he left nephew migrate north and informed them of job opportunities, John H. Sengstacke editorial control, which he served giving the race hope. PBS reported that, “The Defender 6
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until his death in May 1997. Before passing away, On February 6, 1956, The Defender became The Chicago Daily Defender, the largest black-owned daily in the world. Also in 1965 Sengstacke purchased The Pittsburgh Courier, including it in his “Sengstacke Newspaper� chain, along with well know papers as The Michigan Chronicle in Detroit, and The Tri-State Defender in Memphis. The earlier mentioned Billiken Parade is still held in Chicago on the second Saturday of every August and aired on live television. The Chicago Defender is still published daily and is now powered by Real Times Media.
Sources: Darity, J, W. (2008). International encyclopedia of the social sciences. (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 501-502). M E Sharpe, M, E. (1998) The Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America (Volume 1, p. 167) Jaynes, D, G. (2005) Encyclopedia of African American Society, (1st ed., Vol 1 pg 176-177) PBS.com History.com
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Motivational Song of The Month: Scarface featuring Tupac “Smile” (1997)
Here’s a message to the newborns Waitin’ to breathe If you BELIEVE then you can ACHIEVE Just look at me
Historic Black Couples ♼ Researched By: Bria Brown
Barack & Michelle Obama Barack and Michelle Obama married at Trinity United Church in Chicago on October 3, 1992.
Historic Black Couples ♼
Martin Luther King, Jr. & Coretta Scott King They were married on June 18, 1953 on Coretta’s parents lawn in Marion, Alabama.
Historic Black Couples ♼
Malcolm x & Betty Shabazz They were married by a justice of the peace in Lansing Mi on January 14, 1958.
Historic Black Couples ♼
Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee Ossie and Ruby were married in Jersey City, New Jersey on December 9, 1948 by a Baptist preacher.
Historic Black Couples ♼
Bill & Camille Cosby Bill and Camille were married on January 25, 1964.
Motivational Song of The Month: Scarface featuring Tupac “Smile” (1997)
To all the seeds that follow me PROTECT your essence Born with less, but you still PRECIOUS!
The Black Panthers: Feeding the Children First The Premiere National Free Breakfast Program By: Ryan Whaley
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ow-fat milk, orange juice, banana muffin, and a fruit cup; chances are if you’ve attended a public school in the last 40 years you’ve been offered this meal for breakfast; more than likely for free or reducedpriced if you have attended a school in an urban community. While free breakfast is now federally regulated through the School Breakfast Program (SBP), the program has a beginning less shared; more secret, and more relevant for the Black community’s history. This month, as America celebrates Black History, let’s then celebrate the history that is not well known; the history that America has tried to erase, the history of the Black Panther survival programs.
History of the Black Panthers Movement October 15, 1966 Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panthers Party in Oakland, California. The original vision of the party was to serve the needs of the oppressed people in the African American communities and defend them against their oppressors (The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, 2014). The party created a ten point platform detailing what the people wanted:
9. We want freedom for all black and oppressed people now held in U.S. federal, state, county, city and military prisons and jail. We want trials by a jury of peers for all persons charged with so-called crimes under the laws of this country. 10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and people’s community control of modern technology (The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, 2014) Contrary to the popular portrayal of “the greatest threat to the internal security of the U.S.”, as J. Edgar Hoover called the party, the Black Panthers Party was intended to protect and defend the rights of oppressed people.
The Story Untold
For over a decade the Black Panthers Party created 65 “survival pending revolution” programs, one of the first being the Free Breakfast for Children Program in January of 1969. The program started at St. Augustine’s Church in Oakland and was the first nationally organized breakfast program in the United States 1. We want freedom. We want power to determine (Mascarenhas-Swan, 2012). By the end of the first year, the Panthers set up kitchens across the nation, feeding the destiny of our black and oppressed communities. over 10,000 children every day before school (Baggins, 2. We want full employment for our people. 2012). This not only terrified the U.S. government but “pressed and shamed them into adopting a similar pro3. We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists gram for public schools across the country” (The Dr. of our black and oppressed communities. Huey P. Newton Foundation, 2014) which it did in 1975 when the School Breakfast Program received perma4. We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of nent authorization. human beings. After the FBI denounced the party and its “communist” agenda they waged a campaign to eliminate the Black Panther Party altogether. The media created an image that the Black Panthers were a “black mafia”; whites and blacks (where the party was not known) widely accept6. We want completely free health care for all black ed this portrayal. By the end of the 70’s after countless murders, torment, and infiltration the Black Panthers and oppressed people. Movement came to a slow demise. 7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people, other people of color; all Where to go from here oppressed people inside the United States. 5. We want decent education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.
8. sion.
We want an immediate end to all wars of aggres-
The Black Panthers do not deny defending themselves and oppressed people. One aspect of the Black Panthers 16 iamtopflight.com
Movement to consider this Black History Month (and every other month for that matter) is a community obligation. The organization felt it had an obligation to protect its people, to provide for its people, and to promote its people. Through the organization people were able to feed their families, to provide for their families, to come together and unite for a common cause, and much more; all things that which this generation can benefit from today. References Baggins, B. (2012). History of the Black Panther Party. Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/ workers/black-panthers/ Mascarenhas-Swan, M. (2012). Honoring the 44th Anniversary of the Black Panther’s Free Breakfast Program . Retrieved from http://www.organizingupgrade. com/index.php/modules-menu/community-organizing/item/942-honoring-the-44th-anniversary-of-theblack-panthers-free-breakfast-program The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation . (2014). Legacy . Retrieved from http://www.blackpanther.org/Legacy9. html The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. (2014). Ten Point . Retrieved from http://blackpanther.org/TenPoint.html The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. (2014). Vision . Retrieved from http://blackpanther.org/Vision.html
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Motivational Song of The Month: Scarface featuring Tupac “Smile” (1997)
I often WISH that I could SAVE everyone But I’m A DREAMER…
The Influence of The Nation of Islam for the Advancement of Black People By: Eric Thompson
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ccording to the C. Eric Lincoln, author of The Black Muslims In America, During the Great Depression, starving, overcrowded blacks living in the slums of Detroit (and other northern cities) became bitter towards oppressors who seemed to have control of their lives. Blacks had no control over the schools, government and practice of religion. Christianity was deemed to be a religion that was passed down to blacks during slavery by slave masters. In the early 1930’s Wallace Fard founded the Nation of Islam. It began in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Fard said that the Nation of Islam was closer to African roots and identity. The whole point of the movement was to make African
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Americans more self- reliant. Followers of Fard became known as the Black Muslims. Fard set out to improve the spiritual, mental, social and economic condition of black men and women in America. From 1934 to 1975 the Nation of Islam was led by Elijah Muhammad, who established businesses, large real estate holdings, armed forces and schools. Muhammad University of Islam was created with the need to revive, reform and redeem those who had suffered from the miss-education of and hostility toward blacks in the public school system. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad founded the University of Islam because he knew
that only a universal education rooted in freedom, jus- couraged. The Muslims were directed by the Honorable tice and equality could reverse the problems and chal- Elijah Muhammad on diet, which strongly consisted of lenges in the American educational system. fruits and vegetables. Since the beginning of the Black Muslim movement these institutions have existed. Muhammad University of Islam is a private institution of learning, servicing kindergarten through 12th grade students. The schools receive no government funding efforts. There is Muhammad University Institute in Detroit, San Francisco, St. Louis, Baton Rouge New York, and the United Kingdom. Fard created Muslim Girls Training Class, which taught young Muslim women the principles of home economics and how to be a proper wife and mother, (www.muichicago.org). Not only did the Nation of Islam cultivate schools for blacks, but it also had its own source for news. Founded in the 1930’s as the Final Call to Islam, the newspaper evolved into Muhammad Speaks in the 1960’s and boasted a circulation of 900,000 a week, with monthly circulation of 2.5 million. The Final Call couldn’t be bought in stores. The papers were sold on corners and in major black communities. Being separate from major newspapers was a form of self-reliance. It was one of the many ways that the Nation of Islam influenced the advancement of the black agenda. By creating an entire school system, the Black Muslims created a blueprint for the world to follow. The Final Call newspapers were another way for the Nation of Islam to show blacks that it was indeed possible to be separate from a the oppressors of society.
Another program created by the Nation of Islam was the Fruit of Islam, which was the Black Muslims’ military division. Their duty was to protect members of the Nation of Islam. They were an elite force among black men. The Fruit of Islam were taught to fight, not only with their fists but also for the liberation of black men and women, (www.noibaltimore.org/foi.shtml). The Nation of Islam’s origin is a story of a powerful organization that has transformed the lives of millions of individuals. The Nation of Islam helped ex-convicts transition from life in prison. They have very strong presence and following in prisons. Their influence spread not only in the United States, but in countries abroad. The Nation has had an enormous impact on black culture in America. They developed addiction recovery programs for drug addicts and alcoholics. They even watched the recovering addict around the clock to make sure they didn’t relapse. Many books have been produced by the leaders of the Black Muslims as well. The Nation of Islam has showed blacks that even in the United States the black race can unite and organize.
The Black Muslims taught the community that their resources were effective. They were disciplined with their finances, even though most of them were from lower income families. With the idea tyrants against the advancement of blacks having dominance over them economically was just like slavery, Black Muslims used collectiveness and unity financially to become free. The Nation of Islam stressed economic security from the first days of the movement. Muslims were encouraged not to waste their money and to live in their means. Black businesses and industries were established. Jobs were available and capitol was ready for black workers and entrepreneurs. They owned farms, barbershops, clothing stores and other businesses. They had department stores, grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants. Liquor, tobacco and the consumption of swine flesh was dis20 iamtopflight.com
Motivational Song of The Month: Scarface featuring Tupac “Smile” (1997)
And after all my momma’s thankin’ God for Blessin’ the child All my momma gots to do now is Collect it and smile
A True Star Never Fades By: Leslie Fields
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t has been said that self motivation is a great character trait but it’s also profound when another supplies the ability to stimulate others as well. Josephine Baker was an example of that. Many entertainers today enjoy the leisure derived from the obstacles Baker overcame. “She was the Beyoncé of that era”, says Tim Peeples, a photographer and student at Wayne State University. From her childhood and throughout Baker’s life she was faced with many trials; trials that would scare the weak but Baker remained resilient.
get a job as a live-in domestic for white families to help support hers. Even at such a tender stage, Baker had a sense of determination to go out and self-motivate. When Baker was a live-in domestic she was abused by the woman she worked forin one instance, her hands were burned because she did not complete the laundry properly. At 13, Baker ran away from home and lived on the streets while working as a waitress.
Despite Baker’s gloomy circumstance she still pushed through it all so she could pursue what she loved, dancing. During her homeDr. Pitts, a professor in less state, she started her African American studies career as a street performer. at Wayne State University By street performing and stated, “I admire Josephine constantly working on her Baker for her courage and craft, Baker unknowingly her determination to sucopened doors for herself. ceed in such a hostile enviSoon Baker performed ronment. It must have been with the Vaudeville Circuit, terrifying for her, at such a as well as ‘Shuffle Along’, young age, to have to fend and also took part in the for her-self against so many unscrupulous people. No ‘Chocolate Dandies.’ By 1925 she was afforded the opchild should have to live that way.” portunity to move to Paris, France and became the first black female international superstar. During that time, Josephine Baker was the highest-paid performer. Baker Born Freda Josephine Baker in 1906, her parents Carrie never gave up on herself regardless of what she faced and Eddie McDonald were both musicians who had a and by doing so generations after her found inspiration song and dance act. Because of this, Baker was intro- from her story. duced to music at an early age. Her journey to fame would be a difficult one- hailing from a poverty stricken environment in St. Louis, Missouri. At the age of eight Cydara Elise (who has been dancing since the age of her father left the home and Baker soon was forced to three) is now a singer and dancer and says she draws 23 iamtopflight.com
inspiration from Josephine Baker. Elise stated, “She paved the way for African American women to be able to express ourselves through dance to the masses of the world without it being a “color” thing… she was a part of a revolution.” Baker’s beauty is just as timeless as her dance moves. While in Paris, Baker made a substantial name for her-self. She performed in showgirl themed costumes, but her most infamous was the sequence banana skirt in her starring role at the famous Folies Bergere in a performance called, La Folie Du Jour. She danced her way into the heart of millions and was admired in Europe because of her dancing style and costumes. Her shows were wildly popular at the time with guests such as Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway. She was affectionately called “Black Venus” and “Black Pearl.” Unfortunately, when she came to New York City in the 1936, she was met with racism and refused to perform in any club that was segregated. She soon broke her contract and returned back to Paris.
In present time many can draw inspiration from her experiences; from her ability to rise out the slums of St. Louis with nothing but a dream. She never gave up. Baker ceased to stop even when she didn’t know where the journey would take her. Josephine Baker was a woman who was determined to persevere through failure. She pushed, pursued, and proceeded throughout life as if she had already won, before the prize was even presented! Baker lived out her golden years helping people and dancing. Her last performance was in Paris. She died on April 12, 1975 in her sleep of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 69. Josephine Baker once stated, “I’m not intimidated by anyone. Everyone is made with two arms, two legs, a stomach, and a head. Just think about it.” ♥
While in France she joined the French Air Force and worked with the Red Cross. She performed for the French and the Belgian troops during World War II. Baker would gather intelligence for the French Resistance and entertained troops in Africa and the Middle East. “She is a great example of the “double-consciousness” that many African-Americans expatriates to France may have felt during the post-WWI years; that feeling of always looking for a place to call home where they could be accepted as full human beings and not a “problem” or an “exotic spectacle,” stated Dr. Pitts. Many people today still admire “The Black Pearl”. “Her work ethic from singing, acting, dancing, jazz… she was multi-talented; [with] a career and activism,” stated Tim Peeples, and he reiterates, “especially today we don’t see people who rise to that stardom and at the same time she was into politics and helping the community.” During the 1950s Baker frequently returned to the United States to help support the Civil Rights Movement by participating in boycotting segregated clubs and concert venues.
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Motivational Song of The Month: Scarface featuring Tupac “Smile” (1997)
What you looking all sad for? You… BLACK! smile for me now…
What About the Image of the Black Man? By Mohammed Luwemba
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hen the words “Black male” comes to mind, what are some of the connotations that are most commonly associated with the term? For some it is strong, intelligent, leader, and original man. Unfortunately, many times these positive views are replaced with characteristics such as thug, pimp, gangster, thief, violent, and down-low male. Some believe that there has been and still is a systematic plan (by unknown parties who control the media) to portray brothers in a negative light. In the dawn of the media age, specifically television, Black men (and women) were portrayed as monolithic, either sexual or oversexed individuals with a simplistic child-like mentalities. However, these images were not created to make Black people believe this false portrayal. Instead, it was created to persuade other races into believing that the American Black male was an innate buffoon, and therefore worthy of being the “designated second class citizen” in the United States. Today the plot has grown more sinister. The agenda of portraying Black men in a negative light throughout the media, specifically in the areas of music and television, are not only to make other racial groups think the perception is an accurate depiction of Black men, but also to make our youth and young adults think these negative images are something to strive for. Unfortunately, it is made to look appealing and “cool” to be a drug dealer, pimp, gang banger and etc. The sad part is we are buying into the bull. Can you, the reader, imagine Jews wearing shirts with Hitler’s picture on it, or referencing him in a heroic light and implying that other Jews sold them out during the holocaust? Can you, the reader, imagine the Chinese embracing and making songs of homage to imperial Japan’s leaders? The answer is no! Why? Well, simply because of the hell they were put through by their oppressors and the fact that these group’s actions were utterly counter to their (the Jewish and Chinese) positive development as a people.
Many Black entertainers are embracing and idolizing individuals and groups who have done nothing but brought death and disorder to our community. For example, the “Bloods” is most commonly known as a gang that has murdered thousands of other Black men over
colors. Why would we embrace people who are representing those who are aiding in the mass murder and incarceration of our youth, as some rappers today are doing? In reference to stage names such as Rick Ross, why would a Black man name himself after someone who abetted in the second genocide of our people (which was the influx of crack cocaine into the Black community)? The bigger question is why are we embracing traitors? There is an old saying which states “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. If that is the case, the friends of our enemies are our enemies. Our enemies are people who poison our community with hard drugs, such as crack and heroin and our enemies are groups who are organized for the sole destruction of our people. Therefore, these entertainers that our youth are embracing are our enemies and should be treated as such.
“Black men and women, we need to do a total re-evaluation of our agenda as a people. It is only at that point can we begin to decipher those who are aiding our progress and those who are aiding our decline.” The first step is reclaiming the image of the Black male, which has been hi-jacked by the likes of the aforementioned. The reason we accept this is because what a Black man is has been re-defined by those who do not have our best interest in mind, and many of our youth thoroughly believe that definition. That definition is not accurate. The solution is to snatch the credibility we give to those who get paid to misrepresent the image Black males. If these views are adopted on a mass scale, it would lead to an early death or mass incarceration of our youth, which we have seen for far too long.
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BLACK VOICES TO REMEMBER By: Leslie Fields
Black History Month is the time where we as Americans, all races, remember the African American men and women who had given up on fitting in and broke barriers and stereotypes to allow generations after to have a voice, to have freedom and to have a life that everyone deserves. Here are a few amazing people who did just that, people who had dreams of a better life:
Nikki Giovanni, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is
well known as a distinguished writer, post, activist, and educator. She is one of the most celebrated living poets. Giovanni first caught the public’s eye when she was a part of the Black Arts Movement in the late 1960s. Nikki Giovanni has been named woman of the year in several publications, Essence, Ebony, Mademoiselle, and Ladies Home Journal are just a few. Not only has she been featured in magazines, she has also written more than two dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated children books, and three collection of essays. The most controversial one named, ‘Racism 101’ is about race in America but from different viewpoints. Nikki Giovanni is a lung cancer survivor and despite it all, she continues to educate people of every generation through her work and lectures.
Ida B. Wells was born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi
on July 16, 1862. At an early age Wells knew what discrimination was but that never stopped her from pursuing a life as an activist and writer. Ida B. Wells was passionate about many things and was involved with the Women’s Suffrage Movement. She was a journalist, newspaper editor, and sociologist. During a time where blacks were treated poorly, Wells used writing as a means to express herself and motivate her culture. She documented lynchings in the United States and how it is used as a scare tactic for African Americans who competed with whites. She documented the on going issue in her newspaper ‘Freedom Speech and Headlight.’ In her article she was telling blacks to leave Memphis, and they did, 6,000 people left and some stayed to boycott. Instead of violence, Ida B. Wells fought with her intelligence. Wells understood early on the power of words. She died March 25, 1931 at the age of 68.
Stockely Carmichael was born June 29, 1941 in the
Port of Spain, Trinidad and moved to the U.S at the age of 11. Carmichael graduated from Howard University and soon became a part of the Freedom Riders, Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Panther Party and coined the term, “Black Power”. Carmichael was also involved with the Student Nonviolent Committee in 1966 and became the honors prime minister of the Black Panther Party. He then moved to West Africa rediscovering his roots and changed his name to, Kwame Ture. In West Africa he tracked with Africans People Revolutionary Party. He died in Conakry, Guinea in 1998 at the age of 57 due to prostate cancer.
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Huey Newton, was born February 17, 1942, in Monroe,
Louisiana. Newton is well known for being the co-founder of the Black Panthers that was created in 1966. Although many may know him for being with the Black Panthers he also had his Ph.D. in Social Science. The Black Panther Party was all about reviving the black community by getting better schools, better jobs, and better housing for the black community. Newton saw how some young black kids were getting lost in the streets and dying so he would offer a different route for them by offering different programs geared toward education and learning self restraint. Despite all the good jealousy soon killed him. Tyrone Robinson (who was a part of the Black Guerrilla Family and an old member of the Black Panther Party) shot Newton in the face two times. He died 1989. Before Newton was tragically shot, he told his killer, “you can kill my body, and you can take my life but you can never kill my soul. My soul will live on forever.�
Angela Davis was born January 26, 1944 in Bir-
mingham, Alabama. Davis has three degrees, a B.A from Humboldt University, a M.A from UC San Diego, and a Ph.D. from Humboldt University. Davis is infamous for her close relations with the Black Panther Party and her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. Davis true passion was the jail system and the issues within the system. Not only has she dedicated her life to abolishing the prison industrial complex through her lectures, poems, and writings in the U.S but she has also written several books, and teaches at various universities still today. Davis is an example again of an African American who finds their niche in life and continues to inspire generations today.
All of these men and women have so many things in common. The commonality is the importance of educating yourself and having a goal and achieving it. These men and women devoted their lives to helping others in need and fighting ignorance. They are a true inspiration indeed.
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Motivational Song of The Month: Scarface featuring Tupac “Smile” (1997)
May the PRAYERS that our families made shine up on your soul to keep you safe
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