African-Americans have had a large part in making valuable contributions to the areas of fine arts and entertainment in our country. Some of the best writers, musicians, actors and performers emerged from their culture to express themselves in a world that has sometimes ignored, belittled or discriminated against them. Many were “pioneers”, of a sort, ...
There were numerous examples of racism and racial stereotyping in the “Our Gang/Little Rascals” comedy shorts that were in production from 1922 thru 1944. However, people, events and shows must be viewed in the context of their times. We can’t take historical figures, events and artistic productions and plop them in the present, to ...
The first Academy Awards ceremony took place in 1929. Each year, outstanding film performances are awarded to those actors and actresses who voters feel did the best job and they are presented with a gold-plated statuette and an eternal place in movie history. Despite a number of gifted African-Americans who played stellar roles, however, few ...
Mention America’s “Heartland,” and most of us think of Kansas right away. The state actually traces its name to the Kansa Indians, known as “people of the wind.” The land was first settled by Europeans in the 1830s. After a tug of war over whether the territory would enter the Union as a free or ...