Up a Lazy River | 28 Days of Black 28/28 | Count Basie
Count Basie was a legendary jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer known for his signature swing sound. He helped establish jazz as a serious art form and lead the Count Basie Orshestra for over 50 years.
The Marching Storm | 28 Days of Black 27/28
The Marching Storm is a thunderous marching band from Prairie View A&M University, an HBCU. They are known worldwide for their showmanship, halftime performances, and their Drumline cadences, formerly known as the B.O.X. They’ve performed at Super Bowl halftime shows and Battle of the Bands all around the country. Halttime is game time for The Marching Storm.
Organic Planet🍊 | 28 Days of Black 25/28 | Larry June
Larry June is an entrepreneur and musician that often speaks about business, staying healthy, and staying motivated. He’s put together a body of work revolving around being Organic and Authentic. Aye aye aye aye. You’re doing good. Good job Larry.
I first heard Larry on Pay Scale with Curren$y (Fire in the Clouds), then Out the Truck. It’s been history ever since.
Overqualified | 28 Days of Black 21/28 | Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Ketanji Brown Jackson is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was raised in Miami, Florida and earned both her BA and JD at Harvard University. Her resume is filled with accolades and accomplishments from Clerkships to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Through it all, she's an advocate of those that are the most vulnerable among us. Her undergrad senior thesis was titled "The Hand of Oppression: Plea Bargaining Processes and the Coercion of Criminal Defendants."
"It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we've made it." - Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Crooked Halo | 28 Days of Black 18/28 | Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor was a standup comedian and actor that pushed the boundaries of comedy making the stage a place to dive into the taboo. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time for his ability to tell stories among all audiences.
Bases Loaded | 28 Days of Black 17/28 | Willie Mays
Mays was a legendary professional baseball player that broke barriers in the MLB amidst racial tension within the US. His success and perseverance helped open the door for professional athletes across generations.
“Necessities” | 28 Days of Black 2/16 | Dr. Huey P. Newton
“Necessities” | 28 Days of Black 2/16 | Dr. Huey P. Newton co-founded The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966. Their goal was to serve the minds, bodies, and soul’s of the Black community, providing nutrition to children in food deserts, historical and political education, and self-defense against police brutality. Newton was their chief theoretician and “Minister of Defense.” He heavily influenced The BPP’s 10 Point Program, and actually taught himself to read using Plato’s Republic. J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, said that the party was “the most dangerous threat to the internal security of the country.” He directed the power of the US government, via Cointelpro, to weaken, discredit, infiltrate, and destroy the organization “by any means necessary.”
I urge everyone to research and learn more about Newton.
Houston Reign | 28 Days of Black 11/28 | The Comets
Back 2 Back, Back 2 Back like the Comets! The Comets did what no other team has ever done - 4 consecutive championships from 1997-2000. Led by three WNBA legends, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, they just dominated. I’m glad to see a resurgence of excitement for the W. Now pay these women!!
Food for The People | 28 Days of Black 10/28 | Mickey Leland
Congressman Mickey Leland fought to empower people economically and feed anyone who was hungry. He served in the House of Representatives from 1979-1989 representing the Houston areas’s 18th Congressional District. He championed legislation to address food, economic, and medical insecurity among all disadvantaged people. He helped establish the House Select Committee on Hunger to secure funds to address hunger domestically and aboard. The Committee’s mandate was to “conduct a continuing, comprehensive study and review of the problems of hunger and malnutrition.”
His efforts helped save thousands of lives here in the US and internationally in times of famine in Ethiopia and Sudan throughout the ‘80s. He tragically died in plane a crash in 1989 during a mission trip to Ethiopia.
sunsets on slauson | 28 Days of Black 5/28 | Nipsey Hussle
Nipsep Hussle was an innovative entrepreneur, a poet, motivational speaker, and a father among many other labels. He believed he could do the most good by continuing to impact the neighborhood he grew up in and leading by example.
“We have to reassess how we react to being disrespected”
- Nip
- Nip
Controlling Traffic 🚦| 28 Days of Black 4/28 | Garrett A. Morgan
Garrett A. Morgan was an inventor and activist that held the original patent for the Traffic Signal (Sold to GE for a mere $40k). He also invented The Smoke Hood, a device that helped firefighters and factory workers in rescue and dangerous repair situations. In addition, he helped start the Cleveland Association of Colored Men.
