Morphological Confetti

...a little mood music from Ms. Abbey.

Last evening, I had the pleasure of going to see SELMA at the theater . The films is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by the Rev., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Bevel (played by Common), Hosea Williams, and John Lewis of SNCC. I thought that it was, overall, a good film. Historically, it seemed accurate and honest in its content - more than I've seen in previous films. It was as expected, I thought. I also felt that David Oyelowo did an excellent job portraying the slain Civil Rights leader. Specifically, It tells the story of that very important and pivotal day in Civil Rights history. The film also addresses some important relationships in Dr. King's life such as the relationship with his wife, Coretta Scott King. It was not depicted, as in other films, as a smooth and always loving relationship. It explored the difficult times as well. Also, it dabbled in the relationship between King and President Lyndon Johnson as well as The Stud...

By Deltonia N. Shropshire Washington (MC) --  The Smithsonian erected a wall of historic photos as an announcement for the forthcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture (2015).  The iconic image of young Jacquelyn Bond is among those located at 14 th and R St. NW.  Here she is flanked by Goldie Frinks, aide to Dr. Martin Luther King. In honor of Black History Month, there are those within Montgomery County Public Schools that made a difference in the lives of those once considered inferior, well before Affirmative Action was even considered. Generations of willful women compounded within the heart, mind and spirit of one.  Her name is Jacquelyn Ann Bond-Shropshire, MA., MBA..   She was an adept business teacher within Montgomery County Public Schools for thirty eight years.  However, prior to her role as an educator, she was called to serve as a freedom fighter within her community in North Carolina, where by most...

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Willie Louis, the w itness  to Emmett Till lynching dies in Illinois Photo source: wisconsinhistory.org

On April 16, 1963 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr  wrote a letter to the clergy of Birmingham, Alabama. He wrote this letter from the Birmingham Jail where he was held for 11 days.  Dr. King had been arrested 30 times prior to his death on April 4, 1968.

Source:   Heidi Creed 

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think."   ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

This song came to mind after I felt the earth shake here in Maryland today. Either way, it's going to be alright. By the way, this is a church in Williamston, N.C., which is located in Eastern Carolina. Enjoy. Peace~

Over the past week, one cannot look at the news media without hearing something about the riots in London.  It's only a matter of time before the people will become frustrated after being mistreated for so long.  No, I don't live in London, but I believe the testimonies of the blacks who live there.  As a conscious African American [absent the bitterness], it sounds all too familiar.  It seems that there needs to be only three elements in place for a riot to ensue:  law enforcement, the disenfranchised of the population, and a crowd.  I'll repeat -- there are three elements -- It's law enforcement [gunpowder], disenfranchised  [fuse], and the crowd [fire].  There are, of course, preconditions that create these bombs that only await the fire.  On August 11, 1965 the elements were in place and fuse was lit! In the 1965 Watts Riots, the disenfranchised man's name was Mr. Marquette Frye.  He was 21 years old, a l...

 I find this photo interesting.  I was wondering why there was 7UP on the "Colored" side and Coca Cola on the "White" side.  Did African Americans have a choice?  I mean, was there a vote whether African Americans favored 7UP during Jim Crow, or maybe Whites prefered Coca Cola?   Well, it's probably nothing, but it just makes me think.  In fact, the whole separte but (un) equal Jim Crow laws of that time occasionally causes me to go into deep thought.   Baffling? I mean, people were just washing clothes.  Peace~ Photo:   1965 Laundromat in Edenton NC Source:   North Carolina State Archives and The North Carolina Historical Review/Vol LXXVI/Number 1

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s march in Chicago was met with fierce opposition and violence.  Northern cities like Chicago had shown its true colors long before Dr. King arrived, but he would get to experience it first hand.  On Friday, August 5, 1966, Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy and others arrived in Chicago to protest housing discrimination in that city. Reverend Abernathy later reported that they received a worse reception than they had in the South. Their marches, especially the one through Marquette Park, were met by angry, screaming mobs of men and women who were throwing stones and bottles, while shouting curses and racial slurs. Read more…

On June 30, 1974 Mrs. Alberta Williams King, mother of slain Civil Rights leader and activist, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot and killed during a Sunday morning church service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga. Mother King was at the organ playing “The Lord’s Prayer” when the shooting occurred. Deacon, Edward Boykin, was also killed in this violent attack. The assailant, Marcus Wayne Chennault Jr., an African American from Dayton, Ohio, was later convicted and sentenced to death. That sentence was upheld for many years and later changed to life in prison at a state prison in Jackson, Georgia. On August 3, 1995, only two months after his sentence was changed to a life sentence, Chennault suffered a stroke, never regained consciousness and died. He was 44.  Although Mother King's death is rarely mentioned or remembered in the media, she must be remembered as not only a mother of one of the greatest leaders in the 20th Centurty, but for her supporting ...

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) M - Montgomery A - Arrested R - Resisted T - Transformed I - Insisted N - Nonviolence

On this day, June 2, 1899, Black Americans observed a day of fasting.  This day of fasting and prayer was called by the National Afro-American Council in protest of the lynching and racial massacres occurring in the United States.  Unfortunately, these lynchings carried on through the 20th Century, and there are still reports of hate crimes in this 21st century.  Music/spoken word on subject:    Strange Fruit  by Billie Holiday, and Black Baby Tears by Stephen Earley Jordan. Book on subject:   Strange Fruit: Plays on Lynching by American Women , and Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II Info source:   blackfacts.com Photo source:  latina.com

I have great news for Morphological Confetti!  It was chosen by onlinedegree.net as one of the 20 best sites to learn about African American History.  I have so much passion for the history of Africans in America, so this is quite an honor. To God be the glory.  Peace~ Photo source:   bowdoin.edu Pictured above: Romare Bearden, American, 1911-1988, Heavy Freight ( from the 12 Trains Suite ), 1974, photo etching with hand coloring, Art © Romare Bearden Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

On May 4, 1961 thirteen Freedom Riders began bus trip through the South to confront the injustices of Jim Crow and racism.  It turned out to be a trip they would never forget. Do you want to ride or die?  Is it worth the trip?  Can they be that bad?  Those are the questions I imagine they asked on that spring day in 1961.  Yes, they saw the news reports, and heard testimonies in the training sessions that would prepare them for this trip south.  However, there is no experience like experiencing it for yourself: Photo Sources:   NY Times, black past.org, and southern spaces.org