Connect with us

Black History

A Bronze Statue at the Lynching Memorial Allows A Daughter One Last Embrace

Published

on

The campus of the Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, known also as the “Lynching Memorial” features a series of very moving statues. There are sculptural tributes to the enslaved, bound by chains, their faces etched with pain. And, then there is the collection of bronze statues dedicated to the women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott which is often considered the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. For Gloria Lusear, the women immortalized in bronze hold a special meaning.

“The artist is my first cousin,” says Lusear. “My mom was not a part of the Montgomery bus boycott, but Dana took her artist prerogative, using the images of my mom and great-grandmother. The objective is to depict strong, determined, educated women who persevered through that era and survived.”

Lusear’s cousin, Dana King, is a former Emmy award-winning news anchor, who began her art career as a sculptor after she retired from television news.King told KQED, a San Francisco area television station, that she referenced her family history for the work which had been commissioned by Bryan Stephenson, the Civil Rights attorney and founder of the Memorial for Justice and Peace. She mentioned her aunt, who was Lusear’s mother.

“My family lived in Forrest City during the Civil Rights era,” Lusear explains. “My mother was a teacher and an elementary school principal. Dad was an extension agent. Both were highly respected civic and community leaders…I remember that dead animals were left on the yard, a cross was burned and other threats that were made.”

At the Memorial which opened last spring, hundreds of steel plates hang from the museum ceiling in a display that contextualizes the horrific fate of the thousands of African American men and women lynched. Names, dates, and places have been engraved along with the reasons for the hanging. Many of those killed lost their lives for daring to request recognition of their inherent human dignity.

For the daughter of one of the women who nurtured dreams and dignity through education in a Jim Crow South, the Memorial gifts Lusear with an opportunity to reconnect with her mother.

Months after she attended the opening ceremony for the Memorial, Lusear recalls, “We had gone through the Memorial and walked around the grounds when we came upon the statues. I screamed and cried, and I just hugged her. I could see her once again, not as the statue, but as the mother I love and miss so very much.”

Black History

Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

Published

on

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

Continue Reading

Black History

President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

Published

on

President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

Continue Reading

Black History

The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

Published

on

The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Love Black History, powered by WordPress.