Connect with us

Black History

For More Than 200 Years African American Men And Women Were Not Allowed To Marry

Published

on

Much has been written about Black Love – songs, books and poems. There are movies and reality shows dedicated to understanding and celebrating the way Black men and women love each other. Perhaps, our fascination is rooted in the early denial of the legal marriage uniting an enslaved man and woman.

Enslavers wanted to prevent legal marriage because it gave a couple rights over each other which conflicted with the enslavers’ claims. Marriage would have also added an element of stability enslavers opposed. In lieu of legal recognition, enslaved couples “jumped the broom” which was a public declaration of their intentions to settle down in a committed relationship.

After the Civil War and the passage of the 13th Amendment which ended slavery, one of the first rights the newly freed Black Americans did was marry. Historians report a wave of African American marriages soon after the end of the war.

The Freedman’s Bureau recorded marriages. States and other organizations also offered formal documentation of longstanding relationships. Ironically, after the war, Blacks were disproportionately penalized if they were not married.

According to the Freedman’s Bureau, former slaves Benjamin Berry Manson and Sarah Ann Benton White received an official marriage certificate on April 19, 1866, which suggests they were the first legally married African American couple. They had been together since 1843 – but lived intermittently on separate farms — and had 16 children.

Black History

America Heads Into the Last Mile of the 2024 Presidential Election

Published

on

With only a week until Election Day, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are holding their final campaign rallies and crisscrossing the battleground states. Both candidates know the importance of every vote, and they are rallying their base in the closing days.

Vickie Newton, founder of The Village Celebration and Love Black History, traces the history of Black voters in America on the eve of the historic 2024 presidential election.

Continue Reading

Black History

Coco Gauff Becomes the Youngest Flag Bearer in US Olympic History

Published

on

During the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, the female American flag bearer will be Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old tennis star. She will be the youngest flag bearer in American Olympic history. Basketball legend LeBron James has been selected as the male flag bearer.

Gauff said, “I was not expecting that.”

Delighted to be selected, Gauff admitted she has “no idea” what her assignment includes, adding, “I don’t know if there’s flag bearer-training I have to go to.”

James has been to the Olympics four times. He was part of U.S. teams that won bronze in 2004, gold at Beijing in 2008 and gold again in London in 2012.

But this will be his first time as the flag bearer.

He said, “It’s an absolute honor. I hope I continue to make my community proud and continue to make my family proud.”

Continue Reading

Black History

California Is the First State to Create A Public Alert for Missing Black Youth

Published

on

It’s been 21 years since Cleashandria Hall disappeared from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her mother Laurell Hall says she dropped her 18-year-old daughter off at her after-school job and never saw her again. For years, Hall and her family have kept their loved ones name in the media by hosting vigils and events that remind the public of their steadfast hope for answers.

But the attention is unusual. More often than not, experts say Black people who go missing do not receive the coverage as whites.

In October 2023, the state of California passed legislation that alerts the public to the disappearance of young people. It’s called the Ebony Alert, and it hopes to change the narrative about Black youth who are missing but don’t receive the same media coverage as white youth.

“We feel it’s well beyond time that we dedicate something specifically to help bring these young women and girls back home because they’re missed and loved just as much as their counterparts are,” State Senator Steven Bradford said in an interview with NBC News.

The recent docuseries about a California woman who faked her disappearance garnered 3.6 million viewers on Hulu, making it the most popular docuseries ever on the streaming service– a distinction that adds more credibility to the ongoing conversation about the disparities in media coverage and public attention when Black Americans are missing.

 Sherri Papini grabbed the spotlight in 2016 as authorities searched for her before she reappeared and years later admitted the hoax. The popularity of the docuseries has reignited the dismay Black families experience when their loved ones are missing.

According to the Black and Missing Foundation, Black Americans make up 40% of missing Americans but only 13% of the population.  

Foundation Founder Natalie Wilson said, “There’s a need for an Ebony Alert because people of color are disappearing at an alarming rate, and typically their cases are under the radar when it comes to media coverage and getting law enforcement resources.”

The Ebony Alert is activated when local authorities request it because a Black youth is missing, and there is concern the youth has been targeted for trafficking, or foul play is suspected. The Ebony Alert uses electronic highway signs and encouraged radio, TV, and social media and other systems to spread information about the missing persons’ alert.

In 2022, California began the Feather Alert which publicizes the disappearance of Indigenous people.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Love Black History, powered by WordPress.