The Origin of “Cool” and its role in Black History

Posted by & filed under African American, American, black history month, Chicago, classic, cool, curly hair, Esperanza Spalding, Gwendolyn Brooks, jazz, kinky hair, Lester Young, natural hair, Nina Simone, Smithsonian museum.

I recently caught a news report about a new exhibit at the Smithsonian museum which attempts to encapsulate what it means to be cool. I stopped getting prepared for my work day to listen to what the curators of the exhibit had concluded who and what to be cool in our society. Entitled “American Cool”, the… Read more »

My Daddy’s Reflections on Black History Month

Posted by & filed under African American, alabama, birmingham, black, black history month, civil rights, F.B.I., segregation.

As Black History Month winds down for 2013, I’ve invited my father, retired F.B.I. special agent Curtis Crawford, to share his reflections on what the month means to him. In his guest blog post, he provides a multigenerational perspective from the vantage point of someone who remembers segregation and the civil rights struggle vividly having… Read more »