The Slap

 

Will Smith slap Chris Rock live at the 2022 Oscars

If you know - you know. No words necessary.

 

A Moment in Black - Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin appointed Artistic Director of Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra

Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin at work with New York University (NYU) Steel

When Steel Talks extends congratulations to Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin and  Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra

More on Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin

• Meet Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin - Panist, Composer, Arranger, Ethnomusicologist, Educator & Performing Artist - UpClose!

• NYU Steel Ensemble 2019 Spring Concert: Steelpan Magic on West 4th Street - when the Doctors Make a House Call
  
  
• Meet Mia Gormandy - Tallahassee, Florida
  
  
• Mia Gormandy in Concert - Northern Illinois University Panist Shine 

Desperadoes Triumphant Tour of New York - A Moment in Pan 1987

 

Desperadoes Steel Orchestra at legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem -1987

Related content

• Desperadoes’ Great New York Triumph

Having a great time in a club in Harlem in 1940. Fannie Lou Hamer's America

 

Having a great time in a club in Harlem in 1940.

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898-1989) - first African American woman to receive a PH.D

 

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898-1989) was the first African American woman to receive a PH.D. In the United States she also was the first woman to receive a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the first African American woman to be admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar. Sadie was also the first national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Sarah Rector - the wealthiest Black girl in the country at the young age of 11

 

Sarah Rector

Sarah Rector was born in 1902 in Creek Nation in the community of Twine, Oklahoma. She came from very humble beginnings, but later became the wealthiest Black girl in the country at the young age of 11. Her family were African American members of the Muscogee Creek Nation in Indian Territory.

Her grandparents had been enslaved by Creek Tribe members, but after the Civil War, they were entitled to land allotments under the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887. When Indian territory integrated with Oklahoma territory to form the state of Oklahoma in 1907, hundreds of Black children referred to back then as “Creek Freedmen minors,” were each granted 160 acres of land.

Rector's allotment was located in the middle of the Glenn Pool oil field and was initially valued at about $550. In 1911, her father decided to lease his daughter’s piece of land to a major oil company to help pay for the property taxes. And then in 1913, everything changed.

According to Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America by Tonya Bolden, an independent driller struck oil that started bringing in 2,500 barrels or 105,000 gallons per day. Rector, still being the owner of the land, began earning more than $300 a day (the equivalent of about $7,500 a day in our time).

Suddenly, she began getting a lot of national attention from newspapers all over the country. For example, The Kansas City Star published the headline, “Millions to a Negro Girl – Sarah Rector, 10-Year Old, Has Income of $300 A Day From Oil.” Meanwhile, another newspaper, The Savannah Tribune, published the headline, “Oil Well Produces Neat Income – Negro Girl’s $112,000 A Year.”
Rector quickly became famous and naturally started receiving all kinds of request for loans, donations, and even marriage proposals.

Sadly though, there was a law at the time that required wealthy Native Americans and African Americans who were citizens of Indian Territory to be assigned a “well-respected” white guardian. As a result, Rector’s guardianship was turned over to a white man named T.J. Porter.
But reportedly W.E.B. Du Bois and the NAACP got involved to protect her wealth and well-being, and were able to successfully do so. She later went on to own one of the first Black-owned auto dealerships in the country, and reportedly enjoyed her wealth until the day she died!

Carmen de Lavallade - Born: March 6, 1931

The Ailey family is sending a happy birthday to the legendary Carmen De Lavallade! A true icon that first introduced our own Alvin Ailey to the art form of dance. We thank you and celebrate you on this day Ms. De Lavallade!

Carmen de Lavallade in John Butler's 'Portrait of Billie' Photo by Jack Mitchell. (©) Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution. Carmen de Lavallade and Alvin Ailey at Jacobs Pillow in 1961, photo by John Lindquist.

 

The Moors. Black Rulers of Southern Europe

 

The Moors. Black Rulers of Southern Europe: 711 CE - 1492 CE ( Almost 800 years )

Standout panist Garvin Blake jamming on the road with Desperadoes Steel Orchestra J'Ouvert morning 1992 Trinidad

 

Jouvert 1992 - Despers "Pan is Mih Jumbie" composed and arranged by Robert Greenidge. The skillset and touch of noted musician Garvin Blake on full display.

"My last year playing pan on the road." - Garvin Blake video by Lloyde George.

Related content

• 1992 Panorama Finals - Desperadoes Steel Orchestra - "Pan is Mih Jumbie" 

Windward Carriacou - Launching ceremony Reality 2

A launch ceremony is always a big event. We were lucky to be at the right time in Carriacou, which is a Caribbean island, part of Grenada, which is famous for traditional shipbuilding. Beautiful yachts and commercial ships are well known in the Caribbean. This short film was made during the launch ceremony of the 18m cargo ship Reality 2, on the 1st of March 2020, just a few days before Covid-19 blocked the world. You can read the full story about it on our website http://blog.whitedogsails.com/windwar... We are the sailing family of three, living aboard, and sailing the world since 2018 on our vintage sailing yacht "White Dog" - Moody 419 from 1985. Check out our website http://www.whitedogsails.com

Carriacou's Shakespeare Mas Performance - 2022