May 28th is Gladys Knight Day!!!

May 28th is Gladys Knight Day!!!

"Gladys Knight began singing with her siblings at age 8, calling themselves "the Pips." The group opened for R&B legends in the 1950s, then headed to Motown and crossed over to pop music. As Gladys Knight and the Pips, they recorded their signature song, "Midnight Train to Georgia." Knight left the Pips behind in 1989, and continued to perform and record as a solo artist. Today, she's known fondly as the "Empress of Soul." Thank you Ms. Knight for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Gladys Knight. :-)

http://www.biography.com/people/gladys-knight-9542334

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v78-ftcqpNw

"Soul is just that inner spirit. I use that inner spirit for whatever it is I do." - Gladys Knight

May 28th is Jim Thorpe Day!!!

May 28th is Jim Thorpe Day!!!


"Jim Thorpe was a Native American professional football and baseball player, known for his all-around athleticism. He was a gold-medal runner at the 1912 Olympics." you Mr. Thorpe for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Jim Thorpe. :-)

http://www.cmgww.com/sports/thorpe/

"I have always liked sport and only played or run races for the fun of the thing." - Jim Thorpe

May 27th is Louis Gossett Jr. Day!!!

May 27th is Louis Gossett Jr. Day!!!

"He began acting in high school after being sidelined with a sports injury and attended New York University where he was a star basketball player. Though he was picked to play for the New York Knicks, he decided instead to pursue an acting career, making his Broadway debut in Lorraine Hansberry's acclaimed A Raisin in the Sun in 1959. Gossett continued to nurture his stage career, gaining notice for his eloquence and quiet authority. He parlayed this success onto the big screen; notable films include The Deep, Enemy Mine and The Punisher. In 1983, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman." Thank you Mr. Gossett Jr. for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Louis Gossett Jr.

http://www.biography.com/people/louis-gossett-jr-212163

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdLOe1O-goQ

"Violence is a war, and the energy we exert on war, I would like to pray that energy gets reverted back to a communal effort to save the planet. So perhaps in my own small way I can generate some energy toward the salvation of the planet because when we win a war we win a dying planet." - Louis Gossett Jr.

May 27th is David Crosthwait Jr. Day!!!

May 27th is David Crosthwait Jr. Day!!! 

"David Nelson Crosthwaite, Jr. studied mechanical engineering at Purdue University before taking a job with the C. A. Dunham Company. At Dunham, Crosthwait conducted innovative research, and designed the heat system for Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. He held 119 patents - 39 in the U.S. and 80 internationally, all in relation to heating, cooling and temperature regulating technology." Thank you Mr. Crosthwait Jr. for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about David Crothwait Jr. 

http://www.biography.com/people/david-nelson-crosthwait-jr-205623

May 26th is Aaron Douglas Day!!!

May 26th is Aaron Douglas Day!!! 

"Aaron Douglas was an African-American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. His first major commission, to illustrate Alain LeRoy Locke's book, The New Negro, prompted requests for graphics from other Harlem Renaissance writers. By 1939, Douglas started teaching at Fisk University, where he remained for the next 27 years." Thank you Mr. Douglas for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Aaron Douglas. 

http://www.biography.com/people/aaron-douglas-39794

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL8pcuuZNNM

"(L)et's bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let's sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Let's do the impossible." - Aaron Douglas

May 26th is Miles Davis Day!!!

May 26th is Miles Davis Day!!! 

"For nearly six decades, Miles Davis has embodied all that is cool – in his music (and most especially jazz), in his art, fashion, romance, and in his international, if not intergalactic, presence that looms strong as ever today.  2006 – The year in which Miles Davis was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on March 13th – is a land­mark year, commemorating the 80th anniversary of his birth on May 26, 1926, and the 15th anniversary of his death on September 28, 1991.  In between those two markers is more than a half-century of brilliance – often exasperating, brutally honest with himself and to others, uncompromising in a way that transcended mere intuition." Thank you Mr. Davis for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Miles Davis. :-)

http://www.milesdavis.com/us/biography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTfBpKzu6XA

"A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do. I'm still doing it." - Miles Davis

May 25th is Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Day!!!

May 25th is Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Day!!! 

So, I could tell you all about Mr. Robinson's history and all the performances, plays, movies, etc., but rather that go into all of that they real appreciation for this amazing and wonderful man is his dancing and his demeanor!!!  With that said I think the best way to know and learn about how great he was and all he did for the hoofing/tap community as well as Broadway and Hollywood, is to watch him in action.  He is a pioneer of tap and nothing would have ever been the way it was in the 30's and 40's without him!!!  Mr. Robinson was a true original and a true Hoofer!  Please take the time to learn more about him today, but also watch some videos and clips to see the originality and grace in action! Thank you Mr. Robinson for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.  

http://www.biography.com/people/bill-bojangles-robinson-9460594

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRo-aC1pggg

"Everything's copacetic" - Bill Robinson

May 25th is African Liberation Day!!!

May 25th is African Liberation Day!!!

AFRICA IS THE MOTHERLAND OF THE WORLD!!!!  NOW GIVE HER BACK HER LAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"ALD was founded in 1958 when Kwame Nkrumah convened the First Conference of Independent States held in Accra, Ghana and attended by eight independent African states. The 15th of April was declared "African Freedom Day," to mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

Between 1958 and 1963 the nation/class struggle intensified in Africa and the world. Seventeen countries in Africa won their independence and 1960 was proclaimed the Year of Africa. Further advances were made with the defeat of U.S. imperialism in Asia and the Caribbean. Imperialism responded to this tide of victories by assassinating revolutionary leaders and sending U.S. troops to Viet Nam. On the 25th of May 1963, thirty-one African Heads of state convened a summit meeting to found the Organization of African Unity (OAU). They renamed African Freedom Day "African Liberation Day" and changed its date to May 25th."

Please click the link below and learn more about African Liberation Day.

http://africanliberationday.net/node/1

May 24th is Patti LaBelle Day!!!

May 24th is Patti LaBelle Day!!! 

Patti LaBelle has SOUL!!!!!  Seriously this women is an amazing singer and her spirit is just wonderful!  She is one of the greatest singers of all time for sure!  Take some time today to listen to her music and just appreciate her art. Thank you Ms. LaBelle for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Patti LaBelle. :-) 

http://www.biography.com/people/patti-labelle-537586

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da-RjeCObyA

"All I can tell you really is if you get to the point where someone is telling you that you are not great or not good enough, just follow your heart and don't let anybody crush your dream." - Patti LaBelle

May 21st is Fats Waller Day!!!

May 21st is Fats Waller Day!!!

"Not only was Fats Waller one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, he was also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers -- and as so often happens, one facet tends to obscure the other. His extraordinarily light and flexible touch belied his ample physical girth; he could swing as hard as any pianist alive or dead in his classic James P. Johnson-derived stride manner, with a powerful left hand delivering the octaves and tenths in a tireless, rapid, seamless stream. Waller also pioneered the use of the pipe organ and Hammond organ in jazz -- he called the pipe organ the "God box" -- adapting his irresistible sense of swing to the pedals and a staccato right hand while making imaginative changes of the registration. As a composer and improviser, his melodic invention rarely flagged, and he contributed fistfuls of joyous yet paradoxically winsome songs like "Honeysuckle Rose," "Ain't Misbehavin,'" "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now," "Blue Turning Grey Over You" and the extraordinary "Jitterbug Waltz" to the jazz repertoire." Thank you Mr. Waller for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Fats Waller. :-)

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fats-waller-mn0000162762

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Wwhe9Hx_w

"Be sure it's true when you say I love you. It's a sin to tell a lie. Millions of heart have been broken. Just because these words were spoken." - Fats Waller

May 21st is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development Day!!!

May 21st is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development Day!!!

"In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and in December 2002, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/249, declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together better."

Basically today is a day to recognize diversity, but it is something that all of humanity needs to work on everyday. It is something that should be taught to all children in school. There is history and roots to all the diversity we have on this earth and this should be taught so that we all realize no matter what the differences have evolved to now we all have a connection rooted in the original history. I truly believe if this was more widely known it would be much easier to understand and appreciate our differences. I realize the TRUTH would not be accepted by all because many people love to keep believing lies that have been taught generation after generation, but if it reaches the hearts of even just a few people it would start to change the World to more pleasant and peaceful place - because in the end we are all human and we are all on this earth trying to achieve the same type of goals and be successful!

Please click the link below and learn more about World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development Day.

http://www.un.org/en/events/culturaldiversityday/

May 20th is François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture Day!!!

May 20th is François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture Day!!! 

"Haitian patriot and martyr. A self-educated slave freed shortly before the uprising in 1791, he joined the black rebellion to liberate the slaves and became its organizational genius. Rapidly rising in power, Toussaint joined forces for a brief period in 1793 with the Spanish of Santo Domingo and in a series of fast-moving campaigns became known as L'Ouverture [the opening], a name he adopted. Although he professed allegiance to France, first to the republic and then to Napoleon, he was singleheartedly devoted to the cause of his own people and advocated it in his talks with French commissioners." Thank you Mr. Toussaint L'Ouverture for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture .

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/toussaint-louverture-francois-dominique.html

“In overthrowing me, you have done no more than cut down the trunk of the tree of the black liberty in St-Domingue-it will spring back form the roots, for they are numerous and deep.” - François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture

May 19th is Malcolm X Day!!!

May 19th is Malcolm X Day!!! 

One of my favorite people throughout the civil rights movement and one of my favorite people of all time!  What I truly love and admire about Malcolm is that he always spoke his mind and spoke about the truths that no one wanted to hear.  Most people in this world are happy and content with just believing what the masses believe and the white-washed history, but Malcolm told it how it was no matter what anyone thought about it!  Even Malcolm himself did make some assumptions that he later found to not be true of everyone, but in general everything he said had a purpose and meaning to get at the very soul and heart of the matter.  Unfortunately I really believe he would be very disappointed in most of what has happened since his time, which really hurts my heart.  He did sooo much to bring about REAL change by being REAL and that is not what came out the movement in the end because we still have most, if not all of the same problems to this day. They are the problems in the same way, but they are still there.  So, on this day we celebrate Malcolm X and all he did to help, but to also try to make more people aware of what the original goals were and to try to reinvigorate this to solve some of the problems today! Thank you Mr. X for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Malcolm X. :-)

http://www.malcolmx.com/about/bio.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zvGRmX2gcs

"I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he's wrong. Than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil." - Malcolm X

May 18th is Armed Forces Day!!!

May 18th is Armed Forces Day!!! 

"On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. 
The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense." Please click the link below and learn more about Armed Forces Day.

http://www.defense.gov/afd/

May 17th is the Anniversary of School Desegregation Ruling Day!!!

May 17th is the Anniversary of School Desegregation Ruling Day!!! 

"On May 17, 1954, the Court unanimously ruled that "separate but equal" public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. The Brown case served as a catalyst for the modern civil rights movement, inspiring education reform everywhere and forming the legal means of challenging segregation in all areas of society." Please click the link below and learn more about the Brown vs Board of Education Ruling.

http://www.civilrights.org/education/brown/

"In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right that must be made available on equal terms." - Chief Justice Earl Warren, Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

May 17th is Frederick McKinley Jones Day!!!

May 17th is Frederick McKinley Jones Day!!! 

"Frederick McKinley Jones was one of the most prolific Black inventors ever. Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions, however, he is best known for inventing an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935 (a roof-mounted cooling device). Jones was the first person to invent a practical, mechanical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars, which eliminated the risk of food spoilage during long-distance shipping trips. The system was, in turn, adapted to a variety of other common carriers, including ships. Frederick Jones was issued the patent on July 12, 1940 (#2,303,857)." Thank you Mr. Jones for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Frederick McKinley Jones. 

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blf_jones.htm

"What stands out about Jones is that he had no formal education and dropped out of school but had this uncanny entrepreneur's, inventor's mindset. He had a passion to create solutions to problems," Gregory Smith, an organizational development consultant based in Atlanta, told IBD.

May 15th is Ray Lewis Day!!!

May 15th is Ray Lewis Day!!! 

So I know a lot of people will not agree with me that Ray Lewis is deserving of celebration or praise, but I don't really care what you think of him!!!! One you don't REALLY know him and the truth about his life, so don't just always assume the worst especially when it comes to a black man being analyzed by the media. No matter if you believe it or not it is true that the media targets black men especially and the truth is hardly ever what is actually reported! Anyways, I AM celebrating Ray Lewis and not only a great Football player today, but as a great man and inspirational figure to many young men. Everyone makes some mistakes in life no matter who you are, but it takes a real great human being to own up to those mistakes, learn from them, and then continue to work for greatness and help others achieve it as well! This is what Ray Lewis has done and I have a feeling he is just getting started. Thank you Mr. Lewis for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Ray Lewis. :-)

http://www.raylewis52.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcSBw76_tpk

"Don't walk through life just playing football. Don't walk through life just being an athlete. Athletics will fade. Character and integrity and really making an impact on someone's life, that's the ultimate vision, that's the ultimate goal - bottom line." - Ray Lewis

May 15th is International Day of Families!!!

May 15th is International Day of Families!!! 

I do believe that it is important to keep the family structure and there needs to be more solidarity, but if your family is messed up I can't really advocate that, so basically make sure that you surround yourself with people that are like you, support you, and love you. This is your REAL family whether it actually be blood relatives or not, so I would advocate keeping this structure strong. Also, for young people that are now able to start their own families make sure you do it right so that it can continue from generation to generation, instead of just being you and then everyone after you is not being taught the right things and doesn't have respect! The biggest problem I see is that parents never teach their kids anything and aren't involved in their lives - when this happens you leave your child out there in a world that will swallow them up, chew them to bits, and then spit them out!!!! Be there for them teach them all you know and if you don't know enough - then learn yourself so you can teach them! Families are a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly at all, so do right or seriously don't do it at all!

"The UN International Day of Families is celebrated each May at the United Nations headquarters and around the world. The Universal Peace Federation joins in commemorating this day because it considers the family as a microcosm of the global community and because sustainable peace is grounded in the family as the most intimate social unit, the school of love. The theme of the 2013 observance is 'Advancing Social Integration and Intergenerational Solidarity'."

http://www.upf.org/international-day-of-families-2013

May 15th is Dame Eugenia Charles Day!!!

May 15th is Dame Eugenia Charles Day!!! 

"A lawyer and politician who served as prime minister of Dominica from 1980 to 1995. She was the country's first woman lawyer and the first woman prime minister to serve in the Caribbean." Thank you Ms. Charles for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Dame Eugenia Charles. 

http://www.britannica.com/women/article-9390179

May 13th is Stevie Wonder Day!!!

May 13th is Stevie Wonder Day!!! 

I think everyone knows who Stevie Wonder is and how amazing he is so I won't really go into all the details, but please take some time today to listen to his music and appreciate the genius and greatness!!!! Thank you Mr. Wonder for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Stevie Wonder. :-)

http://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ul7X5js1vE

"Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle!" - Stevie Wonder

May 13th is Joe Louis Day!!!

May 13th is Joe Louis Day!!! 

"Joe Louis burst onto the professional boxing scene in 1934 with style and skill such as the boxing world has seldom seen. Known to many as the "Brown Bomber," Louis emerged victorious from his first 27 fights, all but four of which he won in knockouts. In the early days of his career, he destroyed such great heavyweight fighters as Stanley Poreda, Natie Brown, and Rosco Toles. It was here that Louis delivered to the entire world a premonition of the reign of domination that he was to begin." Thank you Mr. Louis for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Joe Louis. 

http://www.cmgww.com/sports/louis/bio.htm


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3PpR12yaRs

"I made the most of my ability and I did my best with my title." - Joe Louis

May 12th is Tony Hawk Day!!!

May 12th is Tony Hawk Day!!! 

Some people may not think Tony Hawk is an important or inspirational figure, but too many young people and even some adults he is and rightfully so!  Not just because of his amazing tricks and advancements of Skateboarding, but because he is just a great guy!  I have personally not had the pleasure of meeting him (which I hope changes someday soon), but I know people that do know him and he does amazing charity work and is always respectful and nice to everyone!!!  He is a great role model for all young people. Thank you Mr. Hawk for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Tony Hawk. 

http://tonyhawk.com/bio/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4QGnppJ-ys

"I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. 'Action sport' would be the least offensive categorization." - Tony Hawk

May 11th is Joe "King" Oliver Day!!!

May 11th is Joe "King" Oliver Day!!! 

"Joe Oliver is one of the most important figures in early Jazz. When we use the phrase Hot Jazz, we are really referring to his style of collective improvisation (rather than solos). He was the mentor and teacher of Louis Armstrong. Louis idolized him and called him Papa Joe. Oliver even gave Armstrong the first cornet that Louis was to own. Oliver was blinded in one eye as a child, and often played while sitting in a chair, or leaning against the wall, with a derby hat tilted so that it hid his bad eye. Joe was famous for his using mutes, derbies, bottles and cups to alter the sound of his cornet. He was able to get a wild array of sounds out of his horn with this arsenal of gizmos." Thank you Mr. Oliver for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Joe "King" Oliver. :-)

http://www.redhotjazz.com/kingo.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpuR1BVXVCM

May 11th is Evan B. Forde Day!!!

May 11th is Evan B. Forde Day!!! 

"Evan B. Forde is a native Miamian who is an oceanographer, explorer, speaker, and community activist. A graduate of Miami-Dade County public schools, Forde has enjoyed a long career as a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist, and has consistently volunteered time to efforts aimed at improving public education, creating better and safer communities while encouraging and promoting the empowerment and development of youth." Thank you Mr. Forde for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Evan B. Forde. 

http://www.evanbforde.com/about.html

"I enjoy the thrill of being a sometimes-geeky, technology-based detective who is seeking the answers to unanswered questions about our world. I often begin the process with just a hypothesis, and I never know how any given scientific inquiry will wind up. It is that uncertainty, along with my thirst for knowing the truth, and making a difference, that drives me." - Evan B. Forde

May 10th is Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable Day!!!

May 10th is Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable Day!!! 


Mr Pointe du Sable is celebrated on this day because this is the earliest record of him living in Chicago. "Jean-Baptiste Pointe Du Sable was an intrepid pioneer and settler in the areas now known as Peoria and Chicago, Illinois. His foresight in perceiving the importance of the site of Chicago, now one of the largest cities in the United States, was matched by his uncommon affinity with the local Native American tribes. Together, these factors led this visionary entrepreneur to establish the most important center of commerce, trade, and industry in the central United States." Thank you Mr. Pointe du Sable for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable. 

http://blackhistorynow.com/jean-baptiste-pointe-du-sable/

May 9th is John Brown Day!!!

May 9th is John Brown Day!!! 

"John Brown was a man of action -- a man who would not be deterred from his mission of abolishing slavery. On October 16, 1859, he led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan to arm slaves with the weapons he and his men seized from the arsenal was thwarted, however, by local farmers, militiamen, and Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Within 36 hours of the attack, most of Brown's men had been killed or captured." Thank you Mr. Brown for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about John Brown. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1550.html

". . . I believe to have interfered as I have done, . . . in behalf of His despised poor, was not wrong, but right. Now, if it be deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I submit: so let it be done." - John Brown

May 8th is Robert Johnson Day!!!

May 8th is Robert Johnson Day!!! 

Robert Johnson is one of greatest influences on music!  He is know as the King of Delta Blues, but has influenced artist in all genres of music and even influential on the start of those genres as well.  There is a lot of stories about Robert Johnson, but if you have sometime today please visit the website below and read about his life and music.  Thank you Mr. Johnson for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Robert Johnson. 

http://www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org/biography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsB_cGdgPTo

"The day that you get weak for no-good women, that's the day that you bound to fall." - Robert Johnson

May 6th is Willie Mays Day!!!

May 6th is Willie Mays Day!!! 

"Willie Mays was one of the best baseball players ever, maybe the best. Wearing jersey 24, he played for the New York Giants, and stayed with the team as it moved across the country to become the San Francisco Giants. In his late career, Mays returned to New York to play for the Mets. He could hit almost any pitch for average and power, with excellent fielding, throwing and base running skills. His career totals are staggering -- 3,283 hits, six-hundred-sixty home runs. And he did it all with two early years of his career spent in the Army instead of the ball park." Thank you Mr. Mays for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Willie Mays. :-)

http://www.nndb.com/people/427/000023358/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dK6zPbkFnE

"In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this." - Willie Mays

May 6th is Martin Robinson Delany Day!!!

May 6th is Martin Robinson Delany Day!!! 

"Martin Delany was a pre-Civil War abolitionist, black nationalist, explorer of Africa, and veteran of the American Civil War. His father was a slave, and all four of his grandparents had been captured in Africa and brought to America as slaves, but his mother was free, and by law this meant Delany was born free. From earliest childhood, he was told by his parents that his ancestors were African royalty." Thank you Mr. Delany for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Martin Robinson Delany. :-)

http://www.nndb.com/people/363/000165865/

"Every people should be originators of their own destiny." - Martin Robinson Delany

May 4th is Keith Haring Day!!!

May 4th is Keith Haring Day!!! 

So, even if you have no idea who Keith Haring is, I guarantee you have seen his artwork at some point in your life. His work is EVERYWHERE!!! Even more so now because a lot of companies have done t-shirts with his work and almost every other product you can think of!!! If you don't know about Keith Haring then you definitely need to know!!! He was an amazing street artist and everything he did had a message. Please take some time today to appreciate him as a person and his art. The world definitely misses you Keith, but we will never forget you and your artwork will live on forever!!!! Thank you Mr. Haring for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about Keith Haring. :-)

http://www.haring.com/!/about-haring/bio#.UYWTsaLOkxE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_03iqB8b9s

I don't think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of manipulating it." - Keith Haring

May 3rd is James Brown Day!!!

May 3rd is James Brown Day!!! 

So, if you don't know who James Brown is you have been living under a rock, FOR REAL!!! Just an amazing entertainer all around! Unique voice and quick dance moves were part of his arsenal. Take some time today to listen and dance to his music and appreciate :-) Thank you Mr. Brown for all of your contributions and inspiration! Please click the link below and learn more about James Brown. :-)

http://www.biography.com/people/james-brown-9228350

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DAfBZbz3tI

"The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing." - James Brown