Trailblazing Activist ~ Mary Church Terrell

"Even if I believed that women should be denied the right of suffrage, wild horses could not drag such an admission from my pen or my lips...

Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954)

“What could be more absurd and ridiculous than that one group of individuals who are trying to throw off the yoke of oppression themselves, so as to get relief from conditions which handicap and injure them should favor laws and customs which impede the progress of another unfortunate group and hinder them in every conceivable way. For the sake of consistency, therefore, if my sense of justice were not developed at all, and I could not reason intelligently, as a colored woman, I should not tell my dearest friend that I opposed woman suffrage.”

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Everyday Black History ~ Charles S. Gilpin

Called the "dean of black American actors," Charles S. Gilpin had a career in Vaudeville spanning 20 years. For Gilpin , like for many actors then and since, there may be long stretches of unemployment between gigs. When he was not on stage, Gilpin worked as a printer, an elevator operator, a prize-fight trainer and a porter. C harles S. Gilpin (1876-1930) Gilpin organized the Lafayette Theatre Company in 1916 as one of New York's earliest black stock companies. In 1920, Gilpin began a four-year run on stage as The Emperor Jones . The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) in 1921 awarded Charles Gilpin its prestigious Spingarn Medal for his contribution to the theatre.

Legendary TV Characters ~ Fred Sanford & Aunt Esther

“Esther, I could stick your face in some dough, and make gorilla cookies .” Fred G. Sanford ( Redd Foxx ) talking to sister-in-law and frequent foil “Aunt” Esther ( Lawanda Page ) on Sanford & Son , the venerable sitcom that, since its debut on the NBC television network in January 1972, has never been off the air .

Everyday Black History ~ Madame Sul-Te-Wan

Madame Sul-Te-Wan Madame Sul-Te-Wan nee Nellie Conley (1873-1959) The former Nellie Conley was first employed by director D.W. Griffith at his Reliance-Majestic studio to help keep the dressing rooms clean. Although all of the major acting roles in his 1915 film " The Birth of a Nation, " were played by white actors in blackface, Griffith cast Nellie in several small parts when he needed actors to play minor black characters, including that of a rich, colored woman. It is reported that Griffith put Madam e on the studio payroll at five dollars per day, work or play. "The Birth of a Nation", called Hollywood's first true blockbuster, was denounced as racist and sparked protests throughout the country almost immediately after its February 8, 1915 premiere. The professional relationship between actress and director endured despite the controversy, as Griffith cast Madame Sul-Te-Wan in his film " Intolerance " (1916).

Sepia Starshine

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