Black Americans Alliance

04/03/2022

How former foes worked together to help save these rare giraffes

To move giraffes in Kenya from a flooding island to a safe new home, onetime enemies cooperated—and built a modern-day ark.

To move giraffes in Kenya from a flooding island to a safe new home, onetime enemies cooperated—and built a modern-day ark.

03/19/2022

During the first half of the 20th century, new fashion trends often permeated culture by starting at the top and trickling down to the masses over time. To some degree this is true of the zoot suit, but the style’s popularization also sets a precedent for something completely new. As Black and brown communities affirmed their place in society, the zoot suit represented a powerful evolution of style, from the desire to be seen to the desire to be politically heard. And by the end of the century, those marginalized communities continued to subvert mainstream fashion in favor of loose-fitting silhouettes. However, in a reversal of earlier trickle-down trends, their so-called “street” fashion ironically found itself increasingly co-opted by high-end fashion labels.

The evolution of a flamboyant style that became a symbol for marginalized communities.

03/18/2022

A face-to-face musical evening with the fiery genius, activist, and musician that is Nina Simone. Following the 1963 bombing by the Ku Klux Klan at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Nina Simone shifted her career from artist to activist. Infused with traditional hymns along with her own songs and covers, Nina Simone: Four Women imagines a conversation between Simone and three Black women from various backgrounds and experiences and their fight to overcome second-class status, racism, and the stereotypes that seek to define them.

Check out the latest community post from one of your neighbors. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

03/14/2022

On March 13, 1860, , the 10-year-old youngest child of Frederick and Anna Douglass, died. This was a severe blow to the Douglass family. At the time of Annie’s death, was in exile in as a result of ’s raid on . He would later write: “…News reached me from home of the death of my beloved daughter. Annie, the light, and life of my house. Deeply distressed by this bereavement, and acting upon the impulse of the moment, regardless of the peril, I at once resolved to return home…”

03/26/2021

It is sad your journey was so intense, but, well travelled!

02/08/2021

Take time to celebrate these remarkable women who broke barriers and paved the way for generations to come.

12/19/2020

Becoming “arguably the most powerful woman in the New York art and book world” at the turn of the 20th century, Greene, with a flamboyant fashion sense, dined with the rich and famous, including opera stars, tycoons, and royalty. She had access to places that were not welcome to Black people, and she won many admirers who were charmed by her acuity and intelligence.

By late 1905, Greene had begun working as the private librarian of Morgan. Managing, documenting and building his collection of rare books and manuscripts, she also organized public exhibitions at outside venues and traveled regularly to Europe to purchase additions to the financier’s collection. Morgan admired her work and soon made her his “primary adviser on manuscript matters,” according to a report by The New York Times. By 1911, Greene had become a well-known figure to dealers and scholars, and could even defeat experienced bidders during auctions. By 1912, she was earning a quarter million a year.

For 43 years, Belle da Costa Greene ran the Morgan Library — 19 years as the private librarian of financier J. Pierpont Morgan and later his son, Jack, then 24 years as the inaugural director of the Pierpont Morgan Library, which is now known as the Morgan Library & Museum. She did not only help.....

12/10/2020

For West Point Cadets Evan Walker and Tyrese Bender, the road to becoming Rhodes Scholars was paved with hard work and commitment to school, sports, and integrity — but that didn't stop them from questioning whether they had actually won the prestigious award.

Bender, the second-highest-ranking cadet in the West Point chain of command, is the decorated captain of the track and field team. He also established a character training protocol for 1,300 cadets around issues including race, sexual harassment and assault, mental health, political activism and COVID-19.

Walker, described by the Army as "small in stature, reserved and soft-spoken but a fighter," is a champion and the captain of West Point's gender-integrated boxing team. She served as Cadet Basic Training commander this past summer, leading nearly 1,500 new cadets.

For West Point Cadets Evan Walker and Tyrese Bender, the road to becoming Rhodes Scholars was paved with hard work and commitment to school, sports, and integrity.

11/22/2020

Even amid a pandemic, the injustice of police brutality and racism has pushed many people to the streets, causing them to jeopardize their health and, possibly, their lives from the coronavirus.

The coronavirus and police brutality -- before and during the protests -- together have a tremendous effect on the mental and physical health of African Americans, experts say. What has been the psychological toll?

The overall COVID-19 mortality rate for African Americans is 2.4 times as high as the rate for whites and 2.2 times as high as the rate for Asians and Latinos,

11/22/2020

"The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food" (Voracious), Samuelsson's latest book, is his recipe for a national conversation, by celebrating the contributions of Black chefs and Black cooking.

"I want to share stories about amazing people, about this amazing country, around food. The most delicious way about having a conversation about race is to cook it and eat it together," he said.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson's new book, "The Rise," is his recipe for a national conversation on the contributions of Black chefs and Black cooking to the American table