11/04/2024
Quincy Jones, who died at 91 on Sunday, was a colossus of American music, leaving a profound influence on nearly every genre he touched, from the 1950s on — jazz, funk, soundtracks, syrupy R&B and chart-topping pop.
The scope of his career is so vast, it seems almost impossible that it’s the work of a single person. He cut his teeth as a trumpeter in Lionel Hampton’s touring band in the early ’50s, then studied in Paris under the great classical pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. He produced jazz albums for Mercury Records, made fast friends with Frank Sinatra — who called him “Q,” a nickname that stuck — and recorded “It’s My Party,” a No. 1 hit by a teenage Lesley Gore.Born March 14, 1933, to Sarah and Quincy Delight Jones, he and younger brother, Lloyd, grew up in gang-riddled Great Depression Chicago. His mother suffered from mental illness and was institutionalized when he was 5, and his father moved the family to Bremerton, Washington.In his later years, the force that propelled Jones from jazz musician to music mogul never seemed to die out. He formed the production company responsible for “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He published an autobiography in 2001. And he partnered with Lionel Richie for a second installment of “We Are The World” after the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
09/09/2024
James Earl Jones, a stuttering farm child who became a voice of rolling thunder as one of America’s most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career that plumbed race relations, Shakespeare’s rhapsodic tragedies and the faceless menace of Darth Vader, died on Monday at his home in Dutchess County, N.Y. He was 93. His prodigious body of work that encompassed scores of plays, nearly 90 television network dramas and episodic series, and some 120 movies. They included his voice work, much of it uncredited, in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, in the credited voice-over of Mufasa in “The Lion King,” Disney’s 1994 animated musical film, and in his reprise of the role in Jon Favreau’s computer-animated remake in 2019.Mr. Jones was one of the first Black actors to appear regularly on the daytime soaps, playing a doctor in “The Guiding Light” and in “As the World Turns” in the 1960s. Television became a staple of his career. He appeared in the dramatic series “The Defenders,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Touched by an Angel” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and in mini-series, including “Roots: The Next Generation” (1979), playing the author Alex Haley.Mr. Jones’s first Hollywood role was small but memorable, as the B-52 bombardier in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 satire on nuclear war, “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
While drama critics recorded his steady progress as an actor, Mr. Jones did not win film stardom until 1970, when he played Jack Jefferson, a character based on Jack Johnson, the first Black boxing champion, in “The Great White Hope,” reprising a role he performed on Broadway in 1968. He won a Tony for the stage work and was nominated for an Oscar for the movie.Mr. Jones received the National Medal of the Arts from President George Bush at the White House in 1992, Kennedy Center honors in 2002, an honorary Oscar in 2011 for lifetime achievement, and in 2017 a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement, as well as an honorary doctor of arts degree from Harvard University.
source: NYTimes
08/28/2024
Join us on September 19th at Great American Ball Park as the Cincinnati Reds celebrate Sweet Blackberry! Karyn will be in attendance serving as the honorary captain of the evening!
06/14/2024
Excited for this! Come join us!
Reopening for Juneteenth, a Museum Celebrating a Black Inventor
Lewis Howard Latimer worked for Thomas Edison and drew patent diagrams for Alexander Graham Bell. A museum in Queens displays his work.
02/07/2024
😎
A Conversation With Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' fame is dedicated to enriching children's knowledge of black history through animated films and books. Parsons discusses her transition from acting to highlighting African American achievements and shares insights on her novel writing projects. All whil...
01/26/2024
🎉 Happy Birthday, Bessie Coleman! 🛩️✨
Today, we celebrate the fearless aviator and trailblazer, Bessie Coleman, on what would have been her birthday. 🎂✈️ Born on January 26th, she became the first African American woman and first Native American woman to hold a pilot's license, defying the odds and inspiring generations to come.
Bessie's determination and courage broke barriers in the world of aviation, paving the way for diversity and inclusion in the skies.
Be sure to check out Sweet Blackberry's collection of Bessie Coleman stories including our film and picture book. You can find them for purchase on our website (link in bio): Image Source: Christina Tarkoff
01/15/2024
Thank you, David Childs.
Our Rich History: Taking a deeper look at what King believed; his ideas were unpopular in his time - NKyTribune
By David Childs, PhD Special to NKyTribune “I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” – Martin Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech...
12/23/2023
Holiday Greetings! https://conta.cc/3RUiymv
Holiday Greetings From Sweet Blackberry
A Message from Karyn As we immerse ourselves in the holiday season and prepare for the upcoming New Year, Sweet Blackberry is abuzz with opportunities to engage with our community. Your unwavering
11/28/2023
It's ! Today, we're emphasizing the importance of giving back and making a meaningful difference. Your steadfast support has been the cornerstone of our mission to create educational content that integrates the invaluable lessons of Black history into classrooms, benefiting children, parents, and educators. As we navigate discussions about the narratives taught to our children, Sweet Blackberry stands resolute in highlighting the significance and value of teaching diverse and often overlooked histories within the broader scope of American heritage. Together, let's empower future generations by ensuring a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of our shared past.Check out how to support Sweet Blackberry here - https://conta.cc/46CJLhH
#GivingTuesday: Gift Sweet Blackberry Today
GIVING TUESDAY WITH SWEET BLACKBERRY Today, on , we're emphasizing the importance of giving back and making a meaningful difference. Your steadfast support has been the cornerstone of
04/29/2023
Sweet Blackberry Trivia:
I am the first African American to gain recognition as an artist.
I often advertised myself as a "self-taught genius."
I was enslaved for my entire adolescence.
In addition to my work painting wealthy local families, I painted many Black subjects, including Daniel Coker, a founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Who am I?
04/27/2023
Check out our Sweet Blackberry Book of the Quarter - by
This middle-grade novel tells the story of a 12-year-old girl named Candice Miller who moves with her mother to the small town of Lambert, South Carolina. While exploring the town, Candice discovers a mysterious letter that leads her on a scavenger hunt to uncover the truth behind an old segregation-era lawsuit.
Along the way, Candice learns about the town's history of racial injustice and discovers the inspiring story of an African American tennis player named Carson Tucker. With its engaging mystery, relatable protagonist, and themes of social justice and perseverance, "The Parker Inheritance" is a powerful and inspiring book that is sure to captivate young readers.
04/25/2023
Do you often wonder why things are the way they are? Why do streets have specific names, or why is that church somehow catercorner to everything else on the block? Designing a city is a complex and multi-disciplinary task involving fields such as urban planning, architecture, landscape design, transportation planning, engineering and more. The main goal is to create a functional, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing environment for its residents. For our nation's capitol, one of the people behind its design is Benjamin Banneker, an African American mathematician, astronomer and surveyor.
In 1791, President George Washington appointed Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French-born architect and urban planner, to design the new federal capital city.
L'Enfant relied heavily on Banneker's skills as a surveyor to map out the layout of the city's streets, buildings, and public spaces. Banneker's expertise in astronomy also proved useful in determining the precise location of key landmarks such as the Capitol Building and the White House. Despite Banneker's contributions, L'Enfant and other white officials often marginalized him due to his race. For example, L'Enfant tried to exclude Banneker from a meeting with President Washington to discuss the progress of the city's design.
Nonetheless, Banneker's legacy endures as a reminder of the important role that African Americans played in creating Washington, D.C. and other American cities.
04/24/2023
Joseph Bologne, also known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), was a French composer, violinist, conductor, and military leader. He was born on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to a French plantation owner and a slave of Senegalese descent.
Despite facing racial discrimination, Joseph Bologne was recognized for his musical talents at a young age and trained as a classical violinist in France. He quickly gained fame as a virtuoso performer and composer and was often referred to as the "Black Mozart" due to his musical prowess.
In addition to his musical career, Joseph Bologne was also a skilled swordsman and athlete. He became the first Black man to lead a French regiment during the French Revolution, earning the title of colonel and leading his troops in battle.
Despite his success and contributions to French society, Joseph Bologne faced significant racial prejudice throughout his life, and was often excluded from certain social circles and opportunities due to his race. Nonetheless, he persevered and left a lasting impact on classical music and French history.
See the story of his life on the big screen!
04/24/2023
Spring is in the air! Check out our quarterly newsletter to get up-to-date on all things Sweet Blackberry. https://conta.cc/41G1Hqc
🌸 Spring Greetings From Sweet Blackberry 🌸
A Message from Karyn As spring blossoms around us, we're sharing an overdue update to all things Sweet Blackberry. This season, as we reflect on the rich legacy of Black culture, we invite you to expl
02/28/2023
Before Elvis and Johnny Cash, there was —affectionately dubbed “The Godmother Of Rock ‘N’ Roll.” Tharpe—best known for her gospel vocals and unique electric guitar playing—paved the way for new artists and genres. Her distinctive voice and style, which fused Delta blues, New Orleans jazz, and gospel music, attracted fans across races during a time when it was a rarity to see a female guitarist and vocal artist that explored, in tandem, religious and secular genres.
02/27/2023
Between 1930 and 1954, had a hand in nearly every major civil rights case that was brought to the Supreme Court. One by one, he planned to dismantle the system of Jim Crow laws.
"This fight for equality of educational opportunity (was) not an isolated struggle. All our struggles must tie in together and support one another. ... We must remain on the alert and push the struggle farther with all our might," Houston once said.
02/26/2023
began her career as an activist in the early '60s when she was first denied the right to vote because of literacy tests, which prevented Black people from voting. In 1963, she sat in a whites-only bus station and was beaten, leaving her with life-long injuries including a blood clot in her eye.
She entered the national spotlight when she co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which fought the local democrats on voting rights. She also organized Freedom Summer, which was an event that brought students of all races together to help African-American students in the South register to vote.
Hamer was known for her eloquent and powerful speeches. Her most famous line, however, is, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."
02/25/2023
Performer and choreographer changed the world of modern dance and of minority dancers through his contributions. Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958. The multiracial dance troupe performed modern pieces, with the most notable ones being Ailey's "Blues Suite" and "Revelations," which touched on his Southern-grown childhood.