Lester Craven
@goodtrouble64.bsky.social
đ¤ 128
đĽ 116
đ 151
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania đšđż
When Black people resisted oppression, psychiatry diagnosed the behavior as a treatable condition.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/psychiatry...
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Psychiatry Regarded Blackness as a Treatable Condition
Since the first American psychiatry textbook, Blackness has been viewed as an abnormal condition that should be treated.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/psychiatry-regarded-blackness-as
2 days ago
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In 1868, the Arkansas governor deployed the national guard (then called state militia) to stop KKK-led violence because the federal government refused to intervene.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/state-mili...
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State Militia Fights KKK When Feds Refuse
In the aftermath of the Civil War, Arkansasâ governor deployed the state militia to stop anti-Black terrorism by the KKK.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/state-militia-fights-kkk-when-feds-f86
5 days ago
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This week marks the 50th anniversary of this iconic photo that has become an enduring symbol not just of Bostonâs school desegregation crisis but also of Americaâs violent history of anti-Black oppression.
#BlackSky
#america250
lestercraven.substack.com/p/violence-i...
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Violence Is Foundational to American Liberty
An image captured during the nationâs bicentennial year powerfully portrays the American flag as a tool of Black oppression.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/violence-is-foundational-to-american
9 days ago
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Americaâs problems are an opportunity for producing something better. Avoiding the problems ensures avoiding that better something as well.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/we-do-thin...
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We Do Things Because They Are Hard
The value of facing difficult challenges lies not only in finding solutions, but also in the struggle itself.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/we-do-things-because-they-are-hard-ff9
12 days ago
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Major League Baseball excluded Black players then denied recognition of Negro League records because they werenât âmajor leagues.â
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/mlb-correc...
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MLB Corrects Legacy of Negro League Exclusion
Major League Baseball excluded Black players then denied recognition of Negro League records because they werenât âmajor leagues.â
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/mlb-corrects-legacy-of-negro-league
16 days ago
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Despite general acceptance of the magnitude of slavery's atrocities, the enduring effect on African economies today is underappreciated.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-slave-...
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The Slave Trade's Effects on African Economies Today
Nearly four centuries of transatlantic slave trade, ending only 160 years ago, had concentrated demographic destructiveness that largely explains Africa's poor economies today.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-slave-trades-effects-on-african-1e0
19 days ago
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The courage of the Freedom Riders in 1961 exposed the cowardly violence behind anti-Black discrimination.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/freedom-ri...
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Freedom Riders Provoked Violent Opposition to Desegregation
When bus riders drew attention to Southern defiance of the Supreme Courtâs order to desegregate, they were met with deadly violence.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/freedom-riders-provoked-violent-opposition
23 days ago
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â...by getting the public to associate blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing [them] heavily, we could disrupt those communities. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.â - John Ehrlichman, Counsel for President Nixon
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/police-wer...
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Police Were Created to Control Black Behavior
From slave patrols to Black Code enforcement to the war on drugs, police have existed to subjugate Black bodies.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/police-were-created-to-control-black-05b
26 days ago
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Owning property is a way that families build generational wealth, and Minneapolis did its best to make that as hard as possible for Black people.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/whites-rio...
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Whites Riot Against Integration in Minneapolis
The first Black family to move into a Minneapolis neighborhood was unwelcomed with nights of violent riots.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/whites-riot-against-integration-in
about 1 month ago
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For over 200 years, affirmative action programs have been hugely effective in creating the middle class that exists in America today.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/affirmativ...
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Affirmative Action Works! For White People
The largest institutional programs for helping people achieve the American Dream have historically excluded Black people.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/affirmative-action-works-for-white-f25
about 1 month ago
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In 1968, the federal government investigated the root causes of Americaâs racial inequality, identified solutions, and then did nearly nothing.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/america-ig...
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America Ignored Commissionâs Recommendations for Rectifying Racial Inequality
The Kerner Commission proposed nearly 200 interventions to address systemic racism, but most of their ideas never went beyond the printed page.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/america-ignored-commissions-recommendations
about 1 month ago
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As a pioneer for African Americans in the US armed forces, General Colin Powell changed the world through military power. He was well known for his ability to get things done by telling people what to do. Yet, at the same time, he himself was told what to do.
#BlackSky
substack.com/@lestercrave...
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Gen. Colin Powellâs Military Legacy
As a pioneer for African Americans in the US armed forces, General Colin Powell changed the world through military power.
https://substack.com/@lestercraven/p-189628081
about 1 month ago
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America fought over slavery, ended apartheid by law, yet preserved systems of racial advantage. Slavery ended without ending White supremacy. Segregation ended without integration. Will America 350⢠be different than America 250?
#BlackSky
#bhm
#america250
lestercraven.substack.com/p/which-amer...
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Which America Endures?
Birthdays remind us that we are no longer who we were, and that we also have enduring traits that make us who we are.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/which-america-endures
about 1 month ago
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Winning the heavyweight boxing title wasnât the most enduringly influential characteristic of Muhammad Aliâs life.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#muhammadali
lestercraven.substack.com/p/muhammad-a...
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Muhammad Ali: The Greatest Black Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Muhammad Ali overcame racism, false charges, exile, and every opponent as he triumphantly demonstrated his courage.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/muhammad-ali-the-greatest-black-heavyweight
about 1 month ago
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Winning the heavyweight boxing title was the most enduringly influential characteristic of Jack Johnsonâs life.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#jackjohnson
lestercraven.substack.com/p/jack-johns...
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Jack Johnson: The First Black Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Jack Johnson overcame racism, false charges, exile, and every opponent as he triumphantly demonstrated his American individualism.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/jack-johnson-the-first-black-heavyweight
about 1 month ago
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In eastern North Carolina, many self-liberated former slaves lived as maroons in the Alligator Swamp and were fiercely antagonistic toward the slave society they had escaped.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#tyrellcountync
lestercraven.substack.com/p/tyrrell-co...
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Tyrrell County Slaves Were Never Faithful
Enslaved people who freed themselves in eastern North Carolina fought slave society for over two centuries from within the Alligator Swamp.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/tyrrell-county-slaves-were-never
about 2 months ago
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Following the Civil War, Whites who had become accustomed to using violence to control Black behavior during slavery wanted to retain this right.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#standyourground
lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-right-...
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âThe Right to Kill Negroesâ
Centuries of White violence against enslaved Blacks created a culture of impunity and a sense of entitlement to self-defense after the Civil War.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-right-to-kill-negroes
about 2 months ago
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Banks that accumulated capital during the slavery era, loaned money to cities in the 20th century to build infrastructure that primarily benefitted Whites, while pocketing the profits from the interest that was paid in part by Black taxpayers.
#BlackSky
#bhm
lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-taxp...
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Black Taxpayer Money Funded Improvements for White Neighborhoods
Since the New Deal, municipal bonds have been the primary means of financing infrastructure improvements that primarily benefited Whites, though the interest was paid for by White and Black taxpayers
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-taxpayer-money-funded-improvements
about 2 months ago
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The architect of the legal strategy to end segregation that culminated in the Brown vs. Board ruling is virtually unknown because he died before this landmark victory was achieved.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#charleshamiltonhouston
lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-man-wh...
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The Man Who Killed Jim Crow
Charles Hamilton Houstonâs legal strategy was critical to ending apartheid in the United States.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-man-who-killed-jim-crow
about 2 months ago
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South Carolinaâs population was majority Black in 1910, yet anti-Black voter oppression was so effective it kept Blacks out of government then and kept them out decade after decade after decade.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#restorethevra
lestercraven.substack.com/p/blacks-led...
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Blacks Led South Carolinaâs Government for Eight Years
But the White backlash to South Carolinaâs Reconstruction era elections was so effective it kept Blacks out of elected office for over a century.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/blacks-led-south-carolinas-government
about 2 months ago
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Sophiatown was hardly the Black Wall Street of South Africa, yet because Black people were enjoying freedom there, it was a threat to the apartheid government and therefore it had to be destroyed.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#sophiatown
lestercraven.substack.com/p/sophiatown...
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Sophiatown Was the Heart and Soul of South Africa
Although the apartheid governmentâs policies created Sophiatown to restrict people, its Black residents transformed it into a place of freedom.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/sophiatown-was-the-heart-and-soul
about 2 months ago
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The forced removal of millions of Black people from their homeland in southern Africa began with the British occupation and continued for decades under the apartheid government of independent South Africa.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#forcedremovals
lestercraven.substack.com/p/south-afri...
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South African Blacks Were Forcibly Removed From Their Homeland
In the 1800s, the British claimed for themselves all of the land of southern Africa, displacing the occupants who had lived there for centuries.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/south-african-blacks-were-forcibly
about 2 months ago
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In 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregated education was unconstitutional and 15 years later emphatically affirmed its decision, then just 5 years later it said remedying the problem isnât allowed.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#millikenvbradley
lestercraven.substack.com/p/brown-v-bo...
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Brown v. Board Changed Everything and Nothing
Twenty years after Brown v. Board, the Supreme Court made the practical implementation of school desegregation impossible.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/brown-v-board-changed-everything
about 2 months ago
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Gloria Richardson was captured in an iconic photo that perfectly conveyed her courage and uncompromising commitment to obtaining equality for Black Americans.
#bhm
#gloriarichardson
lestercraven.substack.com/p/gloria-ric...
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Gloria Richardsonâs Uncompromising Fight for Equality
The civil rights leader was a fierce fighter for equal citizenship for Black Americans.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/gloria-richardsons-uncompromising
about 2 months ago
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When Jefferson wrote that all men should be free, everyone knew that not everyone could be free. What was at stake was who would get to decide.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#declarationofindependence
lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-right-...
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The Right to Decide Who Should Be Free
The enslavement of Blacks was so horrific that it motivated the colonists to fight to ensure that they wouldnât be slaves to the King of England.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-right-to-decide-who-should-be
about 2 months ago
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Despite being denied frontline assignments under Jim Crow, Black soldiers proved their worth through their achievements in the work they were given.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#buffalosoldier
lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-sold...
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Black Soldiers Prove Their Value Building Alaska Highway
The road to civil rights for Black soldiers began in Alaska.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-soldiers-prove-their-value
about 2 months ago
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Hollywood made sure that every one of us knows about Doris Miller even if we don't know his name.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#dorismiller
lestercraven.substack.com/p/americas-f...
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Americaâs First WWII Hero Was a Black Sailor
Doris Miller, a mess attendant, performed far above the call of duty during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/americas-first-wwii-hero-was-a-black
about 2 months ago
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In its first 134 years of existence, fewer than 0.04% of West Point graduates were Black, but that was too many for key supporters of the institution.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#invisiblegenerals
lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-cade...
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Black Cadets at West Point Elicit Racial Backlash
Benjamin O. Davis Jr.âs graduation from West Point in 1936 sparked a decades-long racial backlash.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-cadets-at-west-point-elicit
about 2 months ago
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A.G. Gaston was famous for making money but less famous for how he used that money to improve peopleâs lives.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#aggaston
lestercraven.substack.com/p/self-made-...
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Self-Made Millionaire Funded Civil Rights Movement
Alabamaâs first Black millionaire, A.G. Gaston used his financial success to promote equality and create opportunities for people who had previously been excluded.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/self-made-millionaire-funded-civil
about 2 months ago
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Black Americans have repeatedly overcome enormous obstacles to build vibrant economies, only to have them destroyed by the government. Yet, many people today ignorantly ask, âWhy canât Black people succeed in business?â
#BlackSky
#bhm
#hayti
lestercraven.substack.com/p/us-governm...
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US Government Destroyed Flourishing Black North Carolina Community
African Americans have built numerous vibrant economies across America that have been destroyed by the federal government.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/us-government-destroyed-flourishing
about 2 months ago
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Ah, the n-word. Itâs unspeakable, but the idea behind it sure isnât. How one word used to describe Black people became the most unspeakable word in English and was replaced with something else.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#ojsimpson
lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-histor...
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The History of the N-Word
How one word used to describe Black people became the most unspeakable word in English and was replaced with something else.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-history-of-the-n-word
2 months ago
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After looting the colonies, the plunderers gave the keys back to the locals but kept the money.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#neocolonialism
lestercraven.substack.com/p/independen...
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Independence Without Capital Birthed Neocolonialism
When Uganda and Tanzania obtained independence, the people lacked the capital to run the economies they inherited.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/independence-without-capital-birthed
2 months ago
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Spain responded to its genocide of the TaĂno people by importing tens of thousands of Africans to Puerto Rico.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#puertorico
lestercraven.substack.com/p/spains-sla...
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Spainâs Slave Trade Transformed Puerto Ricoâs Population
Spain brought so many enslaved Africans to Puerto Rico they became the islandâs majority population after the near extinction of the native TaĂno.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/spains-slave-trade-transformed-puerto
2 months ago
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City planners in Pasadena had a less expensive freeway construction option and still chose the more expensive one that also destroyed more Black-owned houses and businesses.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#pasadena
lestercraven.substack.com/p/i-210-drov...
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I-210 Drove Blacks Out of Pasadena, California
Pasadena freeway construction planners chose a route that was more expensive than the alternative and that permanently displaced more of the Black population.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/i-210-drove-blacks-out-of-pasadena
2 months ago
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Colonists used their capital as the fuel for developing economic engines in their colonies, then gave the colonies their independence and took away the fuel.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#neocolonialism
lestercraven.substack.com/p/colonialis...
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Colonialism Is Dead! Long Live Colonialism!
After nearly six centuries of violent colonialism, a new era of economic extraction began that employed more civilized methods.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/colonialism-is-dead-long-live-colonialism
2 months ago
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The justification for the 911 emergency telephone system wasnât public safety but control of people to âmaintain order.â
#BlackSky
#bhm
#911
lestercraven.substack.com/p/911-was-in...
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911 Was Invented in Response to Racial Unrest
The political motivation for developing a single emergency response phone number was fueled by the desire to control the behavior of Black people.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/911-was-invented-in-response-to-racial
2 months ago
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In 1967, a group of dedicated, hardworking young Black men developed a new branch of mobile emergency services that has since saved countless lives in the US and around the world.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#freedomhouse
lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-trai...
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Black Trailblazers Became the First Paramedics
The worldâs first system for providing medical services at the scene of an emergency was developed by a courageous group of young Black men in Pittsburgh.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-trailblazers-became-the-first
2 months ago
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A named tragedy cost Black Tulsans their lives in 1921; fifty years later, an unnamed tragedy cost them their land.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#tulsamassacre
lestercraven.substack.com/p/tulsas-mas...
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Tulsaâs Massacre Wasnât Its Only Racial Catastrophe
Whites who had been trying to take Greenwood from its Black owners were only temporarily held back by the Tulsa Massacre.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/tulsas-massacre-wasnt-its-only-racial
2 months ago
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George Washington Carver is famous for his peanut products but itâs his spirit of innovation that continues to inspire people to do great things.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/carvers-pe...
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Carverâs Peanut Passion is Saving Lives Today
George Washington Carverâs spirit of innovation inspired researchers to develop a peanut-based product that has saved the lives of millions of children.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/carvers-peanut-passion-is-saving
2 months ago
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We all can learn from anyoneâs history from anywhere because weâre all part of the same shared story.
#BlackSky
#bhm
#america250
lestercraven.substack.com/p/how-will-y...
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How Will You Be Remembered?
Learning from the past is a cheat code for living in the present and influencing the future.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/how-will-you-be-remembered
2 months ago
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Given an opportunity that lasted just one week in 1968, Harry Belafonte broke ground in late-night television that still produces results today.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/how-harry-...
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How Harry Belafonte Redefined Late Night Television
When the highly respected entertainer was given the unprecedented opportunity to host a late-night talk show, his impact in just one week influenced the industry in ways felt today.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/how-harry-belafonte-redefined-late
2 months ago
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The story of the 1874 election day massacre in Eufaula, Alabama, has been intentionally hidden and remains untaught in Alabama schools today.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/forgotten-...
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Forgotten Violent Black Voter Suppression in Alabama
On election day in 1874, a mob of White men attacked and killed Black voters, suppressing Black voting in Barbour County for generations.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/forgotten-violent-black-voter-suppression
3 months ago
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Known as the Harlem of the South, The Scrub was the home of Tampa's Black community until freeway construction obliterated it.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/freeway-co...
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Freeway Construction Destroys Black Community in Tampa
The Scrub was the heart of the Black community in Tampa, Florida until it was paved over by freeways.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/freeway-construction-destroys-black
3 months ago
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White leaders in Birmingham, Alabama thought it was better for their citizens to have no public facilities than to have to share them with Black people.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/birmingham...
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Birmingham Closed Parks and Pools to Prevent Integration
After a federal court ruled that racially segregated public facilities were unconstitutional, the city closed them to everyone.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/birmingham-closed-parks-and-pools
3 months ago
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Activists in 2020 revealed the long-hidden history of the murder of a small townâs first Black commissioner and constable.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/town-commi...
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Town Commissioner Lynched for Being Black
Becoming the first Black town commissioner of Graham, North Carolina, got Wyatt Outlaw lynched.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/town-commissioner-lynched-for-being
3 months ago
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To keep a negative portrayal of Atlanta from spreading, city leaders ordered the removal of information about a massacre of Black Americans by a mob of White men.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/atlanta-ma...
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Atlanta Massacre History Hidden for a Century
White politicians rewrote Atlantaâs history to keep the world from knowing Black people were massacred there in 1906.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/atlanta-massacre-history-hidden-for
3 months ago
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The economic and political success of African Americans in North Carolina triggered a viciously violent backlash from Whites, the effects of which would last decades.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-only-s...
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The Only Successful Coup in US History
The 1898 coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, contributed to keeping Blacks out of politics in the state for nearly a century.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-only-successful-coup-in-us-history
3 months ago
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After Georgia state representative Denmark Groover created Georgiaâs runoff election system that disadvantaged Black candidates, he admitted, âIf you want to establish if I was racially prejudiced, I was.â
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/georgia-ru...
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Georgia Runoff Elections Keep Blacks Out of Office
Georgia created runoff elections to prevent Black candidates from winning elections when running against two or more White candidates.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/georgia-runoff-elections-keep-blacks
3 months ago
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A friend shares the story of how her family learned after Grandpa died that heâd been in the KKK.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/we-all-inh...
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We All Inherit the Past
No matter how hard you try to forget the past, it still shapes the present.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/we-all-inherit-the-past
3 months ago
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Targeted marketing has had a greater impact on who consumes Coke and Pepsi than the taste of the colas themselves.
#BlackSky
lestercraven.substack.com/p/racialized...
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Racialized Marketing Differentiated Coke From Pepsi
Racial differences in cola consumption have less to do with the way the drinks taste and more to do with the images associated with their brands.
https://lestercraven.substack.com/p/racialized-marketing-differentiated
3 months ago
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