Eulogy of my grandmother, Adwina Miriam Johnson

We close Black History Month with a personal story as Amandla Thomas-Johnson remembers his grandmother Adwina Miriam Johnson’s life, achievements and creativity in the face of obstacles Read More

Darcus Howe: His wordplay was swordplay

This weekend we lost journalist, activist and thinker Darcus Howe. In Darcus’ long career, he meant many different things to many different people. To pay homage to an undeniable trailblazer in the fight against racism and colonialism, here are seven different views on the man. Kiri Kankhwende It’s hard to sum up Howe’s immense contribution… Read More

The unbearable whiteness of history

by Jendella Benson  Deciding that it is never too early to take the task of cultural reproduction seriously (see David Osa Amadasun’s article, “‘Black people don’t go to galleries’ – The reproduction of taste and cultural values”), I took my fourteen month old son to the National Portrait Gallery one brisk November afternoon. The exhibition… Read More

Celebrating the life and times of J A Rogers – one of the leading Black historians of all time

by Patrick Vernon  After my recent article on the absence of black historians and the growing network of independent black scholars, I felt I wanted to share one of my personal heroes who embodies the characteristics and challenges that black historians face today. This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Joel Augustus Rogers,… Read More

The African-Argentine: Not an oxymoron

by Rachel Décoste “Liberty has no color” read the signs held outside a Buenos Aires city courthouse. However,  Argentines are famous for saying, “no hay negros en Argentina, “there are no blacks in Argentina.”  ~Trip Down Memory Lane – African Descendants In Argentina I have been fortunate to travel extensively in my adult life. There is no better… Read More