North Carolina Senate Pardons Governor Posthumously

"Today we correct a 140-year-old wrong by officially pardoning Gov. Holden for his actions which were both legally and morally correct."

Sen. Neal Hunt, R-Wake, one of the primary sponsors of the bipartisan resolution

The North Carolina State Senate, meeting in the old Capitol building where it hasn't met regularly in 48 years, voted 48-0 in favor of pardoning Holden, who was impeached in 1870 by the House and convicted by the Senate at the close of a seven-week trial a few months later. The vote was delayed three weeks ago in part because some questioned whether Governor William Woods Holden was worthy of a pardon.  

"This Legislature created a grave injustice by impeaching a man, not because of some high crimes, but solely because he was doing the job that lived up to the oath that he took to be governor, to protect all the citizens of this state," said Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, another sponsor.

Holden was the first governor removed from office in the United States, the result, according to contemporary historians, of a Democratic-led Legislature bent on harming the Republican for calling out a militia to quell an insurrection in two Piedmont counties that resulted in the killings of white and black citizens.

Speakers on Tuesday said it was a proud moment for North Carolina citizens — black and white, Democrats and Republicans — to unify behind absolving a governor who acted to protect newly freed slaves.

"We have the sons and daughters of former slave owners and the sons and daughters of former slaves coming together to chart a course for North Carolina," said Sen. Floyd McKissick, D-Durham.

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Senate-agrees-to-posthumous-pardon-for-NC-governor-1332977.php#ixzz1JPIu3Cis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Woods_Holden

Black Enterprise's Trailblazers: Eight Women Who Changed American Business Forever

Tweet from @blackenterprise: Trailblazers: These 8 women changed American business forever: http://ow.ly/4sX6n

“I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations….I have built my own factory on my own ground.”
Madam Walker, National Negro Business League Convention, July 1912
 Born Sarah Breedlove, Madam C.J. Walker was an African-American businesswoman, hair care entrepreneur and philanthropist. She made her fortune by developing and marketing a hugely successful line of beauty and hair products for black women under the company she founded, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company  http://www.madamcjwalker.com/  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_C._J._Walker

“If a solution isn't enduring, it's not really a solution. In process automation, we need enduring systems and solutions that become standards in their own right.”  
Maggie Lena Walker      
Maggie Lena Walker was an African Americanteacher and businesswoman. Walker was the first African American female bank president and the first woman to charter a bank in the United States.  As a leader, she achieved successes with the vision to make tangible improvements in the way of life for African Americans and women. Disabled by paralysis and limited to a wheelchair later in life, Walker also became an example for people with disabilities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_L._Walker

"When I got to Harvard, I saw that although the law could be used as an agent of change, it could also be used to preserve the status quo." 

Deborah C. Wright

Deborah C. Wright is President and CEO of Carver Bancorp, the holding company for Carver Federal Savings Bank. This is the U.S.'slargest publicly traded African-American operated bank, with locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. Wright was named to this position in 1999 and was honored as "Community Banker of the Year" in 2003 by The American Banker, the financial industry's dailynewspaper. She is also a member of the board of directors of Time Warner and Kraft Foods.  Wright earned her bachelor's, MBA and law degrees from Harvard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Wright

To view the full slideshow featuring the other five women, visit http://www.blackenterprise.com/2011/03/31/8-trailblazing-women-then-and-now/?show=5

National Poetry Month

In honor of National Poetry Month, we'll highlight poets throughout the month of April.  To kick us off, we'll start with one of my favorites in college:

Phenomenal Woman

by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Maya Angelou

March in Black History

Here's what happened in March in Black History:

On March 31 in Black History...
In 1878 - Jack Johnson, boxer was born; Boxer, controversial heavyweight champion (1908-15) and 1st black to hold title; defeated Tommy Burns for crown at age 30; fled to Europe in 1913 after Mann Act conviction; lost title to Jess Willard in Havana, but claimed to have taken a dive; pro record 78-8-12.
In 1901 - Navy Seaman Alphonse Girandy wins Medal of Honor; U.S. Navy Seaman Alphonse Gerandy, serving on the US Petrel, risked his own life to safe crewmen during a fire. His Medal of Horor was presented in 1902.

In 1856 - Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African American graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was born in Thomasville, Georgia. Enduring heavy racism during his schooling, Flipper went on to establish a military career. This was ended however after he was falsely accused of embezzling funds.
In 1980 - Jesse Owens, Gold Medalist, died; Owens four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, 1936.
In 1960 - Eighteen students suspended by Southern University; Southern Univerisity students rebelled March 31, boycotted classes and requested withdrawal slips. Rebellion collapsed after death of professor from heart attack.
In 1960 - Laurian Rugambwa of Tanzania becomes the first black Roman Catholic Cardinal.
In 1948 - Black Youths Urged to Resit Induction; A. Phillip Randolph told Senate Armed Services Committee that unless segregation and discrimination were banned in draft programs he would urge Black youths to resist induction by civil disobedience.
In 1930 - Nomination of Judge John J. Parker; President Hoover nominated Judge John J. Parker of North Carolina for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. The NAACP launched a national campaign against the appointment. Parker was not confirmed by the Senate.
In 1850 - United States Population: 23,191,876. Black population: 3,638,808 (15.7 per cent).
In 1741 - Slave conspiracies and fires cause Hysteria; Succession of suspicious fires and reports of slave conspiracies created hysteria in New York in March and April. Thirty-one slaves and five whites were executed.

More in March...http://experiencinghistory.blogspot.com/p/today-in-black-history.html

Black Women Who Rule the Art Scene

Tweet from @blackartdepot - The Most Influential Black Women in the Art World: http://ht.ly/4p8Ei [Very interesting information and photo gallery] #art #blackgirlsrock

 

From Faith Ringgold to Betye Saar, from Lorna Simpson to Thelma Golden, these women are having a big impact on the world of art.

Leslie King Hammond

King-Hammond, a foremost authority on African-American art and culture, is graduate dean emeritus of the Maryland Institute College of Art and founding director of MICA's Center for Race and Culture. The center invites scholars, doctoral candidates, artists, critics, musicians, actors and historians to research or create events that focus on the aesthetic dynamics of race and culture in order to break down racial barriers, build bridges of cultural understanding and prepare students for leadership roles in the international art world. 

Valerie Cassel Oliver

Oliver, senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, has become a powerful force in contemporary art. She made indelible impressions while co-curating the "2000 Whitney Biennial" and curating the "Double Consciousness" show, which explored the conceptual-art practices of African Americans -- a shout-out to Du Bois' theory that blacks don't need to look at themselves through the eyes of others. Her achievements earned her the coveted 2011 David C. Driskell Prize for original contributions to African-American art.

See the full slideshow here:  http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/influential-black-women-arts-culture