Latest news with #AfricanAmericanHistory
CBS News
20 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Mural honoring Black history in Miami vandalized with racist graffiti, organizer says
A mural celebrating African American history at Dorsey Park in Miami's Overtown neighborhood has been defaced with racist graffiti, including a swastika and the N-word, according to organizers of the project. The vandalism appeared on a section of the mural at NW 17th St. and NW 1st Ave., part of a historic public art effort led by the MLK Mural Project, Urgent Inc., and Touching Miami with Love. Painted in 2012, the mural was created to honor the cultural legacy of Dorsey Park, once home to the Negro Leagues' Ethiopian Clowns. Artist and community organizer Kyle Holbrook, who founded the MLK Mural Project, led the effort to commemorate African American icons and local history. The mural features figures such as Jackie Robinson, whose image was among those defaced. "This was an act of hate, but it will not define us," Holbrook said. "This mural was born from a community's pride, history, and power. We will restore it—stronger, bolder, and with even more purpose. Black history is American history. And no spray paint can erase that truth." Local leaders, artists and residents are organizing efforts to restore and expand the mural, using the incident as a call for unity. Community members are being encouraged to participate in the restoration process as a show of resilience and solidarity. The mural's original goal, to uplift African-American stories and legacy, now carries an added message: that hate cannot erase history, organizers said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Six Triple Eight' service member Anna Mae Robertson dies at 101
The Brief A long-time Milwaukee resident who was recently honored for her service during World War II has passed away. Ann Mae Robertson served in the 'Six Triple Eight' during WWII, an all-female African American unit that cleared backlogs of mail sent to American soldiers. She was 101 years old. MILWAUKEE - Anna Mae Robertson, who served in the only all-female African-American unit deployed overseas during World War II, has died at age 101. Her service was recently celebrated and honored back in February 2025 in Milwaukee. What they're saying "I am deeply saddened to learn of Ms. Anna Mae Roberston's passing. Ms. Robertson was a hero who served her country in the Six Triple Eight Central Postal Directory Battalion, helping connect service members during World War II to their loved ones at a time when letters were the only way to stay in touch. Their selfless service played a crucial role in boosting morale during World War II. The story of the Six Triple Eight Battalion has since inspired Americans across the country." I am honored to have championed legislation to award Six Triple Eight members a Congressional Gold Medal. After receiving the Congressional Gold Medal and national recognition decades after her heroic service, I am thankful that my constituent, Ms. Robertson, was able to receive her flowers while she could still smell them. Though Ms. Robertson was born and raised in Arkansas, she moved to Milwaukee and established roots here, and we are so appreciative of that." "I join our community in mourning her loss and remembering her trailblazing legacy." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News The backstory She broke barriers and played a pivotal role in World War II. Anna Mae Robertson served in the only all-female African American unit deployed overseas during the war, and her service was celebrated on Sunday, Feb. 23, in Milwaukee. There was praise and prayer inside Tabernacle Community Baptist Church. Even poetry for Black History Month. And it's the strength of a 100-year-old woman fueling celebration during the Sunday service. A quilt covers Anna Mae Robertson, fitting for a woman stitched into the fabric of American history. The backstory "Mother Anna Robertson was part of the 6888 all-women of color postal battalion unit who served in World War II," said Pastor Donna Childs. The "Six Triple Eight" was the first and only all-female African-American unit deployed overseas during World War II. The unit was tasked with clearing a two-year backlog of mail to send to American troops. "Their motto was "no mail, low morale," Childs added. They had to clear millions of pieces, and they did it in record time. They were given six months to finish the job. They did it in three. The unit received little recognition shortly after the war. In 2024, Tyler Perry wrote and directed a movie based on the women's experience for Netflix. What they're saying "Today, we recognize one of our own for her service and engagement to this country," said Gregory Jones with the NAACP. Robertson received recognitions from the NAACP and County Executive David Crowley. "Let's understand that she fought for us, and she fought for our ability to stand up and use our voices as well," Crowley said. The mother of eight sat quietly with her family around her during the event. There was pure pride from the front row for a woman who helped support the front lines. "While we recognize her, that we give her her flowers, that we have a role to play because we have a responsibility to her as well," Crowley added. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Gov. Tony Evers also honored Robertson with a resolution. It's another recognition for a trailblazing woman who turns 101 next month. The Six Triple Eight women received a Congressional Gold Medal. The Source FOX6 originally reported on Anna Mae Robertson's service at a celebration back in February 2025. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore provided the information on her passing in a statement sent to FOX6.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
New Orleans holds burial of repatriated African Americans whose skulls were used in racist research
New Orleans celebrated the return and burial of the remains of 19 African American people whose skulls had been sent to Germany for racist research practices in the 19th century. On Saturday, a multifaith memorial service including a jazz funeral, one of the city's most distinct traditions, paid tribute to the humanity of those coming home to their final resting place at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial. 'We ironically know these 19 because of the horrific thing that happened to them after their death, the desecration of their bodies,' said Monique Guillory, president of Dillard University, a historically Black private liberal arts college, which spearheaded the receipt of the remains on behalf of the city. 'This is actually an opportunity for us to recognize and commemorate the humanity of all of these individuals who would have been denied, you know, such a respectful send-off and final burial.' The 19 people are all believed to have died from natural causes between 1871 and 1872 at Charity Hospital, which served people of all races and classes in New Orleans during the height of White supremacist oppression in the 1800s. The hospital shuttered following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The remains sat in 19 wooden boxes in the university's chapel during a service Saturday that also included music from the Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective. A New Orleans physician provided the skulls of the 19 people to a German researcher engaged in phrenological studies — the debunked belief that a person's skull could determine innate racial characteristics. 'All kinds of experiments were done on Black bodies living and dead,' said Dr. Eva Baham, a historian who led Dillard University's efforts to repatriate the individuals' remains. 'People who had no agency over themselves.' In 2023, the University of Leipzig in Germany reached out to the City of New Orleans to find a way to return the remains, Guillory said. The University of Leipzig did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'It is a demonstration of our own morality here in New Orleans and in Leipzig with the professors there who wanted to do something to restore the dignity of these people,' Baham said. Dillard University researchers say more digging remains to be done, including to try and track down possible descendants. They believe it is likely that some of the people had been recently freed from slavery. 'These were really poor, indigent people in the end of the 19th century, but … they had names, they had addresses, they walked the streets of the city that we love,' Guillory said. 'We all deserve a recognition of our humanity and the value of our lives.'
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
New Orleans holds burial of repatriated African Americans whose skulls were used in racist research
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans celebrated the return and burial of the remains of 19 African American people whose skulls had been sent to Germany for racist research practices in the 19th century. On Saturday, a multifaith memorial service including a jazz funeral, one of the city's most distinct traditions, paid tribute to the humanity of those coming home to their final resting place at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial. 'We ironically know these 19 because of the horrific thing that happened to them after their death, the desecration of their bodies,' said Monique Guillory, president of Dillard University, a historically Black private liberal arts college, which spearheaded the receipt of the remains on behalf of the city. 'This is actually an opportunity for us to recognize and commemorate the humanity of all of these individuals who would have been denied, you know, such a respectful send-off and final burial.' The 19 people are all believed to have passed away from natural causes between 1871 and 1872 at Charity Hospital, which served people of all races and classes in New Orleans during the height of white supremacist oppression in the 1800s. The hospital shuttered following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The remains sat in 19 wooden boxes in the university's chapel during a service Saturday that also included music from the Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective. A New Orleans physician provided the skulls of the 19 people to a German researcher engaged phrenological studies — the debunked belief that a person's skull could determine innate racial characteristics. 'All kinds of experiments were done on Black bodies living and dead,' said Dr. Eva Baham, a historian who led Dillard University's efforts to repatriate the individuals' remains. 'People who had no agency over themselves.' In 2023, the University of Leipzig in Germany reached out to the City of New Orleans to find a way to return the remains, Guillory said. The University of Leipzig did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'It is a demonstration of our own morality here in New Orleans and in Leipzig with the professors there who wanted to do something to restore the dignity of these people,' Baham said. Dillard University researchers say more digging remains to be done, including to try and track down possible descendants. They believe it is likely that some of the people had been recently freed from slavery. 'These were really poor, indigent people in the end of the 19th century, but ... they had names, they had addresses, they walked the streets of the city that we love,' Guillory said. 'We all deserve a recognition of our humanity and the value of our lives.'
CNN
5 days ago
- General
- CNN
Harvard agrees to relinquish early photos of enslaved people, ending a long legal battle
Human rightsFacebookTweetLink Follow Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with a woman who says she is one of the subjects' descendants. The photos of the subjects identified by Tamara Lanier as her great-great-great-grandfather Renty, whom she calls 'Papa Renty,' and his daughter Delia will be transferred from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology to the International African American Museum in South Carolina, the state where they were enslaved in 1850 when the photos were taken, a lawyer for Lanier said Wednesday. The settlement marks the end of a 15-year battle between Lanier and the esteemed university to release the 19th-century daguerreotypes, a precursor to modern-day photographs. Lanier's attorney Joshua Koskoff told The Associated Press that the resolution is an 'unprecedented' victory for descendants of those enslaved in the US and praised his client's yearslong determination in pursuing justice for the people she had identified as her ancestors. 'I think it's one of one in American history, because of the combination of unlikely features: to have a case that dates back 175 years, to win control over images dating back that long of enslaved people — that's never happened before,' Koskoff said. A key question of the case was whether Harvard could legally be allowed to continue owning dehumanizing images of enslaved people who couldn't consent to taking part. The Massachusetts court system ultimately sided with Harvard on the question of ownership, but allowed Lanier to continue to pursue emotional damages from the institution. Harvard said Wednesday that it had long been working to relinquish ownership of the images 'to put them in the appropriate context and increase access to them for all Americans.' Negotiations between Harvard and Lanier lawyers resulted in a settlement that included the removal of the images from Harvard's ownership. On Wednesday, Lanier stood holding a portrait of Papa Renty while arm-in-arm with Susanna Moore, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz, who commissioned the images on behalf of the university and whose theories on racial difference were once used to support slavery in the US. Both great-great-great grandaughters — one of enslaved people and another of a man who exploited them — praised the resolution. 'This is a moment in history where the sons and daughters of stolen ancestors can stand with pride and rightfully proclaim a victory for reparations,' Lanier said. 'This pilfered property, images taken without dignity or consent and used to promote a racist psychoscience will now be repatriated to a home where their stories can be told and their humanity can be restored.' Moore called the images captured by her ancestor, Agassiz, a 'deeply racist project.' 'This victory reminds us that the meaning of such objects in museums can and should change,' she said. 'This woman standing next to me, she knew all along she was not small and she was not alone.' In 2019, Lanier sued Harvard, alleging the images were taken 'without Renty's and Delia's consent and therefore unlawfully retained.' The suit attacked Harvard for its 'exploitation' of Renty's image at a 2017 conference and in other uses. It said Harvard has capitalized on the photos by demanding a 'hefty' licensing fee to reproduce the images. Agassiz came across Renty and Delia while touring plantations in search of racially 'pure' enslaved individuals born in Africa, according to Lanier's suit. To create the images, both Renty and Delia were posed shirtless and photographed from several angles. 'To Agassiz, Renty and Delia were nothing more than research specimens,' the suit said. 'The violence of compelling them to participate in a degrading exercise designed to prove their own subhuman status would not have occurred to him, let alone mattered.' In 2021, a Massachusetts court ruled that photos are the property of the photographer, not the subject — a stance affirmed by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. However, while Harvard sought to have the case dismissed, the state high court allowed the case to proceed on Lanier's claim to emotional distress damages. The state's highest court recognized 'Harvard's complicity in the horrific actions surrounding the creation of the daguerreotypes,' saying that 'Harvard's present obligations cannot be divorced from its past abuses.' In a statement, Harvard said it had 'long been eager to place the Zealy Daguerreotypes with another museum or other public institution.' 'This settlement now allows us to move forward towards that goal,' the university said. 'While we are grateful to Ms. Lanier for sparking important conversations about these images, this was a complex situation, particularly since Harvard has not confirmed that Ms. Lanier was related to the individuals in the daguerreotypes.' Tonya M. Matthews, the CEO of the International African American Museum, called Harvard's relinquishing of the images a moment '175 years in the making.' 'The bravery, tenacity, and grace shown by Ms. Lanier throughout the long and arduous process of returning these critical pieces of Renty and Delia's story to South Carolina is a model for us all,' she said in a statement. The South Carolina museum has committed to working with Lanier and including her in decisions about how the story of the images will be told. In Lanier's lawsuit, she asked for Harvard to acknowledge its complicity in slavery, listen to Lanier's oral family history and pay an unspecified sum in damages. An undisclosed financial settlement was part of the resolution with Harvard announced Wednesday, but Koskoff said Harvard still hasn't publicly acknowledged Lanier's connection to them or its connection to perpetuating slavery in the US, Koskoff said. 'That is just left unanswered by Harvard,' he said. Koskoff said he wants to be clear that Lanier and his team 'firmly support' Harvard's current fight against the administration of US President Donald Trump as the White House moves to cut billions in federal aid and block the enrollment of international students, accusing the institution of being a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. 'We are not here today to bash Harvard… but that doesn't mean that they are perfect, and that doesn't mean that they don't have the obligation to tell a full history, even one that sheds poorly on their own veritas,' he said. He said Lanier isn't expecting or waiting to hear from the institution, but that the settlement speaks for itself. 'In the end, the truth will find you — you can you can only hide from it for so long,' he said. 'Yes, history is written by the winners. But over time, you know, those winners look like losers sometimes.'
