Media Monday - African American History Month - Week 3
Song of the Week
"That Evil Child" by B.B. King.
B.B. King was a blues musician born in 1925. B.B. is short for "Blues Boy", which later got shortened to just "B.B.". His career began in 1949, with an unsuccessful debut album followed by a tour. On this tour, in Arkansas, a bar fight between two men led to a fire. B.B. King got out safe but forgot his guitar so he returned to the building to retrieve it. He found out that the two men were fighting over a woman named 'Lucille'. He gave that name to his guitar, to remind him not to get into fights over women and not to run into burning buildings. In 1952, his song "3 O'Clock Blues" hit #1 on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues Chart and his career took off. In 1969, he opened for the Rolling Stones. B.B. King is not an American pop culture icon like he should be - his music is good! He died recently, in 2015, from diabetic complications and heart failure.
Floyd Norman was the first African-American to work as a Disney studios animator to remain at the studio for a long time. His first work was as an in-betweener for Disney's 1959 movie "Sleeping Beauty" (which was stunningly beautiful but lacks a lot in the story department, I hate to admit but that isn't Mr. Norman's fault). After Sleeping Beauty was completed, Mr. Norman got drafted. When he came back from WWII, he also came back to Walt Disney studios. He worked on One Hundred and One Dalmations and Sword in the Stone. After he made some sketches to entertain his co-workers that Walt Disney himself saw, he got a promotion. Mr. Norman was reappointed to the story department, where he worked on The Jungle Book (which also happens to be Walt Disney's last movie, which he ironically never got to see finish). When Disney died, Norman went and made his own company who animated their own films covering black history. Mr. Norman and his business partner also helped out with making segments for Sesame Street and the original Fat Albert. In 1999, Norman and his partner made www. afrokids.com, made to show positive African-American images to children. He went back to Disney in early 70s to work on Robin Hood, then made a big comeback to Disney as a story artist for Pixar films (Monsters Inc. and Toy Story) and Disney (Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan). He was the last scriptor for the Mickey Mouse comic before it was discontinued. At age 82, he has 4 awards for his outstanding work and also had a documentary made about him in 2016 called "Floyd Norman: An Animated Life".
This Week in African American History...
Monday, Feb. 19th
Tiger Woods, in 2010, apologized for his extramartial affairs, stating that his behavior was selfish and foolish. It was the first time he spoke since he crashed into a fire hydrant at 2:30 am on November 27, 2009. Tiger Woods has broke many golfing records.
The Chicago Eight got sentenced on this day in 1970. The anti-war protestors, including one Black Panther named Bobby Seal, were charged with crossing state borders to start a riot. The trial turned into a media frenzy because the defendants and their lawyers/attorneys tried to use the court as a platform for their beliefs, causing the judge to order Seale to be gagged and tied to his chair and eventually given a seperate trial. Everyone, including Seal, were found guilty of their 'crimes' except for two of the defendants. They were given two year prison sentences and a $5,000 fine. None of them served time because the case was overturned in 1972.
Tuesday, Feb. 20th
John Singleton became the youngest AND the first African-American to be nominated for a "Best Director" Oscar on this day in 1992. The nomination was for his debut film "Boyz N the Hood". The movie depicted how live really was living in the gang-ruled neighborhood of Compton. He also got an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He lost the Best Director Oscar to the director of Silence of the Lambs, and the Best Original Screenplay to the screenwriter for Thelma & Louise.
Wednesday, Feb. 21st
Malcom X, an African - American nationalist and religious leader, was assasinated on this day in 1965. He was murdered by rival Black Muslims. Unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X (who used the letter X as his last name to symbolize his African heritage being stolen), advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans 'by any means neccesary'. A Muslim, Malcom X made the pilgramiage to Mecca, which changed his stance from feeling white race was not the enemy but racism as a whole. His father was murdered by white supremacists in 1931.
Sunday, Feb. 25th
The first African - American congressman was sworn in on this day in 1870. Hiram Rhodes Revels, from Natchez Missisipi was voted to fill in the seat that used to belong to Jefferson Davis (the Confedracy's president). Before this, Revels made many things available to African American freedmen, such as making a school and was a chaplain for the Union. Revels was the first of 15 African American men to serve congress during the Reconstruction.
African American First
Floyd Norman was the first African-American to work as a Disney studios animator to remain at the studio for a long time. His first work was as an in-betweener for Disney's 1959 movie "Sleeping Beauty" (which was stunningly beautiful but lacks a lot in the story department, I hate to admit but that isn't Mr. Norman's fault). After Sleeping Beauty was completed, Mr. Norman got drafted. When he came back from WWII, he also came back to Walt Disney studios. He worked on One Hundred and One Dalmations and Sword in the Stone. After he made some sketches to entertain his co-workers that Walt Disney himself saw, he got a promotion. Mr. Norman was reappointed to the story department, where he worked on The Jungle Book (which also happens to be Walt Disney's last movie, which he ironically never got to see finish). When Disney died, Norman went and made his own company who animated their own films covering black history. Mr. Norman and his business partner also helped out with making segments for Sesame Street and the original Fat Albert. In 1999, Norman and his partner made www. afrokids.com, made to show positive African-American images to children. He went back to Disney in early 70s to work on Robin Hood, then made a big comeback to Disney as a story artist for Pixar films (Monsters Inc. and Toy Story) and Disney (Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan). He was the last scriptor for the Mickey Mouse comic before it was discontinued. At age 82, he has 4 awards for his outstanding work and also had a documentary made about him in 2016 called "Floyd Norman: An Animated Life".
This Week in African American History...
Monday, Feb. 19th
Tiger Woods, in 2010, apologized for his extramartial affairs, stating that his behavior was selfish and foolish. It was the first time he spoke since he crashed into a fire hydrant at 2:30 am on November 27, 2009. Tiger Woods has broke many golfing records.
The Chicago Eight got sentenced on this day in 1970. The anti-war protestors, including one Black Panther named Bobby Seal, were charged with crossing state borders to start a riot. The trial turned into a media frenzy because the defendants and their lawyers/attorneys tried to use the court as a platform for their beliefs, causing the judge to order Seale to be gagged and tied to his chair and eventually given a seperate trial. Everyone, including Seal, were found guilty of their 'crimes' except for two of the defendants. They were given two year prison sentences and a $5,000 fine. None of them served time because the case was overturned in 1972.
Tuesday, Feb. 20th
John Singleton became the youngest AND the first African-American to be nominated for a "Best Director" Oscar on this day in 1992. The nomination was for his debut film "Boyz N the Hood". The movie depicted how live really was living in the gang-ruled neighborhood of Compton. He also got an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He lost the Best Director Oscar to the director of Silence of the Lambs, and the Best Original Screenplay to the screenwriter for Thelma & Louise.
Wednesday, Feb. 21st
Malcom X, an African - American nationalist and religious leader, was assasinated on this day in 1965. He was murdered by rival Black Muslims. Unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X (who used the letter X as his last name to symbolize his African heritage being stolen), advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans 'by any means neccesary'. A Muslim, Malcom X made the pilgramiage to Mecca, which changed his stance from feeling white race was not the enemy but racism as a whole. His father was murdered by white supremacists in 1931.
Sunday, Feb. 25th
The first African - American congressman was sworn in on this day in 1870. Hiram Rhodes Revels, from Natchez Missisipi was voted to fill in the seat that used to belong to Jefferson Davis (the Confedracy's president). Before this, Revels made many things available to African American freedmen, such as making a school and was a chaplain for the Union. Revels was the first of 15 African American men to serve congress during the Reconstruction.
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