Know Your History: Bob Marley was the Third World’s first pop superstar. He was the man who introduced the world to the mystic power of reggae. He was a true rocker at heart, and as a songwriter, he brought the lyrical force of Bob Dylan, the personal charisma of John Lennon, and the essential vocal stylings of Smokey Robinson into one voice.

Know Your History: Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (May 25, 1878 - November 25, 1949) was an American tap dancer and actor of stage and film. Audiences enjoyed his understated style, which eschewed the frenetic manner of the jitterbug in favor of cool and reserve; rarely did he use his upper body, relying instead on busy, inventive feet and an expressive face.

Know Your History: Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an African American voice actor and puppeteer whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl. He currently serves as Sesame Street Muppet Captain and co-executive producer.

Know Your History: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago and to work at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband.

Know Your History: RuPaul is the first acknowledged african american drag queen. First gained fame in the 1990s. His name was given to him by his mother, a Louisiana native. The Ru came from roux, an ingredient used in gumbo. He is currently 50yrs old and looking better than A LOT of women today!

Know Your History: Mississippi has birthed the most African American artist etc. such as Morgan Freeman, B.B. King, Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones, Fannie Lou Hamer, Tavis Smiley, Soulja Boy, etc.

Know Your History: Huey P Newton was a political and urban activist who founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. On August 22, 1989, Newton was fatally shot on the 1400 block of 9th street in West Oakland by a 24-year-old Black Guerilla Family member Tyrone Robinson during an attempt by Newton to obtain crack cocaine.

Know Your History: In June of 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first and only African-American woman in Texas history to serve as Texas Governor, although her position lasted for only one day, and remains the only African-American woman in Texas history to do so. Texas, we STILL have work to do.

Know Your History: Marie Van Britton Brown was born on October 30, 1922 , in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. She was an African-American inventor, who in 1966 had the idea for a home surveillance device. Marie Brown applied for a patent along with Albert Brown in 1966 for a closed circuit television security system.

Know Your History:
First introduced in '87, Mahogany became a year-round brand offering both everyday and seasonal cards in '91. Today, the Mahogany brand is the most extensive offering of cards available for African-American consumers, to help African Americans honor their relationships in innovative, compelling and culturally-relevant ways.

Know Your History: Earl Lucas was born in Dallas, Texas (Oak Cliff to be exact). He went to Booker T. Washington High School and was in the arts program. Since then he is the lead designer of the 2010 Ford Taurus.

ATTN POETS---> Public Service Announcement in the 10cents of Ebony Stewart:

If you have the modesty to use, steal, take, or make someone else's lines your own, you should have the humility, appreciation, or obligation to acknowledge and give them credit for making you the poet your are in that poem.

Being appalled or "angry" should not be your only means of action when you "hear" it happening, but it is now your duty to educate and address.

Why?

Honestly, the poet might not know it is considered wrong or inappropriate to use anothers shadow without their permission or without properly clothing it with quotation marks or shout outs. Also, in their defense, they might have had the same idea as another great mind, so why not simply share that "fun fact" with them.

All of the above can be done without aggression or utter disgust. And trust, it takes maturity on how to deal with it. And it might not change anything if you do address it... At that point maybe you should consider yourself "arrived" (Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Mos Def, Jay-Z, hell Oprah, Miley Cyrus -lol) if poets are willing to take your lines, style, etc and make them their own without giving you credit. You are also always FREE to not give a "F" and GRIND anyway, that is, if this is your "life's work."

Ebony Stewart will treat you with respect and be cordial either way.
Ha! Consider me writing to make you a better poet.. LMAO. (I kill myself)
Nah, in all honesty, you're insignificant to me in that matter... do you, I gotta write for me regardless.

It is safe to say that words are recycled, but lines are barcoded (or should be). It is easy to say, there is nothing "new" under the sun, but even within that line is a lie, because things are continuing to grow, meaning "new" things are happening.

I give credit, respect, and mad props to EVERY and ANY poet who has ever given a piece of themselves to a page, a stage, a crowd, an ear, a heart... it's not easy to be vulnerable or as Rudy Fransisco would say, "naked."

Again I QUOTE, "Be yourself, everyone else is taken." -Anonymous

-And I'm off it.



P.S. "There is no way you can be better than me at being me." -EbPoetry

Know Your History: George Coleman Poage (November 6, 1880–April 11, 1962) was the first African American athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games, winning two silver medals at the 1904 games in St. Louis.

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Know Your History: The first female comedian was Moms Mabley. A standup comedian and a pioneer of the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" of African-American vaudeville. She was billed as "The Funniest Woman in the World", tackling topics too edgy for many other comics of the time, including racism, one of her regular themes was her romantic interest in handsome young men rather than old "washed-up geezers".

Know Your History: James Earl Jones is a multi-award-winning actor of stage and screen, well known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership. He is known for providing the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars, tagline for CNN, Mufasa in the Lion King & King Jaffe Joffer in Coming to America. Because of his severe stutter he remained functionally mute for 8yrs.

Know Your History: Langston Hughes (2/1/1902 – 5/22/1967) was an American novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. An Omega Psi Phi. To this day, Hughes homosexuality is argued.

Know Your History: EBONY magazine, the No. 1 African-American magazine in the world, is not just another magazine, it's a way of life. EBONY magazine was founded over 60 years ago, with the first issue being published in November 1945, to offer new hope in a world that showed few positive images of African-Americans. Founded by John H. Johnson.

Know Your History: Tomlin is the first African-American to be named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in its 75-year history. At age 36, he was the youngest head coach to ever win the Super Bowl, and he is only the second black coach to ever win the Super Bowl (Tony Dungy was the first). Tomlin is the only coach to reach the Super Bowl twice before the age of 40. Oh, and he's a NUPE!

Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949 in Mobile, Alabama) is an African American engineer best known as the inventor of the Super Soaker water gun, which was the top selling toy in the United States in 1991 and 1992.

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Know Your History: African American skin have larger melanosomes (cells that determine skin color) and the melanosomes contain more of the pigment melanin than those found in other skin. Because of the protective effect of melanin, African-Americans are better protected against skin cancer and premature wrinkling from sun exposure. It is well known that melanin in brown skin provides protection from the ravages of aging due to ultraviolet light (UVL). In fact, the melanin in African American skin provides a natural sun protection factor (SPF) of about 13.4 as compared to 3.4 in other skin. Therefore, melanin in the skin of African Americans accounts for the fact that they often appear younger.

Know Your History: In 1773 Phillis Wheatley's book Poems on Various Subjects and Morals is published making her the first to ever African American do so.

Know your history: Sophia Stewart (a black woman), Mother of the Matrix as she is affectionately known, wrote her Epic The Third Eye while she was still in college. This ingenuous work, copy written since 1981, is the foundation and contains the core elements of the blockbuster films: The Terminator and The Matrix.

See more at: http://immigrantwomeninfo.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/author-of-the-matrix-a-black-woman/

Happy First Day of Black History Month to Everyone!

I will be dedicating each day to Black History Month by providing information about the great ones that have come before us and those who are up and coming. I mean, February is the shortest month of the year, but what difference does that make? Why not get and give more about our history?

Know your history: Egypt was the greatest educational center in the ancient world. Black Egyptians (such as Imhotep) educated the Greeks. Black Egyptian priests taught the best minds of Europe; Plato, Thales, Aristotle, Democritus, Anaximander, Solon and others.