Officers of 366th Infantry Regiment
Record Group 336: Records of the Office of the Chief of TransportationSeries: Photographic Albums of Prints of Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation
Original caption: "Captain O. T. Thornton, 0-331267, Washington, D.C., Battalion Adjutant of Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 366th Infantry (Shipment Unit 2240-C) on pier 4 preparing to embark on USS General William Mitchell. A graduate of Howard University 1935, Capt. Thornton went on active duty 3 March 1941. Official photograph U.S. Army Signal Corps, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, Virginia."
This black and white photograph shows two African American army officers (two others are just visible behind them). They are dressed in uniforms with helmets on and holding their equipment. They both carry overcoats over their arms. The man on the left wears sunglasses.
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Dorothy Porter is known as the "Dewey Decimal Decolonizer."
Dorothy Porter was an African American librarian who worked to challenge and decolonize library systems, including the Dewey Decimal System, which traditionally marginalized non-Western perspectives and cultures. She advocated for more inclusive classification systems that better represented diverse voices and histories.
Porter's work emphasized the importance of equity and representation within library collections, aiming to create spaces that reflect the richness and complexity of human experiences. Her efforts have contributed to ongoing discussions and actions toward decolonizing library practices worldwide.
Read more about Dorothy Porter here.
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For the ppl in the back!!
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Black history: Did you know?
Phillis Wheatley was only 12 when she became the first female African American author published.
Despite Phyllis Wheatley’s fame, we know surprisingly little about her early life. She was taken from her home in Africa when she was seven or eight, and sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. The family taught her to read and write, and encouraged her to write poetry as soon as they witnessed her talent for it. In 1773, Phyllis published her first poem, making her the first African American to be published. She was only 12 at the time.
Read more: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley
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Beyond the Stars: Mae Jemison’s Odyssey ✨
Happy Black History Month!
This Black History Month, we spotlight the extraordinary life of Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. Born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Jemison’s journey into the stars is a testament to the power of dreams and determination.
From an early age, Jemison showed a keen interest in science and space, but noticed the absence of women astronauts. She pursued her passion relentlessly, earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an M.D. from Cornell Medical College. Before joining NASA, Jemison was a general practitioner and served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where she managed health care for other volunteers.
In 1987, Jemison’s dream became reality when she was selected for NASA’s astronaut program. On September 12, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on mission STS-47, Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space, serving as a mission specialist. During her eight-day mission, she conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness, contributing valuable data to the field.
Jemison’s honors include induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and the Texas Science Hall of Fame, among others. Her story is not just one of breaking barriers in space exploration, but also of inspiring generations to pursue their dreams, regardless of birth and obstacles.
For more information on Mae Jemison’s groundbreaking journey and contributions to science and humanity, the National Archives holds numerous resources that illuminate the lives and achievements of African American pioneers:
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1924, A family in Harlem, New York City, photo by James Van Der Zee
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I think people shouldn't be allowed to look at an African American who complains about America and tell them to leave.
Why?
We were brought here against our will. We built this shit show and contributed to the culture. We suffered at the hands of EVERYONE else who happened to be here. Certain Native American tribes included. Uh-huh. We didn't forget.
Oh, and we're still being shot due to the "They're dangerous' stereotype. We're are forever fetishized.
And even if we do leave the country, we're at the bottom of the barrel on this planet because we're black and AMERICAN!
Everyone legitimately dislikes us for whatever irrational reason. Whether it's because they think we're all gun happy druggies with no culture or because they think we're not well behaved and always rude. Promiscuous is what they see when they look at our women. It's despicable to me.
No matter where we go, we're gonna be treated the same, just in other places, they won't try to kill us, and it's less likely I'll turn up dead.
So no.
You don't get to tell me to leave. You can get your shit together and fix this mess you call a country and SAY THANK YOU!
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Charles Brooks, a resident of Newark, N.J, is credited with inventing the street sweeping trucks in 1896 with revolving brushes.
Street sweeping was a manual job until he invented the self-propelled street sweeper.
—Street sweeping was often a manual labor job in Brooks' time. Keeping in mind that horses and oxen were the main means of transportation — where there is livestock, there is manure. Rather than stray litter as you might see today in the street, there were piles of manure that needed to be frequently removed regularly. In addition, garbage and the contents of chamber pots would end up in the gutter.
The task of street sweeping was not carried out by mechanical equipment, but rather workers who roamed the street sweeping garbage up with a broom into a receptacle. This method clearly required a lot of labor, although it did provide employment.
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Black History Month: Did you know?
The three-light traffic signal was invented by a Black man named Garrett Morgan.
Garrett Morgan had only an elementary school education and was the son of a formerly enslaved man. Nevertheless, Morgan surmounted these difficulties and is responsible for many important inventions. Most notably, Morgan invented the three-light traffic signal in 1923.
While driving one day, Morgan witnessed a serious car crash at an intersection. This sparked his idea to add a third light to the traffic signal which would warn drivers of an impending red light. His patent was granted in 1924, and after early installments of the three-light traffic signal were successful, they spread throughout the country and became the three-light signal many of us encounter daily.
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Students at Whittier School at the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) learn to knit for the war effort. August 5, 1918.
Record Group 165: Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs
Series: American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs
File Unit: Colleges and Universities - Hampton Institute
Image description: Four girls and a young woman sit on a porch. Each has a ball of yarn on her lap and is knitting. They are all wearing light-colored dresses. The teaching institute and associated school were created to serve the Black community; all of the people in the photo are Black.
Transcription: WAR ACTIVITIES OF HAMPTON INSTITUTE, HAMPTON, VA. / Whittier School girls learning to knit for war sufferers.
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