Tag: african american history
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The Family Poet: Mrs. Geraldine Wilson
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture holds the largest archival holding of information regarding the Flowers family, particularly letters between Rachel and her niece, Geraldine, and documents and artifacts Geraldine collected throughout her lifetime. This includes her academic writings, personal collection of newspapers, personal writing, and even her poetry collection. The next few…
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Reintroducing the Flowers Family
If you are new to this blog, you might be wondering, Who are the Flowers?. Since 2012, I have been conducting research on this family’s history beginning with Rachel Helen Flowers, the first African American student to attend my alma mater. Uncovering her biography led to an even greater story of her family’s vast and…
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What Became His Wife’s War: The Battle for Civil War Pension
I am a researcher, yet some days I wish I were not. You see, I dive into multiple topics within African American history from slavery to the present encountering countless historical figures and seeking to learn their stories. The issue comes with time, a luxury I do not have. Despite this fallback, there exist a few stories and historical…
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Personal Thoughts: Selma
I do not believe there are any spoilers I could give in this post for we already know what happens. History is essentially history. I am a fan of David Oyelowo and his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was outstanding. He gained weight and studied the man he played from Dr. King’s diction…
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Behind the Lens: Gordon Parks
A few days ago, I received an e-mail from the Museum of Fine Arts which caused a huge grin to rush across my face. It read: It may be cold outside—but not inside the MFA! The new year brings a slew of new art, exhubitions, lectures, and courses to cozy up to this moth. Discover…
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Findings in the Archives: Sharing Research Interests with Those You Are Researching
As I slowly, but surely work my way through my findings from a recent archival research trip, I came across the following piece of paper. Photo taken from the Geraldine Wilson Papers located at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture It states the following: Arthur Schomburg Puerto Rican of African Descent Inspired by bad…
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Musings of a Young Protester
On Saturday morning, I woke up, brushed my teeth, ate breakfast, and prepared for the protest. Photo credit: Boston Globe I been to protests and marches before, but this was the first one I decided to attend alone. Naturally, I got lost, but my intuition told me to follow the large group of police officers. I did…
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Findings in the Archive
I enjoy doing research, at times a bit too much, but I truly am a researcher. This past Thanksgiving, I spent time at the Museum of American Indians in New York City, Broadway shows (Pippin and Motown…where I met Phylicia Rashad and Bobbi Jones performed on stage!), and I also spent two days at the Schomburg…
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Slave Schedules, Take Two
I confronted my first slave schedule during my early stages of my research and it was a tough document to go through. Link The above image is from the United States 1850 Slave Schedule in Calhoun County, Florida. Featured is slave owner William H. Flower. I doubt Mr. Flowers was the owner of Harry Flowers;…
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The Journey in Uncovering Harry Flowers’ Early Life: The Llambias
When I enlisted and before that I lived here in St. Augustine. I was born and brought up here…I was a slave and belonged to Llambias There were four brothers and they all lived together and we all lived right in the yard with them and I did not belong to any particular one. They…
Diary of a Historian 