A 540Monthly Membership ensures that 540WMain is able to create and curate educational content and lifestyle lifestyle programming informed by social justice and anti-racism strategies. If you love 540WMain consider becoming a 540Monthly Member today. Help 540WMain reach its goal of 100 monthly members. Click here
Dear Community,
We made it! 29 days days of blog posts dedicated to celebrating the historical and world changing contributions of Black Americans alongside the complex and complicated history and legacy that being Black in America means for us today.
What we accomplished:
- Guest contributions from 12 contributors
- Regular featured contribtuor Chris Thompson wrote a record (8) articles during the campaign
- 540Blog blog was featured on local radio show WXXI’s Connections
- And our (sold out) class Black history didn’t begin with slavery was covered on WXXI news
- During the month 540Blog had 4,171 unique visitors
There is literally an endless number of achievements and little known facts to celebrate and it never ceases to amaze (and infuriate) me just how much about African and foundational African-American history that I was never taught. This alone makes the campaign worth the enormous amount of effort that it takes to run each year. This year was extra special as 540Blog was graced by the words and thoughts of twelve guest contributors and I am truly thankful and grateful for every single person that took the time to write about the Black trailblazers and change-makers that are meaningful to them.
We are making new history everyday and this month brought with it powerful and polarizing conversations and viral moments in our twenty-four hour news cycle. We engaged in social media driven conversation about systemic racism by powerfully racist billionaires, toxic masculinity in the Black community, and misogynoir. This included discussions about the legacy and white-washing of black women suffragists and their contributions to the passing of the 19th amendment.
This Black History Month was also one of great loss. We celebrated the lives of legends gone too soon but not without making a mark on the world and etching their place in the historical cannon. These legends included Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, Katherine Johnson, Ja’Net Dubois, B. Smith, and others. And it was all of this that I tried very hard to encapsulate right here on 540Blog and our social media platforms. At my core I am a content creator and now editor/publisher and curating and holding space for these conversations through written word is a passion and honor that I take very seriously. Thanks to every single one of you that read our content, left a comment, and sent notes of positive encouragement. Knowing that you see this work and appreciate this work makes it that much easier to be the change I wish to see in the world.
With Love,
Calvin, Publisher
3rd Annual 29 Days of Little Known Facts About (Black Americans) Blog Campaign
- What to Black Women Is the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage? | Robin Wilt
- The Complicated Legacy of Kobe Bryant | Chris Thompson
- Mary Elizabeth Bowser and The Art of Layered Espionage | Jackie McGriff
- Jo Ann Robinson Leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott | Chris Widmaier
- African-American Artists, Artwashing & The Erasure of Black Art | Calvin Eaton
- All About Melanin | Calvin Eaton
- Race Is A Social Construct | Calvin Eaton
- #BlackYouthMatter, Vol I: Celebrations and Remembrances | Chris Thompson
- Black Women Suffragists: Trailblazers | Calvin Eaton
- The Hidden Book of Zora Neale Hurston | John Strazzabosco
- How a Traditional Indian Approach to Hair Care Saved My Afro | Tianna Mañon
- In Celebration of Black Hair (Or Lack Thereof) | Chris Thompson
- Irene Morgan Refuses to Change Seats on Bus | Calvin Eaton
- Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed | Calvin Eaton
- First Ever All Black News Network Launches in U.S. | Calvin Eaton
- Phillis Wheatley: The First Great American Writer | John Strazzabosco
- #BlackYouthMatter: Vol II | Chris Thompson
- Saartije Baartum: On Display | CaTyra Polland
- Ella Baker: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest | John Greenbaum
- Two Players, Queerphobia & Misogynoir | Chris Thompson
- Okay, Rochester, Let’s Talk About Susan B. and White Feminism | Kristen Seversky
- The Complex Price of Integration | Calvin Eaton
- #BlackYouthMatter: Vol III | Chris Thompson
- Do You Know George Crum? | Calvin Eaton
- Understanding The Racial Wealth Gap | Calvin Eaton
- A Lesson on Intersectionality, Part I | Antoinette Gregg
- How to Celebrate Black History Month on Social Media | Emily Hessney Lynch
- Another Look at Anna, the Other Douglass | Rachel Y. DeGuzman
- #BlackYouthMatter: Vol IV | Chris Thompson
About 29 Days of Little Known Facts About (Black) American History
29 Days of Little Known Facts About (Black) American History is an annual blog campaign curated by 540WMain that has a mission to promote and share little known facts about Black Americans everyday throughout the month of February. Now in it 3rd year the campaign highlights the life and work of past and present day Black Americans that are overlooked or underrepresented in our conversations about American history.
540WMain will celebrate its 4 year anniversary with a party and extravaganza on Saturday June 20, 2020. In just four years the organization has become a pillar in the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood and a convener and curator of important and vital community conversations, classes, and programs. Your financial support helps us scale up this work in 2020 and beyond with a year long fundraising goal of $40,000
Hi Calvin,
How can I hear a recording / or read a re-print of this discussion ?
Thx for all your work !
xx Barb B. 😘😉
“This included discussions about the legacy and white-washing of black women suffragists and their contributions to the passing of the 19th amendment.”
LikeLike
THis was not a class so there is no recording.
LikeLike