“Juneteenth” is a holiday in the United States of America that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolishment of slavery. It is also known as Independence Day or Freedom Day. Although the Emancipation Proclamation which was effective January 1, 1863, it was not enforced until after the collapse of the Confederacy.

The name Juneteenth is a combination of June and nineteenth, the date of it’s celebration and is recognized as a state holiday in 46 of 50 states. Black Americans gather in fellowship to celebrate this historical occasion which is part of a very dark past in American history.

Let us all of every race take this opportunity to honour and celebrate those who fought for the freedoms we have today.

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Marie Van Brittan Brown (October 30, 1922 – February 2, 1999) was an African-American nurse and inventor who became the originator of the home security system in 1966 along with her husband Albert Brown.

Marie Van Brittan Brown was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York where she worked as a nurse and her husband was an electronics technician, so their work hours were often on opposite ends of the spectrum.

In 1969, Marie Van Brittan Brown and her husband received a patent for the invention for the home security system under the U.S. Patent number 3,482,037. Her invention was recognized in The New York Times and she received an award from the National Scientists Committee for her work.

Marie Van Brittan Brown was inspired to invent the home security system using closed circuit television (CCTV) because it took the police too long to arrive after being called by residents of her neighbourhood. Therefore it goes without saying, we owe Marie Van Brittan Brown a debt of gratitude for the invention of the home security system which helps in protecting our safety.

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Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist, virtuoso and composer who was born in Montreal Quebec, Canada to immigrants from the West Indies. Oscar Peterson grew up with his family in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood in Montreal. It was in this predominantly Black neighbourhood that he encountered the jazz culture. His father, who worked as a porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway, began teaching him to play piano at the age of five helping him to hone in on his skills.

Duke Ellington affectionately called Oscar Peterson the “Maharaja Of The Keyboard”, however his friends called him “O.P.” and in the jazz community he was also known as “The King of Inside Swing”. [Read more…]