"If We Dont Support Each Other We Have No Support At All"

Viola Liuzzo

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Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo (April 11, 1925 – March 25, 1965) was a Unitarian Universalist civil rights activist from Michigan. In March 1965 Liuzzo, then a housewife and mother of five with a history of local activism, heeded the call of Martin Luther King Jr and traveled from Detroit, Michigan, to Selma, Alabama in the wake of the Bloody Sunday attempt at marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Liuzzo participated in the successful Selma to Montgomery marches and helped with coordination and logistics. Driving back from a trip shuttling fellow activists to the Montgomery airport, she was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. She was 39 years old. [Read more…]

Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor

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Major Taylor was the first “American” Black World Champion of any sport. There’s also a movie about his life which highlights the infamous “6 Day Race” going against all odds and societal oppression he not only became the first black American World Champion, he also became a worldwide celebrity. People came from all over just to see him race in competitions against highly skilled white competitors. Not only did he compete, he won most of the races he entered.

Today we remember and honour Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor.

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Hattie McDaniel – Academy Award Winner

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As a professional singer, actress, songwriter and comedian, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy award. She won an Oscar for her portrayal of “Mammy” in the legendary film “Gone With The Wind”. Not only did she appear in over 300 films, she was the first black woman to sing on the radio in the United States.

Hattie McDaniel has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was the first black Oscar winner to be placed on a US postage stamp. She was also involved in several community service projects, including providing entertainment for World War ll soldiers stationed at military bases and helped raise funds for the Red Cross.

As discussions have been heightened regarding the lack diversity in Hollywood, Hattie McDaniel was a true pioneer who laid the foundation in which black actors stand on today.

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