It has been 10 years since the creation of the Smithsonian National Museum of African History and Culture. It is time to refute the lie that the term of African American was invented by Jesse Jackson. The truth is that Malcolm X used the phrases of Afro-American and African American back in the 1960s. The term of African American has been used since the 1700s, and I love that phrase. The reason is that it encapsulates our African heritage. It embodies being against the politically correct lie that we are all just Americans and nothing more. The truth is that we have complex histories, various cultures, and have one origin from Africa, as black human beings (so, I respect the global black African Diaspora too. Africans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Europeans, Afro-Asians, etc. made great achievements in the world as well. I want to make that point perfectly clear). The NMAAHC has rare artifacts, digital displays, and emotional images that should motivate all of us (irrespective of color) to stand up for justice (and support all legitimate moral convictions). In our time, far-right extremists, manosphere propagandists, and other bigots (who are filled with hatred and animosity towards progressive fighters for social change) want to minimize or whitewash the contributions of black people, women, and all other people of color, and other minorities. Yet, we won't be intimidated by the forces of evil. Goodness trumps injustice. The culture of our black lives is sacrosanct. Museums that tell our black stories must be protected because our black history matters, and it allows present and future generations to realize that we are not going anywhere. That's real talk. For the record, we black Americans have a strong, vibrant culture. For example, African American culture is reflected in the literature of Langston Hughes to Nora Zeal Hurston. It involves the athleticism of Michael Jordan, Allyson Felix, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Jackie Robinson, and Jackee Joyner-Kersee. African American culture focuses on music too from Aretha Franklin to Levi Stubbs. It deals with our charisma, our inventive spirt, and our intellectual creativity that can never be duplicated. Like always, Black is Beautiful, we want all black people globally to be free and have justice, and our legacy will live on forever and ever. Selah.
Time flies. It has been over 30 years since Halle Berry's first acting role. Many people admire her acting career, her modeling career (multiple people view her as one of the most prominent models of our generation), and her as a businesswoman. Halle Berry is also a mother, a lover, and an explorer of mixed martial arts. One of my favorite roles that Halle Berry was involved in was her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO film "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." She embodies Dorothy Dandridge in her acting skills, grace, and story plots. Halle Berry is known for her versatility. She has played a drug addict in the film Jungle Fever (1991), a struggling mother in Losing Isaiah (1995), a superhero in the X-Men trilogy (2000-2006) and Catwoman (2004), and a wife in a legal dispute (over the assets of the late Frankie Lyman) in Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (1998). Halle Berry does excellent fighting scenes in the movie John Wick 3: Parabellum (2019). Over the course of years, her legacy has stood up for the legitimate principles of respecting menopause and allowing the paparazzi to honor the privacy of the children of celebrities. Berry worked hard in her career to be one of the most outstanding actresses of the 21st century. Today, of almost being in the year 2030, Halle Berry promotes fitness, self-care, care for her family, and shown great contributions in a plethora of fields during her life story indeed. From Cleveland to places across the world, Halle Berry's exquisite presence and multifaceted life show us that the dreams of human beings can be fulfilled with a precise, authentic vision, purpose, and personal determination.
For the centuries of Miami's existence, we have witnessed the cities' influence in the world. First, Miami is a trade and cultural gateway to the United States of America. It is a city that intersects African American and Caribbean cultures (along with other cultures like Latino culture) into one urban powerhouse. From Jamaicans, Cubans, Afro-Trinidadians, and other Latino human beings, cultural diffusion is commonplace in Miami, Florida. That is why movie productions constantly found in the gorgeous scenery of Miami as found in the Bad Boys movie series. America readily trade from Miami to the Caribbean and globally. Miami is a melting pot of industries, art, music, and other cultural components. Tourism has been part of Miami too along with a sense of a family-oriented vibe like beaches, restaurants, and historical locations. Social activism is part of Miami's history. M. Athalie Rouge, Rev. Theodore Gibson, Garth Reeves, Dr. John O. Brown, Jesse McCrary Jr., etc. fought for our freedom, including Patricia Stephen Due. Many people are influenced by Miami's music from Trina, Gloria Estefan (who released the inspirational song Reach to celebrate the 1996 Olympics), Merengue, Pitbull, Betty Wright, the controversial 2 Live Crew, Jacki-O (who became a born-again Christian), and other artists who have expressed themselves for years and decades. Therefore, learning about Miami makes us aware of the genuine power of our creative presence in the Universe.
It is always important to defend black museums and any museums that show the true history of America. Trump has gone out of his way to attack the NMAAHC, because that museum has shown the truth about the evil of slavery and the evil of white racism. Many conservatives believe in the myth that exposing white racism is somehow anti-American. What is truly anti-American is to whitewash American history for the sake to promote conservative political correctness. Black museums are doing their best to record authentic history. The Trump administration used the lie that the Smithsonian museums promotes divisive language to describe real American history. The truth is never divisive. It's just reality. For example, the following facts: white racism is a reality, black Americans made great contributions to society, people have every right to expose slavery and the legacy of slavery, and we must support civil rights, including human rights in the Universe. Museums should have independent power to research information and present wisdom to all of the people. Other museums like The Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, have great research and exhibits to link slavery to convict leasing, lynching, segregation, and mass incarceration. There is the International Slavery Museum in the United Kingdom. There is the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana that exposes the brutality of slavery and outlines the stories of enslaved human beings too. We should never minimize slavery. Doing that only weakens civic literacy, disrespects descendants and survivors of slavery, harms American culture, and builds distrust of institutions. It is important to note that black history is American history. There is no America without us black people. Therefore, it is very imperative for us to use our power to defend black museums.
My later paternal 3rd cousin Gladys Darlene Upshur (1957-2022) lived a great life. Her parents were Charles Edward Upshur (1917-1964) and Annie Virginia Sample (1920-2009). She passed away with her family by her side. She was educated in the Indian River Public School system at Dagsboro, Delaware. She was a former member of Salisbury Revival Center in Maryland under the Apostle James and Pastor Essie Gran. She lived life at Delmar, Maryland. She was a senior companion at AmeriCorps Seniors, and she was at the First State Community Action Agency in Laurel, Delaware. Darlene served over 8,000 hours from 2013 until 2021. She learned how to crochet and made sleeping mats for the homeless. She had a great personality. Her children are Brandi Upshur (b. 1977), Geneva Q. Upshur (b. 1973), and Latrisha Paige Upshur (b. 1979). Her grandchildren are Peaches, Jamar, Terrance, Tracy, and other people. She had 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Her six sisters are Carolyn, Gloria, Ada Yvonne, Gail, Cherie, and Doris. Her 3 brothers are Fayne, Elton, and Charles. She had many family members and friends. Geneva Upshur had many children, and one of them is Dessire Upshur (b. 1989).
By the early 1950's, Miami was recovering from the Great Depression when World War II existed. Many cities in Florida were affected by the war. Some cities saw financial ruins, but Miami remained relatively unaffected. There were German U-boats attacking many American ships like Portero del Llano, which was attacked an sunk within sight of Miami Beach in May 1942. To defend against U-boats, Miami was placed in two military districts called the Eastern Defense Command and the Seventh Naval District.
In February 1942, the Gulf Sea Frontier was established to help guard the waters around Florida. By June of that year, more attacks forced military leaders in Washington, D.C. to increase the number of ships and men of the army group. They also moved the headquarters from Key West to the DuPont building in Miami, taking advantage of its location at the southeastern corner of the U.S. As the war against the U-boats grew stronger, more military bases sprang up in the Miami area. The U.S. Navy took control of Miami's docks and established air stations at the Opa-locka Airport and in Dinner Key. The Air Force also set up bases in the local airports in the Miami area. In addition, many military schools, supply stations, and communications facilities were established in the area. Rather than building large army bases to train the men needed to fight the war, the Army and Navy came to South Florida and converted hotels to barracks, movie theaters to classrooms, and local beaches and golf courses to training grounds. Overall, over five hundred thousand enlisted men and fifty thousand officers were trained in South Florida. After the end of the war, many servicemen and women returned to Miami, causing the population to rise to nearly half a million by 1950.
By Timothy
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