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Little-Known Black History Fact: Molly Williams

AudieGrl — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:32:47 +0000

Drawing of Molly Williams pulling fire pump through a snow storm in 1818

A slave named Molly Williams was the first known female firefighter in the United States. Little is known about her life, but female firefighters know her heroic story.

Owned by a New York merchant named Benjamin Aymar, Williams became part of the Oceanus Engine Company firehouse in 1815 and would be known as Volunteer Number 11. The members of the house credited her for being as tough as the male firefighters. She would fight amongst them in a calico dress and checked apron.

Besides the bucket brigades, Molly pulled the pumper to fires through the deep snowdrifts of the blizzard of 1818 to save towns. On December 27, 1819, the Fire Department reported that the fire buckets were rapidly being superseded by the use of hose, so the era of fire buckets ended.

Even as a slave, Williams had gained the respect of her fellow
firefighters. Her story and strength paved the way for other women,
including one the first paid Black female firefighters and the most
tenured in the country – Toni McIntosh of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who served for over 11 years.

Today there are many African-American women working as career firefighters and officers in the United States, along with a number of counterparts in the volunteer ranks. The African American Fire Fighter Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, conserving and sharing the heritage of African American firefighters.

The Museum is housed at old Fire Station 30. This station, which was one of two segregated fire stations in Los Angeles, between 1924 and 1955, was established in 1913, to serve the Central Ave community.

First Lady Michelle Obama Surprises White House Tour Visitors

AudieGrl — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:06:33 +0000

One year ago on January 20th, after President Obama was inaugurated, he and the First Lady decided to surprise visitors who were on White House tours to reinforce the message of the White House being the People’s House. Mrs. Obama is marking the first year by continuing this tradition – taking some time to greet visitors of the People’s House. Even first dog Bo gets in on the act.

A Tribute to Haitian Soldiers for Heroism in the American Revolution

AudieGrl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:33:18 +0000

Dedicated to the people of Haiti both in the US and abroad, please except our profound thanks, and know that our thoughts and prayers are with you…

Haitian Monument Statue in Franklin Square, Savannah, GA

After 228 years as largely unsung contributors to American independence, Haitian soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War’s bloody siege of Savannah had a monument dedicated in their honor. On October 9, 1779, a force of more than 500 Haitian gens de couleur libre (free men of color) joined American colonists and French troops in an unsuccessful push to drive the British from Savannah in coastal Georgia.

Chairman Daniel Fils-Aime

“We were here in 1779 to help America win independence. “ said Daniel Fils-Aime, chairman of the Miami-based Haitian American Historical Society. “That recognition is overdue.” “To see a monument in downtown Savannah and the commemoration of the involvement of the Haitian Americans, it’s a dream come true.” said Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. “This will help educate Americans but also Haitian youth about the significant contribution their ancestors made.” “The role of Haitian soldiers in the battle had long been ignored“, said North Miami Mayor Josaphat Celestin. “It means recognition for our efforts, that we were here all along, that Haiti was a part of the effort to liberate America and that they came here as free men, not as slaves,” Celestin said. “We hope this country will recognize this.”

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“It’s a huge deal,” said Philippe Armand, vice president of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America, who flew to Savannah from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. “All the Haitians who have gone to school know about it from the history books.”

Though not well known in the U.S., Haiti’s role in the American Revolution is a point of national pride for Haitians.

After returning home from the war, Haitian veterans soon led their own rebellion that won Haiti’s independence from France in 1804.

The Siege of Savannah

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The Siege of Savannah on October 9th, 1779 presents the Revolutionary War as a world conflict more than does any other engagement of the Revolution. The memory of this battle also reminds us of the fact that significant foreign resources of men, money, and material contributed to the eventual success of the cause of American independence. French, Polish, Native Americans, African slaves, free men of African descent, Germans, Hessians, Austrians, Scots, Welsh, Irish, English, Swedish, and American and West Indian colonials also participated as individuals or whole units in this most culturally diverse battle of the war. For six weeks this diverse force was assembled in three armies to contend for the possession of Savannah. This battle resulted in the largest number of casualties the allies suffered in a single engagement.

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The presence of the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue as the largest unit of soldiers of African descent to fight in this war is worthy of commemoration. The fact that their number was made up of free men who volunteered for this expedition is startling to most people and surprising to many historians. Their presence reminds us that men of African heritage were to be found on most battlefields of the Revolution in large numbers. As a new and relatively inexperienced unit, the Chasseurs participated in the siege warfare including the battle of September 24th and the siege of October 9th.

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The Chasseurs Volontaires de Saint-Domingue served as a reserve unit to American and French forces fighting a British contingent. As battered American and French soldiers fell back, the Haitian troops moved in to provide a retreat.

Twenty-five of their number has their names recorded as wounded or killed during the campaign. Over 60 were captured in the fall of Charleston eight months later. The British Navy captured three transports carrying Chasseurs; these soldiers were made prizes of war and sold into slavery. Other members of this unit were kept on duty away from their homes for many months as part of French garrison forces. A subsequent unit of Haitians was a part of the French and Spanish campaign against Pensacola where they faced some of the same regiments of British troops that their comrades faced in Savannah.

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The efforts of Haiti to secure its independence from colonial rule beginning in 1791 are remarkable for the fact that what began as a slave revolt was to ultimately succeed in prevailing over the resources of the French Empire and to form a government of Western Hemisphere Africans. Haiti, much smaller in population than the United States, was attacked by armies as large as those sent against America by Britain. The Haitian victory over the legions of Napoleon was achieved with much less foreign assistance than the United States enjoyed.

Henri Christophe, Click to enlarge

Many key figures in the Haitian War of Independence gained military experience and political insights through their participation in Savannah — most notably Henri Christophe, a youth at the time but in his adult years a general of Haitian armies and king of his nation for fourteen years. Many of the Haitian soldiers later fought to win their country’s own war of independence, crediting their military experience in Savannah. Influenced by both the events of the American Revolution and the rhetoric of the French Revolution, the people of Haiti began a struggle for self-government and liberty. The first nation in the Western Hemisphere to form a government led by people of African descent, it was also the first nation to renounce slavery.

Sources: Haitian American Historical Society, We Haitians United We Stand For Democracy, Wikipedia, and the Associated Press.

President Obama: New Year Is a Hopeful Time

AudieGrl — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:12:51 +0000

President Barack Obama has wished all Americans a happy and healthy New Year. President Obama says he hopes that brighter days will be ahead in 2010.

The Food Network’s Pat and Gina Neely’s Thanksgiving Special

AudieGrl — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:03:25 +0000

As co-owners of Neely’s Bar-B-Que, Pat and Gina Neely have turned their family restaurant into one of the most successful barbecue restaurants in the South. Now they share the secrets behind their favorite dishes and their passion for food, family, and fun on Food Network’s Down Home with the Neelys. The Neelys launched a second Food Network show in July 2008, Road Tasted with the Neelys, a cross-country search for specialty stores and family-run businesses that make hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind edibles. In May 2009, the Neely’s released their first cookbook entitled Down Home with the Neelys, which quickly earned a place on The New York Times‘ best-seller list.

Michelle Obama, First Lady of Fashion, Is Hailed for Her Style in Print

AudieGrl — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:03:46 +0000

First Lady Michelle Obama’s style and wardrobe is celebrated in a glossy new book that will delight her growing band of fashion devotees

Telegraph.co.uk/Philip Sherwell—Michelle Obama demonstrated a fresh skill to the American people last week when she completed an impressive 142 swivels of a hula hoop on the South Lawn of the White House at a “healthy kids fair” to promote fitness and nutrition for children. She hitched up her studded belt over a blue cardigan, held out arms hung heavy with bangles and skillfully sashayed hips clad in figure-hugging black capri trousers.

Mrs Obama was again filling the role she gave herself during her husband’s presidential bid of the nation’s “Mom-in-chief“. For her legions of fashion devotees, it was also further evidence of the style she has brought to events ranging from glitzy dinners to physical work-outs.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Almost a year after Barack Obama won that historic race, there have been numerous books about the election, the first African-American incumbents at the White House and a new era of American politics.

Now the First Lady is now the subject of a series of glossy books celebrating a closet that has made the transition from the campaign trail to Washington. Published this week by Hachette, Mrs O: The Face of Fashion Democracy is a tribute to the mix of designer brand with high street outfits that is earning her glowing accolades.

The book is a spin-off from the blog Mrs.O , set up last year by Mary Tomer, 28, who works in advertising for Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York. “I was captivated by this very dynamic professional woman who was confident wearing such striking feminine clothes,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy

“She was just as happy wearing off-the-rack outfits for $150 as she was choosing interesting young designers in high fashion. It was such a change for a woman in politics where if you think of style at all, it’s all boxy suits.”

The book features features more than 120 photographs, including rarely-seen images from the campaign trail, details her own impressive professional career as a lawyer, and then delves into the back story of her clothes and accessories. It also goes behind the scenes with interviews from some of her favorite designers, including Isabel Toledo, Jason Wu, Michael Kors, Maria Pinto and Isaac Mizrahi.

More @

Designers: Monique Lhuillier; Diane Von Furstenberg; Michael Kors

In an extensive interview with the author, Style.com notes: Even before Michelle Obama moved into the White House, publishers were scrambling to meet with the public’s demand for books on the new First Family. But while some of those books now seem slapdash or rushed, next month will see the release of Mrs. O, a colorful hardback written by blogger Mary Tomer, dedicated to Mrs. Obama’s style from her early days as a student to her role as the first African-American First Lady in the nation’s history. Tomer explains her project as a labor of love, one that began when she first clocked Mrs. Obama at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, joining the president on stage after the speech that vaulted him into the collective consciousness.

Read the full interview here.

Blasblog: The Story of Mrs. O

Mrs Obama Tops Vanity Fair’s 70th International Best-Dressed List

‘Madea’ actor-director Tyler Perry reveals history of childhood abuse, molestation

AudieGrl — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:06:08 +0000

Writer, producer, and film director Tyler Perry (AP Photo/Shiho Fukada)

New York Daily News/Chrisena Coleman—Filmmaker Tyler Perry, who is promoting a new movie about an abused teenager, has gone public with brutal memories of his own childhood beatings and molestation.

In an email to fans that has Perry’s admirers buzzing, he recounts various examples of terrible childhood mistreatment – from his father beating him senseless to a neighbor woman molesting him at age 10.

Even his grandmother, the mother of his hated father, became a threat when she objected to his weekly allergy shot, he recalls.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that damn boy – he just got germs on him. Stop wasting all that money,” she said, he recalled.

“She came and got me out of the living room leaving my Matchbox cars on the floor. She said she was going to kill these germs on me once and for all. She gave me a bath in ammonia.”

Perry, 38, fled his abusive home in New Orleans and, after a period of homelessness and struggle, became a writer, director, actor and producer.

He is now a mega-millionaire and one of the world’s most influential black filmmakers. He is the producer of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” on TV and his movies, including “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” have grossed $400 million.

Along with Oprah Winfrey, he executive produced “Precious,” the story of an illiterate obese teen mom struggling to rise above horrible sexual and mental abuse. The movie opened nationally Nov. 6.

More @

Precious Things: Lee Daniels and Gabourey Sidibe

BET/Clay Cane—Nearly all of 2009, the world has been buzzing about the Lee Daniels film “Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire.” Not since “Dreamgirls” has a film with a predominately African-American cast received so much attention and matched with award buzz. Executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, “Precious” tells the story of an obese African-American teen living a life of horror, but trying to battle against the odds. The film also includes Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey and shoe-in Oscar performance from Mo’Nique.

Gabourey Sidibe and Lee Daniels

Oscar is usually in the same sentence as “Precious,” but in a sit down with BET.com, Daniels stressed, “I don’t do movies for people, I do movies for me. I never think about how it’s going to be received. If I did, I would never do a movie about a 350-pound Black girl because who would think anybody would come see a film like this.” Daniels’ conviction for film has transcended weight and race. With appearances from the cast on “Oprah,” “Ellen,” “Larry King Live” and more, everyone now wants to see a film about a 350-pound Black teen.

The woman who breathes life into the role is Gabourey Sidibe, a 26-year-old newcomer. One can only imagine playing such a tortured and downtrodden character would affect the actress. However, Sidibe walked into the film with a built-in confidence. “I fully believe I am beautiful,” Sidibe explains with a smile. “I have a view of myself and nobody else interrupts it at all. Also, it’s not words I hadn’t heard growing up. I certainly had been called names before and after awhile it slides off of you.”
More @

The movie Precious: Based On The Novel ‘Push‘ By Sapphire, is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Parry. Starring Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd, and introducing Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe. The film is the Winner of the Grand Jury Award, Audience Award, and the Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

(Warning: Video NSFW)

What America Can Learn from a Black Girl Named “Precious“

W.E.E. See You... » new

Little-Known Black History Fact: Molly Williams

First Lady Michelle Obama Surprises White House Tour Visitors

A Tribute to Haitian Soldiers for Heroism in the American Revolution

Dedicated to the people of Haiti both in the US and abroad, please except our profound thanks, and know that our thoughts and prayers are with you…

President Obama: New Year Is a Hopeful Time

The Food Network’s Pat and Gina Neely’s Thanksgiving Special

Michelle Obama, First Lady of Fashion, Is Hailed for Her Style in Print

First Lady Michelle Obama’s style and wardrobe is celebrated in a glossy new book that will delight her growing band of fashion devotees

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‘Madea’ actor-director Tyler Perry reveals history of childhood abuse, molestation

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