Black History's Heroes & Saints

Haiti does have a long history of "dealings with the Devil." But not in the way the televangelist suggested.

Remembering the life, work, and message of Martin Luther King Jr. -- preacher, peacemaker, prophet.

When black and white church leaders from this deceptively pleasant Nebraska city recognized the need for racial healing in their community, they got on a bus together and traveled south to visit landmarks of the civil rights movement. On their "Justice Journey," they explored the complex emotions that still divide us as a nation -- and the divine grace needed for true reconciliation.

The state of Mississippi has a new civil and human rights curriculum for its public school students. It's the first of its kind in the nation. Not bad for a state that Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said was "sweltering with the heat of injustice."

This week marked the centennial celebration of the nation's oldest and most respected civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Hundreds gathered in New York City, the birthplace of the organization, to reflect on history and cast a vision for the future.

The 1960s and early '70s witnessed two record companies with integrated ownership, integrated executive leadership, and integrated house bands vying to be recognized as the epicenter of the burgeoning soul/rhythm-and-blues movement in popular American music. Like prize fighters battling it out in the ring, these two giants released hit after hit, and helped define a generation.

As a young person growing up in an all-white rural town in a virtually all-white county, attending an all-white school system, I listened to the artists who recorded on those twin towers of soul -- Motown and Stax.

The new Life.com features a collection of never-before-published photos of the events in the hours immediately following Martin Luther King Jr.'s murder at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Here's an AP story about the photos.

Chris Rock's new documentary on black hair has got me waxing all nostalgic.

Growing up I didn't go to the barbershop much. We had a barber's chair in our basement--eventually it was in my room--and my dad had the tradition of cutting all of his sons' hair. Albeit most of my haircuts took place as I sat in that elevated chair, the cultural reality of black hair was very profound in my life.

As far as African American history books go, Heroes in Black History is unique. First of all, it was written by a white couple whose passion for their subject matter leaps off the page. Second, the book places the spiritual lives of its subjects front and center and shows how vital their Christian faith was to their historic accomplishments.

I have been studying the civil rights movement for over a decade, and continue to be amazed by the stories of courage and sacrifice that marked that heroic era in United States history. From iconic figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., to the thousands of women and men who gave up buses for over a year to bring greater racial justice, we grow as a people when we remember and honor those who served on the front lines in the struggle against racism.