Recently in History Category

Dorothy Height, a leading female voice of the 1960s civil rights movement and a participant in historic marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, died today at age 98. She led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years and continued to speak out on civil rights issues into her 90s.

According to the Associated Press, President Obama called her "the godmother of the civil rights movement" and a hero to many Americans. Obama said in a statement that Height was the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement and witnessed "every march and milestone along the way."

We're saddened to hear of the passing of Benjamin L. Hooks, who died today at age 85. Hooks was a prominent attorney, civil rights activist, NAACP director, and Baptist minister. A remarkable leader indeed. 

Here's an idea for Lent that will do more good than giving up desserts: Read a book about contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. It's not a penance, though it can hurt. And seeing how much of the rest of the world lives sure does put a lot of our minor irritations, and even major problems, in perspective.

More Than Equals, co-authored by Chris Rice and the late Spencer Perkins, is considered one of the pivotal books in the Christian racial reconciliation movement that found its greatest momentum in the early and mid 1990s. My husband and I used it for many years in supper club book discussions, and numerous churches and ministries around the nation found it to be an indispensable resource. Against the backdrop of the story of Spencer and Chris's interracial friendship and evolving ministry during the late 1980s and early '90s in Jackson, Mississippi, the book covers the definitions of racism in America, white privilege, white blinders, and black rage. A 1994 winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, it's one of my all-time favorite books on the issue of race, faith, and cross-cultural ministry. 

The early '90s yielded a flood of racial reconciliation books and articles thanks, in part, to Rodney King's now legendary question: "Can we all get along?" But over the years a host of other books have been written on the subject of reconciliation and social justice in the context of Christian faith. In honor of Black History Month, here is a small sampling of important titles. Please feel free to add your own favorites to the list in the comment box below.

You probably remember Jessica Lynch's story of being famously captured as a prisoner of war during the early stages of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The media certainly played it up as an inspirational story of a young, blonde, female hero. But do you remember Shoshana Johnson's equally harrowing story? Johnson, the first black female prisoner of war, has a new book out titled I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen -- My Journey Home.

According to AOL's BlackVoices, Johnson was shot in both ankles as her U.S. Army convoy wandered into the city of Nasiriyah, touching off a violent skirmish that left 11 U.S. soldiers dead and six abducted and held captive, including Johnson and her friend, Jessica Lynch.

Fifty years ago, on Feb. 1, four black college students sat down at a whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. The "Greensboro Four," along with friends and supporters, returned to the counter every day for six months until the lunch counter was desegregated.

"We feel that this place here and this entire building is holy ground," says Skip Alston, Guilford County commissioner. "What took place here on Feb. 1, 1960, was very holy and ordained." 

Check out NPR's excellent report on this historic event, and find out how that Greensboro Woolworth's building went on to become the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. 

As you probably know, American Idol is back for its 9th season, and every year the show loves to showcase auditioning performers who have absolutely no chance of making into the competition, but who are incredibly entertaining nonetheless (think William Hung). This year's leading candidate for top prize in that category seems to be General Larry Platt, the 62-year-old spoken-word performer (you can't really call him a singer or rapper), who had the AI judges falling out last night with his original composition "Pants on the Ground." It was evident from the outset that this one would go down in AI history as one of the most memorable auditions. Top judge Simon Cowell even remarked, "I have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit." And, as might be expected, Platt has created quite the stir on Twitter, YouTube, and other social networks. (Check out a "remix" version of the tune below.)