Martin Luther King, Jr. was arguably the most publicized civil rights leader in the 20th century, but somehow, I have never come across this image until now. As recipients of history, we see the images of King addressing the masses in Washington, D.C. or locking arms with other leaders in a march. We see him […]
I found this picture of Martin Luther King, Jr after a pretty quick google search. I chose it because it shows a side of him not always in the media or history spotlight. MLK was a brilliant orator, activist, and a hero. But I think first and foremost he was minister. His non-violent strategies and […]
“A very old place” That is how Kieran Quinlan describes both Ireland and the southern part of the United States. I just find it interesting. Old not as in dates, but old as in thinking; old as in the mindset. If there is one thing that I have noticed about the South, it’s that they […]
Throughout the semester, different texts and materials beckoned me to explore Atlanta’s involvement with civil and human rights, mostly from the vantage point of the literature surrounding it. My Southern Literature professor prompted her students to seek out public art that displays some kind of Atlanta memory, which perfectly complements the nature of this post. […]
One thing that really stuck out to me in the podcast with Calinda Lee is when she said “The work is about remembering, the work is about figuring out how the past is relevant to what is happening right now. ” This really made think about things such as police brutality, and the black live […]
I really enjoyed reading this article. I’ve thought a lot about the white washing of Martin Luther King, Jr’s legacy. Though, I do wonder about the term whitewashing used in this way. I’ve also heard that used in reference to white people playing not-white people in movies. Regardless, I can remember reading about MLK as […]
Outside of the Georgia State Capitol, there is a monument of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s there to commemorate King’s history and the impact the Civil Rights movement had on our city, which served as a hub during this era. The day it was unveiled, people gathered in solidarity and since then, it has […]
In November 2018 Stacey Abrams ran for governor. Why does this matter?? Well, she could be the first black and female governor of Georgia. In order to make more people aware of this exciting time, a local artist painted a mural of her in a small Edgewood neighborhood downtown. The mural was just a few […]
In the first episode of Black and British: A Forgotten History, the true past of Britain and some of its first black settlers is revealed and honored. From Beachy Head Lady, Francis Barber, to John Blanke, David Olusoga takes the audience on a tour throughout Britain and Ghana to remember the forgotten past of the […]
The United States and England share a complex history that involves embracing the several cultures within them while simultaneously attempting to erase those same cultures when it is most convenient. Some feel that complete integration is needed while others think it is more important to embrace the large immigrant community. In the BBC series there […]
Honestly, I think the most surprising thing to me was also the most surprising to the historian David Olusoga as he began this research. To think that black history in Britain goes back 1800 years is pretty astonishing. To be honest, I haven’t ever really thought about the existence of black people in other countries. […]
In Kieran Quinlan’s “Introduction” to Strange Kin: Ireland and the American South, Quinlan explores the kinship between Ireland and the U.S.’s south. Many of the ideas Quinlan expresses are also heard in the interview with Gavan Lennon. Lennon says the American perception of the South is that it’s the “container” “where all the bad stuff […]
Beyond the American Revolution and the Pilgrims voyage to America, British History is wildly untaught in the United States. Nevertheless, England and her history have always conjured lily-white images of rivalries, monarchs, and colonization. Therefore, learning the story of Francis Barber was an interesting spin on my previous notions. Formerly enslaved in Jamaica, Barber was […]
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Quinlan and listening to Gavan Lennon about the various links between Ireland and the southern United States. I’ve been a part of this link my whole life without ever naming it or being aware that it was something outside of my own experience. I remember as a child my fascination with […]
In Black and British, I was most captivated by the narrative about the “Beachy Head Lady.” Amidst 300 sets of unidentified bones, historians settled on hers in order to learn more about the region. They established that she would have been living in that same town around 125-240 AD. With the forensic recreation of her, […]
In all honesty, up until now I never really thought much about what a person of color’s experience might be in Britain. Yes, I, of course, knew that people of color did, in fact, exist in Britain, but I never really acknowledged the fact that just like people of color in America, they too have […]
The history of Ireland and the American South has become one of many shared experiences. Their stories are both about continuous oppression of one group towards another and thus a culture that prides itself on those experiences. There is strong Irish Pride as there is Southern Pride. Except what differentiates one from the other is […]
Kieran Quinlan’s introduction, in conjunction with Gavan Lennon’s podcast appearance, delves into the complex parallels between Ireland and the U.S. South. Beginning with Quinlan’s book Strange Kin: Ireland & the American, we’re introduced to the unique connection Ireland and the Southern states in America share due to their historical similarities, while also elaborating on their […]
In the introduction of Strange Kin: Ireland & the American South, Kieran Quinlan, who has lived in Ireland, England, and Tennessee, discusses the fact that the Irish roots of the U.S. South have been ignored if not completely washed out since people in the south more often claim to be of English or Scotch-Irish origin. […]
In the exploration of understanding Irish, English, and American South connections, we dove into writings by Kieran Quinlan and a podcast with Gavan Lennon. In his book Strange Kin: Ireland and the American South, Kieran Quinlan dissects fascinating comparisons and contrasts between large cultural and historical implications for Ireland and the U.S. South. Quinlan chiefly […]