Systemic Racism The racial divide in the US is perpetuated by misunderstanding and fear. The Black Lives Matter movement is not trying to minimize the importance of other lives, but to draw attention to the divide between white and black citizens in America. The movement’s goal is not to create violence, but to show…
Queen Nzingha, or Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande, was an African ruler who was born in 1583 in Angola. She held dominion over the Matamba and Ndongo Kingdoms of Angola’s Mbundu people from 1631 until her death, attributed to natural causes, on December 17th, 1663. Queen Nzingha ruled long enough to earn several nicknames,…
The first major visit to the African region from a high-profile American official in the troubled Trump administration was cut short due to diplomatic issues between the United States and North Korea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former oil industry leader who has been at odds with President Donald Trump on various issues, participated…
Canada is making important history. Civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond is being honored on the Canadian $10 bill. In 2016, Canada’s national bank announced plans to put a non-royalty woman on their currency for the first time and appealed to the public for suggestions. While many wonderful names poured in, Desmond rose to the top…
In the midst of tense diplomatic relations between African nations and the United States, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on a week-long tour of the Continent, during which he is expected to meet with officials from Kenya, Nigeria, Chad, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. Tillerson’s visit to the continent comes just weeks after President Donald Trump…
On March 8, the United States will join other UN nation states in celebrating International Women’s Day. This day is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It’s also meant to encourage further progress. Although progress has been made when it comes to women’s rights and gender…
Of all the major developments of the Information Age, data visualization has been one of the most significant. Edward Tufte, a prominent American scholar who has been studying examples of data visualization since they first appeared on cave paintings of the Paleolithic period, has said that science and art have something in common: they both…
The abolition of slavery in the United States is an important topic of discussion during African-American History Month. Although the abolitionist movement is often said to have started when the Mennonite and Quaker communities of Pennsylvania published a pamphlet condemning slavery in 1688, organized resistance by Africans was recorded as early as 1522. By the…
Black Panther Delivers The long-awaited film Black Panther won’t hit theaters for a few more weeks but advance tickets have been selling like crazy. In fact, they’re outselling all previous superhero movies. Though the general public still has to wait a bit longer, the premiere has come and gone and there have been a number of early screenings. Initial…
At the premiere for the hotly anticipated film Black Panther, star Chadwick Boseman told reporters, “It’s not just a movie.” He’s right. It’s an exciting blockbuster, sure, but the story of superhero T’Challa and the African nation of Wakanda is also a celebration of Africa and its rich history and culture. We knew Black Panther was going to…
