#sablesouls

[sablesouls]

James stated,"I think fashion should always be playful, comfortable, and unexpected. Denim is a great canvas from which to develop your outfit; you can really take the day and your outfit anywhere when you are starting with jeans. These days I am in love with a pair of great-fitting Gap jeans and one of its go-to wool sweaters. Also, I’m Canadian, so the concept of a Canadian tuxedo really runs through my bloodline. I believe denim (and animal prints) to be a neutral and wear it as such. It matches everything. We even use denim in our shoes." #brothervellies #shoes #designer #blackdesigner #aurorajames #africa #sablesouls

[sablesouls]

Toronto native and New York transplant ⚜️Aurora James⚜️ founded Brother Vellies with two specific goals: to introduce her favorite traditional African footwear to the rest of the world, and to create and sustain artisanal jobs in Africa. Handmade in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Morocco, Brother Vellies shoes maintain the spirit and durability of their ancestral counterparts. While the company offers a variety of styles including boots and sandals it was built on the enthusiastic recep tion of its first model, the velskoen. Relatively unknown outside of Africa, traditional velskoen (pronounced “fell skoon,” and known colloquially as “vellies”) paved the way for the modern day desert boot. #aurorajames #shoes#designer #candian #blackhistory #blackdesigners #sablesouls #brothervellies

[sablesouls]

Mildred was the ultimate performer; she was a skilled dancer who knew how to wow a crowd and amaze them with her great dance and lively stage presence as is seen in the Hollywood movies she appeared in. On the side she appeared in Hollywood films because it was her dream to be in movies. Her beauty and outgoing personality helped her into movies like many white females. Mildred had an magnetic charm that couldn't be overlooked on stage and screen. Mildred introduced a new image of Blacks, she wasn't the common homely, sad, blue, and unintelligible type, Mildred was gorgeous, fun-loving, spoke intelligently, had poise and though sexy she was quite dainty and winsome. In Hollywood Mildred played the role of a maid in the pre-code era which meant Mildred wasn't forced to be demeaning or stereotyped. In the pre-code era, there were no rules, Blacks had more to do outside the stereotype and most importantly the films they appeared in not they were not just a maid or servant thrown in. Mildred added her own winning personality, sense of humor and spark; she simply glowed on screen. She entertained her white employees when they were down and out, educated them on life, and lifted their spirits. #mildredwashington #blackhistory #sablesouls #blackactress #1920s

[sablesouls]

The Toronto native left a journalism program at Ryerson University for a series of creative stints: working as a production assistant, consultant, model agent, and curator. "I dropped out of school, but [Ryerson] tweeted that I graduated," she mentions as she recounts her path from Canada to Los Angeles and then Brooklyn. "I'm wondering if that's going to translate to an honorary degree. I'm going to send them an e-mail." She has that spark best summarized as hustle: naturally inquisitive, savvy, unintimidated by newness. "I've always been someone who's very hands-on," she explains. "That's how I learned about shoes, by getting into workshops and physically doing it." #aurorajames #sablesouls #shoe #designer #blackdesigner #kenya #africa #brothervellies

[sablesouls]

Mildred was on her way to becoming a full-time actress and studio heads were very satisfied with her previous work and beauty but it was her untimely death in late 1933 that stalled her escalating screen career. During an major earthquake in the spring of 1933, Mildred developed appendicitis when she fell running for cover from Graumans Chinese Theatre. Her death was caused by peritonitis following appendicitis, she died on a Thursday afternoon at the White Memorial Hospital during surgery. She was 28 years old. Her funeral was a star- studded one with many black and white stage and screen stars. #mildredwashington #earthquake #sablesouls #blackhistory #graumanschinesetheatre

[sablesouls]

In the 1940s, former bicycle professionals used money donated by Frank Schwinn to relocate Taylor's remains to a more prominent resting place in Illinois but it would be another forty years before Taylor's accomplishments were more formally recognized. In the 1980s, Taylor was inducted to the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, and Indianapolis built the Major Taylor Velodrome, naming their new track after the man who had once been banned from it. More recently, Taylor was posthumously awarded the Korbel Lifetime Achievement Award by USA Cycling, and the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Taylor's adopted home, erected a statue honoring Taylor outside their library. Marshall "Major" Taylor was a pioneer black athlete and his incredible achievements are finally receiving the recognition they deserve. #blackhistory #sablesouls #majortaylor

[sablesouls]

For her 80th birthday in January 1966, friends and family held a birthday party at the store. Some 250 showed up and there was an avalanche of cards, letters, flowers, and cakes from residents wanting to show their affection for her. That evening members of the high school band played outside in the falling snow while the matronly guest of honor, with an orchard pinned on her pharmacy coat, accepted the many good wishes of young and old. Then, in 1974 the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored her as Citizen of the Year, noting her generosity, hospitality, and compassion. #sablesouls #sablesouls #blackhistory #annalouisejames #blackpharmacist #saybrook #connecticut

[sablesouls]

In 2005, Ridgen and Charles Moore’s brother, Thomas Moore, drove to Mississippi with a van, video-camera equipment and a trove of unredacted records from various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. Their pursuit would become an award-winning television documentary, Mississippi Cold Case. When Ridgen and Moore arrived in Mississippi, the prevailing wisdom was that both the Seale brothers had died. But they found James Ford Seale very much alive. They also found Charles Marcus Edwards, who had participated in the abduction and beating. Although he was in the group that left Homochitto and never saw Seale and the other Klansman throw Dee and Moore in the river, Edwards later overheard Seale discussing the details of how they finished off the young men. When Ridgen arrived with his camera, Seale and Edwards displayed raw hostility toward the filmmaker and Thomas Moore. Both had lived with their secret for more than four decades and had lied to FBI and congressional investigators from the beginning. Ridgen’s camera also was rolling when the U.S. Attorney pledged to prosecute the case if he could get the evidence. Ridgen and Moore responded. They found archival video that helped prosecutors establish federal jurisdiction. They discovered the only photographs known to exist of Dee dead (from his autopsy) or alive. They produced a racist letter Seale wrote days after the attack. And they found a former FBI agent who had heard Seale make self-incriminating remarks in 1964. Ridgen’s film was shown to the jury during the trial. #sablesouls #blackhistory #mississippi

[sablesouls]

But who needs skates when all the world is your stage? Amara never doubted her innate talent to entertain. “I earned my first trophy in 1991 –– I was born in 1990,” she states. “It was a beauty pageant, so I didn’t really know what was going on. But it was in my system. I’ve always loved to perform. I’ve always loved to sing. I’m a great entertainer and it comes natural to me. All my life, I’ve been pretty much sure this is what I want to do.” Fast-forward to 2015 and Amara is repping hard for Afro-Latinas and plump derrières all the while destabilizing traditional modes of sexuality in genres like Reggaetón. #sablesouls #reggaeton #blackgirlmagic #blackhistory #amaralanegra #afrolatina

[sablesouls]

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush awarded the National Medal of Technology posthumously to Numero and Jones, presenting the awards to their widows at a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden. Jones was the first African American to receive the award, though he did not live to receive it. He was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 1977. #sablesouls #refrigeration #frederickjones #blackinventors

[sablesouls]

Over the course of his career, Jones received more than 60 patents. While the majority pertained to refrigeration technologies, others related to X-ray machines, engines and sound equipment. Jones was recognized for his achievements both during his lifetime and after his death. In 1944, he became the first African American elected to the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. Jones died of lung cancer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 21, 1961. #sablesouls #frederickjones #blackinventors #cancer

[sablesouls]

On the second evening of rioting, somewhere between a dozen and a score of “men and boys,” descended on the house where Jeremiah G. and Eliza Jane Hamilton lived. The white rioters kicked in the basement door and rushed up the stairs to the ground floor where they were confronted by the 40-year-old Eliza Hamilton who told them her husband was away. No one doubted the intruders’ intentions. A curious neighbor ambled down the block to see what all the noise was about, only to have one of the mob point a cocked pistol at his chest and tell him that “there is a nigger living here with two white women, and we are going to bring him out, and hang him on the lamp post.” After the Civil War, Hamilton’s life took on a veneer of respectability. He frequented the New York Society Library and read the philosophical works of Francis Bacon, John Milton and Aristotle. #blackhistory #sablesouls #civilwar #jeremiahghamilton #newyork #wallstreet

[sablesouls]

In 1996, the basketball great formed The Walt Frazier Youth Foundation to provide support for inner-city high school students. In 2012, he opened Clyde Frazier's Wine & Dine restaurant in Manhattan, near the Madison Square Garden court that produced some of his finest moments as a player. #blackhistory #sablesouls #rollsroycebackcourt #knicks #sablesouls #clydewineanddine

[sablesouls]

Considering his footwear following is predominantly located in Japan and the United States, one would assume that Cabral would establish his first flagship store in one of these two markets. Instead, he went for his former hometown Lisbon. ‘The decision to establish the first flagship in Lisbon was based on a variety of factors. Part of it has to do with the emotional attachment I have to the city. It’s home to me as well as my family. Then, geographically speaking it can serve as a hub for our European and African client base. We have a significant following in Africa, particularly in the Portuguese-speaking countries such as Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. These people don’t go to London for shopping – they go to Lisbon instead,’ Armando elaborates. He further adds, ‘Particularly in Angola there is a strong buying power, and we work with a multi-brand store in Luanda as well. There is that connection between our culture and our language. I would like to see Armando Cabral being stocked mostly in African countries. As an African I would be proud to see the product all over the continent.’ #sablesouls #blackhistory #entrepreneur #model #armandocabral #lisbon #capeverde #angola #guineabissau #africa #portugal

[sablesouls]

Age 33, born in Guinea-Bissau, raised in Portugal, and based in New York. ⚜️Armando Cabral ⚜️is every bit the modern nomad which forms the inspiration behind his shoe line. ‘Whether it’s for business or modeling, I’m constantly on the go. It’s this global nomad experience that I’m trying to convey through my shoes. Traveling to all these places around the world feeds my soul, and allows me to create a story design-wise. In each city I travel to, I take inspiration from the way people live and how they wear their clothes et cetera,’ states the 6 feet 2 tall Business Administration graduate. #blackhistory #sablesouls #blackboyjoy #africa #guineabissau #shoegame #blackfashion #portugal #armandocabral

[sablesouls]

Then, on December 23, 1938, Tharpe performed in John Hammond's famous Spirituals to Swing Concert at Carnegie Hall. Her performance was controversial and revolutionary in several respects. Performing gospel music in front of secular audiences and alongside blues and jazz musicians was highly unusual, and within conservative religious circles the mere fact of a woman performing guitar music was frowned upon. Musically, Tharpe's unique guitar style blended melody-driven urban blues with traditional folk arrangements and incorporated a pulsating swing sound that is one of the first clear precursors of rock and roll. The performance shocked and awed the Carnegie Hall audience. Later Tharpe gained even more notoriety by performing regularly with jazz legend Cab Calloway at Harlem's famous Cotton Club. During the early 1940s, Tharpe continued to bridge the worlds of religious gospel music with more secular sounds, producing music that defied easy classification. Accompanied by Lucky Millinder's orchestra, she recorded such secular hits as "Shout Sister Shout," "That's All" and "I Want a Tall Skinny Papa." "That's All" was the first record on which Tharpe played the electric guitar; this song would have an influence on such later players as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. #blackhistory #sablesouls #arkansas #south #rosettatharpe #gospel #blues #carnegie