Tag Archives: BHM

Black History Month Ends . . . not yet: X-Men leader Storm is one of over 60 Black women superheroes

Storm-x-men-24196468-605-820

Storm is one of less than a hundred Black women superheroes that exist in the world. Still I was proud to learn there are way more than I thought, as is shown in this video created by Beccathepromomami.

A member of the esteemed X-Men, Storm is a weather mastermind.  Her fearlessness and drive led her straight into a leadership role after Cyclops left the X-Men to mourn the death of Jean.

Her road to leadership was not an easy one. Born to a princess of a Kenyan tribe and an American photojournalist, her parents died when a plane crashed into her home. She struggled on her own until Professor Xavier came to her aid. Once he did, she never once failed to make him proud.

I bet you didn’t know Storm’s white hair and blue eyes have little to do with fashion sense and more to do with genetics. She is a descendent from an ancient line of African priestesses who all have blonde hair and blue eyes.  Storm’s real name is Ororo and more can be learned about her here.

We need more black women superheroes.

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Blissany Cherry might be fighting an intergalactic war to save mankind in the small town of Gainesville, but lucky for her the creator Nivide believes in affirmative action. The crazy cast of characters fighting alongside her come from several different cultures. They have different belief systems, different goals, and different ways of conquering evil. Blissany wants to run and hide, her side kick, Don Shimada, wants to kick as much butt as possible. I wrote a multicultural novel because life is multicultural. Literature should reflect this.

Take an adventure! Read an excerpt on Amazon and get the E-book for only 2.99.

Black History Month: Kathleen Cleaver defends the right to self-defend

Kathleen Cleaver

Walking the walk, and talking the talk.

Can we please talk about the monumental and political Kathleen Cleaver? Known for her political involvement with the Black Panther Party,  she became first woman to hold a decision-making position whn she was elected the communications secretary. This put her in power to organize efforts to  free the BPP’s co-founder, Huey Newton. Newton did a lot of things for the black community, but one thing that stuck with me was he made it possible for students today to take Black History courses, playing a significant role in getting the first African-American History course added to academic catalogues.

For those who know little about the BPP, Curtis Stephen wrote in Life of a Party, the BPP is “an African-American left-wing organization working for the right of self-defense for African-Americans in the United States. The Party achieved national and international impact and renown through their deep involvement in the Black Power movement and in politics of the 1960s and 1970s.”

Interviewed on PBS’ Frontline, Cleaver said what drew her to the party was, “the Black Panther Movement challenged all preconceived notions of blacks not being able to determine their own destiny.”

 Blissany Cherry must learn to accept her destiny.

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Destiny is one of the underlying themes in the novel Superheroes Wear Faded Denim. Achieving dreams is never easy. Often times one has to step out on faith. That so means ignoring what one thinks they know, and going for it. Blissany Cherry thinks she is too awkwardly social to be anyone special. Unbeknownst to her the creator has destined her to end the massive war of good and evil. Now she must find the will to accept her role before everything she knows is destroyed.

Take an adventure! Read an excerpt on Amazon and get the E-book for only 2.99.

Black History Month: Shirley Chisholm’s fight to be first

Shirley_Chisholm

Leaving her mark no matter what.

The year 1969 would see the first black woman elected to Congress in the House of Representatives. This I learned from Dayo Olopade’s History of Black Women In Politics Part I, an article analyzing the dynamics of women rising to political power.

It might surprise you to learn Hilary Clinton is not the first woman to seek the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party. According to Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 Presidential Campaign by Jo Freeman, it is actually Chisholm who became the first woman and African-American to do so.

Making such strides did not come easy. She survived three assassination attempts on her life, Don Swaby wrote. It left Chisholm more determined than ever to leave the White House making a statement her peers could learn from. During her term, Chisholm made sure all those she hired for office were women, half of them black.

Blissany Cherry should use Shirley Chisholm as her inspiration.

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In the fantasy romance Superheroes Wear Faded Denim, Blissany is just another young woman looking to fall in love and graduate college. Fighting an intergalactic war to save mankind does not make her list of top ten things to do.  It doesn’t even sound like a video game she would want to play. Yet when the love of her life becomes a target for evil, she has to overcome her fears and become what she never believed she could be, a warrior. 

Take an adventure! Read an excerpt on Amazon and get the E-book for only 2.99.