America’s Blackest City
America’s Blackest City
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Atlanta Is the Real Wakanda
Everyone believes in heaven. The Norse called it Valhalla. Greeks called it Elysium or Olympus. But the concept of heaven is not necessarily reserved for the afterlife. Shangri-La, Atlantis, El Dorado, Camelot and the Garden of Eden all exist in the imaginations of many. Regardless of society, religion or culture, people eventually create an idealized…
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When It Comes to Blackness, All Roads Lead to and Through East St. Louis. Period.
Firstly, I want to make this clear: People often (always) confuse East St. Louis and St. Louisāthey are not the same city. Kind of like assuming all black people look alike or just because our names are close than we must be sistersānah. East St. Louis is literally āeastā of St. Louis and is housed…
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Philadelphia, Where Blackness Transcends
If we needed a Capital of Blackness, weād make it Philadelphia. Philly is the soundtrack to blackness, every facet of black life rolled into a hoagie of diasporic oneness. Every elastic, painful, ebullient chord, like Gerald Priceās mystically floating fingers across piano keys at Zanzibar Blue, or young brothers freestyle battling elder cats on trumpet…
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Blackness in Los Angeles Is Historic and Trendsetting
Arguments have been made recently that Washington, D.C., Birmingham, Ala., and Harlem are the blackest cities in America. Those arguments are not without merit. Each of those cities has made significant contributions to black history, without a doubt. I would like to posit that my hometown, Los Angeles, is so iconic, so full of black…
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There's No Place Blacker Than Birmingham, Ala., and If You Disagree…Fight Them
Look at those beautiful faces. Those are the children who lived in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963. Because this picture was taken only 55 years ago, many of those people are still around today. They were and are still angels. But donāt let those sweet faces fool you… Those negroes will fight. When I chose to…
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Harlemās Blackness Is Triumphant. When It Comes to Blackest City, There Is No Competition
There are very few words synonymous with blackness. āHarlemā fits that bill. Harlem is a place, yes, but it is also an idea; it is an exhortation. It is our very own Oz. In fact, Harlem, unlike most things in America that signify blacknessāāinner city,ā āurban,ā āwelfareāāis triumphant. It represents the very best of us,…