Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) greets supporters after speaking at a forum hosted by the Communication Workers of America, Tuesday, March 27, 2007, in Washington, DC. (Chuck Kennedy/MCT)

Is Obama the Last in a Long Line of Firsts?

Black Firsts: 4,000 Groundbreaking and Pioneering Historical Events

by Jessie Carney Smith, ed.

Visible Ink Press

January 2003, 700 pages, $24.95

[12 April 2007]

by Mark Reynolds

It doesn’t even matter if your achievement isn’t something a lot of people might want to emulate; you’ll go to your grave eulogized as the “first black (fill-in-the-blank)”, and every Black History Month someone will remember your name.
Add a comment

Please enter your name and a valid email address. Your email address will not be displayed. It is required only to prevent comment spam.

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the sequence of letters and numbers you see in the image above. Do not include any spaces.

Negritude 2.0
Retelling the History of Black Music: Everything You Know about the Blues Is Wrong

Retelling the History of Black Music: Everything You Know about the Blues Is Wrong

Mark Reynolds

03.Jul.08

For the most part, blacks were not involved in the heroic work of rescuing the black acoustic blues legacy from the passage of time.

Retelling the History of Black Music: Adventures in Retro-ism

Retelling the History of Black Music: Adventures in Retro-ism

Mark Reynolds

07.Mar.08

Rightly or wrongly, black audiences have always tended to chase musical innovation, not musical reverence.

Ask an African

Ask an African

Mark Reynolds

11.Jan.08

Africa will play an increasingly pivotal role in world affairs this year, and not just because a guy whose dad was Kenyan is running for President of the United States.

 
 

TODAY ON POPMATTERS
Blogs | recent
Moving Pixels: The Bright Side of E3
Re:Print: The Book Group
Sound Affects: Live from Abbey Road: Episode 6
Short Ends and Leader: The C3s: Crude/Clever Classics
Marginal Utility: Tired of making choices
Media Center: Theresa Andersson, Lykke Li, Amy Ray…
Peripatetic Postcards: Yeah, Team
Film | recent | archive
:. Disfigured
RECENT COLUMNS
MORE COLUMNS
:. recent columns :. full archive
Canon Fodder: American Film Theatre
By Michael Barrett
[18.Jul.08]
Jazz Today: Double Standards
By Will Layman
[17.Jul.08]
Pop Osmosis: Fun for the Entire Family
By Jennifer Byrne
[15.Jul.08]
Busted Headphones: Truth in Humor
By Quentin B. Huff
[11.Jul.08]
The Tackle Box: Myth-Making Dolphins
By Chris Justice
[10.Jul.08]
Moving Pixels: Just as Fun to Watch
By L.B. Jeffries
[9.Jul.08]
Pop Past: Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
By PopMatters Staff
[8.Jul.08]
From the Cheap Seats: C-O-M-P-E-T-E
By Tobias Peterson
[7.Jul.08]
Mixtape Confessions: Getting Schooled
By Ben Rubenstein
[1.Jul.08]
The Box Office Belletrist: Love on the Rocks
By Jennifer Makowsky
[30.Jun.08]