Seydou Keïta and the Genuis of Photography

Photo of the late photographer Seydou KeïtaSeydou Keïta was born in Bamako, Mali, Africa in 1921 (exact date unknown) and died November 21, 2001 in Paris, France. Keïta was the eldest child in a family of five children. His father, Bâ Tièkòró, and his uncle, Tièmòkò, were Malian furniture makers. Upon a return from Senegal to Mali in 1935, his uncle Tièmòkò is reported to have given Keïta a Kodak Brownie camera with film. Mountaga Traoré and French photographic supply store owner Pierre Garnier were among his biggest supporter as he honed his photography skills. Seydou Keïta Photography Studio in Bamako, MaliIn 1948, Keïta set up his...

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What is Juneteenth?

Photo of Juneteenth Statute, Galveston Island, Texas, USA, commemorates the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation at Ashton Villa, June 19, 1865Juneteenth is short for June 19th. It is celebrated as part of African American history, mostly in Texas and the South, to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. It dates back to 1865 when soldiers for the federal Union, led by Major General Gordon Granger, made it to Ashton Villa near Gavleston, Texas with news that the Union won the war and human slavery was illegal. This was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by the U.S. President Abraham...

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Susan L. Taylor: Advocate for Mentoring

Video of Susan Taylor on mentoring as a tool to combat the public education crisisBorn January 23, 1946 in New York, Susan L. Taylor is now Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Essence magazine and founder of National CARES Mentoring. In this video she discusses countering the "pipeline to prison" course of failing schools through instituting local mentoring programs that tap into the wealth of support and know-how available from individuals within a community. Each one reach one. This clip was developed January 14, 2010 as part of The Lottery Film (thelotterfilm.com), a film by Madeleine Sackler, released in U.S. theaters...

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