By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — Once the cultural mecca of Black Nashville, Jefferson Street: from humble beginnings to put Music City on the international map. The land of North Nashville was platted three years before the Civil War began in 1858 and would host several camps that held “contraband,” the label of enslaved peoples in Union-occupied Confederate territory. Camps would be located around Fort Gillam at both Jefferson Street and Salem Street, formerly 18th Street. Following the end of the Civil War, Nashville’s Black population gradually migrated from an area previously known as Black Bottom near Capitol Hill to…
Author: Logan Langlois
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — One day, unaware of the history that was about to unfold in front of her, Black Nashvillian Lena Brown Prince received a call from the Daughters of the Confederate Army. They were contacting her as a part of their search for the families of 18 enslaved people who served in the Confederate Army and were asking her if she would like to come to a ceremony to honor the unveiling of a marker that would include her grandfather Tom Brown. “My older brothers used to ask daddy if he was in the war,” Lena…
By Logan Langlois Fall is the perfect time to stay inside, stay warm, and cozy up with a book. Luckily for us, November brings many new releases from fantastic Black authors. One of the most anticipated reads of this November has got to be To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul by Tracy K. Smith. Smith is mostly known for her poetry collections, even winning a Pulitzer Prize for Life on Mars. To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul branches out from her previous works as a collection of essays. In this collection, she…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — A crowd of excited guests took their seats Thursday, facing seven chairs set up spread out on top of a slightly elevated stage and a podium standing stage left inside the Dr. Wayne Riley Auditorium of Meharry Medical College. The crowd chatter dissipated as opening remarks began with Executive Director Rashawn Ray Ph.D., followed by District 21 Council Member Brandon Taylor, welcoming the guests, and summarizing some of the topics of the night’s discussion. Introductory remarks concluded with a presentation from AIR Pipeline Partnership Program Intern Virginia Sparks, who gave a detailed presentation regarding…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — This week marks the 57th anniversary of the Black Panther Party (BPP) a group that worked to ensure the equal rights of Black men and women while actively fighting against police brutality. Founded on October 15, 1966, in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the group originally named the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was heavily inspired by the speeches of the late Malcolm X and the grotesque living conditions for Black Americans in their home city. The pair were also inspired by the Nation of Islam, as well as literature…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — “I’ve loved the beauty industry, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the beauty industry, but I didn’t feel like they love me back,” said Christina Abiola, a popular makeup influencer and reviewer on the social media app TikTok. This has been the overall sentiment of the Black makeup community following the release of popular makeup brand Youthforia’s release of the highly-anticipate recent beauty line Date Night Skin Tint Serum Foundation. At the reveal of the foundation’s shade range, only 15 shades were made publicly available, and of those only three were found…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — In between bites, licks, and sweet slurps of the ever-sweet treat that is ice cream, have you ever stopped to think of where this creamy delight came from? Dating all the way back to 4th century Persia in modern-day Iran, many ice cream flavors are created out of boundless whimsy and ingredients; however, that wasn’t exactly the case when it comes to modern ice cream manufacturing techniques. The father of ice cream, a Black man named Augustus Jackson, would go on to change cold delicious history. Born in Philadelphia on April 16, 1808,…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville has seen pivotal moments of Black influence, from the bustling Black blues and business center that was Jefferson Street, to the establishment of the legendary Fisk University. Music City has also seen hundreds of Black businesses throughout its years selling their soaps, art, food, and culture. Few can recall the first Black business to open its doors. Before owning his own business, he would spend his life enslaved, and while owning his first business he would do the same. Throughout it all he would continue to beat his odds. Historical accounts first mention…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — The world of Black cinema is far deeper and more diverse than what is usually exemplified in mainstream consciousness. Even when horror movies are made up of largely Black casts, the films are still usually directed by white filmmakers who for obvious reasons are limited in communicating the Black perspective. So, in the spirit of the spookiest season of the year, here are five horror movies directed by Black filmmakers who set out to do that very thing. The Justin Simien 2020 film Bad Hair is a perfect example of a movie with a…
By Logan Langlois NASHVILLE, TN — Currently, many elements of Black art are receiving more exposure than ever before. However, shockingly, the effect that Black voices have had on cinema is surprisingly overlooked. To celebrate Black cinematic influence in his city, Jama Mohamed partnered up with the local Black entrepreneurs at Slim & Husky’s in 2019 to establish Pizza and a Movie Night. After leaving Belcourt on good terms in 2020 to pursue other ventures, Pizza and a Movie would continue to gain traction under the current showrunner Sheronica Hayes. “His vision for it was to also engage Black artists…