Marie V. Brittan Brown invented the home security system utilizing television surveillance and the patent was granted today in 1969. Brown’s system had a set of 4 peep holes and a camera that could slide up and down to look at each one.
Anything and everything the camera picked up would appear on a monitor. Also, a resident could unlatch the door by remote control.
She had help with the Home Security system by her husband, Albert Brown. She was given an Award for The National Scientists Comittee (NSC).
Erykah Badu is a beautiful black queen and a great singer. Many recognise her because of the African head wraps she wears. I have collected from around the web a sample of those beautiful images. I love the wraps, each wearer has their own style, and its that individualism that makes head wraps special and unique.
If you see any more images of Eryah’s African head dresses, please share..
Thanks to these folks for have great images of Erykah Badu
Born in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia on December 20th 1875, Carter G. Woodson was the son of a former slave. Today we have a wealth of information about Black History, it has become second nature to pop onto the internet to do a google search on something you want to know within the Black History area, whether it’s an event, a person, or an tradition it will not take us long to find an answer. Now compare that to the 20th century, where it was common that Black people had very little knowledge of history apart from the knowing of slavery.
Our awareness to know about black people in history is really down to this man Carter G. Woodson. He started the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc to educate us about black life and culture, which continues today. Being the son of a former slave he fully understood from a young age that to attain security and to strive for the rights of freedom education was the key. Not a educuted man until the age of 20, his passion and dedication for edcuation enabled him to attain a high school diploma in West Virginia and bachelor and masters degrees from the University of Chicago in just a few years.
We all know the story of the princess and the frog storyline, princess kisses frog, frog turns into prince. Well this new Disney movie plays along those line except there’s a twist and new look to this one and that is the starring role is voiced by a black woman and the animated character is also a black character.
The debut of Disney’s first African American princess. Ever. At last black children can gaze at the cinema and TV screen with delight as they witness a animated character that reflects their identity. All little girls dream of being a princess, yet only see European images to idealise, now the Disney team are embracing at last the black minority through children’s entertainment.
This story is set in Jazz Age New Orleans, with the princess working as a waitress. She is only royal in her mind, and dreams of opening a restaurant in the French Quarter.
As a designer myself being able to see black characters on the big screen is a nice boost for our children. Working with black characters everyday, it’s nice to see large comapanies starting to open the doors for black children to enjoy films which have then as the focus.
The voice of the princess belongs to Anika Noni Rose, The voice of the Queen belongs to Tiana, and last but no means least the woman the world loves Oprah Winfrey is the voice of the princesses mother. From watching the clips thanks to you tube, it’s not just an animated black character movie with ‘black charcaters’, It goes further than that – the scenes, the black voices, the storyline is what every black parent wishes they could show their children at some point in their lives.
As I am in the UK we are not as lucky as the US for the animated musical has already opened its doors to the public. Hopefully the UK won’t have to wait to long for it to enter our cinemas and then dvd stores. I believe it is going to be a hit with the children and knowing how Disney loves to back up their movies with merchandise of the characters, movies soundtracks etc, looks like they will be banking lots of profit.
However I do have a beef with this movie and that is the prince is ‘white’. Why Disney? – why have a white prince, what is wrong with the beautiful black man to be the prince. Is it so hard to except that a black woman and a black man can be in love and be on screen and be a cartoon movie, or is that to much all at once. It’s a movie based in new orleans, having black characters and the love of the princesses life is a white guy. I know interracial relationships are growing every day, however so are same nationality relationships. In Lilo and Stitch, Lilo’s sister’s boyfriend is of the same race as the main characters, so why not in this movie, why give with one hand and take away with the other.
This is a very deep subject which will be brought to the forefront sooner or later. I mean this movie will be viewed by many young, little black girls, who will dream they are that beautiful princess, then they will see her prince to be a white guy. As a parent, having to help our children understand what society does not want to explain, so instead of the black family sitting together enjoying the first animated movie with black characters and black princess, now we have to explain to our child that loving a black man is also ok, should’nt that be the other way round. Anyway like everything else in the public eye, you have to take what you need and discard, or explain the rest, and that goes for this movie.
Enjoy watching the movie, and if you feel to pop back and air your views on the movies, you are very welcome.
Everything man-made we see and use today has a creator. This creator had an idea which turned into a concept. From that concept flourished the vision. Then the vision became reality, but with reality comes many questions such as ‘What will it look like, is it needed or wanted or how will it be used by the end user these all need answers. With every new product created, it can then be adapted by someone else who has a different vision and so the cycle of production continues and grows.
A man named Cleven Goudeau A.K.A (also known as) Goodie had such a vision, which was way back in 1963. Mr Cleven Goudeauâs vision has allowed many including myself to take part in the journey he started so long ago. A journey of recognising that black art and culture exists and should be seen.
Goodie is truly the Pioneer and Innovator of Black Contemporary Greeting Cards. It had to begin somewhere and it started with this man. Black greeting card businesses today whether they are a website store on the internet or a market store in your local town did not exist. Come to think of it when Goodies artistry talent was first published in a newspaper in 1951, the World Wide Web, which we have come to depend upon today did not even exist then for the internet was born in 1969. Nothing along these lines existed when Goodie took those bold first steps and produced his first black card in 1963. Others did not even realise these steps needed to be taken. But thats the beautiful thing about ideas, it only takes one person to visualise something special and to pursue it. Then that idea brings great changes to society and then society adapts to include those great ideas. It has taken many years for this man “Goodie†to be recognised and granted such a title of Pioneer of Black Greeting Cardsâ€.
He has opened many doors for ethnic greeting card designers like me, yet many black people still don’t know this courageous man exists and the achievements he reached. I truly believe without his vision in 1963, we would not see black cultured greeting cards today.
You have to also remember that when Goodies vision materialised segregation was still around. A time when black people where looked down upon, not worthy of sharing the same schools with our white counter parts. With all this going on, what Goodie did was a heroic achievement up there with Rosa Parks, sitting at the front of the bus achievement. Its people like Goodie that inspires me and makes me truly love my black culture. A culture, which has overcome many obstacles and is still breaking down barriers today.
The turning point for Goodie was when his mother was ill and had to go to hospital. Wanting to give her a special card he designed his own Get Well card. The doctors and nurses loved it so much that this single black greeting card found its way around the whole hospital. With such a great response his first line of Goodie Cards was born. Which I find ironic for that was the reason I started my line of greeting cards, but I designed my black card for mothers day. His cards sold at local speciality stores in 1966. He tried to get help with a business loan of $50,000 but was denied. Goodie was entering an industry with a brand new product which had no rules, no standard, and no nothing. A great product for over 20 million black people to enjoy but the white organisations in the industry did not understand. The greeting card industry then was worth $800 million annually and had only four major players. Yet these major players were not making black greeting cards. In 1968 Goodie became the co-founder and executive creative director of Onyx Enterprises Inc. This was the only greeting card company that produced black greeting cards and white greeting cards side by side nationally. Sadly Goodie left the greeting card business in1973 due to disappointing sales and complications with marketing.
His product had its own merits and needed nothing more than equal acceptance by the companies already in the greeting card industry. For he was in time when black people had to prove themselves. This great vision was not embraced like it should have been all because they did not want to understand what black people wanted and needed. Thanks to the most high and his blessed talent his range of Goodie Cards allowed him to put three kids through college, yet Hallmark and other greeting card companies will happily stand by the statement that there was no market for black greeting cards and totally deny the black market. However their statement simply does not make sense to me, why because black people have always existed and we have the same needs as any other culture. Therefore if white people have a way to share happy celebrated moments by sending greeting cards, why wouldn’t their black counter parts want the same.
Today Goodie works with students introducing them to the world of cartooning through classes at Micheals in Vallejo, while also teaching classes at the Vallejo Arts Foundation.
This great man should be part of black history and be remembered for what he has done, for so many of us are striving to succeed in the greeting card industry with our own range of black greeting cards. He has achieved so much and broken down so many barriers for us, yet this great man is so humble, he is truly blessed.
His words, is the only way to end this epic story:
I create things that can’t be denied.
I would like to thank the following for information references:
T.J. Walkup (an artist who has met Goudeau)
The Pioneer of Black Greeting Cards, is a great man who is unknown but not for long. Learn about the man who first introduced black greeting cards and the struggles he faced, in a time when black people were not classed as equal.
Born in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia on December 20th 1875, Carter G. Woodson was the son of a former slave. Today we have a wealth of information about Black History, it has become second nature to pop onto the internet to do a google search on something you want to know within the Black History area, whether it’s an event, a person, or an tradition it will not take us long to find an answer. Now compare that to the 20th century, where it was common that Black people had very little knowledge of history apart from the knowing of slavery.
the vision. Then the vision became reality, but with reality comes many questions such as ‘What will it look like, is it needed or wanted or how will it be used by the end user these all need answers. With every new product created, it can then be adapted by someone else who has a different vision and so the cycle of production continues and grows.
