Over its 250-year history, Black Americans have remained an integral part of the nation’s journey toward liberty. In the heart of Philadelphia, the birthplace of American independence, where the language of freedom first took root, Black men and women played a vital role in building, shaping, and challenging the ideals that defined the United States, often at great personal cost.
Across the continent, the wedding traditions take different forms. In some communities, it is the way a bride greets elders. In others, it is how she serves her husband. But among the Bemba people of Zambia, one of the most fascinating and deeply symbolic traditions centers on something both simple and powerful: food.
A powerful exhibit that depicts how African-descended people —
enslaved and free — sustained their cultures and spiritual expressions through syncretism is hosted by Taller Puertorriqueno, 2600 N. 5th Street Philadelphia, until April 4th, 2026.
As Philadelphia prepares for the global spotlight of 2026, the city’s cobblestones are often polished to tell a singular story – one of powdered wigs and parchment. But for the African and Caribbean Diaspora, those same stones tell a different tale: one of labor, of resistance, and of a “New World” forged in the shadows of Independence Hall.
On March 10, communities from upstate New York to college campuses nationwide will gather to mark Harriet Tubman Day.
On March 6, Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, celebrates its Independence Day, marking the end of British colonial rule and the beginning of sovereign self-governance. Each year, this day is a national celebration for Ghanaians and a historic milestone for Africa, as Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence in the post-World War II era in 1957, setting in motion a wave of liberation movements across the continent.
Hosted by FunTimes Magazine, the Fireside Conversation marked the launch of the Bridge of Freedom Oral History Initiative, in collaboration with Lincoln University and Temple University. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the initiative seeks to document the untold stories of African and Caribbean co-leadership in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, histories that have shaped this country but are too often footnotes in its official narrative.
While names like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Maya Angelou rightfully have their place in our history books, countless other Black women, who shaped America through their courage, brilliance, and determination, have their contributions relegated to the background or forgotten entirely.
For descendants of the transatlantic slave trade, the desire to know exactly where we come from is a profound ache. We grow up knowing our history was brutally interrupted. We hit the infamous 1870 brick wall. This was the first United States Census that recorded enslaved Black people by their first and last names.
When Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in modern Black politics, died on February 17, 2026, leaders from Chicago to Cape Town reflected on a life spent pivoting protest into power. He was a man who expanded the horizons of what was politically possible for the African diaspora.
