Anyone ever wonder why we put Booker T. Washington on the” Binkis” Thousand Dollar Bill? Well check his Autobiography ” Up From Slavery ” The man had some great ideals and is a phenomenal inspiration for Independence. Booker T. pushed the ideas of self reliance especially when it came to business. He suggests things like… manufacture goods that everyone needs, such as toilet tissue even. He was heavy into building industries as well as education on many levels. Definitely a person I look up to. Don’t take my word for it though, check out the book! BLAMMMMMMM!!
One of the funniest Comics ever. If you ever heard any of his albums, you gotta admit that. His style was crazy different than comedians today. He still told jokes like… do you wanna hear a joke? Check out this mini biography:
Real Name: John Elroy Sanford
Mini Biography
Redd Foxx began doing stand-up comedy on the infamous “Chitlin’ Circuit” in the 1940s and 1950s. Foxx was one of the premier “blue humor” comedians. Blue humor was very dirty, too dirty for white audiences. For years his party albums were not available in white record stores. In the 1960s his records became available, although marginally in white record stores, leading to minor comedy work on “Toast of the Town” (1948) (aka “The Ed Sullivan Show”) and “The Red Skelton Show” (1951), among other classic variety shows of the time. Foxx developed a fan base in the 1960s that led to increased notoriety. He received his own television series in 1972 called “Sanford and Son” (1972), which was a reworking of the British sitcom “Steptoe and Son” (1962). Foxx’s character, Fred Sanford (was actually Foxx’s brother’s name), was a cranky old man who was set in his ways and would insult both friends and strangers at the drop of a hat. He ran a junkyard in Watts, a bad neighborhood in Los Angeles, with his son Lamont (played by Demond Wilson). The show broke down racial stereotypes and was a huge success, making Foxx and the show household names. Foxx fought a very public battle with the writers and producers of the show, claiming that they did not do enough to promote the black experience, and in general complained there were not enough black writers or producers in the entertainment industry. These highly publicized disputes led to the show faltering artistically, but not in the ratings. Foxx left the show in 1977 to accomplish his dream on ABC: his own variety show, which lasted less than a year. He also starred in the controversial film Norman… Is That You? (1976).
Foxx’s trouble with the law and the Internal Revenue Service hampered his career in the early 1980s. He flopped yet again with the sitcom “The Redd Foxx Show” (1986) on ABC. He did, however, find success playing a ghost in the TV movie Ghost of a Chance (1987) (TV), with ‘Dick van Dyke’. The late 1980s found Foxx on a rebound, as he starred with Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy in the popular Harlem Nights (1989), which showcased the three premiere black comedians of their respective generations. A whole new generation of comedians begin claiming Redd Foxx as a major influence on their careers, including Murphy and Pryor. Foxx looked like he was finding success 20 years after “Sanford and Son” (1972) with “The Royal Family” (1991). However, we will never know if the show would have been a success–while rehearsing for an episode, Foxx collapsed and was rushed to a hospital. He died in October of 1991. Redd Foxx will be remembered as a pioneering comedian who influenced generations of comedians and helped break down racial barriers in the the entertainment industry. His influence seems as strong as ever.
Today I’m going to put y’all on to some historical info. Things that may not be known to the general public and is good stuff for us to research on our own. Fisrt up is Benjamin Banneker. In school we have been taught a little bit about the braddah. Mostly… his mathematics and clocks but the video I’m about to introduce to you goes even further. It goes into his almanacs as well as his effect on America’s government structure. This is just the first part you can get the rest on youtube. BLAMMMM!!!
