CLASS OVERVIEW

Learn about the foods invented or brought to the United States by people of African descent.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

• Please check the materials that go with this lesson and print relevant materials.
• Also, check out the books and products the teachers use for further learning.
• Reach out to support@urbanintellectuals.com if you have any questions or issues.
• Some links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.

Sources:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1srpiq9ejVKZEsW6F8q7Q9sGTLyQ6oQPI/view?usp=drivesdk

STEVE HENSON

Born 1918 died 2007 

Steve Henson worked as a plumber contractor in Alaska for 3 years. He started cooking for the crew and made a buttermilk style dressing for salads. He moved to Nebraska with his wife and bought a ranch and called it Hidden Valley. He and his wife perfected the dressing in 1949 and they called the dressing ranch dressing from The Hidden Valley Ranch. His buttermilk dressing soon became a staple at the dinner table at Hidden Valley Ranch and before long, he started selling it to guests and local supermarkets. Over 20 years later in 1972, the couple sold their name and recipe to Clorox for 8 million. Not bad for a little buttermilk mayo and herbs. First it was sold in packets as a dry milk, then in bottles in 1983, also Cool Ranch Doritos became a hit in the grocery stores in 1986.

JAMES HEMMINGS

BORN 1765 in Charles City County, Virginia 

DIED 1801 in Baltimore, Maryland

James hemmings was born into slavery in Virginia in 1765 at the age of 8 years old he was purchased by Thomas Jefferson at his residence of Monticello. He was an older brother of Sally hemmings and a half sibling of Jefferson’s wife Martha Jefferson. Martha, Sally and James’s father was John Wayles. As a young man, he was selected by Jefferson to come with him to Paris when Jefferson was appointed Minister to France. Hemmings was trained to be a French chef. He took lessons on how to speak the French language. He brought many French cooking styles to colonial America and developed new recipes inspired by French cuisine. This includes macaroni and cheese, French fries, creme brulee and meringue. Jefferson took the credit but it was Hemmings who actually improved upon and made these recipes. Jefferson paid him in wages to be his chef when he worked for Jefferson in Philadelphia. He gained his freedom in 1796. He died at the age of 36.

JOHN YOUNG

Born 1934 – died 1998 

In the 1960s, a black restaurant sure named John Young opened Wings n’ Things in Buffalo, New York with his sister Dorothy Young and friend Julius Blazer. He made a tomato base sauce called Mumbo sauce, selling them at two Wing N’ Things locations through the early to mid 1960s. Now we know them as Buffalo Wings.

GEOEGE CRUM

1822 or 1824 –  died July 22nd 1914

It is said that his sister stated that she was the one who made the potato chip she said she sliced off a sliver of potato and it fell into a hot frying pan by accident but the other story is, is that George Crum was waiting on a customer and the customer continue to send back the potatoes asking for them to be sliced thinner and he finally sliced it as thin as he possibly could and the customer was very satisfied and that’s how the potato chip was started. Anyway, we have a great snack that everyone loves.

ROBERT BOGLE 

Born 1774

Robert Bogle was a well known caterer in Philadelphia.  Robert Bogel, was born a slave in 1774 and worked as a waiter and obtained his freedom. He owned an establishment, but became known for his fine foods and was called upon to events such as weddings and social events. His descendants are owners of the black newspaper known as the Philadelphia Tribune. He invented catering, supplying food and drink and service to meetings, weddings, funerals and events. He was famous for his meat pies.

BOOKER WHATLEY

BORN NOV. 5, 1915

DIED SEPT. 3, 2005

He was an agricultural professor at Tuskegee University, Alabama and a pioneer of sustainable agriculture in the post World War II era. He tried to develop a black middle class. The community supported agriculture, drip irrigation, rabbit husbandry farming, owned hunting preserves, Kiwi Vine, shiitake mushrooms, organic gardening and goat cheese production. He advocated the idea in the 1960s and ’70s of having your own garden and now we are doing it. Other plants he created was a special kind of grape, five sweet potato varieties and 15 different muscadine grapes.

AUGUSTUS JACKSON 

BORN – APRIL 16, 1808 

DIED – JANUARY 11, 1852

AUGUSTUS JACKSON, was a ice cream maker and confectioner from Philadelphia PA. He served as chef in the White House in the 1820s. Jackson moved to Philadelphia after leaving the White House and started a successful catering business following after Robert Bogle. He also developed ice cream flavors which he packaged in the cans and distributed to other ice cream parlors in Philadelphia. He eventually became one of the city’s wealthiest residents at the time. He is now known as the father of ice cream. He pioneered some of its modern manufacturing methods namely by adding salt to ice cream. His method help control the custard while it was freezing.

No quiz.

CLASS OVERVIEW

Learn about the destruction and rebuilding of Black Wall Street.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

• Please check the materials that go with this lesson and print relevant materials.
• Also, check out the books and products the teachers use for further learning.
• Reach out to support@urbanintellectuals.com if you have any questions or issues.
• Some links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.

Sources:

Original Videos of Black Wall Street

https://youtu.be/O2xPe6ayozY?si=-2d-CLkecEtAl2l4

https://youtu.be/iJye1Y-85t0?si=AqoCEEDV49jOhCAQ

https://youtu.be/KTPXc_gscao?si=eBXVq-9u8mBjK2rY

https://youtube.com/shorts/U4pTqHYVYDk?si=8UF-CCtumH8GQoe3

https://youtu.be/jBomoHtUFkQ?si=sfDRisMSL_WoRc-B

https://youtube.com/shorts/WJGc_ReQLZI?si=_VmPZyenV0nHeRHX

The incident in the Drexel Building on May 30, 1921, involved a young Black man named **Dick Rowland** and a young white elevator operator named **Sarah Page. While the exact details of what happened remain unclear, it was reported that Rowland stepped on Page’s foot, causing her to scream. Rowland fled the scene, and the police were called.

The next day, Rowland was arrested, and rumors spread through the white community that he had assaulted Page. An inflammatory article in the Tulsa Tribune further escalated tensions, leading to a confrontation between armed Black and white mobs. This confrontation eventually led to the **Tulsa Race Massacre**, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.

It’s a tragic part of history that highlights the deep racial tensions of the time.

Black soldiers did try to protect Dick Rowland when he was in jail. On the evening of May 31, 1921, about **25 Black men**, some of whom were in military uniforms, arrived at the Tulsa courthouse jail to prevent a group of at least 300 white men from lynching Rowland. The sheriff assured the Black men that no lynching would take place, and they eventually left the scene. However, the presence of armed Black men, including those in uniform, further infuriated the white mob, which led to the escalation of violence.

It’s a powerful example of the bravery and determination of Black Tulsans to protect their community during such a volatile time. If you have more questions or want to know more about the events that followed, feel free to ask.

The incident at the jail that sparked the Tulsa Race Massacre began on the evening of May 31, 1921. Around 9 p.m., a group of about **25 armed Black men**, including World War I veterans, arrived at the Tulsa courthouse to offer help guarding Dick Rowland. The sheriff assured them that he had the situation under control and persuaded them to leave

However, the presence of armed Black men, some in military uniforms, infuriated the white mob that had gathered outside the jail. As tensions escalated, a white man and a Black man got into a scuffle over a pistol, and a shot was fired. This triggered chaos as sporadic gun battles broke out across downtown Tulsa.

The violence quickly spread, and the white mob began attacking Black residents and businesses in the Greenwood District, leading to the devastating massacre.

During the Tulsa Race Massacre, the **Greenwood District**, also known as “Black Wall Street,” was devastated. Over **35 city blocks** were destroyed, including **homes, businesses, churches, schools, and municipal buildings**. The violence and arson left the once-thriving African American community in ruins

It’s a heartbreaking chapter in history, but it’s important to remember and learn from it. If you have more questions or want to know about the aftermath, feel free to ask.

The **Vernon African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church** in the Greenwood District was newly built at the time of the Tulsa Race Massacre. It has been dedicated in April of 1921.  Unfortunately, the church was **severely damaged** during the violence. The superstructure, parsonage, and sanctuary, which were still under construction, were destroyed by the white mob  However, the basement of the church remained intact and became a symbol of resilience and perseverance.

The congregation rebuilt the church, and the current sanctuary was completed in 1925. Today, Vernon AME Church stands as the only surviving Black-owned structure from the Historic Black Wall Street era.

It’s a testament to the strength and determination of the Black community in Tulsa.

Dr. **A.C. Jackson**, a prominent African American surgeon and a leading member of the Greenwood community, was tragically killed during the Tulsa Race Massacre. On the night of May 31, 1921, Dr. Jackson was attempting to surrender to the authorities when he was intercepted by a group of armed white men. Despite raising his hands and stating, “Here am I. I want to go with you,” he was shot multiple times. He bled to death from his wounds at the Convention Hall.

Dr. Jackson was highly respected in the medical community and was considered one of the most able African American surgeons in America). His death was a significant loss to both the medical field and the Greenwood community.

It’s a heartbreaking story that underscores the brutality of the massacre. If you have more questions or want to know about other aspects of the massacre, feel free to ask.

Greenwood was rebuilt after the Tulsa Race Massacre. The resilient residents of Greenwood began rebuilding their community almost immediately after the destruction. By December 1921, many homes and businesses were already being reconstructed. The community’s determination and hard work led to a period of prosperity in the 1930s and 1940s, with Greenwood once again becoming a thriving hub of Black-owned businesses and cultural life.

However, the neighborhood faced further challenges in the 1960s due to urban renewal projects and the construction of federal highways, which disrupted the area and led to a second decline. Despite these obstacles, the legacy of Greenwood and its resilience continues to be remembered and honored today.

It’s a testament to the strength and perseverance of the Black community in Tulsa. If you have more questions or want to know about the current state of Greenwood, feel free to ask.

Name 5 businesses of Black Wall Street.

CLASS OVERVIEW

Learn about the many stores and entities that existed on Greenwood Ave. Known as Black Wall Street.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

• Please check the materials that go with this lesson and print relevant materials.
• Also, check out the books and products the teachers use for further learning.
• Reach out to support@urbanintellectuals.com if you have any questions or issues.
• Some links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.

These are some of the businesses of Black Wall Street.

1. All stores were on deep Greenwood Avenue.
2. Stratford Hotel with 55 rooms – largest Black owned hotel in the nation.
3. Grocery Store, selling fruits and vegetables and lots of food.
4. Meat Store with beef, pork, chicken and other meats.
5. Clothing Emporium
6. Dry Good Store selling dried fruits and nuts
7. Billiards
8. Beauty Parlor – ladies getting their hair done.
9. Barber Shop – men talking about the politics of the day.
10. Drugstore – with soda fountain
11. William Anderson’s Jewelry Store – fine jewelry
12. Upholstery Store – Upholstery for Hotel and home
13. Photography Shop – many pictures of Families
14. Elliot and Hooker Clothing Emporium – department store selling men’s and women’s clothing
15. H. L. Buyers Tailor Shop – Fitting Clothing
16. Hope Watson’s Cleaners – clothes cleaning
17. Late Night Sandwich Shop – tasty sandwiches
18. The Bar B Que Joint  – all barbeque meats and sides.
19. Doc Bennies and the Hamburger Kelly’s Place – hamburgers.
20. Little Cafe – fried Chicken and smothered steak
21. Lily John’s Liberty Cafe – good food
22. Rally’s and Ada House Confectionery with red and black licorice and chocolates, other candies.
23. John and Lula Williams’s Dreamland Theater which seated 750 people showed the movie of the “Idol Class” with Charlie Chaplin and “Camille” by Alexander Dumas a Black French writer who wrote “The Three Musketeers,” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

Dr. A. C. Jackson was known to be the most able-bodied Negro surgeon in the United States. He had an office in the office buildings on Black Wall Street. There were also libraries, a hospital, a bus service, funeral homes, a post office, bank and two airplanes. There were schools and churches one of which was newly completed in April of 1921.

This is just a glimpse of the bustling, wealthy Black Wall Street district on Greenwood Avenue.

1. Oklahoma was a TERRITORY before it was a state.
2. O. W. Gurley was born on December 25th 1867.
3. Gurley had a GENERAL STORE for 10 years.
4. Gurley bought 40 acres of land which was sold only to COLOREDS.
5. GURLEY BOUGHT 80 more acres of land and gave loans to people who wanted to start their own BUSINESSES.

CLASS OVERVIEW

Earn about O. W. Gurley and how he established the Greenwood district of Tulsa Oklahoma and eztab8 Black Wall Street.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

• Please check the materials that go with this lesson and print relevant materials.
• Also, check out the books and products the teachers use for further learning.
• Reach out to support@urbanintellectuals.com if you have any questions or issues.
• Some links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.

Sources: 

https://youtu.be/vzQ_lcCaBvk?si=H-oGR362yE_tcX4A 

https://fb.watch/n9JrDCAuwE/

      OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma was a territory before it was a state. Because it was a territory, many African Americans felt that it was a safe place to live and so many people came to Oklahoma.
Only 33 days after Oklahoma became a state, it began to institute Jim Crow laws from the South, promoting segregation in all areas.

      OTTAWAY W. GURLEY

Ottawa W. Gurley was born on December 25th 1867 in Huntsville, Alabama.
His father was John and his mother was Roseanne Gurley who were formally enslaved.
After public school and self-education, Gurley worked as a teacher and in the postal service.
While living in Pine Bluff, he married Emma Wells in 1889.
In 1893 Oklahoma began the Land Run.
The Young entrepreneur had just resigned from an appointment under President Grover Cleveland in order to strike out on his own. So, he and his wife moved to Perry, Oklahoma where he ran for treasurer of Noble County at first but later became the principal at the Town School and eventually started and operated a general store for 10 years.
In 1905, Gurley sold his store and land in Perry, and moved his wife Emma to the oil boom town of Tulsa, where he purchased 40 acres of land which was only to be sold to “Coloreds.”
After Oklahoma became a state and the Jim Crow system of legally enforcing segregation began blacks were relegated to live in separate areas. However, Oklahoma was considered a significant economic and social opportunity by Gurley. At this point Oklahoma was among the highest of any state or territory establishing black towns.
Among Gurley’s first businesses was a rooming house which was located on a dusty trail near the railroad tracks. This road was given the name Greenwood Avenue, named for a city in Mississippi.
The area became very popular among Black migrants fleeing the oppressions of Mississippi. They would find refuge in Gurley’s building as racial persecution from the south was non-existent on Greenwood Avenue which was named Black Wall Street by Booker T. Washington as it catered to upwardly mobile Black people. Gurley also provided monetary loans to Black people wanting to start their own businesses.
Gurley also bought 80 more acres and built three two-story buildings and five residences. He helped founded what is now Vernon AME Church. He also helped build a Masonic Lodge and an employment agency.

Answers to the quiz.

1. Africa is the WEALTHIEST CONTINENT on Earth.
   2. And 10:37 AD, King Tenkamenin of Ghana fed 10,000 PEOPLE each and every day and there was NO poverty in the land.
   3. Before and after enslavement, there were 88 to 200 Black Towns.
   4. The first black town was Established in 1836.
   5. What relative, SON, of Frederick Douglas established highland Beach on the Chesapeake Bay.
   6. DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, had a prominent Black economic base on Parrish Street.
   7. What business was the start of the strong Black economic base Durham, North Carolina, NORTH CAROLINA MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE, and what year was it founded in 1898.

CLASS OVERVIEW

Have a Mind Change about Black Wealth, then learn about early towns and communities founded  by African Americans.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

• Please check the materials that go with this lesson and print relevant materials.
• Also, check out the books and products the teachers use for further learning.
• Reach out to support@urbanintellectuals.com if you have any questions or issues.
• Some links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.

1. We need to readjust our thinking about wealth and thriving communities.
We have always been a people who have had wealth. Africa is the wealthiest continent on the face of the earth.

2. Egypt known as Kemet, in Alkebulan, known as Africa, was full of wealth and knowledge.

3. From 711AD – 1492AD, the Moors bought their wealth of knowledge to Portugal and Spain.

4. In 1037 AD, there was no poverty in the land of Ghana ruled by King Tenkemenin. 10,000 people were fed every day and the people had education and purpose.

5. Mansa Musa of Mali in the 1300 AD was and still is the richest man who ever lived.

6. The Songhai Empire in 1400 AD expanded and was a thriving empire with universities and trading of salt, gold, copper, cotton, leather, silk, books and knowledge.

7. Before and after enslavement there were 88 to 200 towns established by black people.

8. The first black town in the United States was created in 1836 when Free Frank McWhorter, an ex- Kentucky slave, who founded the community of New Philadelphia, Illinois. He and his wife were able to buy their freedom and 14 other family members. They acquired land and sold it to African Americans and European families who were attracted to the vision of the community dedicated to freedom. They helped on the Underground Railroad. When the real railroad did not come through their town, it ended.

9. More town emerged in the first years after the Civil War. There were two other towns during reconstruction in Texas which had the greatest amount of communities. One was Shankleville in 1867 and Kendleton in 1870 these communities population by ex-slaves from surrounding countryside, arose from the desire of free people to own land without interference.

10. Frederick Douglass’s son Charles Douglas purchased 40 acres of land and name it HighLand Beach and sold land to African Americans after he was shunned at a restaurant in Chesapeake. He built two beautiful homes one for himself and his family and the other one for Frederick Douglas. Frederick Douglas did not live to stay in the home, or look across the Chesapeake and see where he had been enslaved and now was a free and highly respected man as Charles had hoped he would.
Highland Beach was incorporated in 1922 and still exist today with 60 homes and a few remaining African American year round residents.

11. The first Black Wall Street was established in Durham North Carolina in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is located on Parrish Street and is the home of the Mechanics and Farmers Bank and North Carolina mutual Life insurance company which was founded on August 22, 1898 by local black social leaders. Harold R. Davis, 97, former Chief Operations Officer of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance, informed the class that the North Carolina Mutual was started by a group of men in a barber shop. Another class member who resides in Durham, North Carolina, stated Parrish Street had restaurants; barber shops; beauty parlors; libraries; the bank and many other black-owned businesses. Parrish Street is now a part of downtown Durham, North Carolina and remains a business district with many black businesses.

Take aways:
We have always had wealth as a people.

Before and after enslavement ended, African American formed 88 – 200 communities.

Thriving communities have one thing in common, purpose.

How can you bring purpose to your community?

1. Tenkamenin – collective responsibility
2. Sundiata – Always know you can
3. Mansa Musa – Take the Journey with Faith
4. Harriet Chapman – keep going 
5. Frederick Douglass – Speak Truth to power
6. Marcus Garvey – Rise You Mighty People
7. Malcolm X – By Any Means Necessary 
8. Dr. Martin L. King – We Shall Overcome

CLASS OVERVIEW

Learn about the lessons leaders have taught us through their lives.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

• Please check the materials that go with this lesson and print relevant materials.

• Also, check out the books and products the teachers use for further learning.

• Reach out to support@urbanintellectuals.com if you have any questions or issues.
• Some links may be affiliate links where we may earn a small commission from purchases.

Sources :

Marcus Garvey – https://youtu.be/bpsKWGIZIhw?si=dExdOkN8Gfqy7ETU

What can we learn from each Leader?

Sundiata – Always know you can

Mansa Musa – Take the Journey with Faith

MA’AT –  Be Disciplined 

Amanirenas – Be Fearless

Imhotep – Be Outstanding

Hatshepsut – Be Yourself

Makeda – Be Prepared