Articles by Steven Gilchrist

The Marshall "Major" Taylor monument at Worcester Public Library Worcester, MA. - L ong before Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball, another great African American athlete broke down barriers in another sport.  Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor was the best bicyclist in the world in the late 1890s.  Marshall Taylor was born on November 26, 1878 in rural Indiana.  When Taylor was a teenager he went to work at an Indianapolis bicycle shop.  Taylor would perform stunts on bicycles while wearing a military uniform, hence the nickname “Major.”  Taylor won his first bike race in 1892.  In the fall of 1895, Louis “Birdie” Munger –the bicycle shop owner moved his business to Worcester, Massachusetts.  By 1898, Taylor held seven world records.  On August 10, 1899, Taylor won the world 1-mile championship in Montreal.  With this victory, Taylor became the second African American world champion athlete.  The first was boxer George D...

               In celebration of Black History Month, the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery presented an exhibit titled: Paint: Black on Canvas .  The free exhibit highlighted selected works of art by several African American painters from the Boston area.  I had the chance to visit the gallery last month and I was quite impressed!  A total of eleven African American painters had there work on display at the BHCC Art Gallery.  The exhibit, which included over twenty paintings, was on display from January 20, 2009 to February 28, 2009.                  Upon entering the gallery, the first painting that could be seen by onlookers was Obama (oil on canvas 2009) by Ralph Beach.  This painting is a portrait of President Barack Obama.  The portrait of President Obama is the focal point of the painting.  However, below the president there are smaller images of several African Americans including: Mary McLeod Bethune, Charles Drew, W.E.B. Du Bois, George Washington Carver, Ma...

        A little over a year ago, a new country in Europe was formed.  On February 17, 2008, the ethnic Albanian government of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, thus forming a new country.  However, Serbia refuses to acknowledge Kosovo’s independence.   Kosovo is a small, landlocked territory, which borders Albania and Macedonia.  At 4,200 sq. miles Kosovo is about the size of the state of Connecticut.  Roughly 90% of Kosovo’s 2 million citizens are ethnic Albanians.    As with any new country, there are growing pains involved in developing an emerging nation’s identity.  The situation in Kosovo is no different.  About half of the territory’s people live in poverty.  Kosovo faces several challenges, including: high unemployment, government corruption, and poor infrastructure.  According to human rights groups, Kosovo is a major location for the forced trafficking of women into prostitution.         The United States was Kosovo’s most ardent supporter for independence.  Cont...

     Boston’s historic Copley Square was named after John Singleton Copley (1738-1815).  Copley was the most influential painter in colonial America.  Records indicate that Copley was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts.  He created approximately 350 works of art.  His paintings include Paul Revere (1770), Samuel Adams (1772), Mercy Otis Warren (1763), and The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar , (1782).  To this day, Gibraltar remains one of Great Britain’s largest oil paintings.     Copley was known for his detailed portraits of influential Bostonians and New Englanders.  A statue of him is located in Copley Square.  The bronze sculpture was made by Lewis Cohen.  The statue shows Copley standing with paint brushes and painting tools in his hands.  At the base of the statue the following inscription appears: “John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), Boston and London American Portrait Painter, Member of the Royal Academy of Art.”

        On February 10, 2009, I attended an event for Black History Month at Boston University.  The event was held at the Howard Thurman Center in the George Sherman Union and it was sponsored by the university’s African American Studies Department.  The department offers a series of lectures during each academic semester.  For this program, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spoke to a group of about 60 students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Chavis, who earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University, discussed a variety of topics during his hour long speech.  Currently, Chavis is President and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN).  However, Chavis began his career in civil rights.  “I was a colleague of [civil rights activist] Stokely Carmichael.  “We have come a long way,” Chavis said. After introducing himself to the audience, Chavis highlighted the significance of the election of Barak Oba...

F or over 25 years, HIV/AIDS has been a devastating disease. More recently the disease has become prevalent amongst African Americans. In order to combat the damage that HIV/AIDS has caused in the African American community, The Balm in Gilead, Inc. established a program focusing on raising awareness about the disease. I think that it is important to be cognizant of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus which causes AIDS. Currently, a cure for AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) does not exist. The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is a national campaign that was started in 1989 by the New York City based Balm in Gilead, Inc. During the week, black church congregations are encouraged to educate and empower their congregants about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs. This year the week will be recognized from Sunday, March 1, 2009 to Saturday, March 7, 2009. HIV/AIDS is a global illness; however, people of African descent have been particula...