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A Slave’s African Medical Science Saves the Lives of Bostonians During the 1721 Smallpox Epidemic
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I’d like to read about people who made impacts but are not entertainers, musicians, and those we hear about every Black History Month,” said Kisha A. Brown, the founder and CEO of Justis Connection, a service that connects the top legal talent of color to local communities.
(Read the entire series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11)
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
“I didn’t know I was a slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things I wanted.” — Frederick Douglass
“I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves. I am only ashamed of myself for having at one time been ashamed.” — Ralph Ellison
As another Black History Month approaches, the observance of Black Excellence, Black Girl Magic, Black Power and other invigorating movements of the African American begins to take center stage.
From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to Malcolm X and also many of the world’s greatest Black athletes and entertainers, the country celebrates their achievements.
While some may never tire of hearing about the greatness of Civil Rights leaders, famous black athletes and renowned entertainers, Black History Month also represents a time to focus on the unsung.
“I’d like to read about people who made impacts but are not entertainers, musicians, and those we hear about every Black History Month,” said Kisha A. Brown, the founder and CEO of Justis Connection, a service that connects the top legal talent of color to local communities.
“The Black Press is an aspect of the fabric of the Black existence in America that is not getting enough attention or support from the community. We rally to support athletes and artists who are ‘wronged’ by the system, but we fail to honor is the voice of the Black Press that has been capturing our stories for centuries,” Brown said.
“Long before Black Twitter and online blogs, and so the Black Press is not only an essential voice but it is also a historical and cultural archaeological goldmine that we must preserve,” she said.
In an email, Laurie Endicott Thomas, the author of “No More Measles: The Truth About Vaccines and Your Health,” said the most important person in the history of American medicine was an enslaved African whose real name we do not know.
“His slave name was Onesimus, which means useful in Latin. The Biblical Onesmius ran away from slavery but was persuaded to return to his master,” Thomas said.
“The African-American Onesimus was the person who introduced the practice of immunization against smallpox to North America. This immunization process was called variolation because it involved real smallpox. Variolation led to sharp decreases in the death rate from smallpox and an important decrease in overall death rates,” she said.
Thomas’ thoughts jelled with a Harvard University study and a Boston WGHB report from 2016 which noted that after 150 years, Jack Daniels finally came clean that its famed whisky recipe came courtesy of a Tennessee slave.
“This is – of course – by no means the only example of a slave’s contribution to American industry and culture being, at worst, stolen and, at best, minimized or completely forgotten. There was Baltimore slave Benjamin Bradley’s steam engine.
“And a Mississippi slave known only as Ned’s cotton scraper. And then, there was Boston’s own Onesimus.
“While Massachusetts was among the first states to abolish slavery, it was also one of the first to embrace it. In 1720’s Boston, buying a human being was apparently an appropriate way thank to your local man of God.”
“He was presented to Cotton Mather by his congregation as a gift, which is, of course, extremely troubling,” Brown University history professor Ted Widmer told WGHB.
Cotton Mather was a true puritan. A towering if controversial figure, especially following the Salem witch hysteria to which his preaching and writings greatly contributed.
“Mather was interested in his slave whom he called Onesimus which was the name of a slave belonging to St. Paul in the Bible,” explained Widmer.
Described by Mather as a “pretty intelligent fellow,” Onesimus had a small scar on his arm, which he explained to Mather was why he had no fear of the era’s single deadliest disease: smallpox.
“Mather was fascinated by what Onesimus knew of inoculation practices back in Africa where he was from,” said Widmer.
Viewed mainly with suspicion by the few Europeans’ of the era who were even aware of inoculation, it’s benefits were known at the time in places in places like China, Turkey and Onesimus’ native West Africa.
“Our way of thinking of the world is often not accurate,” said Widmer. “For centuries Europe was behind other parts of the world in its medical practices.”
Bostonians like Mather were no strangers to smallpox.
Outbreaks in 1690 and 1702 had devastated the colonial city. And Widmer says Mather took a keen interest in Onesimus’ understanding of how the inoculation was done.
“They would take a small amount of a similar disease, sometimes cowpox, and they would open a cut and put a little drop of the disease into the bloodstream,” explained Widmer.
“And they knew that that was a way of developing resistance to it.”
The Harvard University report further cemented what Onesimus accomplished after a smallpox outbreak once again gripped Boston in 1721.
Although inoculation was already common in certain parts of the world by the early 18th century, it was only just beginning to be discussed in England and colonial America, according to researchers.
Mather is largely credited with introducing inoculation to the colonies and doing a great deal to promote the use of this method as standard for smallpox prevention during the 1721 epidemic, Harvard authors wrote.
Then, they noted: Mather is believed to have first learned about inoculation from his West African slave Onesimus, writing, “he told me that he had undergone the operation which had given something of the smallpox and would forever preserve him from it, adding that was often used in West Africa.’’
After confirming this account with other West African slaves and reading of similar methods being performed in Turkey, Mather became an avid proponent of inoculation.
When the 1721 smallpox epidemic struck Boston, Mather took the opportunity to campaign for the systematic application of inoculation.
What followed was a fierce public debate, but also one of the first widespread and well-documented uses of inoculation to combat such an epidemic in the West.
“A few people who got inoculated did die. But roughly one in 40 did, and roughly one in seven members of the general population dies, so you had a much worse chance of surviving small pox if you did nothing,” according to WGHB’s research.
Mather and Boylston both wrote about their findings, which were circulated at home and impressed the scientific elite in London, adding invaluable data at a crucial time that helped lay the groundwork for Edward Jenner’s famed first smallpox vaccine 75 years later.
“Even though most of the city was on the wrong side and didn’t want inoculation to happen they were smart enough to realize afterward that they had been wrong,” Widmer said. “And so, there was a higher level of respect for science going forward.”
The scourge of slavery would continue in Massachusetts for another 60 years, but as for the man whose knowledge sparked the breakthrough…
“Onesimus was recognized as the savior of a lot of Bostonians and was admired and then was emancipated,” Widmer said. “Onesimus was a hero. He gave of his knowledge freely and was himself freed.”
Thomas, who has worked as an editor in medical and academic publishing for more than 25 years, added that it’s important for African Americans to understand that immunizations were originally an African practice that Africans brought with them to America.
“Since then, African Americans played an important role in making vaccines safer and more effective,” she said, noting that an African American woman scientist named Loney Gordon played a key role in the development of the vaccine against whooping cough – or pertussis.
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Carolyn’s Kids Foundation Honors Graduates
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Each 8th-grade student received a $100 gift card to go towards their high school fees. Additionally, two high school seniors received the CKF HBCU-Jackson State Bound Scholarship. Jamari White and Kevin Barber Jr. both received $1000 each. Two $500 scholarships were awarded to mothers who are continuing their postsecondary education.
The post Carolyn’s Kids Foundation Honors Graduates first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

On Sunday, June 5, 2022, the Carolyn’s Kids Foundation honored 140, 8th-grade students across Chicagoland areas. Hosted at Visions Events Chicago at 11901 S. Loomis, parents, students, and schoolteachers participated in the 6th Annual CKF Scholarship Luncheon.

HBCU Bound Scholars-Jackson State University
Carolyn Griffin Palmer, CKF-CEO, Kevin Barber Jr., Jamari White, and Brendolyn Hart-Glover, President of the Jackson State University Chicago Alumni Chapter
HBCU Bound Scholars-Jackson State University
Carolyn Griffin Palmer, CKF-CEO, Kevin Barber Jr., Jamari White, and Brendolyn Hart-Glover, President of the Jackson State University Chicago Alumni Chapter
Each 8th-grade student received a $100 gift card to go towards their high school fees. Additionally, two high school seniors received the CKF HBCU-Jackson State Bound Scholarship. Jamari White and Kevin Barber Jr. both received $1000 each. Two $500 scholarships were awarded to mothers who are continuing their postsecondary education.
Carolyn’s Kids Foundation has awarded over $50,000 in the past 5 years, and this year $17,000 was distributed to the Class of 2022. To support the Carolyn’s Kids Foundation and learn more, please visit their website: www.ckfchicago.org and follow them on FB @ckfchicago.
The post Carolyn’s Kids Foundation Honors Graduates appeared first on Chicago Defender.
The post Carolyn’s Kids Foundation Honors Graduates first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Justice Department Announces Investigation of the Louisiana State Police
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Every American, regardless of race, has the right to constitutional policing,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information provided to us, we find significant justification to investigate whether Louisiana State Police engages in excessive force and engages in racially discriminatory policing against Black residents and other people of color.”
The post Justice Department Announces Investigation of the Louisiana State Police first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Louisiana State Police (LSP) to assess whether the law enforcement agency uses excessive force and whether it engages in racially discriminatory policing.
According to a news release, the investigation will include a comprehensive review of LSP policies, training, supervision, and force investigations, as well as LSP’s systems of accountability, including misconduct complaint intake, investigation, review, disposition, and discipline.
“Protecting the civil rights of all Americans and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve are among the Justice Department’s most important responsibilities,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the release.
“This investigation, like all of our pattern or practice investigations, will seek to promote the transparency, accountability, and public trust that is essential to public safety.”
The DOJ said it’s conducting the investigation pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law.
The statute allows the DOJ to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation, and law enforcement practices under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as under the Safe Streets Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Officials called the investigation separate from any federal criminal investigation of LSP troopers.
Before the announcement, DOJ officials informed Governor John Bel Edwards, Colonel Lamar Davis, and Deputy General Counsel Gail Holland of the investigation.
According to the news release, each pledged to cooperate with the investigation.
As part of the investigation, DOJ officials will reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with LSP.
The Special Litigation Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana are conducting the investigation jointly.
“Every American, regardless of race, has the right to constitutional policing,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“Based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information provided to us, we find significant justification to investigate whether Louisiana State Police engages in excessive force and engages in racially discriminatory policing against Black residents and other people of color.”
Clarke continued:
“The Justice Department stands ready to use every tool in our arsenal to confront allegations of misconduct and to ensure legitimacy during encounters with law enforcement.”
The DOJ ask that anyone with relevant information to contact them via email at Community.Louisiana@usdoj.gov or by phone at (202) 353-0684.
Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s reporting portal, available at civilrights.justice.gov.
The post Justice Department Announces Investigation of the Louisiana State Police first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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PRESS ROOM: 81 Grassroots Organizations Awarded a Total of $750,000 in Grants through Industry’s ‘Make Golf Your Thing’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The grant program is part of the industry’s broader commitment to making the sport more inclusive for all. Last month, a new Make Golf Your Thing search directory was launched for consumers, consisting of more than 8,400 registered golf programs and organizations across the U.S.
The post PRESS ROOM: 81 Grassroots Organizations Awarded a Total of $750,000 in Grants through Industry’s ‘Make Golf Your Thing’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – 81 grassroots golf organizations will receive a total of $750,000 in funding to further their efforts to engage underrepresented populations of the sport. These groups (*full list below) are being awarded with a grant through Make Golf Your Thing, the industry’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in making the sport more welcome for all.
Initially introduced in 2021 (by the Make Golf Your Thing youth & adult player development work group), the grant program to date has provided 155 grants to 111 unique grassroots organizations, totaling more than $1 million overall (May 2021: 43 grants totaling $150,000; Jan. 2022: 31 grants totaling $150,000).
The program was established to support organizations dedicated to increasing participation among golf’s underrepresented populations (i.e., Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous communities, as well as women, LGBTQI+ individuals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities).
“When the game comes together and pools every resource to grow and broaden the reach of the game, only great things can happen,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA and executive sponsor of the youth & adult player development work group for Make Golf Your Thing.
“This unifying movement is helping to make a difference in communities across America and advance the game in ways none of us can do alone.”
“Access to golf in a business context is a pathway to opportunity,” said Anna Alvarez Boyd, co-founder of FairWays to Leadership (one of the 81 grant recipients).
“Our group’s mission is to increase diversity in business and in golf by teaching college students from diverse backgrounds the skills they need to become effective leaders. The financial commitment of the grant program to organizations like ours will only further golf’s collective efforts to bring new and diverse audiences into our sport.”
The grant program is part of the industry’s broader commitment to making the sport more inclusive for all. Last month, a new Make Golf Your Thing search directory was launched for consumers, consisting of more than 8,400 registered golf programs and organizations across the U.S.
The directory allows individuals to search for programs and events using filters such as location, age, ability, gender, etc., giving new and diverse audiences an opportunity to become more engaged in the sport through programs in their own community.
Formally launched in May 2021, Make Golf Your Thing is the industry’s movement to make golf accessible to individuals from all backgrounds.
Led by six cross-industry work groups, the initiative is specifically focused on: education & skill development, talent acquisition, procurement, human resources, youth & adult player development, and marketing/communications.
Funding for the grant program is being administered by the American Golf Industry Coalition, a partnership among golf’s leading organizations to promote and advocate for the collective interests of the sport.
Financial support for the program is led by a contingent of industry supporters committed to making the sport more welcoming and inclusive for all.
About Make Golf Your Thing
A multi-faceted, multi-year movement, Make Golf Your Thing is a collaborative effort across the industry to invite more people to golf from all backgrounds.
Six cross-industry work groups are committed to making the sport more diverse, equitable and inclusive, with a specific focus on: education & skill development, talent acquisition, procurement, human resources, youth & adult player development, and marketing/communications. For more, www.makegolfyourthing.org.
About the American Golf Industry Coalition
The American Golf Industry Coalition advocates on behalf of golf’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; environmental and sustainability initiatives; contributions to the economy (local and national); health and wellness benefits, as well as charitable giving.
The organization unites the golf industry in pursuit of goals designed to enhance the vitality and diversity of both the business and recreational levels of the sport. The American Golf Industry Coalition is a division of the World Golf Foundation.
To learn more, visit www.golfcoalition.org.
Grassroots Organization | City/Town | State |
A Perfect Swing Foundation Inc. | Charlotte | NC |
Adaptive Golfers | North Myrtle Beach | SC |
Annika Foundation | Orlando | FL |
Be Counted On Foundation | Gahanna | OH |
Black College Golf Coaches Association | Vestavia | AL |
Button Hole | Providence | RI |
Cameron Champ Foundation | Citrus Heights | CA |
CitySwing Foundation | Washington | D.C. |
County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation | Alhambra | CA |
DC on the Green | McKinney | AL |
Edu-Sports Academy | Willingboro | NJ |
El Dorado High School Golf Team | El Paso | TX |
Excel Youth Academy | Lawrenceville | GA |
FabNewport, Inc | Newport | RI |
FairWays to Leadership, Inc. | Orlando | FL |
First Tee – Central Florida | Orlando | FL |
First Tee – Central Mississippi | Flowood | MS |
First Tee – Greater Charleston | Mt. Pleasant | SC |
First Tee – Greater Richmond | Richmond | VA |
First Tee – Greater Sacramento (Sacramento Area Youth Golf Association) | Sacramento | CA |
First Tee – Greater Trenton | Trenton | NJ |
First Tee – Greater Tyler | Bullard | TX |
First Tee – Greater Washington, DC | Washington | D.C. |
First Tee – Greater Wichita | Wichita | KS |
First Tee – Indiana | Indianapolis | IN |
First Tee – Jersey Shore | Point Pleasant | NJ |
First Tee – North Florida (Rising Leaders of North Florida, Inc.) | St. Augustine | FL |
First Tee – Omaha (Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes) | Omaha | NE |
First Tee – Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | PA |
First Tee – Southeastern New Mexico | Roswell | NM |
First Tee – Tennessee | Knoxville | TN |
First Tee – Triangle | Raleigh | NC |
First Tee – Tulsa (Youth Development of Tulsa) | Tulsa | OK |
First Tee – West Michigan (Lake Michigan Junior Golf Association) | Kentwood | MI |
Fore Life Inc. | Lauderhill | FL |
Fore the Ladies | Sylvania | OH |
Future Successors | Atlanta | GA |
Gator Junior Golf Association | Gainesville | FL |
Girls Golf of America, Inc. | Greensboro | NC |
Golf. My Future. My Game. | Washington | D.C. |
Greater Cleveland Junior Golf Scholarship Fund | Bedford | OH |
Harris Park Midtown Sports & Activity Center | Kansas City | MO |
Hi-Tee Junior Little League Golf Program | Renton | WA |
Hit It Straight Golf Academy | Homewood | IL |
I AM a Golfer Foundation | Dallas | TX |
iGolf4VETS, Inc. | Riverview | FL |
Inland Golf Academy | Riverside | CA |
Inner City Youth Golfers’ Inc. | Palm Beach Gardens | FL |
Inspiring Greatness In You | Covington | GA |
Jackson Park Golf Association | Chicago | IL |
Ladies of Futurity, Inc | West Palm Beach | FL |
Latina Golfers Association Foundation | Los Angeles | CA |
Little Linksters | Sorrento | FL |
Matrix Human Services | Detroit | MI |
Michigan Women’s Golf Association | Detroit | MI |
Midnight Golf Program | Bingham Farms | MI |
Milwaukee Area Youth Golf Academy, Inc. | Glendale | WI |
Moore-Myers Children’s Fund | Jacksonville | FL |
My Vision Golf | Fayetteville | GA |
New Jersey Golf Foundation Inc. | Bedminster | NJ |
Next 18 | Fox Point | WI |
Northern Texas PGA Foundation – Fairway to Success | Dallas | TX |
One Hundred Black Men, Inc. | New York | NY |
Par Excellence Youth Development | Huntsville | AL |
Range Fore Hope Foundation | Blythewood | SC |
Rose Hill Schools | Rose Hill | KS |
Southern California Golf Association – Junior Golf Foundation | Studio City | CA |
Southern Area Youth Program, Inc. | Los Angeles | CA |
Special Olympics Connecticut | Hamden | CT |
SwingPals, Inc. | Durham | NC |
Ted Rhodes Foundation, Inc. | Chicago | IL |
The Caddie & Leadership Academy | Kenosha | WI |
The Darby Foundation | Lafayette | LA |
The Glove Foundation | Mobile | AL |
The Honors Junior Golf Program | Corona | CA |
The Pinkney Foundation | Pittsburg | CA |
Upstate-Carolina Adaptive Golf | Greenville | SC |
Western States Junior Golf Association | Las Vegas | NV |
Women Golfers Give Back | Plymouth Meeting | PA |
Women in Golf Foundation, Inc. | Ellenwood | GA |
The post PRESS ROOM: 81 Grassroots Organizations Awarded a Total of $750,000 in Grants through Industry’s ‘Make Golf Your Thing’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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