Cover Stories

Red Ball Express

Red Ball Express

Words might just be worth a thousand pictures. Because hidden in the millions of photographs taken during WWII, is a photo that is easily bypassed—a grainy shot of a group of men standing at ease, next to a convoy of trucks that reaches into the distance as far as the eye can see. At first glance, nothing striking, but a closer inspection of the photo shows that every face that is visible belongs to a Black man. And there are hundreds more of these everyday shots—Black men fixing engines, Black men driving trucks, and Black men loading equipment for transport. Not iconic photos in any way, but photos that beg for the rest of the story to be told.

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Fighting for Respect

Fighting for Respect

The father and son both served their country with distinction, though for much of their careers neither could get a cup of coffee in the same café as White soldiers. Both men would be instrumental in the eventual desegregation of the U.S. military—leaving a powerful legacy that would influence generations to come.

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Black Wall Street

Black Wall Street

Greenwood, OK was founded by O.W. Gurley, a black entrepreneur and landowner from Arkansas who moved from Perry, OK in 1906 to Tulsa and settled on land “to be purchased by Coloreds only.”

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Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs

Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs

The concept of civil rights is at the very core of the United States of America. Founded on the principles that a government should serve the will of the people and provide protections of the basic God-given rights afforded to all, America has experienced a remarkable transformation from the days of declaring its independence from Great Britain in the 18th century.

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Articles

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa

KwanzaaThe Christmas and Hanukkah holidays also correspond with Kwanzaa, which is celebrated from Dec. 26- Jan. 1. Kwanzaa provides Black Americans with a special opportunity to connect back to our roots. And there are some startling parallels between what we see...

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Char McCargo Bah

Char McCargo Bah

Photo of Char McCargo Bah by Steven Halperson of Tisara Photography Char McCargo BahChar McCargo Bah is the CEO/Owner of FindingThingsforU, LLC. She retired from the Federal government as a Senior Policy Writer and Researcher. She has undergrad degrees in Urban...

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Horn in the Corn

Horn in the Corn

The Horn In The CornRev. Ronald V. "Doc" Myers, MD; 1933 - 2018; Chairman, National Juneteenth Holiday CampaignJuneteenth: America's Second Independence DayJuneteenth, or the "19th of June," recognizes June 19, 1865 in Galveston, TX when Union General Gordon Granger...

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Women’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp Goes Virtual

Women's Entrepreneurship Bootcamp Goes VirtualVirtual format now available to women throughout the Workforce Solutions Alamo Area San Antonio, Texas, July 7, 2020 – Workforce Solutions Alamo (WSA) is hosting a series of virtual entrepreneurship workshops for women in...

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Our Story, It’s in the Telling

I recently attended a screening of Quentin Tarantino’s new film release, Django, Unchained, “the D is silent”. This movie opened to quite a bit of controversy, and movie-maker Spike Lee made his critique loud and proud, and of course I am paraphrasing, but he will not see it and he does not like what he’s heard of it.

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Crabs in a Barrel

My father had a theory about Black folks. Part of that theory was the crabs in the barrel story. But he added, there are four kinds of black people: the opportunists, the idealists, the beaters, and the invisibles. He never used these terms; he was a simple man and street smart far beyond his fifth-grade education…

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What’s Wrong with America… Americans?

After the debt crisis debate, the S & P downgrade and now the market slide, I don’t know what’s wrong with America. This is not the same country I grew up in – the character of the place has changed. The collective consciousness was to leave our children better off than we were. And quite frankly, it’s the idea…

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Contemporary Patriots

Contemporary Patriots

Before the ink could dry on my first comments regarding the Democratic National Convention, Mitt Romney forced me to change the dialogue. After the DNC, several things changed in this critical and quite major political race. Democrats found their enthusiasm.

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Honoring Our Leaders

Honoring Our Leaders

As a nation we celebrate and commemorate significant anniversaries this year of 2 separate, but linked, events that forever changed our nation: the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, where hundreds of thousands of Americans marched to the memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation.

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Jean Pollard

Jean Pollard

Jean Pollard has been making history since she was in elementary school in Texas, where she was one of only two black students in her class. From the day her highly acclaimed picture of a classmate was hardly acknowledged by her teacher, she began to experience discrimination.

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Veterans Articles

Publisher’s Note on Memorial Day

Publisher’s Note on Memorial Day

Memorial Day was established as a federal holiday to honor those who died while serving in the armed forces. Every year at this time, we at Our Heritage Magazine Online pause to remember the valiant men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might enjoy the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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Red Ball Express

Red Ball Express

Words might just be worth a thousand pictures. Because hidden in the millions of photographs taken during WWII, is a photo that is easily bypassed—a grainy shot of a group of men standing at ease, next to a convoy of trucks that reaches into the distance as far as the eye can see. At first glance, nothing striking, but a closer inspection of the photo shows that every face that is visible belongs to a Black man. And there are hundreds more of these everyday shots—Black men fixing engines, Black men driving trucks, and Black men loading equipment for transport. Not iconic photos in any way, but photos that beg for the rest of the story to be told.

read more
Fighting for Respect

Fighting for Respect

The father and son both served their country with distinction, though for much of their careers neither could get a cup of coffee in the same café as White soldiers. Both men would be instrumental in the eventual desegregation of the U.S. military—leaving a powerful legacy that would influence generations to come.

read more
Forgotten Vietnam War Hero, SFC Howard Lee Early

Forgotten Vietnam War Hero, SFC Howard Lee Early

On May 28, 2002, the day after the Memorial Day holiday, I, Murph Jack (Tex) Marrow, retired Army Combat Infantryman, kept a promise to my friend and Vietnam veteran brother in arms, Howard Lee Early, by visiting his grave in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Jonesville, LA. Early was killed in action 33 years ago, but I had only…

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1st African American Female Fighter Pilot USAF

1st African American Female Fighter Pilot USAF

The Parker, Colorado native initially wanted to be an astronaut, but decided it would be more fun to fly a fighter jet. “I fell in love with the idea of the freedom of flying and after my first flight lesson at age 14, I never looked back,” said Major Kimbrell, who is currently the flight commander of Aircrew Flight Equipment.

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Black Facts!

Black Facts!

• The Central Branch Home located in Dayton, Ohio (now known as Dayton VAMC) was the first to admit African Americans after the Civil War. Veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops were admitted in March 1867; several of them were former slaves.

• The first government hospital established exclusively for African American Veterans was Tuskegee VA Hospital in Alabama.

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Publisher’s Note on Veterans Day

Publisher’s Note on Veterans Day

With the coming of Veterans Day, many images and memories are brought to mind, especially for those who have worn the uniform of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard. While Veterans Day is a federal holiday that is intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces, it also has…

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