Blues Guitarist Etta Baker - "Railroad Bill" (with information about Etta Baker & Information About "Railraod Bill" outlaw/folk hero and folk songssongs)

 
Appalshop Archive, Nov 2, 2021

excerpt from a concert by Etta Baker and John Jackson at Seedtime on the Cumberland 1997. Full video here: https://www.appalshoparchive.org/Deta

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some information about African American blues guitarist Ella Baker.

This post also presents information and comments about the "Railroad Bill" songs about the African American outlaw/ folk hero. This post also presents lyrics for some "Railroad Bill" songs. 

This post is a continuation of a five part pancocojams series about Railroad Bill songs that I published in 2012. 

Here are the links to the 2012 pancocojams posts about :

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/riley-puckett-railroad-bill-information.html
 Part I provides general information about the man known as "Railroad Bill". That post provides a sound file and lyrics to the version of this song that was recorded in 1924 by Anglo-American vocalist/musician Riley Puckett. An addendum to this post also provides notes about other verses of that song or variants of that song that were collected in the early 20th century.

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/roba-stanley-railroad-bill-information.html 
Part II provides lyrics of a 1924 version of "Railroad Bill" by Roba Stanley. Part II also provides general information about the man that was known as "Railroad Bill". Click 

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/will-bennett-railroad-bill-information.html.
Part III provides lyrics of a 1929 song by Will Bennett. This is the first version of this song that was recorded by a Black person.

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/frank-hutchison-railroad-bill.html 
Part IV provides a sound file & lyrics of this song by Frank Hutchinson. 

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/lonnie-donegan-railroad-bill-with.html
Part V provides a sound file and lyrics of this song by Lonnie Donegan, who was a prominent British Skiffle vocalist. Information about Skiffle music is also provided in that post. 

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The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Etta Baker for her musical legacy and thanks to all those who composed "Railroad Bill" songs, performed "Railroad Bill" songs, and/or  collected and wrote about "Railroad Bill" songs. Thanks also to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT ETTA BAKER
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_Baker
"Etta Baker (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) was an [African American] Piedmont blues guitarist and singer from North Carolina.

[...]

Baker was first recorded in the summer of 1956, after she and her father happened across the folksinger Paul Clayton while visiting the Cone mansion, in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, near their home in Morganton. Baker's father asked Clayton to listen to his daughter playing her signature "One Dime Blues". Clayton was impressed and arrived at the Baker house with his tape recorder the next day, recording several songs.[7] Clayton recorded five solo guitar pieces by Baker, which were released as part of the 1956 album Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians, one of the first commercially released recordings of African American banjo music.[1] Baker was not monetarily compensated for these early recordings. Only after working with the Music Maker label later in life was she able to get rights back for this music.

Awards and honors

Baker received the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award from the North Carolina Arts Council in 1989, a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1991,[8] and the North Carolina Award in 2003. She was nominated for several Blues Music Awards (formerly the W. C. Handy Blues Awards): in the Traditional Blues Female Artist category in 1987 and 1989, and her album Railroad Bill in the Acoustic Album category in 2000.[9] Along with her sister, Cora Phillips, she received the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award from the North Carolina Folklore Society in 1982.[10]"...

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INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT "RAILROAD BILL"
These online sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

ONLINE SOURCE #1
From https://balladofamerica.org/railroad-bill/ "Railroad Bill: About the Song" by Matthew Sabatella [no publishing date given; retrieved February 8, 2026
" "Railroad Bill" is a blues ballad that dates to the 19th century and has been performed and recorded by many folk artists throughout the 20th century. People have conjectured that the subject of the song is an African American outlaw named Morris Slater who robbed freight trains in the 1890s. Slater's nickname was Railroad Bill. Only a few of the song's dozens of stanzas seem to refer specifically to Slater's activities. The majority of the stanzas are quite general. Was "Railroad Bill" written about Slater? Or did Slater get his nickname from what was a preexisting song, with the verses specific to him being added later?

Historical Background

Stories about Morris Slater began to surface in newspapers in 1895. Slater robbed freight trains, primarily in Alabama and western Florida along the Louisville & Nashville Railroad line. His method was to throw merchandise off moving railroad cars and pick it up later. Slater allegedly killed at least two sheriffs as they, and a succession of detectives and railroad officers, tried to apprehend him. He was shot to death in Tidmore and Ward's General Store in Atmore, Alabama, by Constable McGowan and storekeeper Bob Johns on March 7, 1897.

While most people condemned Slater's crimes, a minority of African Americans in Alabama admired him and turned him into a folk hero. Like the legend of Jesse James, they said he gave the food he stole to poor blacks. Also like the legend of Jesse James, no one has found evidence of this. Some people even attributed supernatural powers to Slater, claiming that he could change form into an animal to escape capture or that he could only be killed by a "solid silver missile."

That Slater could be viewed as a hero and a martyr is not surprising, considering the racial and economic divide in the post-Reconstruction Deep South.

Song History

The song "Railroad Bill" seems to be related to other 19th century songs of African American origin about characters named Bill, including "Roscoe Bill," "Shootin' Bill," and "Buffalo Bill." Some lyrics are shared among these songs. This type of common "floating" stanza is a characteristic of blues ballads and other types of folk songs."...

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ONLINE SOURCE #2 [This excerpt is included in Part I of the 2012 pancocojams "Railroad Bill" series whose link is given above] 
From From http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1258
"The legend of Railroad Bill arose in the winter of 1895, along the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad line in southern Alabama. Based loosely on the exploits of an African American outlaw known as "Railroad Bill," tales of his brief but action-filled career on the wrong side of the law have been preserved in song (see lyrics), fiction, and theater. He has been variously portrayed as a "Robin Hood" character, a murderous criminal, a shape shifter, and a nameless victim of the Jim Crow South. He was never conclusively identified, but L&N detectives claimed he was a man named Morris Slater, and some residents of Brewton believed him to be a man called Bill McCoy who was shot by local law enforcement.

Stories about Railroad Bill began to surface in early 1895, when an armed vagrant began riding the L&N boxcars between Flomaton and Mobile. He earned the nickname "Railroad Bill," or sometimes just "Railroad," from the trainmen who had trouble detaining the rifle-wielding hitchhiker...

Railroad Bill was a symbol of the racial and economic divide in the post-Reconstruction Deep South. During this period of increasing legal segregation in Alabama and the rest of the South, the hunt for Railroad Bill became a theatrical white supremacist saga in local newspapers. The outlaw's legacy has been passed down through generations in many cultural representations. Railroad Bill blues ballads began circulating in the early twentieth century; one was recorded by Riley Puckett and Gid Tanner in 1924. Musicologist Alan Lomax recorded a version of Railroad Bill by Payneville native Vera Ward Hall in 1939. Blues singers have used "Railroad Bill" as a stage name, and the popularity of the ballads exploded during the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s. In 1981, the Labor Theater in New York City produced the musical play Railroad Bill by C. R. Portz”."...

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ONLINE SOURCE #3
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=21456
[These comments were given in response to the question "Does anyone know the song "Railroad Bill?"...Numbers for these comments are added for referencing purposes only.
The comment that is given as #2 below is from a man who indicates that he is a great-grand child of the man who was called "Railroad Bill".

Also, I wrote the last two comments that I'm quoting from this discussion thread in 2005.]

1. Subject: Railroad Bill
From: Stewie
Date: 15 May 00- 10:17 PM

"I don't know much about it except that it was a favourite in both the black and white traditions. The Traditional Ballad Index gives its earliest date (printed or recorded) as 1927. The writer of the note for the Ballad Index rejects as 'unproven' the theory that it related to a notorious badman by the name of Morris Slater (also known as Railroad Bill) who terrorised Florida and Alabama in the 1890s. However, Stephen Calt, in his notes to 'The Late Bill Williams: Blues, Rags and Ballads' Blue Goose 2013, had no hesitation in saying that it was 'a salute to a once-notorious Alabama train robber and one of the most famous pieces in black folk tradition'. Bill Williams' recording of the song is splendid - he was first discovered and recorded in 1970 in Kentucky when he was in his 70s! In 'American Ballads and Folk Songs' the Lomaxes give a text and tune of the song from the black tradition. They assert that Railroad Bill was a completely legendary character. They point out that it is interesting that, in the song, he is captured by another black after eluding white law officers. The song has verses like: Railroad Bill mighty bad man Shoot dem light out o' de brakeman's han' It's dat bad Railroad Bill The entry in the DT refers to versions by white singers such as Cisco Houston and Ramblin' Jack Elliott. The earliest recording by a white artist was that by the great bluesman from West Virginia, Frank Hutchison. Frank recorded his version at his last recording session in 1929. It has been reissued on CD 'Old-Time Music from West Virginia' Document DOCD 8004." ** 2. Subject: RE: Help: Railroad Bill From: GUEST,C.B. Date: 22 Jan 05 - 04:34 AM "This may or may not be of interest to anyone who is wondering who Railroad Bill was. I have recently found out that I am a great grandchild of Railroad Bill. Morris Slater is Railroad Bill's real name. I do not know anything about his family origin, but I do know that he came from out West before he showed up in the Alabama/Florida area. He was bi-racial having one white parent, but I do not know which parent. He claimed to have traveled with a circus for seven years and was a performer. He was friend and traveling companion to Charlie Smith, an ex-slave from Texas. There is a book written and a movie about this Charlie Smith and his life, titled "Charlie Smith and the Fritter Tree". In this movie, Morgan Freeman portrays Railroad Bill. Morris Slater ended up living in West Florida near the Bama line. He worked in the woods as a turpentine worker. Slater met my grandmother as he roomed at her boarding house. Even though Slater was half white and light skinned, it was against the law for a "colored person" to marry a "white". Never the less, my grandfather was conceived. It is passed down to me that Morris Slater was a gentle, compassionate person with a lot of self pride. After my grandfather was born, Slater moved on in order to protect my great grandmother and her child because their relationship had been in secret. Slater was an educated man and I have learned that when he would write letters and mail them, he always painted a black bird on the envelope. Slater always carried his riffle in his pant leg where ever he went. A new sheriff came into town one day and told Slater he would have to pay money to register his gun or give it up. Slater was very poor at the time and did not have the money to pay and he also felt that he had as much right as the "white" man to carry his gun. He simply refused, saying that he had a right and did not have to register his gun. Because of this incident, the law started badgering him. Eventually, the law went after him along with a posse and the intention of taking his gun one way or another. Slater told them to just leave him alone, but they shot at him and he shot back. Afterwards, Slater had to go on the run after becoming a wanted man dead or alive. He was shot at many times and he returned fire in defense, killing a deputy. He then figured what the hey, he had nothing to lose. He began jumping freight cars, stealing the loot, food, money, whatever he could grab. He threw the food off to the poor people along the tracks and delivered food and money to poor people's doors during the night. He was known to the black and poor white communities as "Railroad Bill" and sometimes called "Wild Bill McCoy" or the "Black Robin Hood." He was a master at eluding the law. All sorts of legends grew about Railroad Bill. He was said to be able to jump a river and could jump from tree to tree. Legend has it that many times an unknown bloodhound would appear out of nowhere when the law was on track of Bill. It is said that Railroad Bill turned himself into a bloodhound and ran with the pack of hounds who were chasing himself. He could disappear at the blink of an eye. Even today local folk, especially in the African American communities, believe that the spirit of Railroad Bill still roams about and when good things happen to the poor people it is Railroad Bill still looking out for the less fortunate. I suppose after a few years of running with no hope in site, Railroad Bill became exhausted. It was about 1897 when Railroad Bill took his last walk into town one day to a local store. He purchased some cheese and crackers, ate, got up and walked out knowing what was about to happen. Several groups of men were stalking around waiting for their prey. He was shot in the back numerous times until he fell to the ground dead, gun along his side and peace at last. Sheriff McGowan of Atmore, Alabama stands tall in a photo taken of him with Railroad Bill laying dead on back of a wagon. Photo's were sold, pictures were taken along side the body for fifty cents and a person could view his remains for fifty cents. The body was on display for weeks, taken from town to town. I am sure these "Law men" and other "good citizens" were proud of their catch, not to mention a little richer to boot. I know that many legends, songs and tales were made up about Railroad Bill, most highly exaggerated. There is currently mention of a movie in progress about the legend of Railroad Bill." ** 3. Subject: RE: Help: Railroad Bill From: GUEST,Bob Coltman Date: 22 Jan 05 - 10:10 AM "Now for the best and completest version of Railroad Bill I've been able to put together from Olive Woolley Burt and from Dorothy Scarborough, both of whom were in time to catch the still existing late-1920s ballad of Railroad Bill before it became a catch-all for verse scraps like those still sung till today. For my own singing I have revised the verse order somewhat, attempting to set them up chronologically, as follows. Standin' on the corner, didn't mean no harm, Policeman grab me by my arm, Says I'm lookin' for Railroad Bill.   Talk about your bill, your ten-dollar bill, You never seen a bill like Railroad Bill,         He'll lay your poor body down.   Railroad Bill, mighty bad man, Shot them lights out the brakeman's hand,         They's lookin' for Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill, mighty bad man, Shot all the lights off of the stand,         That bad Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill, got no wife, Always lookin' for somebody's life, That bad…   Railroad Bill, he did not know That Jim MacMillan had a forty-fo',         Laid his poor body down.   Railroad Bill, comin' home soon, Killed MacMillan by the light of the moon, That…   Railroad Bill cut a mighty big dash, Killed MacMillan like a lightnin' flash, He'll lay your poor body down.   First on the table, next on the wall, Old corn liquor is the cause of it all, That bad…   Railroad Bill, ridin' on the train, Tryin' to act big like Cuba and Spain, That bad…   Get up, old woman, you sleepin' too late, Railroad Bill's come knockin' on your gate, That bad…   Railroad Bill, he's got sore eyes, Won't eat nothin' but apple pies, That bad…   Railroad Bill, eatin' crackers an' cheese, Long come the sheriff, chipper as you please,         Says, ain't you that Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill, might big spo't, Shot all the buttons off the Sheriff's coat,         You bad Railroad Bill.   Sheriff he got him a special train, When he got there, was a drivin' rain, He's lookin'…   Ten policemen, all dressed in blue, Comin' down the avenue, two by two, They's lookin'…   Everybody told him, you better go back, Bill is a-comin' down the railroad track, That bad…   Ol' Culpepper went up on Number Five, Goin' bring him back, dead or alive, That bad…   Railroad Bill lyin' on the grocery floor, Got shot two times, they shot him two times more,         They shot down old Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill said before he died, Fit all the trains so the rounders can ride,         Didn't it rain, rain, rain, rain, rain."   NOTES: For my own singing I've tended to vary the chorus as above, but the original versions stick rigidly to the refrain of "Lookin' for Railroad Bill." This makes me wonder if the song was first composed during, or immediately after, the manhunt...that would date it to c. 1897-98. Note borrowings from "Crawdad Song" and from "Natural-Born Eas'man" / "Jay Gould's Daughter" / "Casey Jones." ** 4.  Subject: RE: Help: Railroad Bill From: Azizi Date: 22 Jan 05 - 12:33 PM "Thomas W. Talley's 1922 collection "Negro Folk Rhymes" has a rhyme he calls "Wild Negro Bill" {p. 94 of Kennikat Press edition. The verses Talley presents contain the N word {represented in my post as "N---"} I'se wild N----- Bill From Redpepper Hill. I never did wo'k an' I never will   I's done killed de Boss. I'se knocked down de hoss. I'se eats up raw goose widout apple sauce!   I'se Run-a-way Bill, I knows dwy mought kill; But old Mosser hain't cotch me, an' he never will! --- Talley wrote that many of his songs were generations old..Since sneaking into railroad cars was often used by runaways, could 'Wild N--- Bill' be the source of "Railroad Bill? **** 5. Subject: RE: Help: Railroad Bill From: Azizi Date: 22 Jan 05 - 01:17 PM "In her 1925 collection 'On The Trail Of Negro Folk Songs" Dorothy Scarborough writes:  "There are various Negro versions of Railroad Bill, the best that I have found being given by Professor Odum in Journal of American Folklore. {Folklore Associates edition; page 251-252} I's Looking Fer Railroad Bill Railroad Bill mighty bad man, Shoot dem lights out o' de brakeman's hand- It's lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill mighty bad man, Shoot the lamps all off the stan'- An it's lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   First on table, next on wall, Ole corn whiskey cause of it all- It's looking fer Railroad Bill.   Ole McMillan had a special train, When he got there wus a shower a rain- Wus lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Ev'body tole him he better turn back, Railroad Bill wus goin' down the track- An it's lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Well, the pilicemen all dressed in blue, Comin down sidewalk two by two, Wus lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill he had no wife, Always lookin fer somebody's life- An it's lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Railroad Bill was the worst ole coon Killed McMillan by the light o' the moon- It's lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Ole Culpepper went up on Number Five, Goin' bring him back, dead or alive, Wus lookin' fer Railroad Bill.   Standin' on the corner, did n't mean no harm, Policeman grab me the arm- Wus lookin' fer Railroad Bill."   end of quote Scaborough {Odum} writes 'It's lookin' fer Railroad Bill.' but I wonder if this was a mis-hearing of "I'se lookin fer Railroad Bill".. Scaborough also includes this verse: Railroad Bill got so fine He shot a hole in a silver dime Railroad Bill, Railroad Bill Railroad Bll got sore eyes, An' won't eat nothin' apple pies.   (p. 253 Folklore Associates edition, 1963}  --- Needless to say, to African Americans of that time 'Railroad Bill' was an anti-hero, a man with attitude who didn't take no stuff, who challenged the system and won {at least for a while}.   "Coon" was used as an informal referent for African Americans by both Black Americans and others. Though it is now, then it was not necessarily a negative term. The only positive use of 'coon' that I have ever heard among African Americans {though it's very rarely used now} is the internal rhyme "ace boon coon" as in "You're my ace boon coon".  Though I don't view Wild N--- Bill/Railroad Bill as a role model for contemporary African Americans, I think it's a shame that so few of us know this folklore... Ms. Azizi" **** Thanks for visiting pancocojams. Visitor comments are welcome.

Six African American Innovators Who Changed The World (YouTube video and its summary statement)

 

Untold Black History , Jan 8, 2026  #UntoldBlackHistory #HiddenBlackHistory #BlackInventions

▶️ WATCH THE FULL SERIES HERE →    • The UNTOLD FORMULA: 6 Black Leaders Who  Secretly Built Generational Wealth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rNfct-4aQ&list=PL0D4xzwp5OEG2CXCboqntB4Z3srt_JU8C&index=1

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a 2026 YouTube video about six African American innovators whose inventions changed the world.

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all these innovators who are showcases in this video and thanks to the producer and publisher of this video.

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THIS VIDEO'S SUMMARY
"Ready to uncover the UNTOLD BLACK HISTORY of innovation? In this video, we spotlight the incredible stories of BLACK INVENTORS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD but whose contributions are often overlooked. We dive deep into 6 HIDDEN INVENTIONS created by Black innovators—from basic necessities to complex machinery—that you literally use EVERY DAY. Prepare to have your mind blown as we set the historical record straight!

These are Foundational Black Americans whose inventions became everyday essentials, while their names disappeared from American history.

In this video:

00:11 – Alexander Miles

Inventor of automatic elevator doors — a safety feature used in buildings worldwide.

01:42 – Jerry Lawson

Creator of the first cartridge-based video game system, shaping modern gaming.

03:25 – Dr. Marian Croak

Pioneer of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the technology behind modern calling.

05:04 – Sarah Boone

Inventor of an improved ironing board still used in homes today.

06:30 – Mary Fields

Trailblazer in logistics and delivery whose work reshaped mail routes and access.

07:29 – Frederick McKinley Jones

Inventor of refrigeration technology that made modern food transport possible.

These stories aren’t trivia.

They explain how Black innovation built America, while systems worked to separate invention from credit.

This is hidden Black history, told clearly and passed down — because knowing who built the world we live in changes how we see ourselves in it.

Watch in order.

These stories are blueprints.

#UntoldBlackHistory #HiddenBlackHistory #BlackInventions #ForgottenBlackInventors

This channel tells real Black American history — untold, hidden, and suppressed stories that were left out, buried, or deliberately erased from American history.

We focus on Foundational Black Americans who built families, land ownership, businesses, and Black economic power in a country shaped by Jim Crow laws, segregation, and systemic suppression. These were regular people living their lives — and in doing so, became extraordinary.

Our goal is not shock value, trivia, or surface-level Black history facts.

It is to pass down full-context history — Black history they never taught, because these stories carry power. They reveal how systems actually worked, how Black success was protected or punished, and why so much of this history was rewritten or erased.

This channel is part of Goose Goose Duck (GGD) — a storytelling and learning movement created to preserve Black American history in full color, through historical storytelling, long-form documentaries, and visual history, passed down across generations.

We believe hidden Black history is being erased on purpose — and that understanding American history untold matters for how we shape our future. This channel exists to preserve it, tell it clearly, and pass it forward.

Watch closely. Share thoughtfully.

These stories are blueprints."

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Twenty African American Inventors Whose Race And Names Mainstream America Has Tried To Erase (YouTube video & its complete transcript)

American Erased, Dec 14, 2025  #historydocumentary #blackhistory #americanhistory

⚠️ CORRECTION: The image shown during the Granville Woods section at 8:52 is actually George Washington Carver, not Woods. The narration about Woods' inventions is accurate. Thank you to viewers for catching this error.

#historydocumentary  #blackhistory #americanhistory #inventions

#education

How many Black inventors can you name? If you said one or two, you're not alone, and that's the problem.

This video covers every major Black inventor America forgot: from Garrett Morgan (traffic light, gas mask) to Mark Dean (IBM PC) to Patricia Bath (cataract surgery device). Twenty inventors whose inventions you use every single day.

📚 SOURCES:

-U.S. Patent Office Records

-Smithsonian NMAAHC (National Museum of African American History and Culture)

-Black Inventors by Keith Holmes

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a 2025 YouTube video about twenty African American inventors whos race and names mainstream America has tried to erase.

This post also presents the complete transcript of this video without time stamps and without the ending statement to watch other videos in this YouTube channel's series.

The content of this post is presented for historical and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all of the inventors who are showcased in this video and thanks to this video's  producer and publisher.

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AUTO-TRANSCRIPTION FOR THIS VIDEO
(This transcript is quoted without time stamps.)

"Every major black inventor America forgot-traffic lights, computers, pacemakers, refrigerated trucks, home security systems, light bulbs, potato chips... You use inventions by black Americans every single day, multiple times a day. But if I asked you to name five black inventors, you probably couldn't do it. That's not your fault. That's erasure.

For over a century, American history books taught Edison, Bell, and the Wright brothers. They didn't teach Garrett Morgan, Lewis Latimer, or Granville Woods. They made innovation look white. It wasn't.

Today, we're covering every major black inventor America forgot - 20 people whose inventions changed the world. Some you might have heard of. Most you haven't. All of them deserve better. Let's go.

Number 20. George Crumb - potato chips. 1853.
George Crumb was a chef at Moons Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1853.
One night, a customer complained that his fried potatoes were too thick. Crumb, annoyed, sliced the potatoes paper thin, fried them until they were crispy, and sent them out as a joke. The customer loved them. Other diners wanted them, and the potato chip was born. Crumb never patented his invention. Potato chips became a massive industry worth billions today. And George Crumb's name [was] forgotten. Most people think potato chips just appeared. They didn't. A black chef in upstate New York invented them because a customer annoyed him.

Next. Number 19. Sarah Boon - improved ironing board. 1892.
Sarah Boon didn't invent the ironing board, but she invented the one you use. Before 1892, ironing boards were flat planks of wood. They didn't fit the shape of clothes. Ironing sleeves, curves, and fitted garments was nearly impossible. Sarah Boon, a formerly enslaved woman living in Connecticut, designed a narrow curved ironing board specifically for ironing women's clothing. She patented it in 1892. Her design became the standard. Today, every ironing board uses her design, but when you buy one at Target, there's no label that says based on Sarah Boon's 1892 patent. She's gone. The invention remains.

Next, number 18, Thomas Jennings - dry cleaning, 1821.
Thomas Jennings was the first black person to receive a US patent. In 1821, he patented a process called dry scouring, the precursor to modern dry cleaning. At the time, most clothing couldn't be washed with water. Jennings figured out how to clean delicate fabrics without damaging them. He used the money from his invention to buy his family out of slavery and fund abolitionist causes. Thomas Jennings was born free in New York, but his wife and children were enslaved. His invention freed them. Dry cleaning is a multi-billion dollar industry. Thomas Jennings started it and almost no one knows his name. Next.

Number 17. Valerie Thomas -3D imaging technology 1980.
Valerie Thomas worked for NASA. In 1980, she invented the illusion transmitter, a device that projects realistic three-dimensional images. It's the foundation of modern 3D imaging technology used in everything from medical imaging to television. Thomas was one of the only black women working at NASA during the space race. She managed projects for LANCSAT, the satellite program that captures images of Earth. Her 3D imaging invention was years ahead of its time. NASA still uses her technology, but if you ask most people who invented 3D imaging, they won't say Valerie Thomas.

Next, number 16. Bessie Blount Griffin - feeding devices for disabled veterans. 1951.
After World War II, thousands of veterans came home with missing limbs. Bessie Blunt Griffin, a physical therapist, saw soldiers struggling to feed themselves. So, she invented a device that allowed amputees to feed themselves using mouth and head movements. She tried to sell her invention to the US Veterans Administration. They rejected it. So, she gave the patent to the French government who actually used it to help their disabled veterans. America ignored her. France honored her. Bessie Blanc Griffin's feeding device helped thousands of disabled people regain independence. And the US government didn't care.

Next, number 15. Lonnie Johnson - Super Soaker, 1989.
Lonnie Johnson is a NASA engineer who worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the stealth bomber program. He holds over hundreds patents and his most famous invention, the Super Soaker. In 1989, Johnson was working on a heat pump when he accidentally created a powerful water stream. He realized it would make an incredible water gun. The Super Soaker became one of the bestselling toys of all time, generating over $1 billion in sales. Lonnie Johnson is a legitimate rocket scientist, and most people only know him for a water gun, if they know him at all.

Next, number 14, Philip Emigui - Supercomputer Algorithms, 1989.
Philip Emigwali is a computer scientist who figured out how to make 65,000 computers work together simultaneously. In 1989, he used this method to perform 3.1 billion calculations per second, the fastest computation at the time. His work laid the groundwork for modern internet infrastructure and supercomputing. Oil companies use his algorithms to find petroleum reserves. Weather prediction systems use his work. The modern internet relies on parallel processing that Imagali pioneered. He's been called the father of the internet, but if you Google who invented the internet, his name doesn't come up.

Next, number 13. Alexander Miles- automatic elevator doors. 1887.
Before 1887, elevator doors had to be closed manually. If someone forgot, people fell down the elevator shaft. It was dangerous. Alexander Miles, a black inventor from Ohio, patented automatic elevator doors that closed when the elevator moved. His invention made elevators safe. It became the standard. Every elevator you've ever been in uses Alexander Miles design. Elisha Otis gets credit for inventing the elevator. Alexander Miles made it safe to use, but Otis is famous. Miles is forgotten.

Next. Number 12. George Washington Carver . Agricultural Innovations 1900s.
You've probably heard of George Washington Carver, but you probably don't know what he actually did. Most people know he did something with peanuts. That's it. Carver was a botanist and agricultural scientist who revolutionized southern farming. After the Civil War, southern soil was destroyed by cotton farming. Carver taught farmers to rotate crops with peanuts and sweet potatoes to restore soil nutrients. Then he invented over 300 uses for peanuts, including plastics, dyes, gasoline, and nitroglycerin. Carver didn't patent most of his inventions. He believed they should be free for farmers. He changed agriculture. And most people think he just made peanut butter. He didn't even invent peanut butter.

Next. Number 11. Charles Drew- blood plasma storage and blood banks. 1940.
Charles Drew was a surgeon who invented the process for separating and storing blood plasma during World War II. His technique saved thousands of lives. He organized the first large-scale blood banks and set up the system for collecting and distributing blood for the Red Cross. Here's the tragic irony: The Red Cross initially refused to accept blood donations from black people. Drew, the man who invented the blood bank system, protested the policy. He was forced to resign. Charles Drew saved thousands of lives with his invention. And the organization he worked for segregated blood by race. In 1950, Drew died in a car accident. There's a myth that he bled to death because a whites only hospital refused to treat him. That's not true. But the fact that it's believable shows how racist medicine was.


Next number 10. Patricia Bath- laser fico probe for cataract surgery 1986.
Patricia Bath was an ophthalmologist who invented the laser fico probe, a laser device that removes cataracts quickly and painlessly. Before her invention, cataract surgery was invasive and risky. Her device revolutionized the procedure. Bath was the first black female doctor to receive a medical patent. She dedicated her career to preventing blindness, especially in underserved communities. She founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Millions of people can see today because of Patricia Bath's invention, but if you ask someone who invented laser cataract surgery, they won't know her name.

Next, number nine. Granville Woods electric railway and telegraph 1880 to 1900s.
Granville Woods held over 60 patents. He improved the telegraph, the telephone, and the electric railway system. His inventions allowed trains to communicate with each other to prevent collisions. He created the third rail system that powers subways. Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell both tried to hire him. When they couldn't, they tried to steal his patents. Woods fought over 35 patent lawsuits and won almost all of them. Despite his brilliance, Woods died poor in 1910. His inventions are still used. His name is not.

Next. Number eight. Marie Van Brittan Brown - Home Security System, 1966.
Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse in Queens, New York. She worked odd hours and didn't feel safe at home. Police response times in her neighborhood were slow. So, in 1966, she invented the first home security system. Her system used cameras, monitors, two-way microphones, and a remote door lock. She could see who was at the door, talk to them, and unlock the door remotely or alert the police. She patented it in 1969. Every modern home security system is based on Marie Van Brttan Brown's design. Ring doorbells, ADT, Simply Safe. All of them use her concept and most people have never heard of her.

Next number seven, Jan Erns Matzeliger - show lasting machine 1883.
Before 1883, shoes were made by hand. A skilled worker could make 50 pairs of shoes a day. Jan Ernst Matzeliger,  a black immigrant from Surinam, invented a machine that could make 700 pairs a day. His shoe lasting machine revolutionized the shoe industry. Shoes became affordable. Companies made millions. Matzeliger sold his patent for almost nothing and died poor at age 37 from tuberculosis. The shoe companies got rich. Matzeliger got nothing. And for over a century, no one knew his name.

Next. Number six, Elijah McCoy - automatic lubricator, 1872.
Elijah McCoy was a mechanical engineer who invented an automatic lubricator for steam engines Before his invention, trains had to stop frequently so workers could manually oil the engines. McCoy's device lubricated engines while they ran. His invention was so effective that buyers would ask if a machine had the real McCoy lubrication system. That's where the phrase comes from. "The real McCoy" means the genuine article named after Elijah McCoy. We use his phrase every day. Most people don't know it's named after a black inventor.

Next, number five, Frederick McKinley Jones - refrigerated trucks, 1940.
Frederick McKinley Jones invented portable refrigeration units for trucks and trains. Before his invention, transporting perishable food long distances was nearly impossible. His refrigeration system changed everything. Jones held over 60 patents. His refrigeration technology was used by the US military during World War II to preserve food and medicine. After the war, his company became Thermo King, one of the largest refrigeration companies in the world. Every refrigerated truck on the highway uses technology Frederick McKinley Jones invented, but when you see a Thermo King logo, there's no mention of him.

Next, number four, Otis Boyin - pacemaker components. 1959.
Otis Boyin was an electrical engineer who invented an improved electrical resistor used in computers, radios, and televisions. But his most important invention was a control unit for pacemakers. Boyin's resistor made pacemakers more reliable and precise. His technology has saved millions of lives. People with heart conditions are alive today because of Otis Boyin's work. He held 26 patents. He changed medical technology and most people have never heard his name.

Next, number three, Mark Dean - IBM personal computer, 1980s.
Mark Dean is a computer scientist who holds three of the original nine patents for the IBM personal computer. He co-invented the ISA bus, which allows devices like printers and monitors to connect to computers. He also led the team that created the first gigahertz processor. Mark Dean helped invent the
modern computer. The device you're watching this video on exists because of his work. He holds over 40 patents. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1997. But when people think about who invented the personal computer, they think of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, not Mark Dean.

Next, number two, Lewis Latimer - light bulb carbon filament, 1881.
Everyone knows Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, except he didn't. Not the version we use. Edison's early bulbs burned out in hours. They were impractical. Lewis Latimer, a black inventor and draftsman, invented the carbon filament that made light bulbs last longer and burn brighter. His filament design made electric lighting practical and affordable. Latimer worked with both Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. He drafted the patent for Bell's telephone. Lewis Latimer made the modern world brighter. Edison got the credit. Latimer got forgotten.

Next. Number one. Garrett Morgan- traffic light and gas mask. 1914 to 1923.
Garrett Morgan invented two things you interact with constantly. The traffic signal and the gas mask. In 1914, Morgan invented a safety hood with a breathing tube that filtered smoke and gas. It was the precursor to the modern gas mask. In 1916, there was an explosion in a tunnel under Lake Erie. Workers were trapped in toxic fumes. Morgan and his brother used his safety hoods to rescue 32 men. He became a hero. Then, people found out he was black. Orders for his safety hood dropped. Fire departments refused to buy from him. During World War I, the US military used his design, but didn't credit him. In 1923, Morgan invented the three-position traffic signal, the red, yellow, green light system we use today. He sold the patent to General Electric for $40,000. They made millions Morgan's name disappeared. Garrett Morgan saved lives with a gas mask and organized traffic with the traffic light. Two inventions that define modern life, and most Americans don't know he existed.

20 inventors, billions of dollars in industries they created, millions of lives saved by their work, and most Americans can't name a single one. This isn't ancient history. Mark Dean's computer patents are from the 1980s. Patricia Bat's cataract devices are from 1986. Lonnie Johnson's Super Soaker is from 1989. These aren't historical figures. These are people who shaped the world you live in right now. So why don't you know their names? Because for over a century, American history made innovation look white. textbooks taught Edison, Bell, and Ford. They didn't teach Morgan, Latimer, and Woods. The invention stayed. The inventors were erased. But we're fixing that."... 

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Reese Waters - "Juneteenth Survived DEI So Maga Tries to Take It Instead" (June 19, 2025 YouTube vlog)

Reese Waters -June 19, 2025

"Juneteenth survived DEI but will Juneteenth survive Maga? Not if Charlie Kirk & CPAC have their way. Juneteenth is the oldest regular US celebration of the end of slavery. It commemorates June 19, 1865 – the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told a group of slaves that the Civil War had ended and they were free - more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Yet despite Juneteenth’s status as a federal holiday, celebrations across the country are being scaled back or canceled. Organizers say safety issues along with mounting resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are making it harder to hold events – raising concerns that political backlash is threatening the commemoration of Black freedom at a time when experts say it is most needed. DEI strikes again.

“What we’re seeing – businesses pulling back and universities canceling programs in response to attacks on DEI – shows that many institutions and corporations were never truly committed to diversity and inclusion,” said LaTasha Levy, a professor of Afro-American Studies at Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, DC. “We’re not even being honest about what DEI really stands for.”

President Donald Trump tried to take credit for making Juneteenth “very famous,” saying during his first term in 2020 that, “nobody had ever heard of it.” His comments came while the nation was reeling from ongoing civil unrest after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

But Juneteenth didn’t become an official holiday until 2021, under President Joe Biden’s administration – the first holiday to be approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Experts say this happened in part due to a racial pandemic - with the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Floyd in the same year as the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Since his reelection, Trump has made the elimination of DEI programs a centerpiece of his administration, cracking down on diversity efforts in the federal government with a series of executive orders.

Yet still among Maga there are those feeling left out, so what do they do? They try and take it over and make it about them. Charlie Kirk for one of CPAC and Rep Scott Walker are among those calling for Juneteenth to be more inclusive. Really. Apparently July 4th is down bad, who knew?

#juneteenth #blackjoy #dei #blackpeople #africanamericans #blackyoutuber #blackcreators"

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a June 19, 2025 Reese Waters vlog entitled "Juneteenth Survived DEI So Maga Tries to Take It Instead".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTt_67VLpbI

This vlog was published as part of Reese Waters' "Racist of the week" series. Reese Waters named "America" as that episode's "racist of the week".

This Reese Water's vlog is published without any comments from me and without any selected comments from that vlog's discussion thread.

That vlog includes an English language auto-generated transcript.  

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Reese Waters and all those who are associated with that vlog.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 

Why Zulus From South Africa Are Blasting Members of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club In New Orleans, Louisiana For Their Depiction Of Zulus In The Mardi Gras Parade

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some history about the one hundred year plus tradition of the Zulu club in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA) of using blackface in their Mardi Gras parade depiction of Zulus from South Africa.

This pancocojams post also documents selected comments from a discussion about this subject from a vlog on the "Lady Boule" YouTube channel.

This is just one of multiple Black American focused YouTube channels that are covering this topic at this time. My selection of this discussion thread instead of any other one was somewhat random.  

Read my comment in this pancocojams post's discussion thread about this YouTube channel.  

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and historical purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/blackface-tradition-of-mardi-gras-zulu_22.html for the closely related 2012 pancocojams post entitled "The Blackface Tradition Of The Mardi Gras Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club".

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OVERVIEW ABOUT THE 2025 ONLINE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS ZULU CLUB'S DEPICTION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN ZULU ETHNIC GROUP DURING THEIR PARADE

ONLINE SOURCE #1
from Google AI April 18, 2025 response to my request for "information about Zulus in the nation of South Africa’s controversy in 2025 regarding the New Orleans (USA) Zulu parade during Mardi Gras."

"In 2025, the Zulu parade controversy likely arose due to the Zulu Society's continued practice of using African-inspired costumes and themes during New Orleans Mardi Gras, which has been a source of cultural appropriation concerns. While the Zulu Society traces its origins to 1909 and adopted an African theme between 1912 and 1914, recent concerns have been raised about the appropriation of Zulu culture and the potential for the parade to perpetuate stereotypes.

Here's why the controversy might be emerging in 2025:

Growing Awareness of Cultural Appropriation:

There's a growing awareness of the harmful effects of cultural appropriation, which has led to increased scrutiny of the Zulu parade's practices.

Diverse Perspectives:

The Zulu Society has a long history, and its traditions are now being viewed through a more diverse and inclusive lens, leading to questions about the impact of the parade on the Zulu people and their cultural heritage.

Call for Change:

Some individuals and groups may be calling for the Zulu Society to make changes to its costumes, themes, and practices to be more respectful of the culture it draws inspiration from.

It's important to note that the Zulu Society itself has a history of engagement with the community and the local Zulu people, and there are diverse perspectives on the issue. The specific timing of the controversy in 2025 likely depends on the timing of specific incidents or discussions that draw attention to the concerns."

****
ONLINE SOURCE #2
https://dfa.co.za/lifestyle/dfa-2025-04-08-south-africans-slam-offensive-zulu-parade-in-new-orleans/ "South Africans slam 'offensive' Zulu parade in New Orleans" published by Xolile Mtembu, April 8, 2025

"ETHNICITY and culture are an integral part of a people's identity - from traditional clothing to languages, many ethnic groups take pride in their history and how they are portrayed in the wider world.

In a controversial showcase, a 'Zulu' parade that takes place during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans in the US, has participants adorned in afro wigs, coconut coloured clothing, fabrics and with alleged black face reminiscent of olden day minstrel shows (comic skits depicting people specifically of African descent in a negative light to confirm racist beliefs).

South Africans were dismayed after they came across clips of the parade and accused the participants of being prejudiced and culturally insensitive.

[This article inserts the April 7, 2025 comment from x (twitter) and April 7, 2025 Tik Tok video clip that probably sparked the online discussion about this subject in 2025 among Zulus in South African and others.]

However, those defending it pointed out that the parade is over a century old.

"Satire is a key element of Mardi Gras and nowhere is that on keener display than in the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club formed in 1909. Zulu's founders chose their costumes to mock the demeaning portrayals of black people in early 20th century culture and the pretensions of the all-white parading organisations of the time," reported Nola.

Every year, the members wear 'black makeup', grass skirts, and distribute coconuts, following in the footsteps of the founders. In a video shared by one of participants, a woman shared how she gets ready, to the dismay of South Africans.

[This article inserts that Tik Tok video.]

However, South Africans were not willing to concede on this basis. "And now that a hundred years have passed what's so difficult with doing away with black face knowing it's offensive? And ignorance cannot be an excuse because you have all the information available to actually do things the right way if you care about cultural accuracy. Anything less is a mockery and there is no justifying it in 2025."
-snip-
This article continues with sample back and forth comments some of which include profanity (from supporters of Zulu parade in the USA toad the South African Zulus) and ends with this comment posted on x [twitter] from a South African woman:

mzansi fo sho 🇿🇦🐅

@PalesaMogorosi_

This is an opportunity for the Zulu Kingdom to sue the city of New Orleans and cash in from that joke of a parade!!!

1:13 PM · Apr 7, 2025"
-snip-
"Mzansi" is a referent for the nation of South Africa.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Here's the description of the "Lady Boule" YouTube channel that is the source of the selected comments that are quoted in this pancocojam blog  

https://www.youtube.com/@ladyboule
"This channel explores African-American History and Culture. The emphasis is on outstanding achievements of African-Americans of the past and present."
-end of quote-

The Lady Boule channel is hosted by an [off-screen] older Black woman with that screen name.  The same photograph of "Lady Boule" is shown at the beginning of each vlog. No information about Lady Boule or how she chose this name , but given some comments that I read on random discussion threads of this channel, "Lady Boule" is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.(AKA)  which is the first historically Black Greek letter sorority.  Here's information about the meaning of the term "boule" for AKAs:
[from Google AI as of April 18, 2025]
 AI Overview
"In Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, the term "Boule" refers to the sorority's bi-annual international gathering. It's a major event where members from around the world come together to connect, participate in service projects, and celebrate their sisterhood. The Boule is also the sorority's governing body when the Boule is not in session"
-snip-
The population referent "FBA" is frequently used by commenters in the discussion thread for this particular YouTube vlog and for certain other YouTube vlogs. 

"FBA" (Foundational Black America) is a  new referent that is being used by a growing number of the population known as "African Americans"/"Black Americans" instead of those referents. "FBA" refers to people who can trace at least one of their ancestors to Black people who were enslaved in the United States. "FBA" was founded by Tariq Nasheed who splintered from the ADOS (American Descendants Of Slavery) movement.

The fact that (it appears to me that) a large number of commenters on "Lady Boule's YouTube channel consider themselves to be FBA or are supportive of FBA socio-cultural & political positions is ironic since FBAs are (also) disdainful of members of historically Black Greek tetter fraternities and sororities which they consider to be elitist and inherently harmful to FBAs.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/06/article-excerpts-about-population.html for the June 2024 pancocojams post entitled "Article Excerpts About The Population Referents "ADOS" (American Descendants Of Slaves) And "FBA" (Foundational Black Americans)". Also, click the tag below for other pancocojams posts about FBA. 

As an explanation of some of the comments in this post about the Zulus in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, FBA are very protective of their* identity and heritage and, generally speaking, people who consider themselves to be FBAs* are antagonistic toward Black immigrants (for instance Black people of Caribbean, or African descent post United States emancipation of slaves). FBAs disdainfully refer to Black immigrants to the United States as "tethers". 

*I use the pronoun "their" in this comment because I am not a FBA and I am critical of that group/ those that use that lineage referent.
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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdU2oZh0URA "This is NOT Black American Culture" by Lady Boule, Apr 15, 2025

[vlog summary: "The Zulu Festival as part of Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans is not part of the wider Black American culture. It is a culture within the Black American community in New Orleans, Louisiana. South African Zulus have expressed that they see this festival as disrespectful to their tribe. This should be respected and addressed."

1 @Deidre-iz3fu, April 16, 2025
"I live in New Orleans. This parade has been going on forever. Even Louis Armstrong was a Zulu King. No amount of criticism  will stop this parade or the Zulu Ball. There are simply too many well-connected people in New Orleans who won't care about who is offended. Sorry."

**
Reply
2. @ladyboule,April 16, 2025
"I understand. I'm not familiar with the culture. My problem is that all Black Americans are being dragged into this when it only applies to a few."

**
Reply
3. @darioussmith3450, April 16, 2025
"@ladyboule  see they had over  100 years to complain why now in 2025? We didn’t even hear this last year. Also my understanding that the Zulu parade are held by blacks not whites."

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4. @maryh9569,April 16, 2025
"Lady Boula , I live in New Orleans, I'm a Older Black Woman, In the old days, Zulu Parades Couldn't Parade on Canal Street or St Charles, No other culture saw Zulu but Black Neighborhoods like Magnolia Street where I lived as a Child,  The Traditional thing in New Orleans, It's Against the Law in New Orleans to ride on a Carnival Float without a Mask, It wasn't Black face , But a Mask , Black was ignorant to. African but they knew only about Zulu,  You can blame those old white people Tarzan movies for the  , That's how they showed The Africans in.those Days, Now today, Zulu isn't what it used to be, White New Orleans has control of all the money Zulu is making,  But. , I see , I guess the Zulu People are more worried about a Carnival Parade than the White People in South Africa taking their land and Diamonds, Making them Third Class Citizens in their own Country,   This is African Problem , Tribal against each other,"

**
5. @sleepyccs, April 16, 2025
"As someone from New Orleans...we don't care what South Africans think. Carnivals in the Caribbean do the same thing and no one is demanding they stop. Look up the Carriacou carnival devils called "Jab Jab".

In 2006 actual Zulus came to New Orleans and rode in the parade."

**
6. @KathrynLabat, April 16, 2025
"Why haven't they complained prior to 2025? Is it because how  this administration is handling immigration? The Zulu Social Aid Club is more than a parade. It consists of men who come from all aspects of society who help and give back to their community. If you don't like it, don't come. New Orleanians love this club. Only men are members and I cannot become a member of course but I love it.🎉"

**
7. @Dee_nyce, April 16, 2025
"In Louisiana, this is the culture. Its a tribute to ZULU 🎉"

**
Reply
8. @damongrayson9287,April 16, 2025
"That 💩 a tribute to stepping fetch it and JJ Evan’s dynamite 🧨 😂 that’s bout it. They clearly see it as disrespect so if the Zulu nation doesn’t see it as a tribute it’s not. 💩 not flattering at all"

**
Reply
9. @ABihStayWinN, April 16, 2025
"@damongrayson9287 you don't know the culture"

**
10. @BigHalf-Dead,April 16, 2025
"It's a New Orleans thing we don't care what anyone says about our way of life down heah we're going to do us and the world can do them we're going to be alright"

**
11. @oddnegrozofficial3363,April 16, 2025
"People get their panties in a bunch so easily clearly this is a new Orleans thing most Black Americans had no idea it existed that's a them issue it doesn't have to involve us, moving on.   Next!"

**
12. @elvdell5582, April 16, 2025
"It is CRAZY that so many of us have never heard of this.  I hadn't heard of it until this video.  WHY in the heck would we have ANYONE dress up in black face.  Now I want to make two points.  

1.  To the South African's, this is what it feels like when someone appropriates your culture.  I totally agree with the first woman, however.  People do this to us all the time, but we need to be the better people and not tell them it isn't offensive after they've told us it is. (but still, will we ever get that same respect in return?)

2.  I truly wonder if a bunch of clear Europeans or clear Americans for that matter were to do this... I wonder if any of them would say anything. They seem to find a lot of heat when black American's do something, but when the folks do something, that heat dies down quickly.  (I'm just saying)."

**
13. @workarea9832, April 16, 2025
"The Zulu Club is in need of a fresh identity. It's time for a new name and a revamped aesthetic. This transformation should have happened a long time ago."

**
Reply
14. @ladyboule,April 16, 2025
"I agree."

**
Reply
15. @sleepyccs, April 16, 2025
"@ladyboule  Nope. They will never change."

**
16. @Joyful_Smiles, April 16, 2025
"As far as I know its a way to pay homage to the Zulus in South Africa because the Zulus are heroes who confronted colonizers and won.

The Zulus accomplished a great deal in South Africa and their leader Shaka Zulu is greatly revered in Black American culture. The Zulus are even honored in HBCUs."

**
17. @pinksky7203, April 16, 2025
"I respectfully disagree, this is black American culture. It is a niche within overall foundational black American culture. I am not for NO so I do not feel qualified to speak on their intent or reasoning but this is a real cultural tradition for them. South Africans raising an issue 115 years after the fact or assuming something is about them is perhaps a reach. People all throughout the diaspora unapologetically utilize, imitate & captitaise from black American culture every single day. Relax, I watch people throughout the diaspora wear our culture like a fad daily. Build entire identities and businesses off of our culture...I do not believe black folks in NO were thinking about South Africans when they came up with these parades etc lol"

**
18. @DeborahMcIntosh-i1k, April 16, 2025
"This is very old traditional and a beautiful AFRICAN AMERICAN culture celebration in New Orleans. We in the south have lived this for many years. I love it. Some people just want to make an issue out of a non issue. Leave them alone.  Many black  American slaves are descendants of the original Zulus in Africa. They created this when they got to America. They mingled their African culture with their American experience once they reached this soil; just like they created the blues, jazz, spiritual and other aspects of the black culture.  The Zulus is a social club in New Orleans and represent a total rejection of white king and queen celebration mimicking European culture. Zulu’s lifted up African culture. Many of the dances here were in Africa; we innovated like we do. Those blacks in South Africans can lick their feelings and move on from this! Shut up!!!

**
19. @noybmyob9663,April 16, 2025
"I do NOT identify with nor take the names of another people or cultures, Africans included.  Proud and profound FBA all the way!!"

**
20. @JW19268, April 16, 2025
"New Orleans has a unique culture that only exists there.  Maybe it's time for a new name."

**
Reply
21. @NeUrDah01-r9x, April 16, 2025
"No, maybe it's time for Africans and the Black Diaspora to mind their own business."

**
22. @AishaKarefa, April 16, 2025
"Lady Boule, New Orleans has a very unique culture with many intersections with reagrd to race and culture. New Orelans has ties to Span, France, Haiti and the continent of Africa. I think people are missing the point. Like the sister said it's a tribute to the Zulu because they are known warriors. Black folks in New Orleans have a Black Indian culture as well where they dress up in full Indian regalia. This is unique to New Orelans because there is so much mixture. Most times when Black folks don African garb and culture it is a tribite. This is the nature of this to me but just ask folks from New Orleans. Check out the documentary on the Cane River Creoles. They have their own culture. New Oreleans is a melange of African, Natiive American, French, Spanish, Haitian and European culture. So what happens to the Hip Hop group The Zulu Nation started by Afrika Bambatta which has been in existence since the early 80s? I personally don't think it's done to mock the Zulus but to emulate them. That's my two cents.

**
23. @vanessawalker4796, April 16, 2025
"I love the Zulu's and their parade. I had the opportunity to see them for the 1st time this year.😊"

**
24. @ZoraDelaney, April 16, 2025
"Personally, I think the club should be renamed and they should highlight the best of Foundational Black American history and culture."

**
Reply
25. @crystalsplace7163, April 16, 2025
"They has 115 years to say something."

**
Reply
26. @nebulanigrimleonis3883, April 16, 2025
"They saying it now. Why defend this? Just stop"

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Reply
27. @Misslilac-j3i, April 16, 2025
"Still doesn't make it OK. It's not your place or your culture. They're allowed to have their feelings known. 😔 SMH."

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28. @jacquelinephillips1331, April 16, 2025
"Because of social media now they are aware of it. Sometimes we have to stand down and take a different approach."

**
Reply
29. @damongrayson9287, April 16, 2025
"@nebulanigrimleonis3883  why you speaking on it your not black American 🇺🇸 maybe a Caribbean that ran to America"

**
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30. @theshineprjct, April 16, 2025
"The black face part of it was alarming…..it’s shocking when white people do it BUT our melanated people……? Wow!"

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31. @vanessawalker4796, April 16, 2025
"This parade happens one time a year and I personally don't have a problem with it. There are much bigger fish to fry."

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32. @firedragon2502, April 16, 2025
"The Zulu parade at the Mardi Gras festival in Louisiana have been going on for over 100 years. Before this back and forth with Black Americans/FBA vs Black immigrants came about, most South African Zulus didn't really care about what Black Americans was doing. What changed🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔????? Why the Zulus of South Africa, all of a sudden, became hostile to Black Americans celebrating the Zulu culture after 100 years🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔!!!!!????? Granted, most Black Americans don't even know the culture. I myself didn't really know they had a Zulu parade. I doubt they where this hostile before. It's nothing wrong with some Black Americans copying Zulu culture. After all, you can't count how many times Africans (including the Zulus) copy Black Americans. Do house, techno, rap  hip hop, jazz, and other genres from Black Americans ring a bell🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔????? South Africans, and Africans in general got many musical genres from Black Americans. Most South Africans were proud they got the culture from Black Americans, so it really absurd to be throwing a fake, ridiculous fit now. Like I said time and time again, most Black Americans don't know nothing about Africa because they don't care to know nothing about Africa. Zulu culture is no exception. So as I said before, cut this sh*t out👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼!!!!! FBA all the way, everyday🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻!!!!! Akin🔥."

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33. @nqobilendlovu5190, April 16, 2025
"You are not celebrating Zulu culture you're making a mockery out of it, now do you get it?"

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34. @firedragon2502, April 16, 2025
"@nqobilendlovu5190  I don't celebrate Zulu culture because I'm not interested in Zulu culture!!!!!"

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35. @Carismatic811, April 16, 2025
"My first time hearing of this. I hope peace is reach in this. We need to not fight each other. But yeah if it’s offensive they should change stuff and make it right.

On the behalf of my brother n sisters in the states

sorry to my ZULU tribe families.

Thanks for the awareness"

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36. @denise8881m, April 16, 2025
"I totally agree with you.  I'm 74 years old and I've never heard of this parade.  It wasn't my culture.  My people were from Texas and we did not celebrate this tradition.  I want to know what the parade is supposed to be celebrating.  What event in history?  I grew up in Washington, D.C. and we had the Redskins team.  When I lived in California in the 1990s that's when I first heard the anger about the name Redskins from a Native American on the radio who cursed the team's name.  With the winning football season we just had a lot of white fans wanted to go back to the old name from the new name Commanders but thankfully the team owner nixed that idea in the bud because white people kept claiming they knew Native Americans who liked the name Redskins and that Indians even gave the team the name which is most likely a lie.  I'm with you and the two people on the video.  My mouth dropped open in horror when I saw that blackface.  The name needs to be changed immediately.  Respect the Zulu people.  That parade looks 100 years old alright.  That's a shame from old Jim Crow times.  It's disrespectful to Africans and reminds me of the Little Black Sambo times of my childhood.  It's totally out of date tradition or not.  Times need to change and some traditions need to be done with.  That's why they kept the slaves uneducated.  White people knew it was wrong but encouraged them to do it anyway.  Let it go."

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37. @adreenalynharris5723, April 16, 2025
"Louisiana resident here and I always thought actual Zulu people started the parade as a kid but when I got older thought it was cringe so I just didn’t like it anymore after I got to be an adult"

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38. @LiquidSonshine, April 16, 2025
"South Africans are very disingenuous in their faux outrage. In Cape Town SA every January 2nd, there's "the Minstel parade" which is the exact same thing as the Zulu parade and pre dates it almost 100 years! They tried it.

We're offended by Twyla, Burna Boy, Cynthia Everio, and their cosplaying. But no one listens to that. This is why delineating is important, they don't want the smoke. We'll stop the Zulu parade, when they stop the minstrel parade. We both do have bigger issues, but we didn't invite Africans to this, Otis. Given the current climate in the US, it would be better for them to stay home. Work on the issues of SA, we have alot to sort here, without their whining!"

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39. @solomonphasha6692, April 16, 2025
"That's not Zulus doing it it's coloured people"
-snip-
This commenter is clarifying that in the nation of South Africa the "Zulu ethnic group" is distinct from the "Coloured ethnic group".

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40. @nqobilendlovu5190, April 16, 2025
"Nobody said stop the parade just drop the name , thank you."

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41. @pennydink72, April 16, 2025
"Thank you for bringing the hot topics Lady Boule. Some feelings are hurt in these comments boy I tell you, lol. I've never been to Mardi Gras, but I know that is rich history of our people here in America. I'm not feeling the black face but I think it's mocking the mockers and they made a whole thing out of it. That's one way of turning lemons into lemonade. I think this is a big nothing burger honestly and that small group of South Africans should just chill."

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42. @mikamwambazi3807, April 16, 2025
"Zulu nation is not a small group. The fact that your parade teaches you that is precisely the point, disinformation. 😊"

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43. @kathym8453, April 16, 2025
"Excuse me, this is an expression of Black American culture, at least the Black Americans of New Orleans.  Black Americans DO have different cultures/institutions in various parts of the USA.  I really don't know why this topic is coming up now.  Who made this an issue?"

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44. @rbailey3309, April 16, 2025
"I agree. You cannot say that it is a tribute if it insults the people whom you tributing."

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45. @connie4872, April 16, 2025
"Why is this an issue now after all this time? I think the people in New Orleans should keep doing what they are doing."

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46.@nqobilendlovu5190, April 16, 2025
"Social media love , we didn't know about it before."

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47. @Luntu88, April 16, 2025
"We found out now, simply do it without blackface. Do it without Blackface. We have a problem with blackface only."

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48. @randyb5579,April 16, 2025
"As a Louisiana native who lived in NOLA for a decade, Zulu is one of the Big 5 parades - Rex, Endymion, Bacchus, Orpheus, and is connected with high society.  It holds formal cotillons and a debutante ball, in addition to being a volunteer organization.  This offends the South Africans, and not the fact that ten percent of an allegedly vanquished oppressive racist regime still controls ninety-nine percent of their country's wealth, of which the actual Zulus are part of the majority population.  Okay, I guess, if this is their flex."
-snip-
I think "Okay...if this is their flex" means "if this is what they want to focus/spend their energy on instead of other more important things."  

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49. @hosebewhening6111, April 16, 2025
"NOLA checking in...specifically Algiers. No one cares about the South Africans feelings it's not about them.

When they sold our Ancestors we stopped caring."
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "Algiers" is a neighborhood in NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana)

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50. @whitewitch2511, April 16, 2025
"We are not related to West Africans as black people of South Africa😂"
-snip-
In the context of this comment, "We" means "Black people of South Africa".

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51. @nqobilendlovu5190, April 17, 2025
"I don't feel anything about you , I am Zulu and am insulted by your use of my identity."

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52. @nqobilendlovu5190, April 17, 2025
"Nobody said stop the parade just drop the name , thank you."

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53. @sherwoodla6535, April 17, 2025
"As an FBA, it’s needs to stop.  Tradition is no excuse, no more than Jim Crowe was a “tradition”. "

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54. @fefep4035, April 17, 2025
"Why are they still using black face? Especially after the 1960s civil rights  and black pride movements? If they embraced what true Zulus are, then that might be acceptable, but no one with any self-respect should tolerate black face."

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55. @user-st6nt4ou6f, April 17, 2025
"AFRICANS AM are " NOT LIKE US,. As a civil rights activist in the 60s and 70s , our organizations supported the South Africans in their fight against Apartheid. So now they opebed their eyes and focused  on somwthing THAT IS NOT THEIR F*** BUSINESS. I attended Mardi Gras many times in the 80s. Study the history and realize that some things from the past still exist. The Black community won the right to parade after a hard fought battle and theyre proud of utt. South Africans,STAY IN YOUR LANE. THIS AIN'T YOUR BIZ. 😠😠 Says a 92%er. Learn the history"
-snip-
This is the way this comment is written in that discussion thread.

"92%er" is a referent that is used by African Americans to refer to the reported percentage of African American woman who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 for President of the United States. (It is also reported that 80% of African American men voted for Kamala Harris.) 

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56. @MsJay-cr1id, April 17, 2025
"If it's happening in New Orleans, it's a Black American thing. We ain't changing nothing. NOLA DO NOLA."

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57. @Bobby-h5m4u, April 17, 2025
"Africans need to mind their own business,they will never understand US.....Trump needs to get all these Africans out of here"

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58. @tw69hands2, April 17, 2025
"That’s a minstrel show. Black face isn’t anybody’s culture. We don’t dress up as leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day, calling it culture. Blackface is not culture. It’s an insult."

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59.  @copperdee3073, April 17, 2025
"That is not our culture! Practice American Indigenous culture and stop trying to be African and other strange foreign cultures."

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60. @carah4958, April 17, 2025
"Many black Americans have no Idea about New Orleans Black culture which is different. We also have New Orleans Indians. Should we remove them as well? Before you self righteous non—New Orleans folks start weighting with your google search mentality, let’s have a conversation with real historians and understand the history, where and how the name came about. Why don’t you talk to the Zulu Social Pleasure club. Let people from New Orleans figure this out instead of Johnny come lately negroes who k ow nothing  about New Orleans Black culture besides the Essence Fest.  Maybe this could be a great moment for realignment with the Zulu  organization and the tribe. It could be a great moment to celebrate both cultures. I don’t even know if they are still doing the black face, if they are, I hope they stop. There is some history behind that. You know we are of African heritage. Our food, instruments and music came from our roots. We took our roots and formed something beautiful, Gumbo, the country music instruments, and many other traditions. Have you heard of the flame throwers in the parades? The Magnolia Indians? Do you know about Second lines or buck dancing. It’s kind of audacious to be so uninformed of our New Orleans culture and weighing in without doing research and actually speaking to historians. I completely understand the Zulu nation’s perspective, but there are many names taken from Africa languages and used for businesses, organizations  and  Events, as well as African themed art. Just like our black culture has no boundaries. We should have a conversation and not overreact. The Zulu Organization should make a statement and also modernize. "

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61. @LeoBlight, April 17, 2025
"Don’t make sense at all to dress up like that especially in black face. Black face is well known to be extremely racist towards black people. Its literally pushing the narrative that it’s ok to dress up in black face  because other black peoples are doing it. It’s the same as trying to say the N word is ok as long as you don’t say it with the ER. When people are so use to being oppressed and disrespected they find a way to take away the sting of their current situation. This parade should be stopped"

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62. @queenlj12jax97,April 17, 2025
"I suspect the New Orleans Zulu parade was a construct of the mentality of early 20th century America. During that era America's biggest and most popular Black entertainers like Bert Williams and Ernest Hogan wore blackface as did many white entertainers. As offensive as blackface is, I'm surprised the people participating in the parade in the 21st century still adhere to it. It should be abolished and erased from the consciousness of every Black person, just like the N-word!"

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63. @barrychilds109, April 17, 2025
"I can respect the African Descended Diaspora Pheno Typed Family of People in South Africa point of view"

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64. @politicallil7060, April 17, 2025
"ZULU parade is a huge part of the Mardi Gras. I still have my coconut...This is nothing but psychological warfare designed to keep us bickering, fighting, and beefing over anything."

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65. @w1nda1monn87, April 17, 2025
"As someone who was born and raised in New Orleans, I feel comfortable speaking on behalf of most of my fellow New Orleaneans by saying that the Zulu Parade was never meant to be disrespectful to the Zulu Tribe in South Africa and hell would freeze over before the name is changed because they are "offended."

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66. @SiphosihleSithole, April 17, 2025
"lol I’m black South Africa a real Zulu and I think  black American see themselves superior from us, how can you just call your parade Zulu parade like the Zulus are not alive to see that you are pathetic our culture , you did that parade for 100 years Zulu been alive for more 1000 years and still alive. We are proud and territorial people and we don’t take shit from no one. If you gonna use our name and try to copy our culture at least do it correct. And the black face mmmmm you do what white america is doing to you. You paint black face to imitate us coz you think we are blacker than you hypocrites"

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67. @brianupendo3725, April 17, 2025
"It's 2025 not 1925 and the blackface part of the parade should have been taken out.  Its disrespectful to all black people actually not just the Zulu. But big up to them for pointing it out as they should since it's their name being represented."

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68. @smithkaren1387, April 17, 2025
"Google kaapse klopse!!! South Africans are doing the same thing while saying FBAs are offending them!!😂 Mardi Gras 4 Ever!💜💛💚"

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69. @Dunoonking
"Ok let south africans have a parade in black face and call themselves FBA, you fba wouldn't stand for it. You fba are hypocrites."

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70. @lungamadoda6992, April 18, 2025
"I’m South African and Zulu Speaking for that matter and I don’t really mind the parade however it’s the black face that confuses me, what’s up with that?"

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