African American History

Farewell Mr Rock’n’Roll

The web is bursting with tributes and obituaries to Chuck Berry, the songwriter and guitarist who died on Friday at the age of 90. And this is understandably so. Berry’s famous repertoire which includes songs like ‘Johnny B Goode,’ ‘Maybellene,’…

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The Man – or his Times?

Having just been to see Race, the (rather boring, I have to say) bio-pic about the great African American athlete, Jesse Owens, I found myself thinking about people like Owens, and Joe Louis, and contrasting them with Muhammad Ali.  How…

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The Passing of a Hero

This Friday will witness the funeral of Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer in history and a figure whose importance transcended sport.  Hundreds will attend his funeral and many thousands more around the world will mourn his passing because Ali was…

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North Carolina Bound

This weekend I leave for Elon in North Carolina, where I will be spending four months teaching and researching as part of the Fulbright-Elon Scholar Award 2015-16. I was delighted to receive this award as I would have the opportunity…

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History Dissertation Day

Thank you and well done to all of the Level 6 students who presented their posters at History Dissertation Day on 14 January at the Wilson Art Gallery and Museum in Cheltenham. You’ve made us all proud! Thanks also to…

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Happy Birthday

How often is “Happy Birthday”, the song by Stevie Wonder, played to celebrate people’s birthdays?  It features quite a lot on Radio 2 …  but how many people realise the song was written by Wonder in 1981 as part of…

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