Black History: Fredrick Douglass

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Fredrick Douglass was born a slave and escaped slavery, thus becoming one of the most influential abolitionists of the 1840's. He was an excellent orbiter and writer, publishing the book, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave and many other autobiographies. Douglass was a firm believer in equality of all people, whether black, white, female, or native American. President Abraham Lincoln was a big fan of his, having had a few meetings with Douglass himself.

Fredrick Douglass was not a fan of Lincoln's in the very begining. Though he had supported him throught the Civil War. Douglass was also influenced by William Lloyd Garrison and John Brown. He created a newspaper called "The North Star" and was fond of John Brown (though he disapproved Brown's attempts to create slave revolts in the south). Thus, Fredrick Douglass was adored by many during his time, and fought long and hard for equality amongst the people until his death.

Fredrick Douglass was always found in business attire, composed of nice, tailored suits and some good hair. The outfit below is a chic, business outfit with a sheer, baby blue top as a way to pop some color into the picture. Also added to the lovely outfit would be a chic, crossover bag and creme pumps.

Jacket, Pants, Top, Bag, Shoes, Douglass

Black History: Harriet Tubman



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Known as "Moses," Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave who freed at least 70 slaves. Because of an injury she acquired during her childhood (her master had accidentally thrown a heavy metal weight at her while trying to punish a slave. The blow caused her to have massive headaches, thus causing fatigue, seizures, narcoleptic attacks, etc) she normally grew tired while helping people escape.

Harriet Tubman used the Underground Railroad as a way to free the slaves. Mind you: the Underground Railroad is not an old subway. It's a system of stations where the runaway slaves would travel by night with the help of men with carriages, and they would rest in homes of other people. Sometimes, some people were not so willing to help--mainly because they were too scared that they'll get caught.

Harriet Tubman was wanted by many. Her reward was over $1000 for dead or alive. Though, traveling at night with a loaded shotgun allowed her to escape to the north--as far as Canada when the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was presented.

Harriet also served time in the Civil War as a spy to the Union Army. An influential woman of her time!

The outfit below is inspired by her. She wore a long, pleated skirt, or a plain long skirt, with a shawl to cover up. In the picture above, she wore head scarves. Ruffles and laced boots give you the feel of an adventurer, out to seek sanctuary for your people.

Harriet, Top, Shawl Collar Jacket, Scarf, Skirt, Boots



Photo Credit This is personally my fave picture! Her stance shows great courage and protection.

Black History: Coretta Scott King

In honor of my great ancestors and African Americans around, I've decided to hone in my own Black History. In elementary, we would always pick a famous African American and do a report on them (and my school still continues on the tradition. My little sister gets to do Venus Williams and participate in the Black History Program). It was fun to learn about our greatest leaders, and though there are so many, each contributed dearly to our nation.

My first topic is on Coretta Scott King. Wife of the great Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta contributed in the Civil Rights Acts and Movement, participated in the Women's Movement, and boycotted in the Montgomery Boycotts. She was an influential leader to all, granting her a leading role in the Civil Rights Acts.

Coretta wore clean, simple looks, completed with berets, brooches, or pearls. In the outfit I created, I stuck with a business blazer mixed with a long, silk skirt by Alexander Wang. The headband resembles a flower brooch, and you could mix the outfit with a simple fedora, or an eye-popping hat for a clean, finished, modern look.

Shoes, Headband, Fedora, Blazer-Black, Blazer-Pink, Pearls, Skirt, Hat, Coretta