A Message from Karyn

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

We hope this month's newsletter finds you well as we all prepare to gather with family and loved ones and celebrate our many milestones of 2016. 

We would also like to say "thank you" for your continuous support this year and hope that you all continue to take advantage of the many holiday offerings this season. 

As you make your way through this month's newsletter be sure to check out exciting home holiday activities, history lessons such as that of physicist Katherine Johnson and giving opportunities you can handle with the click of a button. We are also continuing our fundraising efforts for our next animated short sharing the inspiring story of Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female pilot.

Again, happy holidays and we wish you all the best in 2017.  


Best, 
Karyn

Need a fun activity to do at home this holiday season? Be sure to check out Sweet Blackberry's Holiday entertainment Guide filled with movies available to stream, DIY crafts and snack ideas. 

Click here to check out our guide. 

Support Sweet Blackberry
This Holiday Season with AmazonSmile



Did you know that you can support Sweet Blackberry while knocking out your holiday shopping when you purchase items through  Amazon .com? 

AmazonSmile is Amazon's charity program that  donates a portion of the purchase to your favorite charity organization. That's right! This month, we are continuing to encourage you to register Sweet Blackberry as your charity of choice for simple charitable giving at the click of a button. 

Simply register here: https://smile.amazon.com/ 


What  We're R eading 

The New York Times: Two Black Women Embrace Their Chance to Be Hockey Role Models

Arch Daily: Paul Revere Williams Wins 2017 AIA Gold Medal

NPR: Black Santa Claus Is A Hit At Mall Of America, But Faces An Online Backlash

The Texas Tribune - Texans remember, rejoice during African-American monument's unveiling
Coming Soon To Theaters
Hidden Figures

Did you know, the upcoming film Hidden Figures is based on the true story of Katherine Johnson, the first African-American physicist, space scientist and mathematician who calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and the 1969 Apollo flight to the Moon? 

This movie, coming to theaters this Christmas, is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly. 

Without giving too much of the film away, we encourage you all to check out this amazing story which without a doubt deserves its place in the history books. 

This month, Sweet Blackberry continues to raise funds for this exciting project sharing the story of the first African-American female pilot, Bessie Coleman. This animated short will surround Coleman's journey and determination to defy odds by moving to France from Atlanta, Texas to learn to fly. 

Smithsonian - The First Female African American Pilot
Smithsonian - The First Female African American Pilot

This Bessie Coleman project will join our collection of short films teaching children little known Black history stories such as the stories of Henry "Box" Brown, Janet Collins and Garrett Morgan. Each of these films are currently available on Netflix. 


A special "thank you" goes to supporters: Valvia Jefferson, Kimberly Stewart, Patricia Copeland and Beth Prince. 

We appreciate your generous support and could not be more grateful!  
T h e H i st o ry o f K w a n z a a

Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday for the week between December 26th and January 1st each year. 

Established in 1966 by Dr. Maulan Karenga, a professor of chairman and Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, Kwanzaa was established to help African Americans remember their heritage by combining several different harvest celebrations such as those of the Ashanti and Zulu to form it's basis. 

Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of seven principles with the lighting of a candle providing family and friends with the opportunity to gather and discuss it's meaning. 

The Seven Principles are: 
  1. umoja - to maintain unity in the family and community
  2. kujichagulia - self-determination, to be responsible and speak for oneself
  3. ujima - collective work and responsibility, to build and maintain a community
  4. ujamaa - economic co-operation, to help and profit one another
  5. nia - purpose, to build and develop the community for the benefit of the people
  6. kuumba - creativity, to do everything possible to leave the community more beautiful and beneficial for future generations
  7. imani - faith, to believe in parents, teachers and leaders.
Read more about the history and celebration of Kwanzaa here. 
#SweetBlackHistory
I am credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African American participation in 20th century concert dance. 
I am a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medial of Freedom. 
I formed my own dance group with notable work such as Blue Suits and Revelations. 

Who am I? 
Tweet your answer to  @SwtBlackberry  for a shout out in next month's newsletter! 

The answer to last month's trivia question was Abby Fisher! 
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