Sweet Blackberry Blog
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Founder and CEO Karyn Parsons did a teacher workshop on history, diversity and literacy at John P. Parker Elementary School with Dr. Kimberly Mack (Principal) in Cincinnati, OH. See photos in the slide show and the video below. Photos also include Sweet Blackberry volunteer Symone Childs (In red dress). 
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 In the movies all of the heroes of the West are male. All cowboys are white males. What if we told you that 20-25% of cowboys of the old west were African Americans. Some were women and a small number were Black women. Like Mary Fields (1832 –1914)...
Also known as Stagecoach Mary and Black Mary, Mary Fields was an American mail carrier who was the first Black woman to work for the US Postal Service (She did contract work as a star route mail carrier). Born in the antebellum south, Fields was enslaved on a plantation in Hickman County, Tennessee until the age of 33. In 1865 she was emancipated upon the end of the American Civil War. After being free she began working on a Mississippi steamboat called the Robert E. Lee as a chambermaid… Fields’ rough demeanor, short temper, gun toting, heavy drinking and excessive use of profanity caused her to have frequent clashes with the religious community within the convent. She even got into a quarrel with a male employee at St. Peter’s Mission that involved firearms. As a result, In 1894, after several complaints from the nuns, the bishop asked her to leave the convent. Fields left St. Peter’s and opened a tavern in Cascade, Montana. However, the business struggled financially and closed in less than a year… See more in this article entitled Mary Fields (StageCoach Mary): Hero of the West with Lesson Plans and Resources.  Today Sweet Blackberry would like to highlight a little-known historical person, that is absolutely extraordinary. Rev. Dr. William Simmons (1849-1890) was a formerly enslaved African who overcame great odds and was a part of the freedom struggle. Simmons, despite being born into enslavement, received a formal education and went on to do more in four decades than most people do in a lifetime. Simmons’ life defies the popular narrative of the helpless enslaved person, who was powerless against the enslavers’ oppression. Eventually settling in Kentucky, he accomplished a lot in his short life, he escaped slavery, went on to serve in the US military, became a minister, an educator, dentist, author, activist, and even a college president!
To read more about Dr. Simmons click on the article below: William J. Simmons: A Formerly Enslaved Man Who Became a Dentist, Writer, US Soldier, Educator, Minister and College President Founder and CEO Karyn Parsons gave the keynote address at the prestigious Muhammad Ali Center with Sweet Blackberry board member Dr. David Childs. Click below for the full keynote discussion.  SWEET BLACKBERRY featured in article on democracy and me site, a Cincinnati Public Radio project5/1/2024   SWEET BLACKBERRY was recently featured in an article about multicultural educational resources on DEMOCRACY AND ME's website. Democracy and Me is a project of Cincinnati Public Radio, that features information about civics, diversity, social studies, history and education.
Here is an excerpt from the article: "A great example of classroom resources for multicultural education is a series of short animated films and books on African American history by Karyn Parsons’ (Hillary from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air) production company known as Sweet Blackberry. Sweet Blackberry’s stated Mission “is to bring little known stories of African American achievement to children everywhere.” Parsons hopes to tell the “triumphant stories of individuals” who overcame “the odds” and made “invaluable contributions to our society” offering “inspirational and empowering” stories. Sweet Blackberry’s website states that “these stories illustrate for our children the concept that tremendous obstacles are actually opportunities for greatness! Children of all races and ethnicities feel a sense of shared history when they learn about the real people whose lives and work impact their everyday lives.” See the entire article Democracy and Me article in the link below: Re-educating Our Children: Multicultural Educational Resources from Sweet Blackberry Media Company |
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