Black History Month is like oxygen and can't really be isolated from the world around us, so today we are having non-Blacks tell it, with results both heartfelt and surprising. And deeper into today's True Stories we discover how a vision-questing Aussie finds love and goats in Colorado, and the better-than-fiction story behind 'Little Women.' Don't believe us? Read on. You'll see.
| Because Black history is American history Welcome to Black History Month, OZY style. Launched in 1926 as Negro History Week, it was officially recognized as a monthlong celebration in 1976. Some believe America’s Black history requires year-round recognition, while others may feel a month is too long. Black history is a contribution to the overall history of America, so we at OZY are ensuring that it’s celebrated and showcased by all Americans in a bold new way. African American OZY staffers will guide the discussion this month by turning their mics toward non-Black colleagues for their take on what Black history means to them. We believe the insights gained will help enrich the great American experiment. | READ NOW |
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| | The inspiration for Amy March got a lot more done. Little Women was based on Louisa May Alcott’s actual family, and each of the March sisters has a direct analog in Meg (Anna), Jo (Louisa herself), Beth (Emma) and Amy (May). And while Amy the character may have been set in stone by her writer sister, the real May had a lot more to say for herself. In the book’s final chapters, Amy decides that “talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so.” She opts instead to marry well. But the real Amy spent a decade living an audacious, creative life overseas, even writing a guide for would-be female artists — Studying Art Abroad, and How to Do It Cheaply. | READ NOW |
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| | OZY’s Eugene S. Robinson addresses queries from the love-weary in “Sex With Eugene.” |
| | Richard Reid was a real-life Sherlock Holmes. |
| | How does an Aussie soldier go from serving in the military to goat farming in the U.S.? |
| | In 2004, a studio power play changed Nigeria’s film industry forever. |
| | You get a diagnosis of deadly consequence and the next move is all yours. Even if it includes playing invisible instruments. |
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