RePOST: Dear black history month. . .

Dear Black History month,

Despite my feelings about you (dont even ask) I have decided to honor my ancestors by embracing the
-->charade concept of using a month to celebrate our heritage. I am adamantly opposed to restricting my history to just one month because it implies that we ignore our history for the other 11 months(oops guess I just told you my views), but I do recognize the importance of celebrating those that forged a path so that I can be who I am.

You present an opportunity to celebrate the history of our great nation regardless of whether its people identify as American, African American, African or WASP. The history of our nation is not pretty and it is by no means glamorous but it is OUR history and we must embrace it. -->Especially because we accomplished so much in the face of unbelievable racism. Americans began to recognize black history annually in 1926 with Dr. Carter G. Woodson's "negro history week," which began as an initiative to teach Americans about the impact blacks have had on American history. Dr. Woodson published his research about our impact on American history in his Journal of Negro History. It turned out to be a stepping stone for your birth. Following Woodson's lead, Black history clubs sprang up, teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils, and progressive whites stepped up and endorsed the efforts. As early as the 1940s, blacks in West Virginia replaced annual celebrations of "negro history week" by celebrating February as "negro history month." Yes you read that right, West Virginia.


February is the birth month of two people who have greatly influenced the black population, Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. I guess this is another explanation for why you were assigned the shortest month of the year. You are lucky to share your anniversary with several important events in our history including:

•February 1, 1960:
In what would become a civil-rights movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.

•February 3, 1870:
The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.

•February 12, 1909:
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City.

•February 21, 1965:
Malcolm X was shot to death by three Black Muslims.

•February 23, 1868:
W. E. B. DuBois, co-founder of the NAACP, was born.

•February 25, 1870:
The first black U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels (1822-1901), took his oath of office.

As a young American I have not experienced what Jim Crow laws were like, nor can I testify about how it feels to be attacked with vicious dogs and water hoses. I was not the first black kid in my school and I have never taken a drink from a fountain or used public facilities marked "coloreds only." I also missed out on what it feels like to be forced give up my seat on a bus for a white person. I wasn't at the March on Washington and I didn't get to hear King tell the world about his dream. I haven't been alive long enough to know what "the struggle" was like and I was not one of the people who fought to have you nationally recognized. Dont mistake my youth and lack of experience with violent racism for a lack of knowledge. I know the images of our history are far from pretty. I know the journey to where we are today has not been easy. Unfortunately, many of those who fought for the equal treatment of blacks during the Civil Rights Movement have died or ceased to live in the public eye.  Fortunately, their legacies live on through stories and photos.

While the fundamentals of black history should be the topic of discussion, I fear that younger generations do not appreciate the significance of it because we did not live trudge through the trenches. I'd like to apologize for that. It is not our intention to disrespect or disregard you. We do not mean to disrespect those who have died so that we can attend the same schools and drink from the same fountains as whites, and have the choice to sit in the front of a bus. Just thinking of the things my people endured makes me grateful. I question whether I would have been strong enough to endure such treatment. I love sitting right behind the bus drivers. I cannot imagine what it was like to know its not even an option to stop at the first available seat if it wasn't far enough in the back. I cannot fathom what it would be like to be treated like a second class citizen. With the way you have been celebrated as of late, I shutter to think of what the great leaders of the civil rights movement would think if they were alive today. If nothing more, I thank you for forcing me to stop and remember "the struggle" more often.

As young professionals, we understand that it is our responsibility to continue the legacy of those who have lifted us up onto their shoulders and made history while doing so. We will honor those who died while fighting for equality. We will keep them in our minds each day when we go to school and when our teachers interrupt their lesson plans long enough to acknowledge prototypical "black firsts." Black history is a rich history and it has been deeply rooted in world history.

From Rosa Parks to the Buffalo Soldiers to Langston Hughes our history is colorful and interesting. I will encourage all of my readers to dig deeper than the story of how the Montgomery bus boycott began. While I despise lazy black history programs, I must admit there is still a need to teach our children to embrace their history. I'm afraid if we got rid of "our" month, our history may fall by the wayside and cease to be discussed (a little extreme I know; sue me). I remember what the 'old folks' say about what happens when you don't know your history.

I'm sure you have heard the critics speak of getting rid of you while others promote black history everyday. What happened to McDonald's 365 Black? I'm sure there is a reason you haven't stood up to defend YOURSELF, but I'm not sure I want to hear it. I promise you this is one blog that will recognize the accomplishments of African Americans through our "out the door" quote of the day and by pointing out African American accomplishments each day of the month. We will also recognize a lot of "Black Firsts" (stay tuned!) and my hope is that I can enlighten my readers while inspiring them to make our world a better place.

To my young profesisonals, remember the old saying "those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it?"

-->I could fire other quotes at you like "knowledge is power" and all that jazz but I'd rather just stick with KNOW your history. There is no excuse for not knowing your history, especially when it is just a Google search away! 

Peace & Love,

Raine L. Gabrielle 

If you have any recommendations for unique ways to celebrate our history or if you just need to gripe about the whole concept, consider the comment section your platform.

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone!!! Happy Hump Day!


Sometimes you need to be jolted back to reality with two words: DO better! Sometimes all you need to hear are four words: "You can do it" or "I believe in you" or "Get the job done!" Sometimes we don't need a pat on the back to know we did a great job. Silence accompanied by a nod and a smile is all you need.  I recognize that we don't always need a 3 page essay to tell us what we need to hear which is simply this:

Have a vision. Be demanding. -- Colin Powell

Grab a mental pen or pencil (because sometimes we make mistakes) and draw your vision of success. One of my friends is a journalist who is launching his own magazine very soon. Like many of you he heard about the recent sell of the Huffington Post for $315 millie and commented that they "set the standard." In short I told him what I think you should all hear:  Set your own standard, build your own brand and demand success.  Be confident in what you have and dont sell yourself short because of naysayers. Hold on to your dream and DEMAND that it becomes your reality. Get out of your own way and eliminate self doubt. Live your life according to what you believe success looks like for you. If you measure success with dollar signs and Huffington Post sold for $315 millie then build up your empire and sell it for $316 millie! Got it? Good!

Today's Song Choice: Big Daddy Kane-I get the job done (LIVE!) Salute!

Spread Love!

On THIS day in Black History

February 28

1704 - A school for African Americans is opened in New York City by Elias Neau, a Frenchman.

1708 - A slave revolt occurs in Newton, Long Island in New York State. Seven whites are killed. Two African American male slaves and an Indian slave are hanged, and an African American woman is burned alive.

1776 - George Washington, in his letter of acknowledgment to Phyllis
Wheatley for a poem she wrote for his birthday, says, "I thank you most sincerely for...the elegant line you enclosed...the style and manner exhibit a striking proof of your poetic talents."

1778 - Rhode Island General Assembly in precedent-breaking act authorizes the enlistment of slaves.

1784 - Phyllis Wheatley, poet, passed away.

1854 - Some 50 slavery opponents meet in Ripon, Wisconsin, to call for the creation of a new political group, which will become the Republican Party.

1859 - Arkansas legislature requires free African Americans to choose between exile and enslavement.

1871 - Second Enforcement Act gave federal officers and courts control of registration and voting in congressional elections.

1895- Bluefield State College was founded. One of over 100 historically black colleges and universities in America, it was established as a Black teachers college by an act of the West Virginia Legislature. In February of that year, Senator William M. Mahood sponsored the bill.

1942 - Riots against African Americans occur in Detroit, Michigan at the Sojourner Truth Homes.

1943 - "Porgy and Bess" opens on Broadway with Anne Brown and Todd Duncan in starring roles.

1945 - Charles "Bubba" Smith was born in Beaumont, Texas. He became a professional football player with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers. After a successful football career, he moved on to become an actor in the "Police Academy" series. He also became the president and CEO of Vital Aircraft Company, which solicits the Department of Defense for government contracts. He also endowed an engineering scholarship at his alma mater, Michigan State University.

1946-The Indianapolis Clowns baseball organization was founded. They were one of the many teams that played in the Negro leagues of America.

1956 - Adrian Dantley was born. He became a professional basketball player and star with the Utah Jazz. He will be their top scorer in 1981 and 1984.

1962 - Rae Dawn Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta. She was an actress in movies like "Quest for Fire."

1967 - Wilt Chamberlain sets a NBA record with his 35th consecutive field goal.

1968 - Frankie Lymon, a Rock and Roll singer who became a star with his teenage group, "The Teenagers," passed away at the age of 25 after a drug overdose. Check out footage of Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers performing their hit "Why do fools fall in love":

There is also a biopic about Frankie Lymon called "Why do fools fall in love."

1977 - Eddie "Rochester" Anderson joins the ancestors at the age of 71. Born in Oakland, California, to a theatrical family, Anderson's guest appearance in a 1937 Jack Benny Easter show grew to be a 30-year career on the popular radio, and later television, program.

1984 - Singer Michael Jackson won eight Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, breaking the previous record of six awards won by a single artist in 1965. Jackson's awards stemmed from his album "Thriller," which became the biggest selling record of all time with 35 million copies sold since its release in 1982.

1991 - "The Content of our Character," the controversial book on affirmative action and race relations by Shelby Steele, wins the National Book Critics Circle Award.

1998 - Todd Duncan joins the ancestors at his home in Washington, DC, at the age 95.

2003- Klansman Ernest Avants was found guilty of slaying Ernest White, a black sharecropper, more than thirty years ago. The trial and verdict took place in Jackson, Mississippi for a crime prosecutors say was staged to lure Martin Luther King Jr. to the southern part of the state to be assassinated.

Out the door...inspirational quote to start your day

Good Morning friends!!! TGIF! Give yourself a hug you've made it through another work week (assuming you work M-F)!

It would be borderline treason and I would probably lose my black card if we allowed Black History Month to end without quotes from the ultimate talk show diva Oprah "you told Harpo to beat me" Winfrey!

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down".

"Whatever you fear most has no power - it is your fear that has the power."

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."

-----Oprah "Lady O" Winfrey

It was especially difficult to narrow the list down of inspirational Oprah quotes mainly because she is a walking inspiration. Feel free to share your favorite Lady O quotes.


Hit the ground running!

HUSL Today Salutes

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, R&B and Gospel music. In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Franklin #1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.

Check out her amazing performance of "Natural Woman"

Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 Grammys to date, which include the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She has scored a total of 20 #1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967). "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987), a duet with George Michael, became her second #1 on the latter chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.




Franklin was the only featured singer at the 2009 Presidential inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama. Her hat (pictured above) garnered significant attention and started a brief trend.




*snaps in a Z formation*

Awards & recognition:

1. On June 28, 1968 she became the second African-American woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine
2. In 1985, then-Gov. James Blanchard of Michigan declared her voice “a natural resource” during a ceremony that marked her 25 years in show business.
3. Aretha Franklin is one of three musicians, along with Madonna & Marvin Gaye, to achieve each of the top 10 positions on the US Billboard Hot 100.
4. On January 20, 1987, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
5. On March 29, 1987, Franklin sang "America the Beautiful" at WrestleMania III.
6. In 1987, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Musicology degree from the University of Detroit.
7. In 1994 she became the youngest recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.
8. In September, 1999, she was awarded The National Medal of Arts by President Clinton.
9. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked her #9 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. To give perspective to this honor, only the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Little Richard finished ahead of her on this list. Ray Charles finished at number ten, right behind Franklin.
10. In 2005, she was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.
11. In 2005, she became the second woman (Madonna being the first, a founding member) to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
12. In 2005, Franklin was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
13. On February 6, 2006, she performed, along with Aaron Neville, "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XL.
14. On May 13, 2006, she was presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree by the Berklee College of Music.
15. On April 1, 2007 Aretha sang "America the Beautiful" at WrestleMania 23.
16. On May 14, 2007, she was presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
17. In 2007, Aretha Franklin's recording of "Respect" was voted a Legendary Michigan Song.
18. Is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
19. On February 8, 2008, Franklin was honored as MusiCares "Person of the Year."
20. On February 14, 2008, Franklin was given the Vanguard award at the NAACP Image awards.
21. On May 4, 2008, Franklin was given the Key to the City of Memphis at the 2008 "Memphis in May International Music Festival" by Mayor Dr. Willie Herenton during her performance onstage.
22. On September 13, 2008, Franklin was ranked #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list by Billboard.
23. November 2008, Franklin was named by Rolling Stone as the #1 all-time best singer of the rock era. She came in ahead of Ray Charles at No. 2, Elvis Presley at No. 3, Sam Cooke at No. 4, and John Lennon at No. 5, according to the magazine's survey of 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music industry insiders.
24. On January 20, 2009, Franklin performed "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" during the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama. The distinctive hat she wore during that performance is displayed at the Smithsonian.
25. On December 4, 2009, Aretha Franklin performed in EMPAC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to celebrate RPI's President Shirley Ann Jackson's 10th year of being tenured.








Trivia: Can any of my HUSL Today friends share with me the words to "Respect" that come after she says "R.E.S.P.E.C.T. find out what it means to me. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. take care of (blank)

Share your favorite Aretha moments and songs amongst friends in the comment area. The platform has your name all over it...

HUSL Today Salutes Aretha Franklin!!!!

HUSL Today Salutes

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 in Chicago and raised in a middle-class family. When she was 7 or 8 her family moved to a restricted white neighborhood which was against the law at that time. The Hansberrys had to go to court in order to remain in their home which was vandalized on several occasions.

The production of her play, A Raisin in the Sun catapulted Hansberry into the forefront of the theatre world. She was named most promising playwright of the season by Variety's poll of New York Drama Critics.

The title of the play is based on a line in the Langston Hughes Poem Dream Deferred-What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Upon receiving that year's Drama Desk Award, Lorraine Hansberry became the youngest person and the first African-American to win that distinguished honor. In 1961 the film version of the play, starring Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil and Ruby Dee opened; Hansberry won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Screen Writer's Guild Award for her screenplay.

A second television adaptation of the play aired in 1989 starring Danny Glover, Esther Rolle, and Kim Yancey.

Check out the original version of the movie:

Check out the trailor for the updated version of the movie starring Sean Combs:

A Raisin in the Sun was chosen as one of the 100 most significant works of the twentieth century in a National Theatre poll of playwrights, actors, directors, journalists, and other theatre professionals. A Raisin in the Sun became the first play by an African American woman produced on Broadway and its revival has been critically acclaimed.

HUSL Today Salutes Lorraine Vivian Hansberry!

On THIS date in black history...

February 22

1841-Grafton Tyler Brown was born on this date. He was an African-American lithographer and painter. Brown is considered the first Black professional artist in California.

1866- The birth of John Frank Wheaton is celebrated on this date in 1866. He was an African-American politician who became the first black man elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1898 from a predominantly immigrant district. He was a supporter of civil rights and lobbied for the commissioning of Black officers during the Spanish American War.

1888- Horace Pippin was born on this date in 1888. He was an American folk painter known for his primitivist depictions of Black American life and on the horrors of war.

1933- Ishmael Reed was born. He is an African-American writer. As of 1995, Reed had published nine novels, five books of poems, and four collections of essays; he also had authored four plays, three television productions, and two librettos, and edited four anthologies. His publishing and editing enterprises have included Reed, Cannon and Johnson Publications, I. Reed Books, and the journals Yardbird Reader Y’Bird, Quilt, and Konch.

1950-Julius Irving aka Dr. J is born. He was inducted into the NBA hall of fame in 1993 and he is still revered as one of the greatest basketball players ever.

1988- Today is the celebration of the first rap Grammy award. It was given to DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes) and the Fresh Prince (Willard Smith) for the hit single “Parents Just Don't Understand.” Almost 12 years later, there is STILL no need to argue because parents STILL don’t understand (hi mom & dad).

Sidenote: The US is currently leading the Winter Olympics with 24 medals. Go team USA!

HUSL Today Salutes

Colin Powell

Colin Luther Powell (born April 5, 1937) is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Check out his moving speech about leadership where he encourages his audience to always look out the front windshield of life, never behind you:

"Many interviewers when they come to talk to me, think they're being progressive by not mentioning in their stories any longer that I'm black. I tell them, 'Don't stop now. If I shot somebody you'd mention it.'"

-Colin Powell

HUSL Today Salutes Colin Powell!!!

Note: I will not offer a TW-like apology but The shorter post is in no way at jab at General Powell or his accomplishment. I decided to shorten the salutes in the interest of time. We are all busy and I want to respect that. Your feedback and support is appreciated. *hugs mom*

Black Firsts

Its another inventors edition:

Mark Dean (1957 - ) along with his co-inventor Dennis Moelle created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. This invention allows the use of computer plug-ins like disk drives, speakers, scanners, etc...

George T. Sampson invented a clothes dryer that used heat from a stove in 1892.

Frederick Jones (1892 - 1961) held over 60 patents with most of them pertaining to refrigeration. His portable air conditioner was used in World War II to preserve medicine and blood serum.

Granville Woods (1856 - 1910) invented numerous devices relating to the railroad including a system of overhead electric conducting lines, air brakes and a telegraph system that allowed communication between moving trains.

Lewis Temple (1800 - 1854) revolutionized the whaling industry with his invention of the toggle harpoon in 1848.

Source: biography.com/blackhistory

HUSL Today Salutes

Della Reese

Della Reese was born Deloreese Patricia Early in Detroit, Michigan on July 6, 1931. At only six years old, she began singing in church. From this experience, she became an avid Gospel singer. At the age of thirteen, she was hired to sing with Mahalia Jackson's Gospel group. Afterwards, she formed her own gospel group called the Meditation Singers. However, due in part to the death of her mother, and her father's serious illness, Reese had to interrupt her schooling at Wayne State University to help support her family.

Reese was discovered by the Gospel great Mahalia Jackson. Reese's big break came when she won a contest, which gave her a week to sing at Detroit's well-known and talked-about Flame Show bar. Reese remained there for eight weeks. Although her roots were in Gospel music, she now was being exposed to and influenced by such great jazz artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. In 1953, she signed a recording contract with Jubilee Records, for which she recorded six albums. Later that same year, she also joined the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. Her first recordings for Jubilee were songs such as "In the Still of the Night," "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and "Time After Time." Although the EP didn't enter the charts, it sold 500,000 copies, and the songs were later included on the 1959 album "And That Reminds Me."

In 1957, Reese released a single called "And That Reminds Me". After years of performing, Reese gained chart success with the song. It became a Top Twenty Pop hit and a million-seller record. That year, Reese was voted by Billboard, Cashbox, and various other magazines as The Most Promising Singer.

In 1959, Reese moved to a new record company, RCA Records, and released her first RCA single called "Don't You Know", which was adapted from Puccini's La Bohème (the aria Musetta's Waltz). It became her biggest hit to date, reaching the #2 spot on the Pop charts, and topping the R&B charts that same year (which was then called the "Black Singles Chart"). Today, the song is widely considered the signature song of her early career.

Reese received a Grammy nomination for her 1960 album, Della. Also in 1960, she released a successful follow-up single called "Not One Minute More" (#16), and she remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the songs "And Now" (#69), "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)" (#56) and "The Most Beautiful Words" (#67).

Reese recorded regularly throughout the 1960s, releasing singles and several albums. Two of the most significant were The Classic Della (1962), and Waltz with Me, Della (1963), which broadened her fan base internationally. She recorded several jazz-focused albums including Della Reese Live (1966), On Strings of Blue (1967), and One of a Kind (1978). She also performed in Las Vegas for nine years, as well as touring across the country.

She subsequently became an actress, best known as playing Tess, the leading role on the television show Touched by an Angel. In the late 1960s, she hosted her own talk show, Della, which ran for 297 performances.

Here is the intro Touched by an Angel:

Reese continued to record albums in the following decades, and received two more Grammy nominations in the Gospel category for the album Della Reese and Brilliance (1991), and for the live recorded album, My Soul Feels Better Right Now (1999).

Check out Reese singing Hush (somebody's calling my name) from My soul feels better right now:

Today, she is an ordained New Thought minister in the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles, California.

HUSL Today Salutes Della Reese!!!

HUSL Today Salutes

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg was born as Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1955 in New York City and raised in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. She is the daughter of Emma (née Harris), a nurse and teacher, and Robert James Johnson, Jr., a clergyman. Her stage name, Whoopi, was taken from whoopee cushion; she has stated that "If you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, 'You're like a whoopee cushion. She adopted the traditionally German/Jewish surname Goldberg as a stage name because her mother felt the original surname of Johnson was not "Jewish enough" to make her a star.

While on Broadway performing The Spook Show, Goldberg's performance caught the eye of director Steven Spielberg. He was about to direct the film The Color Purple, based on Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker. Having read the novel, she was ecstatic at being offered a lead role in her first motion picture. Goldberg received compliments on her acting from Spielberg, Walker, and music consultant Quincy Jones. The Color Purple was released in late 1985, and was a critical and commercial success. It was later nominated for 11 Academy Awards including a nomination for Goldberg as Best Actress. The movie did not win any of its Academy Award nominations, but Goldberg won the Golden Globe Award.

Check out one of the more powerful scenes from The Color Purple:

Her work:

Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple (1985) playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the south. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won her first Golden Globe Award for her role in the film. In 1990, she starred as Oda Mae Brown, a psychic helping a slain man Patrick Swayze find his killer in the blockbuster film Ghost. This performance won her a second Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Notable later films include Sister Act (1992) and Sister Act 2 (1993), Made in America (1993), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999) and Rat Race (2001). She is also acclaimed for her role as the bartender Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

My favorite rendition of Joyful, Joyful was in Sister Act 2:

Check out the video of Whoopie as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost:

She was the co-producer and center square of the latest edition game show Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2002. She has achieved success on Broadway and in the music industry, and is one of 10 people who have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT) Awards. In addition, she has won a British Academy Film Award, four People's Choice Awards and has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On September 4, 2007, Goldberg became the new moderator and co-host of The View, replacing Rosie O'Donnell. In 2009, Goldberg earned an Emmy as moderator and co-host of The View.

Awards:

Goldberg has received two Academy Award nominations, for The Color Purple and Ghost, winning for Ghost. She is the recipient of the 1985 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for her solo performance on Broadway. Goldberg has been nominated for 13 (8 daytime, 5 non-daytime) Emmy Awards for her work in television.

She has received three Golden Globe nominations, winning two. She won a Grammy Award in 1985 and a Tony Award as a producer of the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. She has won three People's Choice Awards. In 1999, she received the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award for her continued work in supporting the gay and lesbian community. She has been nominated for five American Comedy Awards with two wins.

In 2001, she won the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center. Goldberg won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2009, along with her other co-hosts, for her role on The View

Goldberg is one about ten people to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT). She has been seen in over 150 films, and during a period in the 1990s, Whoopi was the highest-paid actress of all time. Her humanitarian efforts include working for Comic Relief, recently reuniting with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams for the 20th Anniversary of Comic Relief.

If you wanna be somebody and you wanna go somewhere you better wake up and pay attention!

For her contributions to her craft and encouraging others to embrace their differences, HUSL Today Salutes Whoopi Goldberg!!