Beautiful Pics of Fredi Washington Photographed by Carl Van Vechten in the 1930s

Born 1903 in Savannah, Georgia, African American actress Fredi Washington was best known for her role as Peola in the 1934 version of the film Imitation of Life. She turned down a number of chances to pass for white as an actress, which might have led to greater acting opportunities. 

Her light competition and green eyes led directors to choose darker skinned actresses for the stereotypical ‘maid’ roles. Washington wanted to perform in more complicated, versatile roles. Frustrated she quit acting and focused her efforts on civil rights.

“You see I’m a mighty proud gal and I can’t for the life of me, find any valid reason why anyone should lie about their origin or anything else for that matter. Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and to try to hide the fact that I am a Negro for economic or any other reasons, if I do I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed whole hog all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens. 

I am an American citizen and by God, we all have inalienable rights and wherever those rights are tampered with, there is nothing left to do but fight…and I fight. How many people do you think there are in this country who do not have mixed blood, there’s very few if any, what makes us who we are, are our culture and experience. No matter how white I look, on the inside I feel black. There are many whites who are mixed blood, but still go by white, why such a big deal if I go as Negro, because people can’t believe that I am proud to be a Negro and not white. To prove I don’t buy white superiority I chose to be a Negro.” 

 Washington died from pneumonia after a series of strokes at St. Joseph Medical Center in Stamford, Connecticut in 1994, aged 90.

Take a look at these photos take by Carl Van Vechten to see the beauty of young Fredi Washington in the 1930s.

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The Flying Fishbowl: 18 Beautiful Vintage Photos of 1970s AMC Pacer Cars

When the AMC Pacer came out in 1975 it was the toast of the automotive press, which called it “futuristic”, “bold” and “unique”. AMC even produced an electric version to respond to the gasoline crisis of the 1970s. But over time, what seemed futuristic started to look downright strange, and the Pacer’s unorthodox looks fell out of favor. In the last few years, car collectors have come back to it, but not enough for the Pacer to escape the gravitational pull of our ugliest list.

The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact car produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation from the 1975 to 1980 model years.

Design work began in 1971. The rounded shape and large glass area were unusual compared with the three-box designs of the era. The Pacer’s width is equal to full-sized domestic vehicles at the time, and this unique design feature was promoted by AMC as “the first wide small car.” The Pacer was the first modern, mass-produced, U.S. automobile design using the cab forward concept.

The Pacer’s rounded and aerodynamic “jellybean” styling has made it an icon of the 1970s. The body surface was 37 percent glass, and its surface area of 5,615 square inches (3.6 m2) was 16 percent more than the average passenger car at the time. The May 1976 issue of Car and Driver dubbed it “The Flying Fishbowl,” and it was also described as “the seventies answer to George Jetson’s mode of transportation” at a time when “Detroit was still rolling out boat-sized gas guzzlers.”

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6 Feet Covers: Duo Artists Re-Designed Iconic Album Covers to Promote Social Distancing

L.A. artists Paco Conde and Beto Fernandez have redesigned a series of album covers to raise awareness about the importance of staying at least 6 feet away from each other, to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

Social distancing is the new normal and it will be for a while. 6 feet or 1.8 meters is the distance that experts recommend we keep between each other.

The project, called ‘6 Feet Covers’, features iconic artwork including The Beatles’ Abbey Road cover and Blondie’s 1976 debut album.

Paco told BuzzFeed the idea came about last week when he noticed people in line at the supermarket not respecting the six-foot social distancing rule.

“We thought it’d be helpful and easy for everyone to understand if we used something from pop culture, and finally decided album covers would be a simple visual solution.”

1. The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)

2. Queen – Queen II (1974)

3. Blondie – Blondie (1976)

4. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)

5. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (1988)

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Lovely Found Pics Documented Life of a Man and His Dog in the 1960s

Back when life was just simple, a lovely photo set was found by eyedot that documented everyday life of a man and his dog during the 1960s.

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Waiting for Summer: A Beautiful Photo Shoot of Michigan Girls in 1977

A photo set titled “Waiting for Summer” was taken by Dan Pieniak that shows beautiful portraits of his young model friend Michelle McLellan and her sister Donna. This photo shoot was at Metro Beach park in Harrison Township, Michigan in spring 1977.

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Vintage Photos of Joan Baez Wearing “Stay Home for Peace” Shirt and Joining the Peace Movement in San Diego, 1971

In the summer of 1971, with the wars in Southeast Asia escalating, the San Diego Nonviolent Action (NVA) organization which was found by Francesco Da Vinci, assisted by recently freed draft resistor David Harris, generated a little-known peace action in San Diego, California.

San Diego, a community with major bases for every military branch, had a public image of being THE hardcore pro-war Pacific coast port city. This image was vulnerable. In conjunction with city elections, a team of thirty activists organized the “Connie Vote,” a voluntary referendum of whether or not the ship USS Constellation should depart for another Vietnam tour.

The Connie Vote combined meticulous research with a massive and persistent public education and media campaign. In a town where merchants and media refused assistance to any anti-military activity, an autonomous arsenal of nonviolent workers, equipment and tactics was required. This effort eventually included an MIT history professor; a printing press and a team of printers; weekend park rallies and picnics for off-duty military; college campus speaking events; national media contacts; photo and film documentation; a pilot and plane with towing banner; folk concerts; TV ads featuring anti-war testimony by enlisted & retired military; and volunteers committed to massive city and base leafleting.

Campaign architect David Harris wrote “Getting Out”, a documentary of his imprisonment experience. The book, illustrated with Bob Fitch photos of David and his wife Joan Baez, sold well and provided ample start-up funds. The 56,000+ “stay home” Connie votes cast on Sept. 19, 1971 (more votes than cast for city mayor) resulted in the exposure of significant local Vietnam War opposition.

Christ the King Roman Catholic parish provided sanctuary for 11 Constellation sailors and pilots “missing departure,” and a state-wide ecumenical coalition of 22 congregations was created to provide sanctuary and support for lawful Conscientious Objectors. Thanks to the publicity surrounding CO imprisonment and the intervention of Congressman Ron Dellums, all who entered sanctuary were able to leave the Navy without a dishonorable discharge. This gallery of images by Bob Fitch documents the political activity around the Connie Vote issue.

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Vintage Photos Capture Life in Cuba in 1983

Fred W. McDarrah was the first staff photographer at The Village Voice, and an essential chronicler of the Beat Generation and counterculture movements from the 1960s. In 1983, he visited Cuba and captured everyday life, street scenes and people of the country (mostly in Havana).

Pedestrians walk past cars parked in front of the Cubatur travel office (on Calle 25 near Calle L), Havana.

A 1955 Buick Special parked in front of a single-story residence off Via Blanca, near Varadero.

A dilapidated 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe parked outside a residential mansion in the Miramar neighborhood, Havana.

View, across the Malecon, of the historic Hotel Nacional de Cuba (architects McKim, Mead and White, 1930), Havana.

Nighttime view of a neon sign marking the 130th anniversary of the birth of Jose Marti, Havana.

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