Special Supplement to the Milwaukee Community Journal

Black History

From cards to puzzles, innovative collectables breathe new life into Black History Month

Luanga Nuwame

Ontario, California (BlackNews.com)--Twenty-nine-year-old Jamaican/Togolese entrepreneur Luanga Nuwame, and his firm L.A. Nuwame Designs, will launch something unique in the toys and games industry for Black History Month.

Through the company Web site, www.blackheritagecards.com, L.A. Nuwame Designs will debut games, trading cards and puzzles dedicated to promoting the positive and proud aspects of Black history to North American society.

Nuwame, frustrated with the constant harmful imagery of Black culture in media and society, feared that the public has been poisoned by false and negative stereotypes.

He launched his first "culturally progressive" product during Black history month 2006, with his landmark trading card set: The Black History Month Trading Card Series #1.

The collectable card set--likened to sports or cartoon based card products--spotlighted legendary names like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Shaka Zulu, Madame C.J. Walker and twenty two other important figures in Black history. Knowing the reality that most young children, regardless of ethnicity, were not reading books about the positive figures in Black history, Nuwame felt combining Black history with a fun child-friendly medium like trading cards would help promote badly needed knowledge of Black accomplishments in society.

"In my research from August to November 2005, I met with young Black kids and youths who felt 50 Cent’s lyrics meant more than Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

I met older Black adults who knew little about ancient African legendary figures and both children and adults of other ethnicities that couldn’t be bothered picking up a book on Black heritage.

If these cards can’t get people excited and inquisitive about Black history, I don’t know what will," states Nuwame.

With the online success of the first Black History Month Trading Card Set, Nuwame decided to abandon all his other toy and game properties and shifted his company’s attention to developing trading cards, games and puzzles specifically geared towards Black culture.

The company Web site, formally known as LANuwame.com, was completely overhauled and has now become www.blackheritagecards.com--a one stop shop for innovative afro American inspired gifts all year long.

The new and improved Website officially launched on November 1, 2006.

The afrocentric merchandise offered on the company Web site includes the 30-card 2007 edition of the landmark Official Black History Month Trading Card Set--spotlighting even more amazing black legends, a Black History magnetic fridge puzzle and a Black History based playing card set that doubles as a trivia game--the first playing card product of its kind anywhere. A new Dominos set is also being developed and will be online by February.

With so many products, it is fascinating to discover that L.A. Nuwame Designs is a one-man business operated from the home of Nuwame and financed by working two jobs.

Nuwame decided to dedicate all of his time and energy to developing these products alone. All research, design, production and implantation were initiated without help and became a labor of passion for this young Black entrepreneur.

"Unlike any product I have designed in the past, these products reflect my history and my people. I became obsessed with completing it myself," he states.

Add in helping his younger sister raise her four children and one can imagine the determination needed to make this business succeed.

Nuwame is hoping the African American community will support his efforts and appreciate his ambition.

To put things into perspective, Nuwame had these final words. "The time has come for Black youth to realize the positive aspects of their history and to know there are more role models beyond Hip Hop Stars, Basketball Players and Gangsters.

"They aspire to be these things because that is all they are shown a successful Black man can be. Just imagine what could happen if a young man was to realize that it was a Black man who invented traffic lights or completed the first open heart surgery.

"For young Black girls to realize that Madame C.J. Walker overcame segregation and outright discrimination to become a self-made millionaire in a time when Blacks had nothing and women weren’t even allowed to vote.

"We as a people have so much to be proud of, yet barely know just how we have bettered society.

"Even non-Blacks that have been brainwashed, through videos and mass media with the negative depictions of a select few, need to see the positive contributions of those whose actions have affected their lives for the better. Enough is enough and the lack of knowledge is no longer excusable. My products are to be a simple stepping-stone on the path to knowledge we all need. Our pride must shine again!"

Ultimately, Nuwame’s vision is for his products to act as a constant reminder that appreciation for Black History does not end with the conclusion of February.

It needs to be cherished all year long--for every month is Black history month.