BLACK FACTS - Key Persons
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. , (born Nov. 29, 1908, New Haven, Conn., U.S.-died April 4, 1972, Miami, Fla.), black American public official and pastor who became a prominent liberal legislator and civil-rights leader.
Powell was the son of the pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York City. Brought up in a middle-class home, he received his B.A. from Colgate University (Hamilton, N.Y.) in 1930 and his M.A. from Columbia University in 1932. He succeeded his father as pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in 1937 and eventually built up its membership to 13,000 people. With the church as his power base, Powell was able to build a formidable public following in Harlem through his crusades for jobs and housing for the poor. He won election to the New York City Council in 1941, becoming the first black man to serve on that body. In 1945 he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from Harlem. There he began a long fight against racial segregation. He served 11 successive terms in the House and became chairman of its Education and Labor Committee in 1960. In that capacity he played a leading role in the passage of a minimum wage act, antipoverty acts, and bills supporting manpower training and federal aid to education, about 50 major pieces of social legislation in all.
Powell's outspoken opposition to racism and his flamboyant lifestyle made him enemies, however, and in the early 1960s he became involved in a lawsuit with a woman who claimed he had wrongly accused her of collecting police graft. He was cited for contempt of court in 1966 for refusing to pay damages, and in 1967 the House voted to deprive him of his seat. He was nevertheless reelected in his district in 1968 but was then deprived by his colleagues in the House of his committee chairmanship and his seniority. In 1969 the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the action of the House in depriving him of his seat had been unconstitutional, but by that time Powell's health was failing. After his defeat in the Democratic
Aimé Césaire , in full Aimé-Fernand-David Césaire (born June 26, 1913, Basse-Pointe, Mart.-died April 17, 2008, Fort-de-France), Martinican poet, playwright, and politician, who was cofounder with Léopold Sédar Senghor of Negritude, an influential movement to restore the cultural identity of black Africans.
Together with Senghor and others involved in the Negritude movement, Césaire was educated in Paris. In the early 1940s he returned to Martinique and engaged in political action supporting the decolonization of the French colonies of Africa. In 1945 he became mayor of Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, and he retained that position until 2001 (he was briefly out of office in 1983-84). In 1946 Césaire became a deputy for Martinique in the French National Assembly. Viewing the plight of the blacks as only one facet of the proletarian struggle, he joined the Communist Party (1946-56). He found that Surrealism, which freed him from the traditional forms of language, was the best expression for his convictions. He voiced his ardent rebellion in a French that was heavy with African imagery. In the fiery poems of Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (1939; Return to My Native Land) and Soleil cou-coupé (1948; "Cutthroat Sun"), he lashed out against the oppressors.
Césaire turned to the theatre, discarding Negritude for black militancy. His tragedies are vehemently political: La Tragédie du Roi Christophe (1963; The Tragedy of King Christophe), a drama of decolonization in 19th-century Haiti, and Une Saison au Congo (1966; A Season in the Congo), the epic of the 1960 Congo rebellion and of the assassination of the Congolese political leader Patrice Lumumba. Both depict the fate of black power as forever doomed to failure.
Alfre Woodard is an American actress who is known for her intense and versatile performances on stage, TV and film. She was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is the youngest of three children. She studied drama at Boston University and made her theatre debut in 1974. Her first Read more 0Likes 0Shares fave Source: Black History Resources Sponsored by Museum of African American History in Massachusetts Nov 8 1952
Althea Gibson was a tennis player and later professional golfer who became the first African American woman to cross the racial barrier and compete professionally in both sports. She was born on August 25, 1927 in South Carolina. Her family was under severe financial duress due to the Great
Andrew Young (born on the 12th of March, 1932) is an American activist, former pastor and diplomat from Georgia. Andrew Young served as Mayor of Atlanta, the US ambassador to the UN and as a congressman from the 5th congressional district from Georgia. Young was also a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the 1960s and was an ardent supporter and ally of Dr. Martin Luther King. Young was born in New Orleans, Louisana to a mother who was a teacher and his father who was a dentist. Having grown up in turbulent times when the black-white segregation was at it's peak, and the way that even different classes of black people all behaved toward one another, Young was determined to make a difference from an early age. He was also deeply impressed by Gandhi's non-violence resistance movement as a way to bring about peace an reform in the world and this would influence his career and future life.
Andrew Young moved to New York in 1957 after having accepted a post with the Youth Division of the National Council of Churches. He also made appearances on Look Up And Live, which was a Sunday morning television program on CBS. In 1960, Young became a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1961, Andrew would move to Atlanta where he would diligently work on the behalf of potential black voters. Young was also the perfect mediator between the black and white communities as they negotiated in the midst of a hostile atmosphere.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference named Andrew Young as their executive director in 1961. He also served as a negotiator during the Civil Rights Campaign in Birmingham in 1963 and Atlanta in 1969. Initially when he ran as a Democrat for Congress in 1970, he was unsuccessful but later in 1972, Andrew Young became the Democrat. Young was popular amongst the hippie generation as well as many mainstream Americans of his time as he was opposed to the Vietnam War and helped establish the U.S Institute For Peace.
Andrew Young was appointed as the U.S
Job Titles:
- Hennepin County Commissioner
Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley took to Facebook on Juneteenth to announce that she and Commissioner Irene Fernando planned to introduce a resolution to declare racism a public health
Anita Hill is a lawyer, activist and educationist who laid allegations of sexual harassment against a U.S. Supreme Court Justice named Clarence Thomas. She was born on July 30, 1956 in Oklahoma and was the youngest of 13 children born to Albert and Erma Hill. Her family were farmers from Arkansas
Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights
Aretha Franklin is one of the most successful female recording artists of all time. She was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee to C. L. and Barbara Franklin. C.L. was a famous Baptist preacher who later founded his own church and Barbara was an accomplished pianist and singer. Aretha was a gifted musician since her childhood. She learned to play the piano by ear and had a marvelous voice. She began singing church gospel from a very early age and was considered a prodigy. Her parents separated when she was 6, and her mother died due to a heart attack when Aretha was 10 years old. The family moved to Detroit and Aretha often accompanied her father while he was travelling all over the country, delivering sermons. She sang in his gospel group and accompanied a measure of fame during her teens.
Her father initially managed her career, and Aretha was pursued by several labels. She eventually signed with Columbia Records, where she released her first album titled "Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo". The album achieved modest commercial success and also made her an internationally recognized voice in Australia and Canada. She released two more albums in 1962, "The Electrifying Aretha Franklin" and "The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin". Her albums were a mixture of pop and R&B, and included hits like "Won't Be Long", "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" and "Operation Heartbreak". She performed at various concerts and tours and became more famous by the day. In 1967, she switched labels and moved to Atlantic Records. Her first album with Atlantic was "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" which was her most commercially successful album to date. It included hits like "Baby I Love You" and "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman".
The following year, she released two albums titled "Lady Soul" and "Aretha Now" including hits like "Chain of Fools", "Ain't No Way", "Think" and "I Say a Little Prayer". The same year, she won her first two Grammy Awards, appeared on the cover of Time
Augusta Savage , original name Augusta Christine Fells (born February 29, 1892, Green Cove Springs, Florida, U.S.-died March 26, 1962, New York, New York), American sculptor and educator who battled racism to secure a place for African American women in the art world.
Augusta Fells began modeling figures from the red-clay soil of her native Florida at an early age. When just 15 years old, she married John T. Moore in 1907 and had her only child, Irene, in 1908. After Moore died a few years later, Augusta moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1915. About that time she married James Savage, but she divorced him in the early 1920s and kept his name.
Once she discovered a good source for clay, Savage thrived artistically in West Palm Beach, receiving local encouragement and prizes. She moved to Jacksonville, Florida, hoping to make a living by executing commissioned busts of the city's well-to-do African Americans. When that plan failed, she left her daughter with her parents in Florida and moved to New York City to study art. In 1921 she enrolled at Cooper Union in the four-year sculpture course, but her instructors quickly waived many of the classes in light of her talent. She graduated in three years.
In 1923 Savage became the focus of a racial scandal involving the French government and the American arts community. She was among some 100 young American women selected to attend a summer program at Fontainebleau, outside Paris, but her application was subsequently refused by the French on the basis of her race. The American sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil was the only member of the committee to denounce the decision, and he invited Savage to study with him in an attempt to make amends. Also in 1923 Savage married for the third and final time, but her husband, Robert L. Poston, died the next year. Following this period, Savage worked in steam laundries to earn money to care for her family and to save for studies in Europe.
In the 1920s Savage received commissions to sculpt portrait busts of W.E.B. Du Bois and black
In 1925 Josephine Baker took Paris, France by storm, appearing on stage in "La Revue Negre" wearing nothing but a skirt of artificial bananas in Danse Sauvage. Born Josephine Freda MacDonald in St. Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1906, she was nicknamed "Tumpy" because she was
Job Titles:
- Strategist of the Civil Rights Movement
Rustin became a leading strategist of the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1968. He was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which was headed by A. Philip Randolph, the leading African-American labor-union president and socialist.[3] [4] Rustin also influenced young activists, such as Tom Kahn and Stokely Carmichael, in organizations such as the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
Bayard Rustin was one of the most important, and yet least known, Civil Rights advocates in the twentieth century. He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania and raised by his maternal grandparents. His grandmother, Julia, was both a Quaker and an active member of the National Association for the
Benjamin Banneker was one of the first well known African American scientists and mathematicians. He was born on November 9, 1731 to an ex slave named Robert, and Mary Banneky, the daughter of an Englishwoman and a free African slave. He grew up on his parents farm along with three of his sisters
Bernard Jeffrey "Bernie" McCullough, or Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor, born on October 5, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. After losing his mother at the age of 16, Mac would set up stand-up comedy shows for neighborhood kids and spent most of his 20s serving various
Job Titles:
- Louisiana Governor Conferred With President on KKK
Bessie Coleman was the first female African American pilot. She was born on January 26, 1892 and was the tenth of thirteen children born to George and Susan Coleman in Atlanta, Texas. Her father was of Native and African American descent. She attended a small school which was four miles from her house, a distance she covered daily to fulfill her love for learning. She was an intelligent student, and particularly excelled at Mathematics. Her father left the family to move to Oklahoma when she was 10 years of age. At the age of 12, she joined the Missionary Baptist Church, where she spent most of her teenage years. When she turned 18, she decided to enroll at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma, which was then called "Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University". However, she did not stay very long due to financial difficulties.
At the age of 23, she moved to Chicago, Illinois to live with her brother where she worked as a manicurist. It was during this time that she developed an interest in flying after hearing stories about World War I pilots. She wanted to train as a pilot but because of racial barriers, she did not manage to find a trainer or get admitted to any aviation schools. Some of her friends encouraged her and financially supported her to move to Paris. She took a French language class at Berlitz School in Chicago and then moved to Paris in November 1920 where she got accepted at an aviation school. While training, she flew in a Nieuport Type 82 biplane. She earned her aviation license on June 15, 1921 to become the first African American woman to earn an international aviation license. In September 1921, she returned to the United States where she was subject to tremendous media attention for her singular achievements.
She then went on a speaking tour in Orlando where she met Reverend Hezakiah Hill and his wife Viola, who were very hospitable to her and invited her to stay at the parsonage with them. In 2013, a street in Orlando was named in her honor. Bessie Coleman made her living as
Betty Shabazz was the wife of Malcolm X, a prominent leader of the Nation of Islam. Her exact date of birth is not known, but it is believed to be May 28, 1934. She was born in Georgia to unwed teenage parents named Ollie Mae Sanders and Shelman Sandlin, and raised in Detroit. By some accounts, her father used to abuse her which led a local businessman named Lorenzo Malloy and his wife Helen to take her in with them. The Malloys were prominent members of the community and were active in the local church as well. Helen was one of the founding members of the "Housewives League of Detroit" which was a group of women who championed the cause of African American businessmen. Helen was also a member of the "National Council of Negro Women" and "National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)".
Growing up with the Malloys, Betty Shabazz had never directly encountered racism nor was this an open topic for discussion, which is why it came as a very rude shock to her when she left home for college. She enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to earn a degree in education. The college was predominantly black so she felt safe on campus, but out in the city there was rampant racism. Many stores would refuse to serve black customers or make them wait until every other white person had been served first. Betty changed her major from education to nursing, and against her parents' wishes transferred to Brooklyn State College School of Nursing in New York City. In New York, she encountered a more frigid but still prevalent sort of racism. For instance, black nurses were given much worse assignments as compared to white ones.
At a colleagues invitation, Betty attended a dinner and lecture hosted by the Nation of Islam temple in Harlem where Malcolm X was speaking. She was impressed with their teachings but declined to join at that time. However, she kept returning to hear Malcolm X talk as she was impressed by his work ethic and philosophy. She discussed with Malcolm X the racial discrimination she had
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter is a hip hop and R&B singer, songwriter and actress who is currently one of the most successful recording artists in the music industry. She was born in Houston, Texas to Tina and Mathew Knowles on September 4, 1981. She was interested in music from a very young
Born William Henry "Bill Cosby" Jr. on July 12, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he describes himself mostly as a "class clown" during his school years. He was class president as well as captain of the basketball team at school. He acted in a number of school plays and in
Bill Russell is still sports' ultimate winner, most influential ambassador - African American News Today - EIN News
Busta Rhymes is an American rapper and actor. His birth name is Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr. He was born on May 20, 1972 to Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith, who were Jamaican immigrants. He moved to Long Island at the age of 12, where he attended Uniondale High School. After graduating from high school in 1991, he attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School along with future rap stars Jay-Z, DMX and The Notorious B.I.G. In 1989, Rhymes formed the hip hop group Leaders of the New School, along with fellow band members Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Cut Monitor Milo. The band's debut album was released via Elektra Records and was titled "A Future Without a Past…". They gained fame as the opening act for the group "Public Enemy".
The band was then featured on the song "Scenario" by American hip hop group "A Tribe Called Quest". They then released their next album titled "T.I.M.E. (The Inner Mind's Eye)" before breaking up in 1993. Rhymes began to collaborate with other artists such as Big Daddy Kane, Another Bad Creation, The Notorious B.I.G., Brand Nubian, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Mary J. Blige, Puff Daddy and LL Cool J. Rhyme's solo album, titled "The Coming" was released in 1995, followed by his second album "When Disaster Strikes" in 1997. The album included the hit songs "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check", "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Fire It Up".
In 1998, Busta Rhymes released his album "Extinction Level Event (Final World Front)" from which the single "Gimme Some More" reached No. 6 on the UK singles chart and "What's It Gonna Be?!" (featuring Janet Jackson) reached No. 11 on both the U.S. and U.K. charts. He was particularly noted for his fast paced rhyming. His final album with Elektra Records was "Anarchy", released in 2000. He then moved to J Records, founded by ex Arista chief Clive Davis. He released his greatest hits album titled "Total Devastation: The Best of Busta Rhymes" followed by "Genesis" featuring the hit singles "What It Is" and "Break Ya Neck".
Captain H. Ford Douglas was born in Virginia in 1831 to a white man named William Douglas, and an enslaved mother named Mary. He escaped from slavery sometime after his fifteenth birthday, and moved to
Carter G. Woodson is known as the father of black history. He worked tirelessly to establish the field of African-American history in the early 1900s. Born on Dec. 19, 1875, Woodson was the son of two former slaves who had nine children; he was the seventh. He rose from these modest origins to
Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875 - April 3, 1950)[1] was an African-American historian, author, journalist and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson was one of the first scholars to study African-American history. A founder of The Journal
Cassandra Wilson (born. Dec 4, 1955) is a best known as an American songwriter, singer, jazz musician and music producer who hails from Jackson, Mississippi. Wilson, whose ancestry includes Welsh, Eastern European and West African blood is the third youngest child of jazz musician Herman Fowlkes Jr. Wilson grew up with a taste for music from a very early age, given how her own parents had always adored music; her father had studied jazz music and her mother had adored Motown. Hence it was hardly surprising when Wilson expressed her own interest in learning to play the guitar; her father was adamant that she learn on her own and thus the young aspiring musician developed her own intuitive approach when it came to playing the guitar. Wilson graduated with a degree in mass communication from Millsaps College and attended Jackson State University. It would be in 2007 that she would go on to receive her PhD in Arts from Millsap College.
It was when Wilson performed behop with the Black Arts Music Society which was founded by John Reese that she made her first dive into the world of professional music. As Assistant for Public Affairs Director for WDSU which was a local television station in New Orleans, Wilson moved to the city in 1981 and it was there that she met Ellis Marsalis, Alvin Batiste and Earl Turbinton who all encouraged her to move to New York to pursue her interest in jazz music. In NYC, Cassandra Wilson did ear training which helped her refine her scat and vocal phrasing. Wilson went on to become one of the founding members and vocalists for the M-Base Collective which was a musical group that helped redefine both soul and funk, within the contexts of avant garde/traditional jazz. She released her first recording in 1986. Wilson also co-wrote with well known musicians of the day such as Jean-Paul Bourelly, James Weidman and Steve Coleman. It was as she worked with them that Wilson managed to develop the ability to elongate syllables, bend pitches, and manipulate tones from hollow to dusky and vice
Cecil Fielder (b. 21 September 1963) is a professional baseball player who was noted for being a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. Fielder played with several teams during his career such as The Hershin Tigers (1989), the Toronto Blue Jays (1985-88) and the Detroit Tigers (1990-96). In 1990, he
Chris Tucker is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles in the movie "Rush Hour" and its sequels "Rush Hour 2" and "Rush Hour 3". He was born on August 31, 1971 to Mary Louise and Norris Tucker in Atlanta, Georgia. Tucker spent his childhood in
Charles Anderson Edward Berry, better known as Chuck Berry, is popularly considered the father of Rock ‘n' Roll. He was born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri to Martha and Henry Berry, who were grandchildren of slaves. His ancestors had migrated from the rural south to Missouri to look
Cliff Hooper, Sr. was an artist, an activist, and a community leader. Though born in Evansville, Indiana, he became an important part of the black community in Seattle. Hooper graduated from the Cornish School of Allied Arts in Seattle in 1953 and soon earned recognition as a building
Condoleezza Rice, one of the most influential women in the world, was born on November 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama. She was the first black woman to serve as the United States' National Security Adviser, as well as the first black woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State from 2005-2009. Rice
Crispus Attucks is remembered as the first martyr of the African American Revolutionary War. His exact date of birth is not known, but it is estimated that he was born sometime around 1723. Very little is known about his origins; he may have been a slave or a free man. Some accounts define him to
DaMarcus Beasley is a retired professional soccer player. He was born on May 24, 1982 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He played soccer in high school and also participated in the 1999 under 17 soccer World Cup held in New Zealand. His outstanding performance won him the prestigious silver ball award for
Dambudzo Marechera, a Zimbabwean novelist, short story writer, playwright and poet won critical acclaim for his collection of stories entitled "The House of
Daniel Hale Williams III was a pioneeringsurgeon best known for performing in 1893 one of the world's first successfulopen heart surgeries. Williams was born on January18, 1856, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania toSarah Price Williams and Daniel Hale Williams II . Following the death of his
Daniel Lebern Glover, or more commonly known as Danny Glover, is an American actor who has starred in over 70 Hollywood films. Born in San Francisco, California on July 22, 1946, the 68 year old actor officially started a career in acting in 1979. Glover also occasionally enjoys the role of
Job Titles:
- County Board Chairwoman
- Milwaukee County Executive
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson announced today by way of Executive Order #20-15 that Milwaukee County employees will have a floating holiday on June 19 to mark Juneteenth Day and the end of slavery in
A world-renowned sports athlete, professional and currently a TV show host, Deion Sanders was never meant to be mediocre at anything he set his eyes on. One of very few athletes to have ever professionally played football as well as baseball at the national level, Sanders' marvelous athletic
Job Titles:
- Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Democrat Marcia Fudge is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 11th Congressional District of Ohio since November 2008. She was the first female African American mayor of Warrensville Heights, a predominantly middle-class black suburban city outside of Cleveland. She
Diana Ross is an American singer and actress, who is one of the most successful recording artists with record sales exceeding 100 million copies. She was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. She began singing in high school and formed a band with her friends Mary Wilson, Florence
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired professional basketball player who is known as one of the best dunkers in NBA history. He was born on January 12, 1960 in Paris, France as his father was an Air Force Officer who was stationed there at the time of his birth. His family moved back to the United
Donald King is a boxing promoter, known for setting up some of the most notorious fights in boxing history. He was born on August 20, 1931 in Cleveland, Ohio. He had considered a career in law at first and attended Western Reserve University where he became a bookkeeper at a betting ring. In
Dorothy Dandridge was a popular African American celebrity, known for her remarkable acting in Hollywood. Her other skills besides theater acting included dancing and singing. For her outstanding work in the 1954 film Carmen Jones, Dandridge was nominated for the Academy Awards, rendering her the
Dr. W. Alexander Cox had a large dental practice among Black and white patients in Cambridge during the early 1900s. He was the founder and president of the dental section of the National Medical Association. In the late 1800s Dr. Cox was owner and publisher of the Advocate, the only newspaper
Job Titles:
- Director of New Florida Majority
Elgin Gay Baylor was a professional basketball player, who played for Los Angeles Lakers. He was born on September 16, 1934 and began playing basketball from an early age. Two of his older brothers were also basketball players, and Baylor took naturally to the game. He was already known to be
Emmett Till was an African American boy, who was murdered by two white men at the age of 14. His murder was one of the driving forces of the Civil Rights Movement. Till was born on July 25, 1941 to Mamie and Louis Till in Chicago, Illinois. He was nicknamed "Bobo" as a child and was
Foxy Brown is an African American rap musician, model and actress. Her birth name is Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand. She was born on September 6, 1978 in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager, she won a talent contest, where she was discovered by the rapper LL Cool J's production team. They were so
Fred McKinley Jones is certainly one of the most important Black inventors ever based on the sheer number of inventions he formulated as well as their
Gamal Abdel-Nasser was the second president of Egypt, officially appointed on June 23, 1956, and served until his death on September 28, 1970. Before becoming president, Abdel-Nasser was an Egyptian nationalist and prime
Often, greatness is determined by the times in which one finds oneself. For George Carruthers, growing up in the earliest stages of the space race, he like most other boys was fascinated with space travel. Unlike most of those boys, he would ultimately go on to make some of the greatest
George Patrick Alphonse Forde was an important physician in early 20th century Houston, Texas. Forde was born in Barbados in September 1882. Educated in the Caribbean, Forde first became aware of the possibility of a medical profession while he worked in a Panama Canal
Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross) was an African-American humanitarian who is remembered for her abolitionist efforts during the America Civil War. Tubman was born into slavery to Harriet Green and Ben Ross, who had a total of nine children including Harriet. Her father was owned by Anthony
Hattie McDaniel was a renowned actress, entertainer and radio performer. She was the youngest of thirteen children born to Henry and Susan Holbert on June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas. Her father was a Baptist minister and minstrel performer, and her mother was a gospel singer. The family moved to
Herman Cain is an experienced American author, politician and businessman, born on December 13, 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee. Born to a cleaning woman and a domestic worker, Cain grew up in a poor family but learnt what he understood as the true meaning of success. Through his father's hard
Ida B. Wells-Barnett, known for much of her public career as Ida B. Wells, was an anti-lynching activist, a muckraking journalist, a lecturer, and a militant activist for racial justice. She lived from July 16, 1862 to March
Amiri Baraka , also called Imamu Amiri Baraka, original name Everett Leroy Jones, called Leroy Jones, Leroy later changed to LeRoi (born October 7, 1934, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.-died January 9, 2014, Newark), American poet and playwright who published provocative works that assiduously presented
(May 2, 1949 - June 7, 1998) was an African-American who was murdered by three white supremacists, in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John King dragged Byrd for three miles behind a pick-up truck along an asphalt road. Byrd, who remained
James Earl Jones is an American actor who is well known for an array of notable characters he has played in his movies. He was born in January 1931 to Robert Earl and Ruth Jones in Arkabutla, Mississippi. His father was an actor, boxer, butler, and chauffeur who left the family shortly after his
Jones, James Earl, 1931-, American actor, b. Tate co., Miss. Jones made his stage debut at the Univ. of Michigan and appeared thereafter for seven years with the New York Shakespeare Festival in Macbeth (1962), Othello (1963), and King Lear (1973), among many others. He achieved Broadway
James Weldon Johnson, composer, diplomat, social critic, and civil rights activist, was born of Bahamian immigrant parents in Jacksonville, Florida on June 17, 1871. Instilled with the value of education by his father, James, a waiter, and teacher-mother, Helen, Johnson excelled at the Stanton
James Weldon Johnson was a prominent African American leader born on June 17, 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of BlackPast.Org
Chris Jay was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and has lived in Seattle since 2005. He comes from a long line of native Seattleites on his mother's side, and the majority of the Jones' still live in Seattle
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American singer and actress. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 12, 1981 to Darnell Donnerson and Samuel Simpson. She started singing in her church choir as a child and also performed in community theatre. She graduated from high school in 1999 and enrolled at
Job Titles:
- President of the Coalition of 100 Black Women, Born
John Birks Gillespie, commonly referred to as Dizzy Gillespie, was an American born trumpeter and composer. Born in Cheraw, South Carolina on 21 October 1917, Gillespie is regarded as the proponent of the earlier Bebop music scene, and together with his complex trumpeting and rhythmic
Former Vice President Joe Biden may have walked back his controversial comment about black voters made during a Friday radio interview, but Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., insists it reveals a truth about not just the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, but his party as
Juanita T. James was Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Pitney Bowes Inc. Prior to Pitney Bowes, James built a progressive 20-year career in the media and entertainment industry with Time Warner, Inc. and Bertelsmann, Inc. Currently, James is President & Chief Executive Officer at
Julius LeVonne Chambers was a twentieth century African-American civil rights activist and lawyer. Born October 6, 1936, to William and Matilda Chambers in Mt. Gilead, a small town in Montgomery County, North Carolina, he faced segregationist laws from birth. Opportunities for young black people
Kaleemah Rozier, 22, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon following a heated confrontation with several NYPD officers, reported
Kanye Omari West is an American rap singer, producer and songwriter, who is currently one of the most celebrated as well as controversial artists in the world. West was born on June 8, 1977 in Atlanta to Ray and Donda West. His parents got divorced when he was three years old, and he moved to
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms examines Atlanta's use of force policies and procedures
Kirby Puckett was a professional baseball player for the Minnesota Twins of the Major Baseball League. He was born on March 14, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in a public housing project in Chicago. He attended and graduated from Calumet High School, where he played baseball. Due to his short
James Mercer Langston Hughes, or just Langston Hughes, was an American writer, poet and social activist, born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. Most popularly recognized and appreciated for his work in literary art form of jazz poetry and the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, Hughes worked
Job Titles:
- Writer, Director and Producer
Laurence Fishburne is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He was born on July 30, 1961 in Augusta, Georgia to Hattie Bell and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr. His parents divorced when he was very young and he moved to Brooklyn, New York with his mother while visiting his father once
A pioneer among African-American performers, Lena Horne had the talent and beauty to crack the race barrier in Hollywood in the 1940s. A smooth singer of bluesy ballads, Lena Horne appeared onstage in Harlem when she was only 14 years old, and by age 16 she was singing in the famous Cotton
Lewis Latimer is considered one of the 10 most important Black inventors of all time, not only for the sheer number of inventions created and patents secured but also for the magnitude of importance for his most famous discovery. Latimer was born on September 4, 1848 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. His
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Beginning in 1968, he was a member of the funk and soul band the Commodores and then launched a solo career in 1982. He also co-wrote the 1985 charity single We Are the World with Michael
Lorraine Hansberry , (born May 19, 1930, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.-died January 12, 1965, New York, New York), American playwright whose A Raisin in the Sun (1959) was the first drama by an African American woman to be produced on
Louis Armstrong was a multi-talented American jazz icon who was a singer, trumpeter, actor and comedian. He was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He had an impoverished childhood; his father was a factory worker who abandoned the family when Armstrong was born and his mother often
Luther Vandross was an American R&B singer and songwriter who was well known for being a background vocalist for many famous artists as well as the lead singer for the group "Change". He was born on April 20, 1951 in Manhattan, New York City to Mary Ida Vandross and Luther
Malik Ambar was among the tens of thousands of men, women, and children captured in Africa and sold into slavery in the Middle East and India over nearly nine centuries. His story is also an indication of the ability of some in the predominantly Muslim Indian Ocean world to rise far above their
Job Titles:
- County Board Chairwoman
- Milwaukee County Executive
Marcus Garvey was a prominent figure in the political history of Africans. Besides, he was a journalist, entrepreneur, orator and publisher. Being a strong proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African
Born: 8/17/1887 Saint Anns Bay, JamaicaDied: 6/10/1940 London, United KingdomMarcus Garvey was a Jamaican political leader, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro
In this speech given in New York City on November 25, 1922, Marcus Garvey explains the objectives of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, the organization he believed would lead the worldwide movement toward black
Marian Anderson was a highly renowned classical singer who became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. She was born on February 27, 1897 to John and Annie Anderson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father ran an ice and coal business and his mother was a babysitter. She
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist who is best known for using non-violent civil disobedience tactics to secure equal rights for African Americans. He was named Michael King Jr. at birth but later changed his name to Martin Luther King Jr. He was born on January
Job Titles:
- Was a Legendary Singer and Recording Artist
Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. was a legendary singer and recording artist who came to be known as the "Prince of Soul". Gaye was born on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C. He was raised by his father "Reverend Marvin Gay Sr." who was a very strict guardian. Gaye was musically
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter and actress who has been making hit records for almost 25 years. She was born on January 11, 1971 in the Bronx, New York to Cora and Thomas Blige. She grew up in a very neglected and disastrous neighborhood and her childhood was marked by
R&B legend, music rights activist, author and ambassador of the Supremes, Mary Wilson is celebrated by millions all over the world as a member of the
Maya Angelou was an internationally acclaimed African American author, poet, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. She was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She had a rough childhood and was sent to live with her grandparents after her own parents' divorce. At
Mbongeni Ngema , (born 1955, Verulam, S.Af.), South African playwright, composer, choreographer, and theatrical director known largely for plays that reflect the spirit of black South Africans under
In 1953 baritone Robert McFerrin Sr. made history as the first African American to win the Metropolitan Opera House's Auditions of the Air radio contest. On January 27, 1955, in the role of Ethiopian King Amonasro in Verdi's Aida, McFerrin made history again by becoming the first African American
Michael Jones, or simply known as Mike Jones, is an American rapper, born in January 6, 1981, in Houston, Texas. He also pursues an acting career on an occasional basis. Jones initially wanted to pursue a different career than that in music, given his extraordinary craze for basketball. He
Cleopatra klēəpă´trə, -pā´-, -pä´- [key], 69 BC-30 BC, queen of Egypt, one of the great romantic heroines of all time. Her name was widely used in the Ptolemaic family she was Cleopatra VII. The daughter of Ptolemy XII , she was married at the age of 17 (as was the family custom) to her younger
Michael Jeffery Jordan is an American basketball legend who played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards for 15 seasons. Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. In high school he played baseball, football, and basketball. When he
Mike Tyson is a retired professional heavyweight boxer, famous for being the youngest world champion and an aggressive and fierce competitor. He was born as Michael Gerard Tyson on June 30, 1966 in Brooklyn, NY. He was often bullied and beat up as a child in the streets, so he joined a street gang
Morgan Freeman is a successful and widely respected American actor and director, who has received 4 Oscar nominations along with winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar Award for the movie "Million Dollar Baby". Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee in June 1937. He lived with his
Morgan Freeman won the Academy Award as best supporting actor for his role as a world-weary ex-boxer in the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby. Morgan Freeman kicked around TV and movies during the 1970s and 80s as a reliable supporting character, then became a familiar face in the movies after his
Moses Eugene Malone is widely considered as of the greatest NBA centers in history. He was born on March 23, 1955, in Petersburg, Virginia. He attended Petersburg High School and was set to attend college at University of Maryland to play basketball. However, he was recruited by the American
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat, third President of post-independence Egypt (governing from 1970 to 1981), was born of peasant background in the Nile Delta village of Mit Abu al-Kum on December 25, 1918.
Mya Marie Harrison, or simply Mya, is a Grammy award winning singer, actress and dancer who has appeared in a variety of roles over the years. Named after acclaimed poet Maya Angelou, Mya was born on October 10, 1979 in Washington D.C. Her father Sherman is an African American while her mother
Natalie Maria Cole, the daughter of R&B legend Nat King Cole, was born on February 6, 1950, in Los Angeles, California. She has followed in her father's footsteps to become one of the most heard-of R&B, soul and pop musicians of all time. An acclaimed, singer, songwriter and pianist, Cole
Thandie Newton was born in London to Nick Newton, a white British lab technician who later turned into an artist and Nyasha a healthcare worker from the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. Thandie Newton developed a keen interest in performing arts at a very young age. She possessed an exceptional talent for
Osborne Earl Smith, better known as Ozzie Smith, is a retired professional baseball player who played for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. He was born on December 26, 1954 in Mobile, Alabama and was one of six children born to Clovi and Marvella Smith. Smith quotes his mother as being
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American singer and songwriter who immensely influenced the genre of soul, despite a short lived career due to his untimely death. He was born on September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia to Otis Redding, Sr. and Fannie Redding. The family moved to Macon when Redding was
Kruger's parents were respectable farmers of Dutch descent on the northern outskirts of the British Cape Colony. He had little formal education but was able to express himself clearly in writing. Of more importance was the religious instruction he received from his parents according to the strict
Paul Robeson was an American singer, actor, civil rights activist, and college football player. He was exceptionally famous for his political views on anti-imperialism, communism, and the United States
, or simply known as Quincy Jones, is a distinguished American musician. Very few Jazz enthusiasts are recognized as the biggest names in the music industry, and Jones being one of them, is unquestionably one of the brightest and trendiest legends the world has seen. While
John Elroy Sanford, commonly known as Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. Born on December 9, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri, Foxx has had a major impact on the current trajectories in stand-up comedy. Known most notably for his unconventionally explicit
Rev. Channing E. Philips of Washington, D.C., became first Black nominated for president by a major national party. Philips was nominated as favorite son candidate by District of Columbia delegation at Democratic convention in Chicago and received 671/2 votes.
Richard Jones was a decorated military leader, serving in both World Wars I and II, and an early United States
Richard Pryor was a popular American stand-up comedian and one of the most influential entertainers of his time. He was born on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois. He had a troubled childhood; his mother worked as a prostitute and his father was a bartender, boxer and World War veteran. His
Riley B. King, better known by his stage name "B.B. King" is a famous African American blues musician. He was born on September 16, 1925 on a cotton plantation in Mississippi, to Albert King and Nora Ella Farr. His father left the family when King was very young, and his mother
Job Titles:
- Chamber Chief Innovation Officer - Free Press of Jacksonville
"I learned a very valuable lesson, and it is that we should not ever look up at a person or judge them by the color of their skin, that's the lesson I have learned in first grade." Bridges
Leroy Robert Satchel Paige (July 7, 1906 - June 8, 1982) was an American Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who became a legend in his own lifetime by being known as perhaps the best pitcher in baseball history, by his longevity in the game, and by attracting record
In 2001 Combs announced that he was changing his nickname from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy, earning him comparisons to fellow name-changing musician Prince… His romance with singer/actress Jennifer Lopez was closely followed in gossip columns; the two broke up in 2001. That same year Combs went on trial
Serena Jameka Williams is a professional tennis player, ranked No. 1 in women's singles tennis as of August 2014, a rank she has held 5 times in her career. She is the younger sister of tennis star Venus Williams. She was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan to Richard and Oracene
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal was born on March 6, 1972 in New Jersey. He is a retired NBA player, former rapper, former actor and currently, an analyst on Inside NBA. He was drafted by Orlando Magic in 1992 and was suddenly thrown into the spot light. He shined brightly, winning Rookie of the Year in
Sidney Poitier is an American actor and director, and the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was born on February 20, 1927 to Evelyn and Reginald James Poitier who were farmers from Bahama. At the time of Poitier's birth, his parents were in the U.S. to sell the
Smokey Robinson is a famous American singer and songwriter, who had a successful career both as part of the group "The Miracles" and as a solo artist. He was born as William Robinson, Jr. on February 19, 1940 to a poor family in Detroit. His mother died when he was very young so he was
Sylvester James, American singer and songwriter, was born in the Watts section of Los Angeles, California to Sylvester James and Letha Weaver on September 6, 1947. He grew up with his mother and stepfather Robert Hurd, as well as five siblings: John James, Larry James, Bernadette
Tina Turner was an American pop sensation and actress, known for her distinctive, raspy singing style and all out stage performances. She was born on November 26, 1939 in Tennessee to a poor farming family. When her parents split, Tina and her sister lived with their grandmother until her death in
Ulysses S. Grant crossed the Rapidan and began his duel with Robert E. Lee. At the same time Ben Butlers Army of the James moved on Lees forces. Black division in Grants army did not play a prominent role in Wilderness Campaign, but Ben Butler gave his Black infantrymen and his eighteen hundred
Van Jones is a social-environmental activist and the Obama administration's former "Green Czar." He was born in 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee. His mother and father were a high school teacher and junior-high principal respectively. While growing up, Jones was a stereotypical
Vanessa Lynn Williams is a Grammy nominated singer, former beauty queen and television and film actress. She was born on March 18, 1963 in Bronx, New York but soon moved to a more fashionable neighborhood. Her parents, Milton and Helen Williams, both worked as music teachers and so Williams and her
Viola Davis is an actress best known for her award winning performances in the films "Traffic", "Doubt" and "The Help". She was born on her grandmother's farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina. She was the second of six children born to Dan Davis, a horse trainer
Walter Frazier is a retired professional NBA player who played for the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was born on March 29, 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia and was the eldest of nine children. An exceptional athlete since childhood, Frazier was the star of the football, baseball and
Warren Moon is a retired football player, who played for the Canadian and American football leagues. He was born in Los Angeles, California on November 18, 1956 and was the only brother of 6 sisters. His father was a laborer who died of liver disease when Warren was a young child and his mother was
Job Titles:
- Judge to Unfreeze Wells Fargo Account Containing 'Several Million Dollars'
Wendy Williams asks judge to unfreeze Wells Fargo account containing 'several million dollars'
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, songwriter and actress and one of the best selling artists of all time. She was born on August 9, 1963 in New Jersey to two time Grammy Award winner Cissy Houston. The legendary queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, was her godmother. Whitney Houston
Will Smith (born Willard Carroll Smith, Jr.) is a Hollywood actor, producer and musician. He was born and raised in Philadelphia in a Baptist household. His father owned a refrigeration company and his mother was a Philadelphia school board administrator. He attended Overbrook High School where his
Wynton Learson Marsalis is renowned American musician, known for his trumpeting, composing and teaching abilities. Born on October 18, 1961 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Marsalis has won almost 9 Grammy Awards promoting the sanctity and depth of Jazz and Classical music to young
Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891[1] [2] - January 28, 1960) was an African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist known for her contributions to African-American literature, her portrayal of racial struggles in the American South, and works documenting her research
Zora Neale Hurston was an American author and anthropologist of the 19th century. She was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama. Her parents John and Lucy Ann Hurston were former slaves. John Hurston was a pastor and he moved his family to Florida when Zora was still a young child. He