Blurbs about the wonderful histories of black men and women who changed the world in spite of adversity.
The Freedmen’s Bureau was formally known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, and was established after the end of the Civil War. Initiated by President Abraham Lincoln, Congress established the Bureau on March 3, 1865 during the Reconstruction era. The purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau was to assist the millions of newly…
Saint Elmo Brady (December 22, 1884 – December 25, 1966) was the first African-American person to receive a PhD in Chemistry in the United States. In an earlier post, we wrote about the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in Chemistry which you can read here. In 1916, St. Elmo Brady obtained a doctorate…
Marie Dionne Warrick was born on December 12, 1940 and she is still on fire. Marie Warrick is better known as Dionne Warwick who is one of the most celebrated singers of the last 60 years. Her first solo single, “Don’t Make Me Over” was in 1962. She has since gone on to sell more…
Marie Maynard Daly (April 16, 1921 – October 28, 2003) was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in Chemistry in the United States. She earned her Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1947. Marie Daly was an important contributor to the research and studies of cholesterol and the heart. Her studies also included researching…
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was a tennis legend and a champion of civil rights and equality. He won three Grand Slam titles, the US Open (1968), Australian Open (1970) and Wimbledon (1975). Arthur Ashe was the first African-American male to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon singles titles….
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a 1954 Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. The ruling squashed the “separate but equal” doctrine that many school districts followed. The “separate but equal” doctrine followed a belief system where segregated public facilities…
Jodeci is a male r&b group comprised of two sets of brothers. K-Ci and JoJo (Cedric and Joel Hailey) form one set of brothers. DeVante Swing and Mr. Dalvin (Donald and Dalvin Degrate) form the other set of brothers. Jodeci released their first album, “Forever My Lady” on May 28, 1991. The album was primarily…
Rebecca Lee Crumpler (February 8, 1831 – March 9, 1895) was the first African-American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Rebecca Crumpler graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1864. The New England Female Medical College (NEFMC) was the first school to train women in the field of medicine….
Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was a slave who sailed his family to freedom during the Civil War. Smalls along with other black crew were left onboard the USS Planter steamer ship alone after the ship docked in Charleston. The black crew, with Robert Smalls acting as the ship captain and…
Juneteenth, or June 19th is the day when the last slaves in Texas were finally emancipated or freed from slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was a proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862. With an effective date of January 1, 1863, the executive order ended slavery in all Confederate areas….
David Crosthwait (May 27, 1898 – February 25, 1976) was an African-American engineer and inventor. He was an expert in heat transfer, air ventilation and central air conditioning. Mr. Crosthwait redefined the technology of indoor climate control. Some of his inventions include a vacuum pump, an improved boiler system, and a new thermostat control, among…
This year, May 31st marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Some choose to lessen the horror by calling it a riot. However, it was a two day massacre of African-Americans in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A white mob attacked and killed black residents and black business owners in the Greenwood District of Tulsa known…
Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was the first African-American woman lawyer in the United States. She was born in New York City to a family of six siblings. Their father was a Reverend, an Abolitionist, and a newspaper owner and publisher. Her sister, Henrietta Cordelia Ray, was a poet. Her…
Rappers wearing gold chains, goes back like babies and pacifiers. Rappers didn’t start off wearing gold chains and flashy jewelry. The Sugarhill Gang initially wore jeans and a button down shirt or a sweater. Some would say the trend started with Kurtis Blow. Kurtis Blow was the first rapper signed to a major label. His…
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) is better known as Etta James. Etta James was a singer of multiple genres, including rhythm and blues, gospel, and rock and roll. Her version of “At Last” released in 1960, became one of her signature songs. Other popular singles include “All I Could Do Was…
Earl Simmons aka DMX has recently passed away. DMX reportedly suffered a heart attack after an alleged overdose. He was only 50 years old at the time of his death. Earl Simmons was a rap legend and an actor. Although none of his movies were award-worthy, Romeo Must Die is a culture classic. His music…
Ronald McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an African-American astronaut and physicist. McNair was the second African-American to go into space, the first being Guion Bluford. McNair worked for NASA as a Mission Specialist aboard the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger. His first entry into space was aboard the Challenger in February 1984….
The Miss Black America pageant held its first pageant in 1968, on the same night as the Miss America pageant. The Miss America pageant had a history of discriminating against black women. According to their rule number seven, “contestants must be of good health and of the white race.” As a result, contestants had to…
Marion Barry (March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2016) was a District of Columbia mayor and Council member. Born in rural Mississippi to sharecroppers, Marion Barry was elected mayor of D.C. four times. He also served three different tenures as a Council member. Marion Barry is one of the most infamous politicians in the history…
A boombox is a large portable radio and cassette player. The bigger the box, the more D-sized batteries it consumed. It usually had one large or multiple speakers in the front and one or two tape decks. Multiple tape decks allowed the user to play one tape and record or dub using the other deck….
