Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman

(January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926)

Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was an American civil aviator.

Michelle Jean - Governor General of Canada

The Governor General of Canada is the vice-regal or viceroy.

The Buffalo Soldiers

Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.

Nathaniel "Nat" Turner

(October 2, 1800 – November 11, 1831)

Nathaniel "Nat" Turner was an American slave who led a slave rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831 that resulted in 60 deaths.

The Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II.

Ebony Turns 65!

The Ebony Magazine 65th Anniversary edition features exciting stories about over a century of Black accomplishment.

Rare Photo of Slave Children Found in NC Attic

By NICOLE NORFLEET - The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N. C. — A haunting 150-year-old photo found in a North Carolina attic shows a young black child named John.

Bessie Stringfield

(1911 - 1993)

Bessie Stringfield was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1911, but her parents migrated to Boston when she was still young.

Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson

(December 19, 1875 - April 3, 1950)

The Father of Black History. An African-American historian, author, and journalist.

Clarence Muse

(October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979)

Clarence Muse was an actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer.

Kenneth and Mamie Clark

Kenneth Bancroft Clark (July 14, 1914 – May 1, 2005)

Mamie Phipps Clark (Oct. 18, 1917 – Aug. 11, 1983)

African-American psychologists who as a married team conducted important research among children and were active in the Civil Rights Movement.

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr

(November 29, 1908 - April 4, 1972)

An American politician and pastor who represented Harlem, New York City, in the United States House of Representatives (1945–71).

African American Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights movement grew out of a century of grassroots efforts in a long struggle for racial justice for African Americans. Check out some of the greater principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement - SCLC, NAACP, Black Panther Party, SNCC, and CORE.

Scipio Africanus Jones

(August 3, 1863 - March 2, 1943)

An educator, attorney, judge, philanthropist, and Republican politician from the state of Arkansas, Scipio Africanus Jones was born in Smith Township, near Tulip in Dallas County, Arkansas.

They Served

These are some of the great African American leaders who made things possible.

The long struggle for racial justice for African Americans in America was successful due to the efforts of leaders. Read More here about Maulana Ron Karenga (pictured), H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, Eldridge Cleaver, "Bobby" Seale, Huey Percy Newton, Angela Davis, Elaine Brown, John Lewis, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

William Wells Brown

(November 6, 1816 – November 6, 1884)

A prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian.

Lost Black American Towns

A History

Black Americans eager to live and prosper as free people, have established our own towns since Colonial times. Many of them were destroyed by riots or injustice, while some just died out.

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

(January 5, 1868 or 1869 – June 24, 1933)

African-American soprano. Sometimes was called "The Black Patti" in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti.

I'M NOT GIVING MY BLACK BACK

Black Poem

I'm not giving up my greens or my grits You see...Life for me ain't been no crystal stair and I'm not giving up.

Vernon Baker

(December 17, 1919 – )

Born in Cheyenne, WY on Dec. 17, 1919, Baker was awarded the Medal of Honor—the highest award given to those who acted with uncommon, selfless service.

Richard Etheridge

(January 16, 1842—1917)

Richard Etheridge was the first African American to hold the rank of keeper of a life-saving station.

Maggie Lena Walker

(1867-1934)

Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman in the United States to become a president of a local bank.

Pea Island Life-Saving Station

Pea Island Life-Saving crew in front of their station, circa 1896

Pea Island Life-Saving Station was a life-saving station on Pea Island, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Established before 1964

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established with the intention of serving the black community.

Ralph Bunche

(August 7, 1903 – December 9, 1971)

Ralph Bunche was an American political scientist and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine.

Bill Powell

(November 22, 1916 – December 31, 2009)

William J. Powell was an American businessman, entrepreneur, and pioneering golfer and course owner, the Clearview Golf Club.

Benjamin E. Mayes

(August 1, 1894 – March 28, 1984)

Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays was an American minister, educator, scholar, social activist, and the president of Morehouse College from 1940 to 1967.

Norbert Rillieux

(March 17, 1806 – October 8, 1894)

An American inventor and engineer, Norbert Rillieux is most noted for his invention of the multiple-effect evaporator, an energy-efficient means of evaporating water.

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

1935

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was, in 1935, the first labor organization led by African-Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor (AFL).

Susan (Susie) Baker King Taylor

(1848-1912)

Born on the Grest Farm in Liberty County, Georgia, on August 6, 1848, Susie Baker King Taylor was raised as an enslaved person.

Doris "Dorie" Miller

(1919 – 1943)

Doris "Dorie" Miller was a cook in the United States Navy noted for his bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

"Bricktop"

(August 14, 1894 – February 1, 1984)

Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith, better known as "Bricktop", was an American dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and self-described saloon-keeper who owned the nightclub Chez Bricktop in Paris from 1924 to 1961, as well as clubs in Mexico City and Rome.

Barbara Charline Jordan

(February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996)

Jordan was an American politician. She was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate and the first Southern black woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

John Mitchell, Jr.

(July 11, 1863, to December 3, 1929)

John Mitchell, Jr. was an African American businessman, politician, and newspaper editor.

Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams

(November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922)

In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world.”

Being President While Black

by Gerald A. McIntosh

I don't think anyone was under some real illusion that the election of Barack Obama actually meant the end of racism in America.

"Back In The Day"

Sister Mamie (92 yrs old)

Even in the trying conditions of servitude, racial oppression, segregation and discrimination African-Americans were able to resist, withstand and overcome many of the dehumanizing aspects of their daily lives.

Gullah Culture

The Gullah Festival

In May Beaufort, South Carolina hosts the oldest and the largest African American celebration - "The Original Gullah Festival".

The "Mega Preachers"

Now there are "Mega Churches" - In the past, there were "Mega Preachers"

In the past, "Mega Preachers" generally provided teaching, preaching, prayer, and street ministry through local meetings, radio, television and magazines.

"Reverend Ike" - The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II

(June 1, 1935- July 29, 2009)

Born on June 1, 1935, in Ridgeland, South Carolina, he was the first prosperity minister who followed in the footsteps of Daddy Grace and Father Divine.

"Daddy Grace" - Marcelino Manuel da Graca

(January 25, 1881 -1960)

Born in the Cape Verde Islands, ship manifests show that he visited America in 1903, and arrived in America at the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1904 on a ship called Freedom and settled in New Bedford.

Father Divine

(1876 – September 10, 1965)

An African American spiritual leader, he founded the International Peace Mission movement, formulated its doctrine, and oversaw its growth from a small and predominantly black congregation into a multiracial church.

Colloquial Terms

Unique to African American Culture

Even in the trying conditions of servitude, racial oppression, segregation and discrimination African-Americans were able to resist, withstand and overcome many of the dehumanizing aspects of their daily lives. here you will find some of the most popular colloquial terms related to African Americans.

A History of Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property and are forced to work.

Plantation Life

The Daily Life of a Plantation Slave

There " were no beds given the slaves, unless one coarse blanket be considered such, and none but the men and women had these...

The Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1863

The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War.

40 Acres and a Mule

Policy of The Emancipation Proclamation

President Abraham Lincoln gave the freed slaves 40 acres and a mule with the Emancipation Proclamation - it was General Sherman’s Special Field Orders 15.

The History of Lynching

U.S. Southern States

Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people, however large or small.

The Great Migration

1910 to 1940 and 1940 to 1970

When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, less than eight percent of the African American population lived in the northeastern or Midwestern United States.

Oppression

Systematic Oppression Tactics Against African Americans

Discrimination is one example of the oppressive tactics against Blacks in America. It is defined as the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category.

Reverse Migration

From the North to the South

The United States has been experiencing a reverse migration of middle class Blacks, (in blue) to the 11 states of the “old South” (in red)

The Top 10 Black-Owned Companies

Barden Cos. Inc.

During the 1980s, Don Barden made his first fortune operating Detroit-area cable television companies, a real estate development company and radio stations. Currently Barden is the nation's only black owner of gaming casinos.

The Apollo Theater

New York City

The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Negro performers.

Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater

For the "Young, Gifted and Black"

Long before American idol and anyone with a cell phone got a chance to choose who would be the next 'American Idol,' there was the famed Apollo Theater's weekly 'Amateur Night' showcase, the premiere point of entry for the young, gifted and black.

The "Chitlin' Circuit"

Black Nightclubs in the South

The Chitlin' Circuit was a string of small, Black nightclubs and "honky tonks" that are spread throughout the U.S., with the majority of them being in the South...For the most part, a lot of them have long since closed their doors.

Talking Drums

Beginnings in the Ghana Empire

Talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by West Africans and their history can be traced back to the Ghana Empire. (The first form of sound communication).

The Blues

The Delta Blues

The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, in the north to Vicksburg in the south, the Mississippi River on the west to the Yazoo River on the east.

Oppression

Systematic Oppression Tactics Against African Americans

Discrimination is one example of the oppressive tactics against Blacks in America. It is defined as the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category.

The Age of "Neo-Slavery"

Civil War to World War II

A little-known crime against African Americans, Neo-Slavery is a shameful chapter in American history that thrived from the aftermath of the Civil War through the dawn of World War II.

Black Icons

African-Americans Who Made Their Mark

Nancy Green aka “AuntJemima"(November 17, 1834 – September 23, 1923) was a storyteller, cook, activist, and one of the first African- American models hired to promote a corporate trademark as “Aunt Jemima”.

Mary Fields aka "Stagecoach Mary"

Born Circa 1832

Mary Fields was a gun-totin,' Black female, in the American wild west. A legend in her own time, for her reliability she earned the nickname STAGECOACH MARY.

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

"The Tuskegee Experiment"

The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was an infamous clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Alabama.

"Cowtown"

All Black Team Wins the National Polo Championship

Cowtown, won the 42d annual USPA National Interscholastic Championship tournament in Charlottesville, VA.

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was at its height between 1850 and 1860.

The Underground Railroad refers to the effort to assist blacks held in bondage in North America to escape from slavery.

Greenwood Revisited

The Legacy of the Tulsa Race Riot

In 1921, Greenwood, a successful, all-black enclave in Tulsa, Oklahoma was the site of the deadliest race riot in U.S. history.

Freedom Riders

Could You Get On The Bus?

Freedom Riders were Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States.

Kentucky Derby Day

Black Jockeys

The disappearance of black jockeys from the Kentucky Derby and other races was no accident.

Floyd Bixler McKissick and Soul City N.C.

(1922–1991)

Floyd McKissick was born in Asheville, North Carolina on March 9, 1922. He became the first African American student at the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill’s Law School.

Bayard Rustin

(March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987)

An American civil rights activist, largely behind the scenes, he is credited as the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

Hubert Fauntleroy Julian - "The Black Eagle"

(1887 - 1983)

Hubert Julian was born into a wealthy family.His father was a plantation owner in Trinidad, West Indies, in 1897.

List of Unwitting Black Victims of Medical Experiments

(1865 to the 1990's)

In 1855, John "Fed" Brown, an escaped slave, recalled that the doctor to whom he was indentured produced painful blisters on his body in order to observe "how deep my black skin went."

Medical Apartheid in American History

How African Americans have often been the unwitting victims of medical experiments

In the African-American community, a mistrust of doctors and medical research is widespread and deeply rooted in a history of involuntary, abusive, and non-therapeutic experimentation on Blacks documented since at least the 18th century.

A Warning About SmartPhone Wireless Charges

Here's How to Make the Right Call

I was hit with more than $450 in charges from my wireless provider when I used my smart phone while traveling.

Southern Baptists Elect First African-American Vice-President

Reverend Fred Luter

The Southern Baptist Convention elected Rev. Fred Luter to the position of 1st vice president Tuesday at their annual conference in Phoenix.

The Mother/Daughter Business Empire

Madame CJ Walker - (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919)

Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, was an African-American businesswomen, hair care entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The Mother/Daughter Business Empire

A'Lelia Walker - (June 6, 1885 – August 17, 1931)

An American businesswoman, and patron of the arts, she was the daughter and only child of self-made millionaire Madam C J Walker.

Rescuing the Real Uncle Tom

By David S. Reynolds

Published: June 13, 2011

The novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, born 200 years ago today, was an unlikely fomenter of wars.

The Black Church and Juneteenth

Dr. Charles Taylor, Author

Juneteenth or June 19, 1865, is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed.

Wimbledon: Bias Against Serena?

Serena Williams

Women's Tennis Association chief Stacy Allaster is backing Serena Wiliams' claim that she was snubbed by being "exiled to an outside court" and relegated to Court Two, in the far reaches of the All England Club.

Also in This Article - White Aristocrat Leaves Fortune to Black Manservant (Kent Adonai)

BASA - America's Black Astronauts

The final launch of Atlantis on July 8th will mark the end of the American space shuttle era, where seven of these unique spacecraft flew 135 missions. An impressive 20 African Americans have earned the moniker "astronaut", and 14 have actually been shot into space.

North Carolina's Eugenic Sterilization Programs

Part I

Thousands were sentenced to sterilization during rubber-stamp hearings in Raleigh. They were wives and daughters. Sisters. Unwed mothers. Children.

North Carolina to Compensate Sterilization Victims

Part II

The state of North Carolina has issued an apology to victims who were sterilized under state eugenics laws and is working on a plan to compensate victims.

Pure Unadulterated Racism - Here is One Lady's Position

Helen L. Burleson, Doctor of Public Administration

Helen L. Burleson has a doctorate degree in public administration. She lives in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Unearthing the Black History of Central Park

Seneca Village

Seneca Village was a small village on the island of Manhattan, New York, founded by free blacks.

The Power of the Gospel: Can Black Churches Survive Turbulent Times?

Published: Sunday, August 28, 2011. Deseret News

Can black churches survive turbulent times? The recession has hit the black community disproportionately hard, shuttering hundreds of churches across the country because of foreclosure.

‘Back when we were Negroes’

By Charles E. Richardson - Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2011 in the Macon Telegraph

There was a time until the early 1960s when the terms to describe those of African decent, like me -- African-American or Black or Afro-American -- were almost unheard of.

You Might Have Missed This

Facts you need to know about Herman Cain

Herman Cain is running for president. He’s not a career politician (in fact he has never held political office). He’s known as a pizza guy, but there’s a lot more to him. He’s also a computer guy, a banker guy, and a rocket scientist guy.

Original Gullah Festival

This festival is a three-day annual celebration of the most authentic U.S. reflection of Africa and the culture spawned in this country -- language, food, music, dance and all.

The Choctaw Freedmen of Oklahoma

The Choctaw freedmen were enslaved African Americans who became part of the Choctaw Nation with emancipation after the American Civil War, a requirement of the 1866 treaty the U.S. made with the Choctaw.

Cherokee Freedmen Controversy

The Cherokee Freedmen Controversy is an ongoing political and tribal dispute between the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and descendants of the Cherokee Freedmen regarding tribal citizenship.

Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett)

(c.1742 – 1829)

Two-Part Article

Elizabeth Freeman, in early life known as Bett and later Mum Bett was among the first black slaves in Massachusetts to file a “freedom suit” and win in court under the 1780 constitution, with a ruling that slavery was illegal.

Gullah Country

Beaufort, S.C. - tracing language, dance, customs and gumbo back to Mother Africa.

Even more than three centuries after many of their ancestors arrived as slaves from Sierra Leone, Senegal and other countries along Africa's Gold Coast, echoes of Africa ring loud and clear among the Gullah people.

Triple Nickel Parachute Infantry

November 25, 1944

Many years before black pride" became a popular slogan, a small group of Black American soldiers gave life and meaning to those words. In Camp Mackall, North Carolina on Nov. 25, 1944, the first all-black parachute infantry platoon was activated. They would be called the 555th Battalion, a.k.a. The Triple Nickels.

Abby Fisher

1832

Abby Fisher’s cookbook, "What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, Soups, Pickles, Preserves, Etc." published in 1881, is the oldest known cookbook written by a former slave. Abby was born in 1832, and grew up in the plantation kitchens in South Carolina.

Jourdan Anderson

Jourdan Anderson was a slave who was freed under the Emancipation Proclamation. Some emancipated slaves quickly fled from the neighborhood of their owners, while others became wage laborers for former owners.

Augustus Nathaniel Lushington, Veterinarian

1869 - 1939

The first of African descent to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Lushington was born on the small southern Caribbean island of Trinidad, then part of the British empire, on August 1, 1869.

John Thomas Biggers

(1924–2001)

John Biggers is a poet, philosopher, teacher, painter, sculptor, muralist, and, above all, an inspirational leader who came to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance.

Bill Powell

(November 22, 1916 – December 31, 2009)

William J. Powell was an American businessman, entrepreneur, and pioneering golfer and course owner who designed the Clearview Golf Club in 1948, the first integrated golf course. Powell was fond of saying "The only color that matters is the color of the greens".

Black Military Heroes

First Casualty of the American Revolution

Crispus Attucks, a former slave, was the first casualty of the American Revolutionary War when he was killed during the Boston Massacre. In 1888 the Crispus Attucks monument was unveiled in the Boston Common.

Black History Month 2012

Karla Jackson Brewer

It’s February again! The shortest month of the year is host to several celebrations including Black History Month. I suspect this year people will wonder, “Don’t we all know by now the contributions of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.?” “Aren’t we living in the post-racial era?” “Isn’t it all good now that we have a Black President?”

Black Seminoles

The Black Seminoles is a term used by modern historians for the descendants of free blacks and some runaway slaves (maroons) and Gullahs who escaped from coastal South Carolina and Georgia rice plantations into the Spanish Florida wilderness beginning as early as the late 17th century.

Mary Bowser

(born c. 1839, date of death unknown)

Mary Bowser was an American freed slave who worked as a Union spy during the Civil War. Born in Richmond Virginia around 1839, Bowser began her life as a slave on the plantation of John Van Lew, a wealthy hardware merchant.

George "Speck" Crum

(1822 – 1914)

Every time a person crunches into a potato chip, he or she is enjoying the delicious taste of one of the world's most famous snacks a treat that might not exist without the contribution of black inventor George Crum.

The Choctaw Freedmen of Oklahoma

(November 29, 1908 - April 4, 1972)

The Choctaw freedmen were enslaved African Americans who became part of the Choctaw Nation with emancipation after the American Civil War, a requirement of the 1866 treaty the US made with the Choctaw.

JURY DUTY- DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING

Just NEVER give out personal information over the phone or by e-mail

Pass this on to your grown children and anyone else you can think of. This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included here). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book.

Rosalind G. Brewer

Black Female Business Leaders - Chief Executive Officers

These black female business leaders have all shared the same title: CEO. When she took over as Sam's Club president and CEO in January, she became the first female and first African-American CEO of a Wal-Mart division.

Molly Williams

First Black Female Fire Fighter

Molly Williams was an African American slave the first known female firefighter in the United States. An African American, she was held as a slave and belonging to a New York merchant Benjamin Aymar.

Joel Augustus Rogers

(September 6, 1880 – March 26, 1966)

Joel Augustus Rogers was a Jamaican-American author, journalist, and historian who contributed to the history of Africa and the African diaspora, especially the history of African Americans in the United States.

John Jasper

(1812 - 1901)

John Jasper, preacher, philosopher, and orator was born in Fluvanna County, Virginia on July 4, 1812. He was the youngest of twenty-four (24) children. He was converted on the fourth of July, 1839 in Capital Square of Richmond, Virginia.

Elizabeth Jennings

(1830 – 1901)

Before Rosa Parks there was Elizabeth Jennings. Elizabeth Jennings lived 100 years before Rosa Parks in New York City, in 1854.

Svante Myrick

(March 15, 1987 - )

Biracial Man, 24, Goes From Homeless to Mayor

Svante Myrick, a previously homeless 24-year-old, is the youngest mayor ever elected in the city of Ithaca, N.Y.

Don Thompson McDonald

(1963 – )

McDonald's Just Named America's 12th Major Black CEO

McDonald's Restaurants has announced that current President Donald Thompson will take over as CEO on July 1 of this year, becoming the first African American to head the fast-food chain since it was founded in 1955.

Oseola McCarty

(March 7, 1908 - September 26, 1999)

Oseola McCarty was a local washerwoman in Hattiesburg, Mississippi who became The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) most famous benefactor. McCarty was born in Wayne County, Mississippi and moved to Hattiesburg as a child.

Mary Ellen Pleasants

August 19, 1814 - January 11, 1904

Civil rights activist and entrepreneur Mary Ellen Pleasants made contradictory claims about her earliest years. She claimed she was born a slave to a Voodoo priestess and the youngest son of a Governor of Virginia, James Pleasants.

Ralph Johnson Bunche

(August 7, 1903 – December 9, 1971)

American political scientist and diplomat Ralph Bunche was born in Detroit Michigan. His father, Fred, was a barber, while his mother, Olive Agnes (née Johnson), was an amateur musician.

Philip Reid

The Statue of Freedom

One of our ancestors responsible for the Statue of Freedom at the top of the Capitol building is Philip Reid, born a slave in the early 19th century at Charleston, South Carolina.

Sarah Rector

Born in 1902

Little Sarah Rector, a former slave, became one of the richest little girls in America in 1914. Ms. Rector was born near Taft in Indian Territory, the northeastern part of present-day Oklahoma. Much of the history of enslaved Blacks under the so-called Five Civilized Tribes is unknown to millions of Americans, especially the individual stories of the former slaves of the Creeks, Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and the Seminoles.

Seneca Village

Unearthing the Black History of Central Park

Seneca Village was a small village on the island of Manhattan, New York founded by free blacks. Seneca Village existed from 1825 through 1857, when it was torn down due to the construction of Central Park

Hiram Rhoades Revels

First Black African American Republican Congressman

Hiram Revels was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate. He was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on September 27, 1822. His father’s ancestry was African; his mother had been a slave, who was emancipated.

Returning African American Polo Champs

Black Teens Win Polo Championship (Again)

When the Work to Ride program founded the nation's first black polo team in 1999, the goal was simply to help disadvantaged kids from Philadelphia improve themselves through activities centered around horsemanship, equine sports and education.

Thyra J. Edwards

(1897 - 1953)

Thyra Edwards was a true visionary in the field of social work. Ms. Edwards was heralded in 1944 as "one of the most outstanding Negro women in the world." She had an international approach to social work and was ahead of her time in many respects.

Harriet Tubman

(March 1822 – March 10, 1913)

African American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy Harriet Tubman was born Araminta "Minty" Ross to slave parents, Harriet ("Rit") Green and Ben Ross. Rit was owned by Mary Pattison Brodess (and later her son Edward).

Denmark Vesey

Leader of South Carolina's 1822 Slave Rebellion Plot

Denmark Vesey was a well-respected carpenter and minister who in his teens had been sold into slavery from the West Indies island of St. Thomas. Vesey's birthplace and birth date are uncertain, as are most of the details of his life before he was sold to Joseph Vesey in 1781.

Viola Davis

(August 11, 1965 -

An African American actress, Davis was born on her grandmother's farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina; the second youngest of six children. Her mother, Mae Alice, was a maid, factory worker, and homemaker, and her father, Dan Davis, was a horse trainer. Davis was born in South Carolina but raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island, where she and her family were the only African Americans.

Barbara Charline Jordan

(February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996)

Jordan was an American politician. She was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate and the first Southern black woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

John Mitchell, Jr.

(July 11, 1863, to December 3, 1929)

John Mitchell, Jr. was an African American businessman, politician, and newspaper editor.

Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams

(November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922)

In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world.”

Being President While Black

by Gerald A. McIntosh

I don't think anyone was under some real illusion that the election of Barack Obama actually meant the end of racism in America.

"Back In The Day"

Sister Mamie (92 yrs old)

Even in the trying conditions of servitude, racial oppression, segregation and discrimination African-Americans were able to resist, withstand and overcome many of the dehumanizing aspects of their daily lives.

Gullah Culture

The Gullah Festival

In May Beaufort, South Carolina hosts the oldest and the largest African American celebration - "The Original Gullah Festival".

The "Mega Preachers"

Now there are "Mega Churches" - In the past, there were "Mega Preachers"

In the past, "Mega Preachers" generally provided teaching, preaching, prayer, and street ministry through local meetings, radio, television and magazines.

"Reverend Ike" - The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II

(June 1, 1935- July 29, 2009)

Born on June 1, 1935, in Ridgeland, South Carolina, he was the first prosperity minister who followed in the footsteps of Daddy Grace and Father Divine.

"Daddy Grace" - Marcelino Manuel da Graca

(January 25, 1881 -1960)

Born in the Cape Verde Islands, ship manifests show that he visited America in 1903, and arrived in America at the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1904 on a ship called Freedom and settled in New Bedford.

Father Divine

(1876 – September 10, 1965)

An African American spiritual leader, he founded the International Peace Mission movement, formulated its doctrine, and oversaw its growth from a small and predominantly black congregation into a multiracial church.

Colloquial Terms

Unique to African American Culture

Even in the trying conditions of servitude, racial oppression, segregation and discrimination African-Americans were able to resist, withstand and overcome many of the dehumanizing aspects of their daily lives. here you will find some of the most popular colloquial terms related to African Americans.

A History of Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property and are forced to work.

Plantation Life

The Daily Life of a Plantation Slave

There " were no beds given the slaves, unless one coarse blanket be considered such, and none but the men and women had these...

The Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1863

The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War.

40 Acres and a Mule

Policy of The Emancipation Proclamation

President Abraham Lincoln gave the freed slaves 40 acres and a mule with the Emancipation Proclamation - it was General Sherman’s Special Field Orders 15.

The History of Lynching

U.S. Southern States

Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people, however large or small.

The Great Migration

1910 to 1940 and 1940 to 1970

When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, less than eight percent of the African American population lived in the northeastern or Midwestern United States.

Oppression

Systematic Oppression Tactics Against African Americans

Discrimination is one example of the oppressive tactics against Blacks in America. It is defined as the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category.

Reverse Migration

From the North to the South

The United States has been experiencing a reverse migration of middle class Blacks, (in blue) to the 11 states of the “old South” (in red)

The Top 10 Black-Owned Companies

Barden Cos. Inc.

During the 1980s, Don Barden made his first fortune operating Detroit-area cable television companies, a real estate development company and radio stations. Currently Barden is the nation's only black owner of gaming casinos.

The Apollo Theater

New York City

The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Negro performers.

Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater

For the "Young, Gifted and Black"

Long before American idol and anyone with a cell phone got a chance to choose who would be the next 'American Idol,' there was the famed Apollo Theater's weekly 'Amateur Night' showcase, the premiere point of entry for the young, gifted and black.

The "Chitlin' Circuit"

Black Nightclubs in the South

The Chitlin' Circuit was a string of small, Black nightclubs and "honky tonks" that are spread throughout the U.S., with the majority of them being in the South...For the most part, a lot of them have long since closed their doors.

Talking Drums

Beginnings in the Ghana Empire

Talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by West Africans and their history can be traced back to the Ghana Empire. (The first form of sound communication).

The Blues

The Delta Blues

The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, in the north to Vicksburg in the south, the Mississippi River on the west to the Yazoo River on the east.

Oppression

Systematic Oppression Tactics Against African Americans

Discrimination is one example of the oppressive tactics against Blacks in America. It is defined as the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category.

The Age of "Neo-Slavery"

Civil War to World War II

A little-known crime against African Americans, Neo-Slavery is a shameful chapter in American history that thrived from the aftermath of the Civil War through the dawn of World War II.

Black Icons

African-Americans Who Made Their Mark

Nancy Green aka “AuntJemima"(November 17, 1834 – September 23, 1923) was a storyteller, cook, activist, and one of the first African- American models hired to promote a corporate trademark as “Aunt Jemima”.

Mary Fields aka "Stagecoach Mary"

Born Circa 1832

Mary Fields was a gun-totin,' Black female, in the American wild west. A legend in her own time, for her reliability she earned the nickname STAGECOACH MARY.

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

"The Tuskegee Experiment"

The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was an infamous clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Alabama.

"Cowtown"

All Black Team Wins the National Polo Championship

Cowtown, won the 42d annual USPA National Interscholastic Championship tournament in Charlottesville, VA.

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was at its height between 1850 and 1860.

The Underground Railroad refers to the effort to assist blacks held in bondage in North America to escape from slavery.

Greenwood Revisited

The Legacy of the Tulsa Race Riot

In 1921, Greenwood, a successful, all-black enclave in Tulsa, Oklahoma was the site of the deadliest race riot in U.S. history.

Freedom Riders

Could You Get On The Bus?

Freedom Riders were Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States.

Kentucky Derby Day

Black Jockeys

The disappearance of black jockeys from the Kentucky Derby and other races was no accident.

Floyd Bixler McKissick and Soul City N.C.

(1922–1991)

Floyd McKissick was born in Asheville, North Carolina on March 9, 1922. He became the first African American student at the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill’s Law School.

Bayard Rustin

(March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987)

An American civil rights activist, largely behind the scenes, he is credited as the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

Hubert Fauntleroy Julian - "The Black Eagle"

(1887 - 1983)

Hubert Julian was born into a wealthy family.His father was a plantation owner in Trinidad, West Indies, in 1897.

List of Unwitting Black Victims of Medical Experiments

(1865 to the 1990's)

In 1855, John "Fed" Brown, an escaped slave, recalled that the doctor to whom he was indentured produced painful blisters on his body in order to observe "how deep my black skin went."

Medical Apartheid in American History

How African Americans have often been the unwitting victims of medical experiments

In the African-American community, a mistrust of doctors and medical research is widespread and deeply rooted in a history of involuntary, abusive, and non-therapeutic experimentation on Blacks documented since at least the 18th century.

A Warning About SmartPhone Wireless Charges

Here's How to Make the Right Call

I was hit with more than $450 in charges from my wireless provider when I used my smart phone while traveling.

Southern Baptists Elect First African-American Vice-President

Reverend Fred Luter

The Southern Baptist Convention elected Rev. Fred Luter to the position of 1st vice president Tuesday at their annual conference in Phoenix.

The Mother/Daughter Business Empire

Madame CJ Walker - (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919)

Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, was an African-American businesswomen, hair care entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The Mother/Daughter Business Empire

A'Lelia Walker - (June 6, 1885 – August 17, 1931)

An American businesswoman, and patron of the arts, she was the daughter and only child of self-made millionaire Madam C J Walker.

Rescuing the Real Uncle Tom

By David S. Reynolds

Published: June 13, 2011

The novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, born 200 years ago today, was an unlikely fomenter of wars.

The Black Church and Juneteenth

Dr. Charles Taylor, Author

Juneteenth or June 19, 1865, is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed.

Wimbledon: Bias Against Serena?

Serena Williams

Women's Tennis Association chief Stacy Allaster is backing Serena Wiliams' claim that she was snubbed by being "exiled to an outside court" and relegated to Court Two, in the far reaches of the All England Club.

Also in This Article - White Aristocrat Leaves Fortune to Black Manservant (Kent Adonai)

BASA - America's Black Astronauts

The final launch of Atlantis on July 8th will mark the end of the American space shuttle era, where seven of these unique spacecraft flew 135 missions. An impressive 20 African Americans have earned the moniker "astronaut", and 14 have actually been shot into space.

North Carolina's Eugenic Sterilization Programs

Part I

Thousands were sentenced to sterilization during rubber-stamp hearings in Raleigh. They were wives and daughters. Sisters. Unwed mothers. Children.

North Carolina to Compensate Sterilization Victims

Part II

The state of North Carolina has issued an apology to victims who were sterilized under state eugenics laws and is working on a plan to compensate victims.

Pure Unadulterated Racism - Here is One Lady's Position

Helen L. Burleson, Doctor of Public Administration

Helen L. Burleson has a doctorate degree in public administration. She lives in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Unearthing the Black History of Central Park

Seneca Village

Seneca Village was a small village on the island of Manhattan, New York, founded by free blacks.

The Power of the Gospel: Can Black Churches Survive Turbulent Times?

Published: Sunday, August 28, 2011. Deseret News

Can black churches survive turbulent times? The recession has hit the black community disproportionately hard, shuttering hundreds of churches across the country because of foreclosure.

‘Back when we were Negroes’

By Charles E. Richardson - Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2011 in the Macon Telegraph

There was a time until the early 1960s when the terms to describe those of African decent, like me -- African-American or Black or Afro-American -- were almost unheard of.

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Facts you need to know about Herman Cain

Herman Cain is running for president. He’s not a career politician (in fact he has never held political office). He’s known as a pizza guy, but there’s a lot more to him. He’s also a computer guy, a banker guy, and a rocket scientist guy.

Original Gullah Festival

This festival is a three-day annual celebration of the most authentic U.S. reflection of Africa and the culture spawned in this country -- language, food, music, dance and all.

The Choctaw Freedmen of Oklahoma

The Choctaw freedmen were enslaved African Americans who became part of the Choctaw Nation with emancipation after the American Civil War, a requirement of the 1866 treaty the U.S. made with the Choctaw.

Cherokee Freedmen Controversy

The Cherokee Freedmen Controversy is an ongoing political and tribal dispute between the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and descendants of the Cherokee Freedmen regarding tribal citizenship.

Black Indians in the United States

Two-Part Article

Black Indians is a term that refers to people of African descent, usually with significant Native American ancestry, who also have strong ties to Native American culture, and social and historical traditions.

Gullah Country

Beaufort, S.C. - tracing language, dance, customs and gumbo back to Mother Africa.

Even more than three centuries after many of their ancestors arrived as slaves from Sierra Leone, Senegal and other countries along Africa's Gold Coast, echoes of Africa ring loud and clear among the Gullah people.