While many know the incredible story of Henry ‘Box’ Brown who escaped slavery by shipping himself from Virginia to Pennsylvania, Lear Green’s story has been somewhat lost to history. Greer was an enslaved woman who made a daring escape in order to marry the man of her choice and bear free children. Green was able to […]
The Red Summer of 1919 refers to a series of race riots that took place in dozens of cities across the United States. On this day that year, Washington, D.C. endured an ugly race riot that left dozens dead and several more injured. As World War I was becoming a memory, many former military men, […]
In commemoration of the anniversary of the tragic terror attack on Emanuel AME Church last year and in the wake of the devastating shooting in Orlando this month, Juneteenth, the historic holiday commemorating the southern Black slaves’ emancipation, is upon us. This day is incredibly important because on one hand, it demonstrates to us the cyclical nature […]
Today marks Youth Day across South Africa, which is meant to observe the start of the Soweto Uprising. Hector Pieterson, a youth shot and killed during the protests in 1976, was the centerpiece of one of the uprising’s most iconic images and helped to rally the world against the country’s racist Apartheid rule. The uprising […]
Ho Chi Minh, the famed Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader was instrumental in leading North Vietnam to eventual independence from French colonizers. According to historians, Ho was influenced partly by the teachings of Marcus Garvey during a stay in America. Ho Chi Minh was born Nguyễn Sinh Cung on May 19, 1890. Much of Ho’s early […]
Rev. David E. Gay Jr., the pastor of Beulah Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala., was the a social and mental health worker prior to his life in ministry. In 2000, he became the first Black director of Bryce Hospital, the largest psychiatric facility in the state. Rev. Gay’s journey began after graduating Druid High School […]
Samuel Sharpe was a Jamaican preacher who led a 10-day slave revolt on the island nation that moved the British Empire to end slavery in 1833. The so-called “Baptist War” because of the denomination of many involved, or the “Christmas Rebellion of 1831,” left over several hundred slaves dead. Sharpe was born around 1801, according […]
P.B.S. Pinchback was the first African-American governor of the United States, and was nearly a U.S. Senator before the racist power structure kept him from…
Moneeta Sleet Jr. spent over four decades shooting some of Black America’s most lasting images for EBONY magazine. He is the first African-American to be…
Eugene Antonio Marino became the first Black Archbishop of the United States on this day in 1988. Although Archbishop Marino’s appointment in the post ended…
The U.S. Treasury announces that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s photo will be added on the back of the $5 dollar bill. According to WSB Local News, President Abraham Lincoln’s picture will remain on the front, but the back will feature historic events at the Lincoln Memorial, including images of renowned opera singer Marian Anderson, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. […]
Swing Phi Swing, a social fellowship founded in 1969, is celebrating its 47th anniversary today. The organization promotes strong values such as academic excellence, community…
