The matches between American boxer Joe “The Brown Bomber” Louis and German Max “Black Uhlan of the Rhine” Schmeling defined the era of early 20th Century boxing. On this day in 1938, Louis defeated Schmeling and became the first Black heavyweight boxer of his rank to score a first-round knockout. Louis and Schmeling previously met […]
The Howard University Men’s Soccer team is currently the only men’s squad that plays in the MEAC conference. Through its ups and downs, the team’s legacy remains stellar after it became the first team from a HBCU to win a NCAA division I championship. In 1971, the Bisons won their first title after defeating the […]
The story of Will and William Tell, two unrelated Black men who were prisoners at Kansas’ Leavenworth Penitentiary, has become a legendary tale in forensics science lore. The two men looked nearly identical and because of it, they ultimately caused the prison industry to shift from an outdated facial recognition system to using fingerprints to […]
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 […]
Nick Gabaldon has been recognized by California’s surf historians as the first surfer of color to emerge from the tight-knit community. Gabaldon has been hailed for breaking barriers in the sport, and serves as an inspiration for other Black and Latino surfers around the world. Nicolás Rolando Gabaldón was born February 23, 1927 in Los […]
Mark C. Alexander, a longtime legal professor and scholar, was named the dean of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law last Friday. The position makes Alexander the first African-American to hold a post at the prestigious law school. Alexander, 51, is known in the law community as an expert of the First Amendment, penning […]
As the world continues to mourn the great Muhammad Ali, many are reflecting on the champ’s stellar boxing career. In his second to last fight, Ali fought Larry Holmes. Ali and Holmes, former training and sparring partners, met in the ring on October 2, 1980 in Las Vegas. It was reported that Holmes didn’t want […]
Stephanie St. Clair was a notable crime boss in Harlem, New York who worked alongside fellow gangster Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. St. Clair’s numbers operation was so prominent, it caught the attention of the Mob and sparked a brief but violent war. St. Clair was born on the island of Martinique in 1886 and arrived in […]
The NAACP annually awards the Spingarn Medal to individuals who have contributed greatly to the African-American community. On this day in 1920, scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois became the sixth recipient of the coveted award for his work with the Pan-African Congress. The Spingarn Medal was established in 1914 by then-Chairman J.E. Spingarn, and […]
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 […]
Ursula Burns, the pioneering and longtime CEO of Xerox, will be stepping down from her position at the end of the year. Burns has worked at the company since 1980. Her resignation leaves the Fortune 500 without a single Black women as CEO. Burns, who was raised in a tough housing project in New York […]
