Riverside General Hospital (RGH) in Houston, Texas is the only remaining historically black hospital in the United States. Formerly known as the Houston Negro Hospital, the 1927 facility was the dream project of several black doctors. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/news/little-known-black-history-fact/little-known-black-history-fact-riverside-general-hospital
U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant Emily Perez a.k.a. “Kobe” was the first black woman at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to reach the rank of Corps Commander Sergeant Major. She was nicknamed “Kobe” because she “always made the shots” according to family and friends. A 2005 graduate, Perez was fluent in German and a […]
Alfred Hair a.k.a “Freddie” of Fort Pierce, Florida was a black artist and student of a well-known white art teacher named A.E. Backus. Hair was born pre-civil rights and used painting as a release from the segregated south. His style of painting bright scenes of Florida, with no two paintings just alike, came to be […]
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a historically white organization for woman descendants of rebel patriots that served in the American Revolution. For centuries, black women were discouraged from joining the group. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/news/little-known-black-history-fact/little-known-black-history-fact-daughters-american-revolution
The word barbecue and the open-fire cooking technique came from the Caribbean amongst the Taino people around the late 17th century. The word barbecue itself means “sacred fire pit.” The unique way to cook meat spread into Spanish, French and American cultures when slaves were brought from the Caribbean. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/news/little-known-black-history-fact/little-known-black-history-fact-history-barbeque
Maritza Correia was the first African-American (with Puerto Rican heritage) swimmer from the United States to set an American and world swimming record in the Olympics. Nicknamed the “Ritz,” Correia was diagnosed with scoliosis in 1988. At the suggestion of her physician, she began swimming at age 8 and never left the pool. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/news/little-known-black-history-fact/little-known-black-history-fact-maritza-correia
Reverend Fred Luter, Jr. has been elected as the first black President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The organization that has had the tarnished reputation of being a place for white supremecy, racism and segregation since the mid 1800s, made a decision to change their current course in history. Reverend Fred Luter, Jr. was unopposed […]
Doc McStuffins is the name of the newest animated TV star featured on Disney Junior. The “Doc” is the first black female lead character of an animated series on the channel. Created by Emmy Award winning Writer and Producer Chris Nee, (Blues Clues, Backyardigans, Little Bill), Doc McStuffins is an animal vet for fictional toys […]
Rosa Guy was an author from Diego Martin, Trinidad who was known for telling the deliberate and unapologetic truth to young readers about life through her novels. Guy used her own experiences to talk to her readers about race, class, poverty, sexuality and tensions between African-Americans and immigrants. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/news/little-known-black-history-fact/little-known-black-history-fact-rosa-guy
The 1984 film “Beat Street” by Steven Hager was the first American film featuring two soundtracks. The film, which was originally titled “Looking for the Perfect Beat” featured popular rap groups of the 1980’s like the Rock Steady Crew, Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, the Treacherous Three (featuring Kool Mo Dee), Grandmaster Melle […]
Grammy award winning singer Koko Taylor, A.K.A. the “Queen of the Blues,” was known primarily for her rough and powerful vocals and traditional blues style. The Shelby County Tennessee native left her Memphis Roots in 1952 to move to Chicago with her husband Robert “Pops” Taylor and worked as a house cleaner. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/news/little-known-black-history-fact/little-known-black-history-fact-koko-taylor-queen-blues
Sixteen-year-old entrepreneur Leanna Archer was the youngest CEO to ring the NASDAQ stock market bell. She was also the youngest person to be featured in INC Magazine’s “30 under 30 list.” http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/39907
