The Golden 13 were the 13 African-American enlisted men who became the first black commissioned officers in the United States Navy. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/31394

In 1984, Sherman White, a former All-American basketball forward, told the New York Times about his shattered dreams of playing in the NBA. His road to the New York Knicks was blocked. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/31394

From the time she was five years old, when she watched the WWII film, “Wing and a Prayer,” alongside her military father, Gail Harris knew she wanted to be in Navy intelligence, a position never held by a woman before. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/30871

Eight weeks ago, a court decision ended the wait for anthropologists to begin digging for Seneca Village, which was formerly inhabited by blacks in New York City’s Central Park. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/30826

Dr. Velma Scantlebury-White is our nation’s first African-American female transplant surgeon. The mother of two currently serves as the associate director of the kidney transplant program at Christiana Care Health System. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/30778

Sherman “Jocko” Maxwell was the nation’s first African-American sportscaster, with special coverage of Negro League baseball. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/30737

Known for sporting pink sunglasses and a cowboy hat while protesting in the front row anywhere, Florynce Rae Kennedy was a feminist and civil rights lawyer of the 1970s. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/30594

Sports

Pro Football Hall of Famer and NFL tight end John Mackey made historical runs for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers during the mid 1960s and ’70s. He served as the first president of the NFL Players Association, where he gained a noted $11 million in pension and benefits for NFL players. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/30254

Controversy surrounds the placing of monuments dedicated toward Araminta Ross, also known as Harriet Tubman, the conductor of the Underground Railroad. Tubman, who was known to threaten an escaping slave with a bullet if they chose to turn back, was a Maryland native, and 2013 will mark the centennial memorial of her passing. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/29824

In January 1955, opera singer Marian Anderson became the first black person to perform at the renowned Metropolitan Opera of New York. Her work as an accomplished singer served as a catalyst of civil rights for many musicians. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/29741

African-American actor Frank Silvera starred in many top tier Hollywood shows and films – as a white man. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/29260

Black pianist Erroll Garner was considered a founding father of jazz. It is a well-known fact that Garner was never able to read sheet music and learned to play music by ear. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_black_diaspora_news/29219