Little Known Black History Facts
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, better known as the CIAA, is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the United States. In 2012, the CIAA named Jacqie Carpenter as its commissioner and is the first Black woman to hold the post. Carpenter, a graduate of Hampton University in 1991 and later Temple University, was a […]
Raleigh, North Carolina has been a center of a series of peaceful protests known as “Moral Mondays.” Supporters of the cause have aligned with one another to combat instances of racial discrimination, voter disenfranchisement, and other social injustices. Organized by Rev. Dr. William Barber II of the NAACP, the gatherings have grown beyond their […]
South Carolina’s State House building in Columbia is the seat of the state’s government, and also a site of controversy regarding the racist past of the Confederate flag. While the flag has since been removed from atop the State House dome, it still flies on the building’s grounds despite criticism from those who feel […]
Malcolm X remains as one of the most influential and complex figures of the modern era. His lasting legacy as a symbol of Black pride, intellect and bravado has sustained over the decades since his death. This Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the great leader’s assassination, which silenced a voice that could have […]
Perry Wallace is now a Law professor at American University in Washington, D.C. But in an earlier time, Mr. Wallace was a reluctant basketball pioneer. While Wallace shuns the distinction, he does recognize how his ascension in athletics is an important legacy worth remembering. Wallace was a star athlete and standout student in the […]
Despite the significant obstacles she faced as a child in Tennessee, Dr. Mary Frances Berry has established a reputation as one of the most respected educators in the nation, with more accomplishments still on the horizon. Born February 17, 1938, poverty split her family apart and she and her brother lived as orphans for a time. While […]
The late August Wilson and his celebrated crowning achievement, “The Pittsburgh Cycle,” helped earn the playwright a series of awards and launched the careers of several talented actors. This week, the PBS network will air a documentary on the extraordinary life and rise of Wilson from his humble Pittsburgh beginnings. Born Fredrick August Kittell Jr. […]
Michele A. Roberts, the president of the National Basketball Players Association, is the first woman to lead a players union across the four major American sports. Ms. Roberts brings a wealth of legal experience to the job along with a no-nonsense style when working on behalf of the players she represents. Raised in a South […]
Dr. Darlene Clark Hine is a pioneer in the study of African-American history and the role of women within that narrative. But despite her standing as a leading scholar on Black women, that specialty came about almost by accident. Hine was born February 7, 1957 in Morley, Mo. She attended Roosevelt University for her […]
Dean Smith, the legendary coach of the University of North Carolina’s men’s basketball team, has died. Coach Smith passed away peacefully at home with his wife and family by his side. He was 83. While Smith’s basketball accomplishments are well known, new light has been shed on his fight for racial equality in sports […]
Black golfers such as Pete Brown, Lee Elder, Ann Gregory, Althea Gibson and Tiger Woods all owe their careers to golf pioneer Charlie Sifford. Sifford, the first Black golfer to play on the once all-white PGA Tour, died this past Tuesday. He was 92. Sifford was born June 2, 1922 in Charlotte, North Carolina. […]
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. a retired heart surgeon and educator, has made history a few times over the course of his four-decade career in medicine. On this day in 1980, Dr. Watkins performed the first human application of the Automatic Implantable Defibrillator (AID) at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. Watkins, born June 13, […]
