Little Known Black History Facts
Betty Boop is one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time, a virtual sex symbol created during a time where bold women were often frowned upon. The character’s signature vocals stood out, but she wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for a Black woman in Harlem who inspired the style. Esther Jones was a […]
Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who valiantly fought in World War I, will hopefully soon be awarded the nation’s highest military honor nearly a century after his passing. Johnson single-handedly defeated a sneak attack by German forces while stationed in France, saving the lives of he and his fellow soldiers in the process. Born Henry […]
The 1989 “Greekfest Riots” in Virginia Beach, Va. was a clash between police in the beach town and thousands of Black college students celebrating a popular annual event. Because of the tactical deployment of city police and the state’s National Guard, many attendees of Greekfest took it that they were unwanted there and haven’t returned […]
Joseph W. Hatchett, an award-winning Florida attorney, made history as the state’s first Black Supreme Court justice. Hatchett was also the first Black justice appointed to the federal court of appeals in the south as well. To this day, Hatchett still works to promote diversity in the legal profession. Hatchett was born in Clearwater, Fla. […]
Rev. Channing E. Phillips was the first Black person nominated to serve as a potential presidential candidate by a major political party. In August of 1968. Rev. Phillips was backed by the Washington, D.C. delegation as its presidential nominee after the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Phillips was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on March […]
Labor Day is a highly anticipated holiday across the nation, and a time where many working families take a day to relax and reflect. The holiday, established in 1887, was to honor the American Labor Movement. Unions and labor organizing is a hallmark of the American landscape, and African-American unions began to flourish in the […]
In elementary school, where many of us are just hoping to make it to the next grade, Cortlan Wickliff had already drafted a plan for his career. Wickliff’s achieved an academic feat by becoming the second-youngest person to graduate from Harvard Law School and was at one point the youngest Black engineer in the country. […]
Lucy Stanton Day Sessions is considered by some historians the first Black woman to graduate from a four-year college in 1850. Although another pioneer, Mary Jane Patterson, was officially awarded a bachelor’s degree in 1862, Mrs. Day Sessions’ coursework was considered by Oberlin College to be equal to a four-year degree although it lacked some […]
Paul Robeson was one of America’s most gifted actors and entertainers, who achieved international stardom by way of his dignified stature and prodigious talents. However, Robeson’s anti-colonialist views, his outspoken thoughts on the Ku Klux Klan and his support of perceived pro-Soviet policies made him an enemy of the state. On this day in 1949, […]
Musical prodigy Dean Dixon made history by becoming the first African-American to conduct the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Although Dixon’s race barred him from success domestically, he went on to achieve global recognition for his talents. Dixon was born January 10, 1915 in Harlem to Caribbean parents. Dixon learned the violin at age three […]
Yusef Hawkins, a 16-year-old Brooklyn boy, was killed August 23, 1989 in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York by an angry white mob. Bensonhurst, a predominantly Italian neighborhood, became the center of attention and the target of several race-related protests led by religious and civic leaders such as Rev. Al Sharpton. On that fateful […]
Marvel Comics has taken strides to include African-American characters across its various comic book titles since the ’60s, including becoming the first mainstream comic company to feature a Black superhero. What isn’t known to many outside Marvel’s vastly detailed comic books world is that three of its top characters hail from the borough of Harlem […]
