Little Known Black History Facts
The Old Towne Inn is a historic restaurant in Prince George’s County, MD. In the centuries of slavery, The Old Town Inn was only a few blocks away from a known slave auction block that still sits behind an old house down the street. Prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the restaurant was […]
In 2015, a 25 year-old South African man named Mandla Maseko will be the first African to go to space. Maseko was chosen through a competition organized by the Axe Apollo Space Academy. He was up against one million international competitors. Maseko and 22 other winners will travel 64 miles into space. The journey there […]
Howard “Sandman” Sims was a legend of the Apollo Theater, chasing the bad acts off the stage after crowds boo’ed their performance. He did his Apollo routine for 17 years. Sims got his nickname “Sandman” from tap dancing on sand in his performances. Howard Sims is a native of Los Angeles, CA. In 1947, he […]
According to the Institute for Policy Studies, the wealth of the Forbes 400 billionaires is equal to the wealth of the entire African American population. There are currently 41 million blacks in America. After the economic crises in 2008, wealth, specifically in African American households, declined dramatically. According to the research, the amount of billionaires […]
For the first time in history, an African American and openly gay judge has been nominated to the U.S. District Court of Illinois. Judge Staci Michelle Yandle was nominated last week by President Obama, who has nominated more African American and more gay judges than any other president in American history. Yandle is a 20-year […]
Each person on this earth has a path that formed who they are today and who they will be tomorrow. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s path was to be known worldwide and his message of nonviolent protest with progression based on the transformation of human ideology would live on forever. But Dr. King, like any […]
William McKinley Branch was the nation’s first black probate judge. His journey started in the 1960’s, when he was spiritually led back to Alabama from Illinois, despite his offers to pastor churches on the east coast. Branch landed at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Forkland. He served as pastor for over 60 years. With a […]
January in the early 1900’s was busy for the campus of Howard University. On January 16, 1920, they welcomed a new sorority named Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. The Zetas emerged during a time of economic depression in America, and through the vision of five black female students, an organization was built that is now over […]
Today marks the 106th anniversary of the oldest black women’s greek letter organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. The AKA’s were established in 1908 on the campus of Howard University by nine scholastic leaders. Soon after, seven honor student sophomores were added to the group to ensure continuity. They were led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, […]
Franklin McCain was a U.S. civil rights leader who, with three other students, is credited with starting the lunch-counter sit-ins to protest Jim Crow laws at restaurant establishments in America. The four students earned the name the “Greensboro Four.” McCain was a student at North Carolina A&T when he and other black student activists chose […]
On January 13, 1913 on the campus of Howard University, 22 female students founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. With the strength of those 22 women, the organization has grown to over 200,000 strong all over the world. A not-for-profit public service sorority, some of the world’s top professionals are members. Women like Sadie T.M. […]
Judge June Berry Darensburg is now the first black woman to serve as a Judicial District Court Chief Judge in the Jefferson parish of New Orleans. She is also the first African American woman to be elected to the district court. Darensburg is the 24th judge of the court and will sit for a two-year […]
