Little Known Black History Facts

Jackie Ormes was the first known and syndicated black woman cartoonist who brought black images and characters to the American funny papers. It was Ormes’ characters that would express the “power of black,” decades before it was openly addressed in mainstream society. Though carrying blatant messages, her characters were elegant and classy. Born Zelda Mavin […]

Joseph Douglass, grandson of Frederick Douglass, was the first nationally-known black concert violinist. His interest in music stemmed from his father and grandfather, both of which played the violin. Douglass was also the first black violinist to tour the world as a performer. When he was 22 years old, Joseph Douglass performed at the Chicago […]

When people think of the March on Washington, the first person that comes to mind is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But volunteers of the historical event also attribute the success of that day to Bayard Rustin – a.k.a. “Mr. March on Washington.”  Bayard Rustin was the lead organizer of the August 28th march and […]

The National Alliance of Postal Employees was formed in 1913 in response to the discrimination faced by early black postal employees. The organization is comprised of a union of people who serve the nation as rank and file employees in the U.S. Federal and U.S. Postal Service. Their motto is unmistaken: Faithful Until Death, (or […]

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington D.C. was America’s first black public high school.  Named after black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the high school produced some of the most successful blacks in the country. Dunbar High was founded in 1870 as the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth in the basement of the Fifteenth […]

Fearn Plantation in Danville, Virginia was the last capital of the Confederacy. Thomas Fearn purchased the land in 1783 from William Wynn, both of whom were founders of Danville, Virginia. On the land is a historic cemetery where a tombstone still reads “Fearn’s Burying Ground.” A single chimney and artifacts of a slave house still […]

In contemporary art history, 30-something year old black artist, Kara Walker is best known for her life-size black silhouettes that bring an artistic vision to civil rights history and racism. Her work has been seen at places like the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Walker is the second youngest recipient […]

Commander Titus Hall was the first African American two-star general to lead the base at Wright-Patterson Air Force base. After graduating from Tuskegee Institute with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Hall earned a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Southern California. He then took on Reserve Officers Training. Hall went into […]

Bass Reeves was a Paris, Texas-born slave who become one of the toughest men of the frontier in history. Owned by farmer and politician George Reeves, Bass worked as water boy and later as his owners’ personal servant. In 1860, Reeves took the distraction of the Civil War as an opportunity to escape and live […]

DaVita Vance-Cooks was just named the nation’s public printer, making her both the first female and the first African American to lead the Government Printing Office in the agency’s 152-year history. Vance-Cooks’ appointment was approved by unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate. President Barack Obama nominated her for the position earlier this year. DaVita Vance-Cooks […]

North Carolina Attorney Julius Chambers founded the first racially integrated law practice in the southern United States in 1964. Chambers served as the first African American editor-in-chief of the law review at University of North Carolina law school. He graduated first in his class. Chambers was known for his work in civil rights cases, like […]

Students in Maryland Eastern Shore are currently excavating land that is believed to be the oldest and first free black community in the United States. Students from the University of Maryland and Morgan State University are digging up artifacts in a neighborhood called The Hill that may prove to be older than the Treme neighborhood […]