Little Known Black History Facts
This past Monday at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., there was an exhibition of dated black and white photos called “Easter Monday: An African-American Tradition.” As far back as 1891, black families would come in their Easter clothing to the National Zoo the Monday after Easter. Some said that it was because the black […]
Emma McQuiston is set to be Britain’s first black Marchioness in England. A Marchiness is a noblewoman ranking above a countess and below a duchess. She is also called a marquise. She is going to wed Ceawlin Thynne, the 38-year-old Viscount of Weymouth. The 26-year-old celebrity chef and British actress is the daughter of Nigerian […]
Ed Dwight Jr. was the first African American astronaut candidate for what is now NASA. Dwight joined the air force in 1953 as a test pilot. After earning his aeronautical engineering degree, Dwight was referred to President John F. Kennedy as a space candidate by Whitney Young Jr. In 1962, Dwight was entered into the […]
“You walk to the edge of a cliff and you just know you’re gonna fly” – Judy Pace Judy Lenteen Pace is an African American actress who was the first villainess on television in 1964. Pace starred as the tough Vickie Fletcher, a high-powered lawyer on the hit show “Peyton Place.” “Peyton Place” is the […]
In 1890, a former slave named Nancy Green was hired to be the spokesperson for Aunt Jemima brand food products. Nancy Green was born into slavery in 1834 in Montgomery County, Kentucky. In 1889 the creators of Aunt Jemima, Charles Rutt and Charles Underwood, sold the company to R.T Davis, who soon found Nancy Green […]
The card game of whist has been said to originate in Turkey and was brought to the states during slavery, although the Encyclopedia Britannica originates the game of whist to start in Europe in 1529 as the game “Trump”. Black slaves weren’t allowed to read or write, but slave owners believed that the game of […]
NOTE: This story was submitted by Mary Jo Haywood, the first black female Mayor of Camilla, Ga. and a dedicated listener of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” In Camilla, Georgia on “The Hill” sits the Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home. The building was owned by Georgia midwife Beatrice Borders, or “Miss Bea.” Between 1941 and […]
In a ceremony held on Friday, March 22, 2013, General Lloyd Austin became the first African American to lead the U.S. Central Command. This means he is responsible for our troops and transitions in 20 countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia. In his 37-year tenure, General Austin has commanded the 82nd Airborne and […]
The Coon Chicken Inn was a chain of three restaurants founded by Maxon Lester Graham and Adelaide Burt in 1925 with $50.00. The Salt Lake City restaurant’s name, trademarks and entrances were designed to look like a smiling blackface picture of an African American porter. Driving up to The Coon Chicken Inn, you would see […]
Thelma Streat was a favorite black artist among First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the King and Queen of England, actor Vincent Price and dancer Katherine Dunham. In 1947, only four African American artists were known to have solo showings of their artwork in New York City. They were Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Rose Piper and Thelma […]
Nate Smith was a 1960’s civil rights activist in Pittsburgh who is best remembered for his work serving African American labor workers. He used his own body to stop bulldozers working on the U.S. Steel Tower and the Three Rivers Stadium because there were no blacks on the job. Smith’s presence was powerful. He led […]
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was a student from Chickasha, Oklahoma who was the first black student at University of Oklahoma. She was denied entry in 1946 because she was black. After teaming with Thurgood Marshall, she won the case and began classes in 1949. Her case was among those that set the precedent for Brown […]
