Little Known Black History Facts
On February 13, 1970, Joseph Searles became the first African American member of the New York Stock Exchange. The Kansas State University graduate was working as an aide for New York City Mayor John Lindsey when he was offered the job as a floor trader and a general partner of Newburger, Loeb and Co. Searles […]
Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the lovechild of Senator Strom Thurmond and his former black maid, has passed away at age 87. Washington-Williams kept her fatherâs secret for 70 years. She revealed his identity after Thurmond died in 2003. The former South Carolina governor was a known segregationist and the longest serving senator in U.S. history. Essie […]
In 1931, nine black boys were hitching a ride aboard the Southern Railroad freight train. The illegal use of the freight trains was a common mode of transportation for Depression-era workers, both white and black. News had spread that jobs were available in Memphis, so those in search of survival hopped on the Chattanooga train. […]
Forty-eight-year-old footballer Paul Elliott is the first black footballer to receive the prestigious CBE Award. The CBE is the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from the Queen of England. Elliott is known for his work on anti-racism campaigns within the sport of football overseas. Elliott began his football career in […]
The Jheri curl is a hairstyle developed in the 1970âs by white chemist and stylist Robert William Redding. Redding was also responsible for the creation of hair conditioner and PH balanced shampoo. The hairstyle was advertised as a low maintenance wash and wear, and easier to take care of than a chemical relaxer for blacks. […]
113-year-old Louisiana Hines, the black woman who held the Guiness World Record as the oldest American, has passed away. The Detroit native owned a beauty shop, served as a riveter in World War II and helped to run a restaurant in her lifetime. Louisiana Summerlin was born on a farm in Luverne, Alabama. She had […]
Pilot Bill Wilkerson of Pleasant Garden, North Carolina was among the first black pilots in the country. Wilkerson flew 15 years for Piedmont Airlines, which became a part of US Airways in 1989. In 1980, he became the second black person to earn the rank of captain with the company. The retired pilot still wears […]
Today is the birthday of the late civil rights activist Rosa Parks. To honor the woman that left a significant mark in the civil rights movement, the U.S. Postal service will issue a special Forever Stamp with an image of Rosa Parks. It is part of their 2013 civil rights series. On Dec. 1, 1955, […]
Shuffle Along was a 1921 Broadway play by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. The show debuted at Dalyâs 63rd Street theater in New York City. Shuffle Along was one of the longest running plays on Broadway, with 504 performances. The show served as a breakout role for St. Louis native Josephine Baker, who danced in […]
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the brutal 1963 bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Four little girls – Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Denise McNair and Addie Mae Collins lost their lives that day at the hands of the KKK. This week, bipartisan lawmakers have announced the pursuit of the Congressional […]
Daurene Lewis is the first black woman to serve as mayor in Canada. A major figure in the African Nova Scotian community, 68 year-old Lewis passed away last weekend. She was elected to serve as mayor in 1984. Lewis, a PHD, was the first black woman to run in a provincial Canadian election. She unsuccessfully […]
As part of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, a new krewe called the baby dolls was formed in 1912. The baby dolls were a group of black prostitutes who worked in an area outside the legal red-light district called (black) Storyville. They would dress up on Mardi Gras to out-do the red-light district […]
