Little Known Black History Facts

Little Known Black History Facts

NOTE: Thank you to Phyllis Cunningham of Baltimore, MD for this black history subject. Abraham Galloway was a mixed-race, 19th century slave and brick mason. Born in Smithville, North Carolina, his father was a white man named John Wesley Galloway, who was the son of a wealthy Brunswick County planter. His mother was a 17-year-old […]

Little Known Black History Facts

The first black bishop to serve in the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit was Bishop Moses B. Anderson.  Anderson passed away last week from cardiac arrest. Bishop Anderson was ordained in 1958. He is a native of Selma, Alabama and attended Xavier University in New Orleans. In 1983, Bishop Anderson was given his position by Pope […]

Little Known Black History Facts, Originals

This upcoming Saturday, the Schomburg Center for Research of Black Culture will host its first Black Comic Book Festival. Located in Harlem, New York, the Schomburg Center holds artifacts, recordings, paintings and other pieces of black history. Among the events of the festival will be a screening of “White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Recently at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a diary documenting the life of a freed black woman, Emilie (Emily) Davis, was restored. Emilie Davis was a young black woman living in Pennsylvania who began writing in her journal the day President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. She expresses that she was thankful that her life […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Jennifer Jones was the first African American woman to join the famous Rockettes chorus line. Jones joined the legendary dancers in 1988. A native of New Jersey, Jones started dancing at 10 years old. She was unfamiliar with the Rockettes until she saw an ad in Backstage Magazine. She was encouraged by friends to audition. […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Fort Mose has been labeled as the very first black settlement in America. The area was formed in 1726 and was nestled two miles north of St. Augustine, Fla. By 1738, Fort Mose consisted of 38 freed escaped black slaves, most with their families. The Fort was protected by armed black men, the black militia, […]

Little Known Black History Facts

January 1, 1863, marks the day that Emancipation Proclamation under President Abraham Lincoln would be signed. The order would call for the freedom of over 3.1 million slaves under the Confederacy. It was said that Abraham Lincoln found the practice of slavery barbaric but he knew that that would not appeal to neither the Union […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Laura Ann Cansler was the first black teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee. The North Carolina native moved to Knoxville during the Civil War. Her sibling, William Cansler, was taken during a raid by rebel soldiers and had escaped a few days later. Their family home was invaded and soldiers took supplies. An Episcopal reverend named Thomas […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Jimmy McCracklin, an R&B sensation from the 1950’s, passed away at age 91 this month. McCracklin was known for his hit song “The Walk” which he recorded on Chess Records and performed on “American Bandstand“. The song hit number seven on the Billboard charts. The music of Jimmy McCracklin has been sampled and remade by […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Anne Wiggins Brown was an African American soprano singer known for her role as “Bess” in the original production of “Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin. Brown is acknowledged as the inspiration that caused Gershwin to keep adding songs for her character in a process that turned “Porgy” into “Porgy and Bess.” She is also […]

Little Known Black History Facts

On September 15, 1963, 15 year-old Carolyn Mckinstry walked into the sanctuary to hand in Sunday school papers to the office at 16th Street Baptist Church. Within a few steps, she heard a large explosion. A bomb had been ignited. This particular bomb killed four little girls: Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, and […]

Little Known Black History Facts

During slavery, some slaves were given a day of rest while others were forced to continue work. In some parts of the country, slaves were given a yule log to burn in the big house. As long as the log burned, they were granted rest during the holiday. Sometimes the log would burn until the […]