Little Known Black History Facts
Wendell Scott became the first African-American to obtain a NASCAR racing license in 1953. Now, decades after making history, Wendell Scott is the first black racecar driver on the ballot for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Scott will be on the 2013 ballot and fans can vote for him on NASCAR.com. Wendell Scott was the […]
Broadcast journalist Gil Noble was a pioneer in TV broadcasting and a well-known reporter during the civil rights era. Gil Noble has produced the largest collection of programs and documentaries on the African-American experience. Some of his key interviews were with Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. Martin Luther King, President Nelson Mandela, Lena Horne, […]
Alessandro De’Medici, a.k.a. “IL Moro,” which stands for “The Moor,” was the first African-American Duke of Florence, Italy and the last member of the Medici family to rule. De’Medici was also the first one to take the title of Duke through ancestry. Though he was said to be the son of Lorenzo II De’ Medici, […]
Bessie B. Stringfield, a.k.a. “BB,” was the first black woman to make eight long-distance solo tours across the U.S. on a motorcycle. In the 1930’s, BB Stringfield rode her hot rod through areas known for racial violence and prejudice. She earned the nickname “The Negro Motorcycle Queen.” On her tours, Bessie Stringfield traveled through Brazil, […]
Filmmaker Jamaa Fanaka was best known for his 1979 pivotal breakout film “Penitentiary.” He is also known as a leader of the L.A. Rebellion film movement from 1960-1980, when black filmmakers worked to produce films that were alternatives to the Hollywood classics. Born Walter Gordon in Jackson, Mississippi, the young filmmaker was raised in Compton, […]
The city of Sanford, Florida is in the headlines as the place where Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. But the city is also haunted by racist memories of the past, dating back to the early days of baseball Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson. After Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was sent to train […]
The case of Shelley vs. Kraemer dates back to 1945, when the family of J.D. Shelley purchased a home in a St. Louis neighborhood that had apparently been under a restrictive covenant. This meant that white families in the area had a clause in their real estate contracts stating that no family with “Negro or […]