Little Known Black History Facts

  Scholar, author and psychiatrist Dr. Frances Cress Welsing passed away after suffering a stroke this past weekend, coming as quite the shock to her many supporters. Dr. Welsing became a nationally known figure for her controversial 1991 book, The Isis Papers, which expanded upon an essay she wrote in the ’70’s while working at […]

  Meadowlark Lemon, one of the most recognizable members of the Harlem Globetrotters traveling basketball troupe, died on Sunday at the age of 83. Lemon was best known for his amazing ball-handling skills, over-the-top court antics and his infamous water bucket prank among other acts. Born Meadow George Lemon III on April 25, 1932 in […]

The late Dr. John Withers was an Army lieutenant during World War II who risked his career and a chance at furthering his education after he helped two Polish-Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Withers’ compassion saved the lives of the boys, and he was reunited with one of them much later in life. Withers was […]

  The late Edna Lewis was a celebrated chef who introduced the comfort foods of her farming community in the South to a much wider audience. Lewis authored three popular cookbooks that many say revived the lost art of refined southern cuisine. Born April 13, 1916 in the farming settlement of Freetown in Orange County, […]

Since 1975, Detroit businessman George P. Barnes Jr. has overseen Heritage Optical Center and Heritage Vision plans, providing vision services and insurance in Detroit and across Michigan. Barnes’ Heritage Optical Center is Detroit’s first Black-owned and operated optical dispensary has amassed a number of high profile clients across the state over the past four decades. […]

Lt. Gen. Nadja West has amassed several milestones in her 33-year Army career. She was sworn in last week as the first Black U.S. Army Surgeon General, and owns the distinction of being the highest-ranking woman ever to graduate from the West Point military academy. Born in 1961, the Washington, D.C. native graduated from West […]

Jewel Lafontant-Mankarious was a Chicago lawyer who achieved a number of firsts as a woman and African-American in her field. Among her achievements, Lafontant-Mankarious was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Chicago Law School and was also the first Black Deputy Solicitor General. Born Jewel Carter Stradford on April 28, 1922 […]

While tolerance and acceptance of transgender people is slowly emerging in modern times. the last century was much less understanding. For transgender pioneer Lucy Hicks Anderson, those attitudes led her to jail after it was discovered that she was biologically male. Born Tobias Lawson in Waddy, Kentucky in 1886, Anderson began identifying as a girl at a young […]

Martha Settle Putney was one of the first Black women to join the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. After the ending of the war, Putney became a historian and author who notably focused on the contributions of African-Americans in the military. Putney was born Martha Settle on November 9, 1916 in Norristown, Pa. […]

While Lorrie Bartlett might not be a familiar name to those outside the acting realm, she has emerged as one of Hollywood’s major players behind the scenes. Bartlett is the first Black person to head a major talent agency, and is responsible for the careers of rising and established actors and actresses across multiple genres. […]

Matt Baker’s rightful place in the annals of comic book history has been debated by followers of the genre. But by most accounts, he is considered the first successful Black comic book artist, and perhaps the first altogether. Born Clarence Matthew Baker on December 10, 1921 in North Carolina, he came of age in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. […]

South African businesswoman Siza Mzimela made history this past September after the launch of her domestic airline, Fly Blue Crane. She is the first Black woman to own and operate her own airline. Sizakele Petunia Mzimela is an airline industry veteran and no stranger to the executive level. She was the CEO for South African […]