Little Known Black History Facts

The American Missionary Association was founded on this day in 1846 by a network of 19th Century missionaries with an aim to abolish slavery, and education escaped and freed slaves. The AMA went on the help found some of the more notable HBCUs in the nation. The association began in Albany, N.Y., splitting with other […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Henry Highland Garnet made history as the first Black minister to address the U.S. House of Representatives in 1865, but another pivotal moment in his life took place this week in 1843. Garnet’s famous speech “Call To Rebellion” rallied slaves to rise up against their masters and was widely criticized by other abolitionists for being […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Graphic designer Georg Olden broke a race barrier in the art world on this day in 1963. The award-winning artist became the first Black designer of a postal stamp, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Olden was born November 13, 1920 in Birmingham, Ala., and attended Dunbar High School in Washington. D.C. […]

Little Known Black History Facts

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was a bold move by President Abraham Lincoln, but not necessarily based in good intentions. On this day in 1861, the first of the Confiscation Acts was passed which directed the Confederacy to relinquish its property – which included slaves – to the Union. Lincoln was initially against signing the […]

Little Known Black History Facts

The Jersey City Riots of 1964 began on this day, lasting for three nights before police quieted the skirmishes. While the root of the riots was based on the arrest of a pair of Black residents, the especially tense racial climate at the time was also a contributing factor. The Lafayette section of Jersey City, […]

Little Known Black History Facts

In July 1956, Dr. Blanche Sellers Lavizzo made history by becoming the first Black woman pediatrician in the state of Washington. Today is also Dr. Lavizzo’s birthday. BBorn in 1925 in Atlanta, Georgia, Blanche Sellers’ father was the owner of one the city’s largest funeral homes.  Lavizzo graduated from Spelman College in 1946 and Meharry […]

Little Known Black History Facts

As a result of the case Furman vs. Georgia, The United States Supreme Court struck down the death penalty on this day in 1972. The victory for capital punishment opponents was short-lived however, as states resisted the High Court’s opinion that it was “cruel and unusual punishment.” The man at the center of the court […]

Little Known Black History Facts

In 1907, a wealthy Quaker used a portion of her inheritance to establish a foundation that would serve to improve education for Black students across the south. The Jeanes Foundation, also known as the Negro Rural School Fund, was started in 1907 with Virginia Estelle Randolph becoming its first supervising teacher in 1908. Booker T. […]

Little Known Black History Facts

In May 1969, Black hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina, mostly women, went on strike to gain recognition for their union and to demand workplace fairness. This past weekend, surviving members of the strike gathered in Washington, D.C. in memoriam and to give a push to the renewed efforts of the Poor People’s Campaign. The […]

Little Known Black History Facts

Marla Gibbs has graced the small and big screen in a career that spans more than four decades and counting. Best known for playing Florence Johnston on the long-running comedy series “The Jeffersons,” Gibbs celebrates a birthday today. Born Margaret Theresa Bradley on this day in 1931, the Chicago native didn’t have the opportunity to […]

Little Known Black History Facts

According to the most recent data numbers, African-Americans make up roughly 17 percent of today’s military but their contribution to this nation’s military is significant. Black soldiers have been under employ by the nation in every major American war, although in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was done by coercion, force and desperation. A […]

Little Known Black History Facts

The Kentucky Derby, the first of the “Triple Crown” of thoroughbred horse racing, began on this day in 1875. The odds were good that a black jockey would win the prestigious contest, with Oliver Lewis becoming the first to do so. Lewis, 19, was a Kentucky native who climbed atop Aristides, a horse trained by […]