Charles Gordone, playwright, actor, director and educator, might not be commonly known but he’s a pioneer in the theater world nonetheless. On this day in 1970, Gordone became the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Gordone, born Charles Edward Fleming on October 12, 1925, was raised in Indiana with his family. […]
Bowling, a sport with roots dating back to ancient Egypt, is typically seen nowadays as a game of fun and leisure among family and friends. On the professional circuit, however, the game can get very serious. George Branham III, a retired professional bowler, was the first Black person to win a Professional Bowlers Association […]
Jacksonville’s Alvin Brown made history in 2011 by becoming the city’s first Black mayor. Mayor Brown won his election in a tight race during a time where Tea Party Republicans were surging, pulling off a major upset. Brown, born December 15, 1961, grew up in Beaufort, S.C. He came to the “River City” to attend […]
Samuel “Sam” Jones is the first Black mayor of Mobile, Ala. After years of serving in a smaller public office role, Jones took the city’s top job in 2005 before losing an reelection bid in 2013. Jones, a native of the city, gradated from Central High School. He attended college in Jacksonville, Fla., graduating […]
For iPhone: Harvard University economics professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr. endured a tough childhood full of crime and dysfunction to become the youngest Black person to earn tenure at the prestigious school. Fryer was born in Daytona Beach, Fla. on June 4, 1977. His mother, Rita, was a classically trained musician and his father […]
For iPhone: Isaac “Ike” Jones was a film producer who was the first Black graduate of the UCLA Film School. Jones is also recognized as the first Black producer of a major motion picture. Jones died this month in Los Angeles at an assisted-living facility. Jones was born on December 23, 1929 in […]
Jeh Johnson is another of President Barack Obama’s high-profile African-American picks appointed to top positions in the presidential Cabinet. Johnson, who served as general counsel for former President Bill Clinton, was sworn in as the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security in December 2013. He is the first Black person to assume the role. […]
Ursula M. Burns’ rise to as the first African-American woman to head a Fortune 500 company is inspiring. Though Burns was raised in a New York housing project, she made her way to the top of the business world and past the lowered expectations placed upon her. Burns was born September 20, 1958 to Panamanian […]
Clara Stanton Jones and her career as a top librarian was born early on when she was a young girl in her native St. Louis. Inspired by a love of reading and education, Jones was inspired by her family and a legendary civil rights pioneer on her way to become the first Black person to […]
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Mo’ne Davis’ performance in the Little League World Series has earned her a place in baseball’s Hall of Fame. The 13-year-old Davis plans to donate the jersey she wore last month when she pitched a two-hit shutout, becoming the first girl to win a game at the LLWS. She will visit […]
Ethel Waters was a pioneering singer, actress and entertainer that endured several hardships along with measurable successes. According to some historical accounts, Ms. Waters is the first Black woman nominated for an Emmy Award and the first to star on network television. Born October 31, 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania., Waters was born into poverty under […]
If you look at the makeup of the NFL today over 70% of its players are Black and have arguably reshaped the modern game. But in the 1940’s, it wasn’t that way. Professional football was segregated. But in 1946, four men, Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley and Bill Willis integrated football. But despite how impactful […]
