P.B.S. Pinchback was the first African-American governor of the United States, and was nearly a U.S. Senator before the racist power structure kept him from taking the post. Pinchback was born on this day in 1837. He remains a significant political figure, as it would be well into the 20th Century before a Black […]
Moneeta Sleet Jr. spent over four decades shooting some of Black America’s most lasting images for EBONY magazine. He is the first African-American to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Sleet was born in Owens, Ky. On February 14, 1926. He attended what is now known as Kentucky State University as a business major before […]
Eugene Antonio Marino became the first Black Archbishop of the United States on this day in 1988. Although Archbishop Marino’s appointment in the post ended in scandal, he was still honored by the Catholic Church and served the people until his passing in 2000. Marino was born to Black and Puerto Rican parents on […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. paper money is getting a historic makeover. Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist born into slavery, will be the new face on the $20 bill. The leader of the Underground Railroad is replacing the portrait of Andrew Jackson, the nation’s seventh president and a slave owner, who is being pushed to the back […]
When the thousands of people heading to Washington, D.C. this fall to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, some might not know that a Black woman helped design the sprawling structure. Zena Howard took her dreams of becoming an architect as a young girl and is now responsible for bringing […]
Swing Phi Swing, a social fellowship founded in 1969, is celebrating its 47th anniversary today. The organization promotes strong values such as academic excellence, community service, community engagement, and social change. On the campus of North Carolina’s Winston-Salem State University, 12 women came together to form the organization on the one-year anniversary of Dr. Martin […]
Dr. Homer E. Harris Jr. made history twice – as the first Black football captain of his high school team in Seattle, Washington, and later as the first Black team captain in the Big Ten collegiate sports conference. After his football career ended, Dr. Harris enjoyed a four-decade career as a prominent dermatologist. Harris was […]
The New York Renaissance was an All-Black professional basketball squad, established in 1923 that became a dominant force in the game. On this day in 1939, the Rens became the first all-Black basketball squad to win a world championship. Known as the father of Black basketball, Robert “Bob” Douglas, a native of St. Kitts, […]
Akilah Johnson is the first African-American artist to win the national competition, proving that Black art also matters.
Seventy-five years ago, a group of men made history. Those men were the Tuskegee Airmen. Today, they are being celebrated for their achievements in a ceremony at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee, Alabama and at a VIP Reception at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa in Montgomery, Alabama. The men, officially the […]
Lt. Commander John W. Lee Jr. was the first Black commissioned Navy officer, achieving the historic feat on this day in 1947. The late Navy man made it his personal mission to aid other qualified Black servicemen in his branch to get the same opportunities he did. Lee was born February 13, 1924 and […]
Dolezal made the announcement on her Facebook page, telling her followers she named the bundle of joy after two prominent Black History figures -- Langston Hughes and Crispus Attucks.
