Memorial Day holds a special place for many Americans, especially those who serve in the nation’s military. While past and current members of the armed forces are most certainly honored, what few realize is that the practice of celebrating America’s soldiers gained popularity due to a group of freed Blacks in the South. In the […]
The lore of the town of Nicodemus, Kansas began on April 18, 1877 when a group six former slaves and a white land speculator formed a company to create the first all-Black establishment in the Great Plains. W.H. Smith, who was Black, served as the town’s first president, and W.R. Hill, the land speculator, was […]
Jelly Roll Morton famously introduced himself as the inventor of jazz. While that claim has been questioned over time, the New Orleans pianist undoubtedly planted the early seeds of innovation in the genre. Morton was born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe on October 20, 1890, although some sources cite 1885. A Creole, Morton was of Spanish, French […]
John Morton-Finney was a true Renaissance man, earning an impressive 11 degrees during his lifetime. The former Buffalo Soldier Army man and educator is also considered by some historians the longest-serving lawyer of all time. Morton-Finney was born to a former slave father and a free mother in Kentucky. The parents taught their seven children […]
June Bacon-Bercey was a pioneer in the field of meteorology, becoming the first Black woman to earn a degree in the science in the ’50s. She was also an internationally recognized expert in aviation and weather, and is the first woman and African-American woman to win the American Meteorological Society’s “seal of approval” honor for […]
Linda Martell was a former country and blues artist who made her mark in the industry by becoming the first African-American woman to star in the Grand Ole Opry. Martell enjoyed a brief period of success but elected to raise her family and preserve her health instead of chasing down fame as a musician. LIKE […]
Toni “Tomboy” Stone was the first woman to play for a men’s professional baseball league. Although she was signed to save a lagging Negro League team’s ticket sales, she proved to be far more than just a novelty player. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE. Marcenia Lyle Stone was born July 17, […]
Ethel L. Payne was a pioneering Black journalist who became known for covering the rise of the civil rights movement and for her tenacious reporting. Known as the “First Lady of the Black Press,” Ms. Payne broke down many barriers in her career. Born in 1911, the Chicago native studied journalism in college. She graduated […]
Mae Mallory as an activist and freedom fighter who was at the forefront of some of the civil rights movement’s major events. Mallory was a founder of the Harlem Nine who railed against New York’s segregated school system and was a supporter of Black radical Robert F. Williams. Born June 9, 1927 in Macon, Georgia, […]
MARION, Ala. (AP) — Della Simpson Maynor remembers the mounted police officer cracking her elbow with a baton. She recalls the panicked marchers unable to escape the onslaught, and the scuffle between officers and a young church deacon who was trying to protect his mother and grandfather. Most of all, she remembers the gunshot. LIKE […]
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NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has appointed its first African American umpire crew chief, promoting Kerwin Danley to the position this week, The Associated Press has learned. A person familiar with the move spoke to the AP on Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made. MLB […]
