Floyd Norman was the first Black animator hired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios, a legacy that will remain cemented in time. He was featured in a documentary, “Floyd Norman: An Animated Life” in 2016. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM Norman was born June 22, 1935 in Santa Barbara, Calif., a far cry […]
The 1921 destruction of Tulsa, Okla.’s “Black Wall Street” district, also known as the “Tulsa Race Riot,” remains one of the most explosive racial incidents of the early 20th Century. Angry white rioters destroyed Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood, then considered the most affluent all-Black district in the nation. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. […]
Although historical accounts clash, Sarah Rector is believed to be America’s second black millionaire after Madam C.J. Walker, achieving that distinction as a teenager. Born on March 3, 1902 in the small town of Twine, Okla., Rector’s family were descendants of slaves and Creek Indians. While living on Creek Indian land, Rector’s parents Joseph and […]
For those who travel via airplane, give a big thank you to the late Miriam Benjamin. In 1888, she received a patent for her invention, the “Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels, “ a precursor to the modern flight attendant signaling system. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: Benjamin was born free in Charleston, S.C. on […]
This weekend in Belgium, the annual tradition of The Feast of Saint Nicholas will be celebrated, but not without controversy. Black Pete, a character Belgians will imitate using racist blackface makeup and curly Afro wigs, will accompany “Sinterklass” aka Saint Nicholas, who is depicted as a kind figure who gives sweets and gifts to children. […]
Pearl L. Stewart, a journalist and educator, made history on December 1, 1992 after becoming the editor of “The Oakland Tribune.” The hiring made Stewart the first Black woman to head a major metropolitan daily news publication. Stewart was born in 1951 and was raised between Camden, Ala. and Rochester, N.Y. She entered Howard University […]
The late Gordon Parks was a self-taught artist who went on to break several barriers while also capturing some of the most stirring images of Black America. The Kansas native was born November 30, 1912. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM Parks was born in the town of Fort Scott where his family lived modestly. […]
Without Motown Records, the entire landscape of modern Black music would be radically shifted. The label’s founder, Berry Gordy, Jr., will be turning 90 this Thanksgiving as the label celebrates its 60th year. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: Gordy was born in 1929 and raised in Detroit, Mich. Dropping out of high school, Gordy, who […]
Alongside his longtime partner Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis has produced and written some of the biggest songs in music history. Lewis was born November 25, 1956 in Omaha, Neb. Lewis met Jimmy Jam in Minneapolis after the pair were enrolled in an Upward Bound program during high school. The two formed the group Flyte Time, […]
Even before Tiger Woods made his dominant run in golf, Black golfers have made their mark on the game, including pioneers like Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to play on the PGA tour. In Atlanta, the golf team at the Drew Charter School made history by becoming the first all-Black squad to win a Georgia […]
Robi Reed is one of the top casting directors in the film and TV industry, placing actors and actresses in roles for over three decades. She is the first African-American to be nominated for, and also win, an Emmy Award in the Casting category. Reed was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., but raised in Los […]
Though he became an NBA legend, Elvin Hayes almost didn’t play basketball. If not for a school teacher who pushed him into sport in middle school, his life may have been quite different. The NBA Hall of Famer was born November 17, 1945 in Rayville, La. Hayes was incorrectly punished for a class prank and […]
