Bobby Seale made a mark in history as the co-founder of the Black Panther Party. The Liberty, Texas native was born on October 22, 1936. Like many southern Black families, Seale’s family relocated to Oakland, Calif. during the height of World War II for greater opportunities. After dropping out of high school, Seale enrolled in […]
Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon has been on the frontlines of the civil rights movement, academics, and the arts for decades. The founder of the a capella vocal group Sweet Honey In The Rock was born October 4, 1942 in Southwest Georgia. Reared in Doughtery County just outside of Albany, the future activist entered what is […]
Virginia Proctor Powell Florence blazed trails as the first Black woman to earn a Library Science degree, and just the second Black person to do so. The Pennsylvania native was born October 1, 1897. Florence was born in the town of Wilkinsburg, and moved to Pittsburgh as a teen. She attended Oberlin College, graduating with […]
Eddie Tolan was not the prototypical physical specimen one would expect a world-class sprinter to be, but he was a force nonetheless. The “Midnight Express” was not only the first Black athlete to win two Olympic gold medals, he is also the first Black person dubbed the “World’s Fastest Human.” Thomas Edward Tolan was born […]
This coming Sunday, Bumpy Johnson’s story will come to life via the EPIX network’s “Godfather of Harlem” series, starring Forrest Whitaker in the lead role. Johnson was one of the most feared gangsters of his time who also used his powerful influence for good as well. Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born October 31, 1905 in […]
Byron Brown made history twice, most notably in 2005 when he was sworn in as the mayor of Buffalo, N.Y. The Hollis, Queens native was born September 24, 1958. Byron William Brown II attended Buffalo State College, graduating in 1983 with a dual bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism. He worked in a variety […]
The Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. is the youngest of the “Divine Nine” Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs), and the last to join the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The fraternity was founded in September 19, 1963 on the campus of Morgan State College, now known as Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. The Iotas began with […]
Dr. Keith L. Black is a pioneering neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of brain tumors, introducing a pair of innovative techniques that advanced the field. Dr. Black was born September 13, 1957 in Tuskegee, Ala. At eight years old, Black’s father, a high school principal, fostered his son’s interest in science by allowing him […]
September marks 125 years since the passing of Pio Pico, a Black “Californio” – the term used to describe Hispanic natives of the Californias. Pico was the last sitting governor of Mexican California before the region ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican-American War. Pio de Jesus Pico was born May 5, […]
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has been in show business for more than two decades, breaking several barriers and records along the way. The Houston, Texas native turns 38 today. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was raised in the city’s Third Ward, showcasing her talents in singing and dancing early on in competitions and the like. Along with her close […]
Montana’s has one of the lowest Black populations nationwide but in 1974, Geraldine W. Travis shattered a political barrier there. Travis, the wife of a U.S. Air Force airman, was elected to the state’s House of Representatives, becoming the first Black official elected to Montana’s legislature. Geraldine Washington Travis was born September 3, 1931 in […]
Romare Bearden became one of the most important and respected of the 20th Century though, amazingly, he was largely self-taught. Bearden was born September 2, 1911 in Charlotte, N.C. and raised primarily between New York City and Pittsburgh, Pa. After leaving high school in Pittsburgh, Bearden returned to New York, bouncing around colleges before landing […]
