Pierre G. Deslondes (last name sometimes spelled Deslonde) was an African American sugar planter and wealthy free man of color who served as Secretary of State of Louisiana during Reconstruction. He was the son of famed slave rebellion leader George Deslondes and Eloise Belly and … Read MorePierre George Deslondes (1829-1885)
In 1879 the Kansas State Legislature passed a law permitting first class cities in Kansas (cities with a population of 15,000 or more) to create racially segregated schools. The Topeka Board of Education quickly followed by segregating elementary schools in the city. In 1890 Lowman … Read MoreWilliam Reynolds v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1903)
After American independence most states wrote constitutions that mirrored the national constitution with minor differences. The state of Rhode Island was an exception. It retained the Royal Charter of 1663 granted by the British crown. Under that charter only adult male citizens who owned at … Read MoreRhode Island Constitution of 1842
Jesse Clark White is an American educator, politician, and former track and field athlete from the state of Illinois. He is a Democrat and has been the 37th Illinois Secretary of State since 1999. He is the longest serving Secretary of State in Illinois history … Read MoreJesse White (1936- )
Robyn A. Crittenden is an American attorney in the state of Georgia who was born in Long Island, New York. She was the 28th Secretary of State of Georgia. She is the first African American woman to head the Georgia Department of Revenue. Crittenden earned … Read MoreRobyn A. Crittenden (1964- )
Ball handling wizard Elgin “Rabbit” Baylor was born Elgin Gay Baylor on September 16, 1934, in Washington, D.C. to John Wesley Baylor from Caroline County, Virginia, and Uzziel Lewis Baylor from Spotsylvania County, Virginia. His brothers were John L. Baylor and Kermit Baylor, and his … Read MoreElgin “Rabbit” Baylor (1934-2021)
Online real estate entrepreneur Robert Reffkin was born June 7, 1979, in Berkeley, California. His mother was Israeli and his father was African American. When Reffkin was born, his mother’s parents disowned their daughter for having a child with a black man. Reffkin’s father also … Read MoreRobert Reffkin (1979- )
American basketball player Brittney Yevette Griner was born on October 18, 1990, to Sandra Griner and Raymond Griner in Houston, Texas. She attended Chester W. Nimitz Senior High School in Houston where she played for the school basketball and volleyball teams. During her sophomore year, … Read MoreBrittney Yevette Griner (1990- )
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr is a professional boxer and boxing promoter. Mayweather was born on February 24, 1977, to Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Deborah Sinclair in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mayweather comes from a family of boxers, including his father and uncles, Roger Mayweather and Jeff … Read MoreFloyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (1977- )
Julianna Michelle Childs, a U.S. District Court judge in South Carolina, was born on March 24, 1966, in Detroit, Michigan. Her father, Ralph Childs, was a former U.S. Junior Table Tennis Champion, and her mother, Shandra Childs-Thomas, was a personnel manager for Michigan Bell. In … Read MoreJ. Michelle Childs (1966- )
