Tisa Anders

Independent Historian

Tisa M. Anders is an independent historian and Founder/CEO of Writing the World, LLC in Denver, Colorado. She received her Ph.D. in Religion and Social Change with history as her foundational discipline at the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology. Additional educational achievements include her B.A. and M.S. from University of Nebraska at Omaha and Master of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology. She has authored numerous book reviews on history and international relations along with chapters for anthologies on Mexico-US Migration with a focus on the Betabeleros (Mexican and Mexican-American beet workers) in Western Nebraska. Anders specializes in agricultural history, 19th century US reform movements, and oral history. She is completing her book-length manuscript on 19th century US activist/author, Lydia Maria Child, as well as journal articles on Junius G. Groves (1859-1925), African American farmer and entrepreneur from Kansas.

Danny Scarborough (1947-1989)

Danny Lyon Scarborough made his mark in the world in two arenas, as an innovative, Emmy Award-winning choreographer/dancer and as one of the first well-known African Americans to go public about having AIDS. Born on July 27, 1947, he grew up on a farm near Wake Forest, North … Read MoreDanny Scarborough (1947-1989)

Rosemarie Florence Freeney Harding (1930-2004)

Rosemarie Florence Freeney Harding was a tireless teacher, social worker, civil rights leader, and healer. She was especially known for her deep spirituality and commitment to nonviolence. The youngest of nine siblings, Harding was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 24, 1930 to Dock Freeney, … Read MoreRosemarie Florence Freeney Harding (1930-2004)

Samuel Ray Delany Jr. (1942- )

Samuel R. Delany Jr., “Chip,” is an award-winning African American gay writer, editor, professor, and literary critic. He is the first major African American science fiction writer as well as one of the most influential writers of this genre in the United States. He transformed … Read MoreSamuel Ray Delany Jr. (1942- )

Sherry D. Harris (1957- )

In 1991, Sherry D. Harris was the first out black lesbian elected to public office in the United States. This also gave her the distinction of being the first African American woman on the Seattle City Council in Washington State. Harris was born on February … Read MoreSherry D. Harris (1957- )

Don Lemon (1966- )

Don Carlton Lemon is a prominent, award-winning black television anchor in the United States. In 2011, he publicly came out as a gay man. In so doing, he became the most prominent African American journalist to announce his sexual orientation and was immediately considered a … Read MoreDon Lemon (1966- )

Billy Thomas Strayhorn (1915-1967)

Billy Thomas Strayhorn was a black gay composer and arranger who influenced the American jazz movement with his pioneering efforts. While largely unknown in his lifetime, his complex arrangements and classical components continue to inspire generations of jazz musicians. His work has been translated into … Read MoreBilly Thomas Strayhorn (1915-1967)

Gladys Bentley (1907-1960)

Gladys Bentley (stage name, Bobbie Minton) was a Harlem Renaissance blues singer and cross dresser. She was one of the most well-known and financially successful black women in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. She was a pioneer in pushing the envelope of … Read MoreGladys Bentley (1907-1960)

Maurice Tomlinson (1971- )

Maurice Tomlinson is one of the most well-known gay rights activists in the world. He is an attorney-at-law, law lecturer, journalist, and HIV/AIDS and LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered Intersexual) activist in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Tomlinson was born on April 9, 1971 in Montego … Read MoreMaurice Tomlinson (1971- )

Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) (1986- )

Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), founded in 1986 in New York City, is one of the oldest organizations working toward the welfare of black gay men in the United States. They began offering services for persons with AIDS toward the beginning of the US … Read MoreGay Men of African Descent (GMAD) (1986- )

David Kato (c1964 – 2011)

David Kato was founding father of Uganda’s emergent gay rights movement, the first openly gay man in the country, and an international gay rights activist. He was brutally murdered in January 2011. Born around 1964, Kato joined his twin brother John Wassawa Mulamba and family … Read MoreDavid Kato (c1964 – 2011)