Rashida Baskerville, Author at

Independent Historian

Rashida Baskerville is an independent historian and attorney in Los Angeles. She earned her JD from Georgetown University, MS from the London School of Economics, and BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Baskerville participated in the National Park Service internship program where she researched antebellum Brooklyn, New York, civil rights era Greensboro, North Carolina, and the rural South. Her research interests include the Civil War, Reconstruction, and 20th century African-American History.

Djibouti City, Republic of Djibouti (1888- )

Djibouti City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Djibouti. Its contemporary population is estimated at 624,000, which is about 70% of the population of the entire nation. Located on the Horn of Africa, Djibouti was an important trade center for both … Read MoreDjibouti City, Republic of Djibouti (1888- )

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (15th century- )

Ouagadougou is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso. The Mossi people settled Ouagadougou in the fifteenth century. During this period, the Mossi expanded their territorial reach through the region south of the Niger River. By the sixteenth century Ouagadougou was the most powerful … Read MoreOuagadougou, Burkina Faso (15th century- )

N’Djamena, Chad (1900- )

N’Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. It was founded in 1900 following the French Army’s defeat of Rabih Al-Zubayr, a slave trader, in the Battle of Kousseri. Following the military victory, the French named the settlement Fort Lamy after Amédée-François Lamy, a … Read MoreN’Djamena, Chad (1900- )

Juan Valiente (ca. 1505-1553)

Juan Valiente, a Spanish-speaking black conquistador, was born in Northwest Africa around 1505 and was enslaved and acquired by the Portuguese. He was eventually purchased by Alonso Valiente, who had become a wealthy resident of Mexico City and Puebla after his participation in the conquest … Read MoreJuan Valiente (ca. 1505-1553)

Yaoundé, Cameroon (1888- )

Yaoundé is the capital and second largest city of Cameroon. Georg Zenker, a German scientist, led a group of people who settled Yaoundé in 1888. Yaoundé is located in the Ewondo region between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers in southern Cameroon. In 2012 an estimated … Read MoreYaoundé, Cameroon (1888- )

Lomé, Togo (1880- )

Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. Lomé was founded by the Ewe, an indigenous ethnic group, in 1880. Located on the southwestern Atlantic coast of Togo, Lomé has a long history of trade. In 2000, an estimated 900,000 people resided in Lomé. … Read MoreLomé, Togo (1880- )

Vernon Earl “Earl the Pearl” Monroe (1944- )

Vernon Earl “Earl the Pearl” Monroe, a retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1944. During his NBA career Monroe was an All-Star guard for the Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks. Monroe was a student at Philadelphia’s Bertram High … Read MoreVernon Earl “Earl the Pearl” Monroe (1944- )

Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950)

Charles Hamilton Houston, a renowned civil rights attorney, is widely recognized as the architect of the civil rights strategy that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision, Brown v. Board of Education. He was also a mentor to Thurgood Marshall who successfully litigated the … Read MoreCharles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950)