Peter Besel

Student Historian

Peter Besel was born and raised in Woodinville Washington just thirty minutes outside of Seattle. He is currently a freshman at the University of Washington in Seattle who earned direct admittance into the Foster School of Business. He hopes to double major in Informatics along with Finance. His inspiration for writing for Blackpast comes from his sister who moved to Memphis Tennessee and shared her stories on how little the people, even people of color, know about black history in the west. He hopes that his writings will inform the people reading them of the importance of black history and the movement Black Lives Matter.

Kool and the Gang (1964- )

In 1964, seven friends from Jersey City, New Jersey, including Robert “Kool” Bell on bass and his brother Ronald Bell on keyboards, decided to perform together as an instrumental jazz and soul group named the Jazziacs. The other original members included Robert Mickens on trumpet, … Read MoreKool and the Gang (1964- )

The Coasters (1955- )

The Coasters began on September 28th, 1955 in Los Angeles, California after four of six members from another singing group, The Robins, broke off to start this new group. Bobby Nunn and Carl Gardner, leading vocalists of The Robins, were convinced by the up-and-coming composing/ … Read MoreThe Coasters (1955- )

The Platters (1953- )

The Platters was one of the most successful rhythm and blues vocal groups during the rock and roll era. They began in Los Angeles, California and were initially managed by Ralph Bass at Federal Records. The original band consisted of Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunter, David … Read MoreThe Platters (1953- )

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers (1954-1957)

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers began in 1954 as a singing group founded at Edward W. Stitt Junior High School in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan (New York City, New York) by second tenor Jimmy Merchant and bass Sherman Garnes. They initially called themselves the Earth Angels. Eventually they added lead singer, Herman Santiago, and … Read MoreFrankie Lymon and The Teenagers (1954-1957)

Mike Tomlin (1972- )

National Football League (NFL) head coach Mike Tomlin was born on March 15, 1972 in Hampton, Virginia to Julia and Ed Tomlin. Mike Tomlin’s birth father was not an extremely prominent figure in his life due to his divorce with his mom at a young age, so he and … Read MoreMike Tomlin (1972- )

University of Georgia Desegregation Riot (1961)

On January 9, 1961 two black students, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter, entered the University of Georgia campus to register for classes. Their registration was the end of a long court battle to integrate the university that began a decade earlier when another student, Horace Ward, tried to gain admission into … Read MoreUniversity of Georgia Desegregation Riot (1961)

Joseph C. Carter (1956- )

Joseph C. Carter was an accomplished individual with a blemished past. Carter enlisted in the National Guard and served with them in reserves from 1974 to 2012. In 1978 Carter joined the Boston, Massachusetts Police Department (BPD) where he served as a patrol officer, detective, patrol supervisor, Deputy … Read MoreJoseph C. Carter (1956- )

Michael Calhoun (1954- )

Very little is known about Major General Michael Calhoun’s childhood beyond the fact that he was born in 1954. After Graduating from Florida A&M University with a degree in Pharmacy in May, 1977, Calhoun enlisted in the Florida Army National Guard in August of that … Read MoreMichael Calhoun (1954- )

John Charles Thomas (1950- )

Born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1950, John Charles Thomas, the first African American to sit on the Virginia Supreme Court, began his higher education at the University of Virginia in 1968, and four years later he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American in … Read MoreJohn Charles Thomas (1950- )

Marcelite J. Harris (1943- )

Major General Marcelite J. Harris of the U.S. Air Force was born on January 16, 1943 in Houston, Texas to Cecil O’Neal Jordan and Marcelite Terrill Jordan, Harris grew up in Houston and graduated from Kashmere High School in 1960 before enrolling at Spelman College where she earned a bachelors in … Read MoreMarcelite J. Harris (1943- )