Brian Gene Hoffman, Author at

Independent Historian

Brian Gene Hoffman is a senior Anthropology major at the University of Washington. After graduation he plans on going to graduate school in preparation for becoming a teacher.

A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. (1928-1998)

Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., who eventually served on the United States Court of Appeals, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1928. His mother, Emma Lee Higginbotham, was a maid and his father, Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham Sr., was a factory worker. Higginbotham attended racially segregated schools in Trenton, … Read MoreA. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. (1928-1998)

Robert L. Carter (1917-2012)

Robert L. Carter, the youngest child in a family of eight children, was born in Careyville, Florida in 1917. His family moved north to Newark, New Jersey shortly after his birth. Carter’s father died soon after arriving in Newark and his mother supported eight children … Read MoreRobert L. Carter (1917-2012)

Congressional Black Caucus (1971- )

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) was established in 1971, although its roots go back to the Democratic Select Committee (DSC). The DSC was started in 1969 by Representative Charles Diggs of Michigan, who was looking for a way the nine black members of the House … Read MoreCongressional Black Caucus (1971- )

Paule Marshall (1929-2019)

Valenza Pauline Burke, later known as Paule Marshall, was born on April 9, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Ada and Samuel Burke, both emigrants from Barbados, and she grew up in a neighborhood with a significant number of other families … Read MorePaule Marshall (1929-2019)

Constance Baker Motley (1921-2005)

Constance Baker Motley was born on September 14, 1921, in New Haven, Connecticut. She was the ninth child in a family of twelve children. Her parents were emigrants from the island of Nevis in the West Indies. Motley grew up attending New Haven’s integrated public … Read MoreConstance Baker Motley (1921-2005)

Alvin F. Poussaint (1934- )

Alvin Poussaint was born in East Harlem in New York City on May 15, 1934. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School he received a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1956 and an M.D. from Cornell University in 1960. Poussaint completed his postgraduate training at … Read MoreAlvin F. Poussaint (1934- )

Bob Marley (1945-1981)

Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945, on his grandfather Omeriah Malcolm’s farm in the rural interior of the island of Jamaica at Nine Mile, Rhoden Hall, St. Ann Parish . His mother was an eighteen-year-old black Jamaican named Cedella Malcolm. His father … Read MoreBob Marley (1945-1981)

Daniel A. P. Murray (1852-1925)

Daniel A. P. Murray was born on March 3, 1852 in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of nine he left Baltimore to live in Washington, D.C., where his brother managed the U.S. Senate restaurant. In 1871 Murray acquired a job as a personal assistant to … Read MoreDaniel A. P. Murray (1852-1925)