Howard Cabiao, Author at

Student Historian

Howard Cabiao is a student at the University of Washington pursuing a major in History and a minor in Diversity. He plans on continuing his education as a graduate student in the History Department starting Fall 2011. He hopes to earn his PhD as well as become a successful writer.

Joseph Elsberry (1921-1985)

U.S. Army Air Force World War II veteran Joseph Dubois Elsberry was the first Black fighter pilot to shoot down three German aircraft in a single mission. Elsberry was born on April 25, 1921, in Langston, Oklahoma. His father was Joseph Dean Elsberry, and his … Read MoreJoseph Elsberry (1921-1985)

Edward Toppins (1915-1946)

U.S. Army Air Force World War II veteran Edward Lucien Toppins was a fighter pilot credited with shooting down four German enemy fighter aircraft during aerial combat, a distinction shared with two other Tuskegee Airmen. Toppins was born in Mississippi on June 12, 1915. His … Read MoreEdward Toppins (1915-1946)

Maceo Snipes (1909-1946)

US Army World War II veteran Maceo Snipes was killed in 1946 in Taylor County, Georgia because he voted. Snipes was born in Taylor County Georgia on March 25, 1909. His parents, Lula and John, were landowners in Taylor County who owned 202 acres as … Read MoreMaceo Snipes (1909-1946)

Lee Roy Young Jr. (1947- )

In 1988, Lee Roy Young Jr. became the first Black Texas Ranger. Rangers are a branch of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Young was born in Del Rio, Texas on January 8, 1947. His mother was Abby Ward and father was Lee Roy … Read MoreLee Roy Young Jr. (1947- )

William Goines (1936- )

In 1962, William “Bill” Goines became the first African American Navy SEAL. Navy SEALs are the United States Navy’s elite special operations force. SEAL is an acronym for Sea, Air, and Land, which indicates all the environments in which SEALs are trained to operate. Goines … Read MoreWilliam Goines (1936- )

Wiley Austin Branton (1923-1988)

Civil rights attorney Wiley Austin Branton Sr. was born on December 13, 1923 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. His father, Leo Andrew Branton, ran a family-owned taxi cab business while his mother, Pauline Wiley, was a school teacher. Branton attended segregated elementary, junior high, and high … Read MoreWiley Austin Branton (1923-1988)

Lee Archer (1919-2010)

Lee Andrew Archer Jr., Tuskegee Airman in World War II, was born on September 6, 1919 in Yonkers, New York. His father was Lee Archer, Sr. and his mother was May Piper Archer. He was raised in Harlem and attended New York City’s Dewitt Clinton High … Read MoreLee Archer (1919-2010)

Shawn Corey “Jay-Z’ Carter (1969- )

Shawn Corey Carter, who uses the stage name of Jay-Z, has become one of the most successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs. By 2011 Jay-Z’s net worth was near $450 million, making him one of the wealthiest and most successful businessmen in the entertainment industry. Carter … Read MoreShawn Corey “Jay-Z’ Carter (1969- )

Christopher G. “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace (1972-1997)

Hip-Hop music star Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G., was part of an East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry that included Tupac Shakur and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. A year after Shakur was murdered, Notorious B.I.G. was preparing to release his … Read MoreChristopher G. “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace (1972-1997)

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (1981- )

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, one of the most successful African American women artists in today’s music industry, was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas, to Mathew and Célestine Ann Knowles. Her father was a salesman and her mother owned a hair salon. Beyoncé began … Read MoreBeyoncé Giselle Knowles (1981- )