Bunthay Cheam, Author at

Independent Historian

Bunthay Cheam is an undergraduate student of History at the University of Washington with academic interest in Southeast Asian studies. Born in a refugee camp in the Cambodian/Thai border, he came to the U.S. a year later in 1981 and has lived since in the South Seattle area. Bunthay expects to graduate from the University of Washington in June of 2008 with a B.A. in History. He aspires to become involved in social work for the Cambodian population of Washington State.

Ronald Kirk (1954- )

Ronald “Ron” Kirk is the U.S. Trade Representative for U.S. President Barack Obama. Kirk was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 18, 2009, and officially sworn in two days later. Kirk is the 16th trade representative and the first African American to hold the … Read MoreRonald Kirk (1954- )

Dennis Archer (1942- )

Although he has served as a public school teacher, attorney, and Michigan State Supreme Court Justice, Dennis Archer is best know as the Mayor of Detroit and the first African American to become president of the American Bar Association. Born on January 1, 1942 in … Read MoreDennis Archer (1942- )

David N. Dinkins (1927-2020)

David N. Dinkins is best known as the first and, so far, only black mayor of New York City. In November 1989, he defeated his challenger, former federal prosecutor Rudolph (Rudy) Giuliani, to become the first African American mayor of New York City. Giuliani. in … Read MoreDavid N. Dinkins (1927-2020)

Lee P. Brown (1937- )

Lee Patrick Brown, known as “The Father of Community Policing,” became the first African American Mayor of Houston, Texas in 1997. Brown was born to sharecropper parents Andrew and Zelma Brown in the town of Wewoka, Oklahoma in 1937. He received a B.A. in criminology … Read MoreLee P. Brown (1937- )

Emanuel Cleaver (1944- )

Reverend Emanuel Cleaver II, born in Waxahachie, Texas in 1944, is best known as the first African American mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. Cleaver, who grew up in a public housing project in Wichita Falls, Texas, graduated from Prairie View A & M University in … Read MoreEmanuel Cleaver (1944- )

W. Wilson Goode (1938- )

Best known as the first African American Mayor of Philadelphia, Woodrow Wilson Goode was born in 1938 into a family of tenant farmers near the town of Seaboard, North Carolina. Goode moved to Philadelphia with his family in 1954. In 1961, he received a B.A. … Read MoreW. Wilson Goode (1938- )

Kenneth A. Gibson (1931- )

Kenneth Allen Gibson, the first African American mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was born in 1931 in the town of Enterprise, Alabama. He graduated from high school in Enterprise in 1950 and joined the U.S. Army as a civil engineer. He remained in the Army … Read MoreKenneth A. Gibson (1931- )

Mike Espy (1953- )

Alphonso Michael Espy in 1986 became the first black Congressman elected from Mississippi since John R. Lynch, who served during Reconstruction. He was also the first African American to hold the post of Secretary of Agriculture. Mike Espy was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He … Read MoreMike Espy (1953- )

Dempsey Jerome Travis (1920- )

Dempsey Jerome Travis is a civil rights activist, business leader, military veteran, and author. From the inception of his first realty company to his time serving three presidential administrations, Travis has served in both local and national theaters of private and civic life. Born 1920 … Read MoreDempsey Jerome Travis (1920- )

Herman J. Russell (1930- )

What started as a $125.00 purchase of a small parcel of land at 15 grew and blossomed over the years into a multi million-dollar company, and with this, Herman Jerome Russell came to epitomize black entrepreneurship by becoming one of the first black millionaires. By … Read MoreHerman J. Russell (1930- )