Andrew Curry, Author at

Student Historian

Andrew Curry is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in History. In the future he hopes to receive his master’s in education with intentions of being a high school teacher.

Blackstone Rangers/ Black P. Stone Nation/El Rukns (ca. 1957-ca. 2000)

The Blackstone Rangers are a street gang formed in the late 1950s on Blackstone Street on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. The Blackstone Rangers were founded by two teenagers, Jeff Fort and Eugene Hairston, while they were at the Illinois School for Boys in … Read MoreBlackstone Rangers/ Black P. Stone Nation/El Rukns (ca. 1957-ca. 2000)

Kathryn Magnolia Johnson (1878-1955)

Political activist Kathryn Magnolia Johnson was born on December 15, 1878 in Darke County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Walter and Lucinda Jane McCown Johnson. Kathryn Johnson graduated at the top of her high school class in New Paris, Ohio in 1895 and worked … Read MoreKathryn Magnolia Johnson (1878-1955)

Callie Guy House (ca. 1861-1928)

Callie House is most famous for her efforts to gain reparations for former slaves and is regarded as the early leader of the reparations movement among African American political activists. Callie Guy was born a slave in Rutherford Country near Nashville, Tennessee. Her date of … Read MoreCallie Guy House (ca. 1861-1928)

Franklin D. Burgess (1935-2010)

Franklin D. Burgess’s remarkable life as a star basketball player at Gonzaga University and a Federal Judge in Western Washington earned him the description “a legend on two courts.” Franklin Burgess was born on March 9, 1935 in Eudora, Arkansas. Raised with seven siblings, he … Read MoreFranklin D. Burgess (1935-2010)

Etheridge Knight (1931-1991)

Etheridge Knight took a very unconventional path on his way to becoming one of the most popular poets during the Black Arts Movement. America’s first introduction to Knight’s literary skills came with his first book publication, Poems from Prison in 1968. Mr. Knight’s troubled past … Read MoreEtheridge Knight (1931-1991)

Benjamin L. Hooks (1925-2010)

Benjamin L. Hooks is most notably known for serving as leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1977 to 1992. Born on January 31, 1925 in Memphis, Tennessee to Robert and Bessie White Hooks, he was the fifth of … Read MoreBenjamin L. Hooks (1925-2010)