Amy Essington, Author at

Academic Historian

Amy Essington is a lecturer in the history departments at California State University, Fullerton, and Cal Poly Pomona. She is the author of The Integration of the Pacific Coast League: Race, Baseball, and the West (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). Amy has presented, written encyclopedia entries, and completed book reviews on topics of race and baseball that include Effa Manley, the Negro Leagues, the West Coast Baseball League, and the integration of Pacific Coast League.

Samuel Clifford Adams Jr. (1920-2001)

Samuel Clifford Adams, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Niger was born in Waco, Texas on August 15, 1920, to Samuel Clifford Adams and Sarah Catherine (née Roberts) Adams. He grew up in the Fourth Ward section of Houston, Texas. In 1936 Adams graduated as valedictorian of … Read MoreSamuel Clifford Adams Jr. (1920-2001)

Robert C. Perry (1945- )

Robert Perry was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1945. He graduated from Hillside High School in that city in 1963. During his time in high school, Perry played in the marching band, was a member of the Honor Society, and served as president of … Read MoreRobert C. Perry (1945- )

Teddy B. Taylor (1953- )

“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Born in Washington, D.C. in 1953, Teddy Bernard Taylor graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Florida A&M University in 1975. During his time in Tallahassee, Taylor became a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. In 1978, Taylor … Read MoreTeddy B. Taylor (1953- )

Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat (1957- )

Born in Tinton Falls, New Jersey in 1957, Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1975. Thinking she might teach overseas, Bernicat earned a teaching credential in social sciences at the secondary level. Rather than … Read MoreMarcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat (1957- )

Linda Thomas-Greenfield (1952- )

Linda Thomas-Greenfield is the new United States Ambassador to the United Nations, a Cabinet-level post in the President Joseph Biden Administration. Born in Baker, Louisiana circa 1952, Linda Thomas-Greenfield graduated from a segregated high school in 1970. The first in her family to graduate from … Read MoreLinda Thomas-Greenfield (1952- )

Howard Franklin Jeter (1947- )

Howard Jeter, U.S. Ambassador to Botswana and later to Nigeria, was born in Maple Ridge, Union County, South Carolina on March 6, 1947 to James Walter Jeter, Jr. and Emma Mattocks Jeter. Howard Jeter first attended school in a one-room schoolhouse in Maple Ridge. The … Read MoreHoward Franklin Jeter (1947- )

Sarah E. Goode (c.1855?-1905)

Sarah Elisabeth Goode was one of the first African-American women to obtain a patent from the United States government in 1885. She shares the distinction with Judy Reed, who invented a dough-kneading machine that was patented in 1880, and Miriam Benjamin, who received a patent … Read MoreSarah E. Goode (c.1855?-1905)

Vonetta Flowers (1973- )

The first person of African descent, male or female, to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics was Vonetta Flowers when she won gold in the women’s bobsled event in 2002 at Salt Lake City. Born October 29, 1973, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Jimmie … Read MoreVonetta Flowers (1973- )

Frederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis (1961- )

Carl Lewis was a successful track and field athlete whose career spanned two decades from 1979 to 1997. He won ten medals as a member of five Olympic teams and won ten World Championship medals. Carl Lewis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, … Read MoreFrederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis (1961- )

Shani Davis (1982- )

Shani Davis became the first African American to win a gold medal an individual event in the Winter Olympics and the first African American male to win a gold when he competed in the men’s 1,000-meter speedskating championship in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in … Read MoreShani Davis (1982- )