Maritza Fernandez, Author at • Page 2 of 2

Student Historian

Maritza Fernandez graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a Bachelors’ degree in History. She particularly enjoyed colonial North American history. She graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in Miami, Florida with her Juris Doctor. When she is not in school, Maritza loves films, food, and family.

Tucson Race Riot (1967)

Few people are aware of the race riot that occurred in Tucson, Arizona, in 1967. The riot was caused by the arrest of an unidentified Black 14-year-old a few days before. From July 23rd to 25th, in the North side of the city, within a … Read MoreTucson Race Riot (1967)

Manuel Cuesta Morúa (1962- )

Dr. Manuel Cuesta Morúa is a Cuban dissident leader, a scholar, and a political activist. He was born on December 31, 1962 in Havana, Cuba where he is still based. He claims ancestry from Martín Morúa Delgado, an Afrocuban leader and first black Cuban senator, on his mother’s side, … Read MoreManuel Cuesta Morúa (1962- )

Freeway Rick Ross (1960- )

Late 20th Century drug lord Ricky Donnell Ross was born on January 26th, 1960 in Troup, Texas. He is better known as “Freeway Rick,” the convicted drug trafficker turned philanthropist who established himself as kingpin in the 1980’s. Ross grew up in Los Angeles, California, moving there in 1963 … Read MoreFreeway Rick Ross (1960- )

Berta Soler (1963- )

Berta de los Angeles Soler Fernandez is a Cuban dissident and activist. She is the co-founder and current leader of Ladies in White, or Damas de Blanco, an all-female organization of the wives and female relatives of political prisoners. Soler was born July 31, 1963 in Matanzas, Cuba. She studied … Read MoreBerta Soler (1963- )

Joyce Bryant (1928- )

Singer Joyce Bryant was born Ione Emily Bryant in Oakland, California on October 14, 1928. She was the third of eight children. Her parents were Whitfield Bryant, a railroad chef and devout Seventh-Day Adventist, and Dorothy Green Withers. She was raised in San Francisco, California but at 14 … Read MoreJoyce Bryant (1928- )

Hartford, Connecticut Riot (1969)

Hartford, Connecticut in the late 1960’s was a city immersed in racial unrest, class disputes, and activism. The city was a dichotomy between the ghetto, predominantly black or Puerto Rican and impoverished, in the North End and the South End, white and middle or working class. The black population had … Read MoreHartford, Connecticut Riot (1969)

Stephen Rochon (1950- )

Rear Admiral Stephen W. Rochon was born on March 7th, 1950 to a military family in New Orleans, Louisiana. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1970 and was sent to Astoria, Oregon in 1973 to serve aboard the cutter White Bush. By 1975, Rochon was commissioned by the … Read MoreStephen Rochon (1950- )

Manson Brown (1956- )

In May 2012, Manson K. Brown became the first African American Vice Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard. Brown was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and graduated from St. Johns College High School in 1974. He enrolled in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy immediately after graduation with … Read MoreManson Brown (1956- )

Erroll M. Brown (1950- )

In July 1998, Erroll Mingo Brown became the first African American admiral in the United States Coast Guard in its 207-year history. Brown was born in Ocklawaha, Florida. He grew up in St. Petersburg and although he had planned to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, his interest in engineering and … Read MoreErroll M. Brown (1950- )