Robert Fikes, Author at • Page 20 of 26

Independent Historian

Robert Fikes, Jr., a 1970 graduate of Tuskegee University, earned graduate degrees in modern European history and library science at the University of Minnesota. Retired since 2017, he worked as a reference librarian at San Diego State University where he was also a subject bibliographer for Africana Studies, European, American, Middle Eastern, and African history. Fikes has published numerous journal articles, essays, encyclopedia entries, newspaper and magazine contributions, bibliographies, and several print and online books pertaining to history, art, and literature.

José Prudencio Padilla Lopez (1784-1828)

Born March 19, 1784 in the northern coastal territory of La Guajira, Colombia, José Padilla is recognized as one of the first South American-born naval commanders, a founder of the Colombian navy, and a hero in the Latin American wars of independence and the Afro-Hispanic … Read MoreJosé Prudencio Padilla Lopez (1784-1828)

Mabel Murphy Smythe-Haith (1918-2006)

The daughter of college graduates, Mabel M. Smythe-Haith is so far the only black American woman who was named a U.S. ambassador after her husband had earlier served in the same capacity. Mabel Murphy was born into a family of four siblings on April 3, … Read MoreMabel Murphy Smythe-Haith (1918-2006)

Roland Wentworth Boniface Bullen (1944- )

“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Roland Wentworth Bullen was born on Carriacou, one of the six islands that comprise the nation of Grenada. The product of a prominent family that owned several businesses, including the popular restaurant “Callaloo,” Bullen arrived in the United States in 1966. … Read MoreRoland Wentworth Boniface Bullen (1944- )

Luis Gilberto Murillo (1967- )

“Image Ownership: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Perú“ Politician, mining engineer and expatriate intellectual Luis Gilberto Murillo grew in a poverty stricken village of Andagoya, Colombia, an area inhabited mostly by people of African descent. Murillo was one of six children of a mine … Read MoreLuis Gilberto Murillo (1967- )

Ulric St. Clair Haynes Jr. (1931- )

The sole child of immigrants from the Barbados, Ulric St. Clair Haynes Jr. was born June 8, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York. Haynes attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, graduating cum laude in 1952, and then earned a law degree at Yale University four years later. … Read MoreUlric St. Clair Haynes Jr. (1931- )

Hugh Heyne Smythe (1913-1977)

Diplomat, scholar and author Hugh Heyne Smythe was born on August 19, 1913 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother was a housemaid and his father, who died when Smythe was three years old, was a mailman. One of five siblings, at age six Smythe was forced … Read MoreHugh Heyne Smythe (1913-1977)

David Benjamin Bolen (1923- )

Outstanding college athlete and diplomat David Benjamin Bolen, the son of a postal worker, was born in the rural hamlet of Heflin, Louisiana on December 23, 1923. As a small child he discovered his superior running ability during an Easter egg hunt. Homeschooled by his … Read MoreDavid Benjamin Bolen (1923- )

Sidney Williams (1942- )

Former professional football player, businessman, and diplomat, Sidney Williams was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on March 24, 1942. Raised in Houston, Texas, he attended the city’s Phillis Wheatley High School and upon graduation in 1959 enrolled at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A standout … Read MoreSidney Williams (1942- )

Piedad Esneda Córdoba Ruiz (1955- )

“Image Ownership: EneasMx” Politician, social and peace activist Piedad Córdoba was born in Medellin, Colombia, on January 25, 1955. She was the second of ten children of Zabulón Córdoba, an Afro-Colombian who rose from humble origins to become a sociology professor and university dean. … Read MorePiedad Esneda Córdoba Ruiz (1955- )

The Passing of Passing: A Peculiarly American Racial Tradition Approaches Irrelevance

In the article below, independent scholar Robert Fikes Jr., explores a centuries-old process in the United States where African Americans with no visible African ancestry “pass” into the Caucasian race or other races to avoid the stigma associated with anti-black racial discrimination and social marginalization. … Read MoreThe Passing of Passing: A Peculiarly American Racial Tradition Approaches Irrelevance