Karanjot Gill, Author at

Independent Historian

A Washington state native, Karanjot Gill is an undergraduate at the University of Washington. She will graduate in 2018, having majored in Finance and minored in the History of Race, Gender, Power. Her primary interests have been studying 20th century American history with a focus on social movements and being involved in the labor movement. She will be attending law school in the Fall of 2018 and plans to practice in the Puget Sound area.

Samuel W. Allen (1917-2015)

Samuel W. Allen was an accomplished lawyer, translator, academic, and poet who wrote his African-inspired poetry under the pseudonym Paul Vesey. He was one of the first black poets to achieve significant recognition in Europe and the United States. Allen was born in Columbus, Ohio on December 9, 1917 to college-educated … Read MoreSamuel W. Allen (1917-2015)

Samuel R. Lowery (c.1830 -1900)

Samuel R. Lowery was the first black attorney to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. He was born on December 8, 1830 (or 1832), in Davidson Country, Tennessee to an enslaved father, Peter Lowery, and a Cherokee mother, Ruth Mitchell. His mother … Read MoreSamuel R. Lowery (c.1830 -1900)

Jesse O. Thomas (1885-1972)

Jesse O. Thomas, early 20th century civil rights leader and protégé of Booker T. Washington, established the Atlanta, Georgia chapter of the National Urban League, a civil rights organization based in New York City, New York in 1919. Thomas was born in McComb, Mississippi to Amanda Johnson and Jefferson Thomas on December 21, 1885. Until the … Read MoreJesse O. Thomas (1885-1972)

James Amos Porter (1905-1970)

James Amos Porter was the first African American art historian. Born on December 22, 1905 in Baltimore, Maryland, he was the son of Lydia and John Porter, a prominent minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Porter graduated cum laude in 1927 with a Bachelor of Science in art from Howard University. … Read MoreJames Amos Porter (1905-1970)

Roy DeCarava (1919-2009)

Roy Rudolph DeCarava was the first African American to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship. Born on December 9, 1919 in Harlem Hospital, New York City, New York, DeCarava was the only child of a Jamaican mother and American father, who separated when he was young. In 1938 DeCarava … Read MoreRoy DeCarava (1919-2009)

Allen and Albert Hughes (1972- )

Allen and Albert Hughes are American film directors and producers, known for works such as Menace Society II and The Book of Eli. Albert was born minutes before Allen on April 1, 1972 to an African-American father, Albert Hughes, and Armenian-American mother, Aida, in Detroit, Michigan. Their parents divorced when they were … Read MoreAllen and Albert Hughes (1972- )

Michelle D. Bernard (1963- )

Michelle Denise Bernard is the President and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy. Born on July 30, 1963 in Washington D.C., she is a graduate of Howard University, earning a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science, and the Georgetown University Law Center, earning … Read MoreMichelle D. Bernard (1963- )

Barbara Chase-Riboud (1939- )

Barbara Chase-Riboud was born on June 26, 1939, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Charles and Vivian Chase and is known for her controversial novel Sally Hemings, poetry, and sculptures, including the Malcolm X Steles. Her artistic talent in drawing and sculpting was discovered at any early age and as a result she attended the prestigious … Read MoreBarbara Chase-Riboud (1939- )