Stasia Irons, Author at

Independent Historian

Stasia Mehschel Irons is an undergraduate English student at the University of Washington. She was born in Tacoma, Washington and in 1996 moved to the south Seattle area. She has a special interest in the history of African-American musicians. Irons is a Spoken Word artist for the University of Washington’s Retro Revolutionary Poets and has performed for alumni, faculty, and students. She expects to graduate from the University of Washington in June of 2008 with a B.A. in English. Irons will further her learning in graduate school pursuing her Masters in Education.

Benjamin Tucker Tanner (1835-1923)

Benjamin Tucker Tanner was born on Christmas day of 1835 to Hugh and Isabella Tanner of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As one of twelve children he brought income into the Tanner household by delivering newspapers at age nine. In 1852 Tanner was accepted into Avery College, a … Read MoreBenjamin Tucker Tanner (1835-1923)

John Edward Bruce (1856-1924)

John Edward Bruce was born into slavery in Piscataway, Maryland in 1856. When Bruce was three years old his father was sold away to Georgia prompting young Bruce and his mother to escape to Washington, D.C. in fear of losing each other. Bruce and his … Read MoreJohn Edward Bruce (1856-1924)

James Edward O’Hara (1844-1905)

North Carolina congressman James O’Hara was born a free person in New York City to an Irish merchant and West Indian mother. While growing up he worked as a deckhand on ships that sailed between New York and the West Indies. When he was eighteen … Read MoreJames Edward O’Hara (1844-1905)

John Adams Hyman (1840-1891)

John Adams Hyman was born into slavery on July 23, 1840 in Warren County, North Carolina. Hyman’s thirst for knowledge resulted in him being sold away from his family for attempting to read a spelling book that was given to him by a sympathetic white … Read MoreJohn Adams Hyman (1840-1891)

Rita Dove (1952- )

American poet laureate Rita Frances Dove was born August 28, 1952 in Akron, Ohio. Rita’s father, Ray Dove, was the first African American chemist in the tire industry. Rita Dove excelled in school and in 1970 she received the Presidential Scholar Award. Dove completed a … Read MoreRita Dove (1952- )

Benjamin Sterling Turner (1825-1894)

Benjamin Sterling Turner, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama during the Reconstruction period, was born on March 17, 1825 in Weldon, North Carolina. He was raised as a slave and as a child received no formal education. In 1830 Turner … Read MoreBenjamin Sterling Turner (1825-1894)

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni (1943- )

“There’s no life in safety,” said three-time National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award winner Nikki Giovanni who began her own life on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She moved with her mother and sister to a small black suburb … Read MoreYolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni (1943- )

Sonia Sanchez (1934- )

Sonia Sanchez was born Wilsonia Benita Driver in Birmingham, Alabama. After her mother’s death in 1935 she lived with her grandmother. Her grandmother taught her to read at age four and write at age six. When her grandmother passed away in 1943 she moved to … Read MoreSonia Sanchez (1934- )

Stevie Wonder/Stevland Morris (1950- )

Grammy Award winning artist Stevie Wonder, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. An excess of oxygen and a disorder affecting his retina called retinopathy resulted in his being born blind. In 1954, his … Read MoreStevie Wonder/Stevland Morris (1950- )

Maggie Lena Walker (1864-1934)

Maggie Lena Mitchell was born in Richmond, Virginia on July 15, 1864. Walker’s mother, Elizabeth Draper, was an assistant cook and her father, Eccles Cuthbert, was an Irish-born newspaperman on the Van Lew estate. Her step-father, William Mitchell, was a butler on the estate. As … Read MoreMaggie Lena Walker (1864-1934)