James Jones, Author at

Student Historian

James Jones is an undergraduate student majoring in History at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is scheduled to graduate in 2014, and intends to pursue a Master’s Degree in Teaching. A journey-level welder since 2005, he is interested in class, labor, inequity of all kinds, and is devoted to the Blues.

Rodney D. Bennet ( 1966- )

“Image Ownership: Flacourtphile (CC BY-SA 4.0)” Rodney D. Bennett is the current president of the University of Southern Mississippi. He is the institution’s tenth president and the first African American president of a predominantly white college or university in Mississippi. His presidency was announced February … Read MoreRodney D. Bennet ( 1966- )

Alexander G. Clark (1826-1890)

“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Born free in Washington County, Pennsylvania 1826, Alexander Clark moved to Bloomington, Iowa (later known as Muscatine) at age 16. He arrived with training as a barber, a trade which allowed him into the company of Bloomington’s leading citizens. He purchased … Read MoreAlexander G. Clark (1826-1890)

Sylvia Woods (1926-2012)

Dubbed the Queen of Soul Food, Sylvia Woods was the owner of Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem, New York. She was born Sylvia Pressley in Hemingway, South Carolina on February 2, 1926. Her father died when she was three days old, and she was raised by … Read MoreSylvia Woods (1926-2012)

WDIA Radio Station (1947- )

The first radio station in the United States programmed by and for African Americans, WDIA was one of only six stations broadcasting in Memphis, Tennessee when it hit the airwaves in 1947. Its owners, John Pepper and Dick Ferguson, established the station and located it … Read MoreWDIA Radio Station (1947- )

Gayraud Stephen Wilmore (1921-2020)

“Image Ownership: Presbyterian Historical Society” Reverend Gayraud Stephen Wilmore was an American pastor, educator, historian, and theologian. Born on December 20, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilmore attended Central High School where he was active in the drama club, wrote for the student newspaper and, for … Read MoreGayraud Stephen Wilmore (1921-2020)

Anthony Weston (1791-?)

Born a slave under the name “Toney” in 1791, Anthony Weston eventually became the patriarch of Charleston, South Carolina’s elite free black family, the Westons. Weston began his life as a biracial enslaved person who worked as a millwright. Eventually, however, he supervised the construction … Read MoreAnthony Weston (1791-?)

William Lambert (1817-1890)

Abolitionist and civil rights activist William Lambert was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1817, the son of a manumitted father and a freeborn mother. As a young man Lambert was educated by abolitionist Quakers. Twenty-three year old Lambert arrived in Detroit, Michigan in 1840 … Read MoreWilliam Lambert (1817-1890)