Independent Historian

Samuel Momodu is a native of Nashville, Tennessee where he was born and raised. Momodu received his Associate of Arts Degree in History from Nashville State Community College in December 2014 and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Tennessee State University in May 2016. He received his Master of Arts Degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University in June 2019. Momodu’s main interest areas in history are African and African American History. His passion for learning more about black history has made him continue to contribute to writing history for Blackpast.org for the last couple of years where he wrote hundreds of entries for the website. Momodu has also worked as a history tour guide at Andrew Jackson the Hermitage in the past and history instructor at his alumni Tennessee State University. His passion for history has also helped him to continue his education as he currently attends Liberty University working on his Ph.D. in history online hoping to be a university professor or professional historian in the future.

Jocques Clemmons (1985-2017)

The shooting death of 31-year-old Jocques Clemmons by Joshua Lippert, a white Nashville, Tennessee police officer after Clemmons ran a stop sign, became another episode that generated protests by the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) as well as the National Association for the Advancement for Color People (NAACP), and the American Civil … Read MoreJocques Clemmons (1985-2017)

Johnny Robinson (1947-1963)

Johnny Robinson was a sixteen-year-old African American man who was shot and killed by Birmingham, Alabama police officer Jack Parker on September 15, 1963. Robinson’s death occurred on the same day as the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham that resulted in the deaths of four young girls earlier … Read MoreJohnny Robinson (1947-1963)

Roger Owensby Jr. (1971-2000)

Roger Owensby Jr. was a twenty-nine-year-old African-American who died at the hands of Cincinnati Police officers during a scuffle in the Roselawn neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio in November 2000. Owens’ death at the hands of police—as well as the death the following year of Timothy Thomas under similar … Read MoreRoger Owensby Jr. (1971-2000)

Timothy DeWayne Thomas, Jr. (1981-2001)

The shooting death of nineteen-year-old Timothy DeWayne Thomas, Jr. by Cincinnati, Ohio Police Department Patrolmen Stephen Roach during an attempted arrest for non-violent misdemeanors in April 2001, focused national attention on the deaths of unarmed black men and women at the hands of police and security guards. Thomas’s death … Read MoreTimothy DeWayne Thomas, Jr. (1981-2001)

The Cincinnati Riot (2001)

The Cincinnati Riot was a four-day period of civil disorder that occurred in response to the shooting death of nineteen-year-old Timothy Thomas by Cincinnati Police Patrolman Stephen Roach.  Officer Roach was attempting to arrest Thomas for traffic citations. The riot mostly took place in the Over the Rhine … Read MoreThe Cincinnati Riot (2001)

Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones (2002-2010)

In 2010 Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones, a seven-year-old African American girl, was accidentally shot and killed during a raid that was conducted by the Detroit, Michigan Police Department’s Special Response Team.  The killing contributed to raising national awareness of the ongoing issue of young unarmed African Americans being … Read MoreAiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones (2002-2010)

Jordan Russell Davis (1995-2012)

In 2012 Jordan Russell Davis, a seventeen-year-old high school student in Jacksonville, Florida, was shot and killed by Michael David Dunn, a software developer, following an argument between the two of them over loud music.  Davis’s death helped inspire the Black Lives Matter Movement and contributed to the national debate … Read MoreJordan Russell Davis (1995-2012)

Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003)

The Second Liberian Civil War was an intense four-year conflict that involved child soldiers on all sides and extensive civilian casualties. It was also one of the few civil wars that spread into neighboring countries, in this case, Guineaand Sierra Leone. The conflict began in April 1999 when a … Read MoreSecond Liberian Civil War (1999-2003)

Barbara Rose Johns Powell (1935-1991)

Barbara Rose Johns Powell was an American civil rights leader.  She is best known as the student who, at the age of sixteen, led a student strike at Robert Russa Moton High School (now Robert Russa Moton Museum) in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia on April 21, 1951. The strike led … Read MoreBarbara Rose Johns Powell (1935-1991)