Adam Christian Smith, Author at

Independent Historian

Adam Christian Smith graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and minor in History in 2012. His goal is to work in public relations for a city, veteran’s advocacy group, or attain a marketing position.

Dar es Salaam (1857- )

Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania. With its location on the Indian Ocean coast, separated from the island of Zanzibar by the Zanzibar Channel, it is also the manufacturing and commercial center of the nation. The city began as a fishing village … Read MoreDar es Salaam (1857- )

Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. (1935-1967)

Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. was the first African American selected to be an astronaut. He was also a test pilot and senior United States Air Force pilot with over 2,500 flight hours. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 2, 1935, Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. graduated … Read MoreRobert Henry Lawrence Jr. (1935-1967)

George W. Gibbs Jr. (1916-2000)

George W. Gibbs, Jr. was the first person of African descent to set foot on Antarctica (the South Pole). He was also a civil rights leader and World War II Navy gunner. Gibbs was born in Jacksonville, Florida on November 7, 1916. He moved to Brooklyn, … Read MoreGeorge W. Gibbs Jr. (1916-2000)

Lembhard Goldstone Howell (1936- )

Lembhard G. Howell is a prominent Seattle attorney practicing in Seattle since 1966. Howell’s career has been dedicated to seeking justice for individuals who have been injured and unfairly treated. Howell was the first African American to serve on the board of governors of the … Read MoreLembhard Goldstone Howell (1936- )

Yusef Komunyakaa (1947- )

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and educator Yusef Komunyakaa was born James Willie Brown, Jr., in 1947 in Bogalusa, Louisiana, a segregated mill town. Although Komunyakaa described Bogalusa as “culturally desolate,” he loved to read and discovered poetry in elementary school. As a teenager, he found inspiration … Read MoreYusef Komunyakaa (1947- )

Barber-Scotia College (1867-)

Barber-Scotia College is a coed liberal arts school founded by the Presbyterian Church in July 1867 by Reverend Luke Dorland as Scotia Seminary. Reverend Dorland was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church to create an institution to train black women in programs of elementary, secondary and … Read MoreBarber-Scotia College (1867-)

Boston King (c. 1760-1802)

Boston King, one of the pioneer settlers of Sierra Leone, was born enslaved on the Richard Waring plantation near Charleston, South Carolina around 1760. Through the age of 16, King was trained as a house servant before being sent to apprentice as a carpenter in … Read MoreBoston King (c. 1760-1802)

Claudius William Rice (ca. 1892-1973)

Claudius W. Rice was a political activist and labor leader in Houston, Texas from the 1920s through the 1940s. He was the owner of Negro Labor News, president of the Texas Negro Business Association, and advocate of Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee philosophy of … Read MoreClaudius William Rice (ca. 1892-1973)