Dr. Marion Antoinette Richards Myles, a scientist with expertise in plant physiology, including the effects of drugs and hormones on plant growth, played a significant role in integrating higher education in the American south. In 1965, she became the first African American faculty member of the University of Mississippi Medical School, with an … Read MoreMarion Antoinette Richards Myles (1917-1969)
Arthur Prysock was an important multi-genre vocalist born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1924. During the Second World War, Prysock moved from his home to Hartford, Connecticut, in order to work in the aircraft manufacturing industry. It was during this time that he realized his … Read MoreArthur Prysock (1924-1997)
King Virgil Cheek Jr. is a lifelong educator, lawyer, and author, who, along with older brother, James Edward Cheek, served as president of the historic black college, Shaw University. King Cheek was born on May 26, 1937, in Weldon, North Carolina. His mother, Lee Ella … Read MoreKing Virgil Cheek Jr. (1937- )
Eustace A. Dixon II, 20th century author and environmental health advocate, was born at home in Brooklyn, New York on July 9, 1934. He was the youngest child of Eustace A. Dixon, a native of Jamaica and Beulah Talbot, a native of Bermuda. Dixon graduated … Read MoreEustace Augustus Dixon II (1934-2000)
Hamilton is the capital of the British overseas island territory of Bermuda in the Western Atlantic Ocean. The city had a population of 3,641 people in 2014. Hamilton is located on the northern shore of a deep water harbour on the main island of Bermuda. … Read MoreHamilton, Bermuda (1790- )
During the first two decades of the 19th Century, escaped American slaves formed a military cadre called Britain’s Royal Navy Corps of Colonial Marines. After the War of 1812 these former soldiers established Trinidad’s “Merikin” communities. These black marines in the British Navy were first organized in 1808 to … Read MoreBritish Corps of Colonial Marines (1808-1810, 1814-1816)
Image Courtesy of Erik van Leeuwen (GNU Free Documentation) Usain Bolt, known as the “fastest man on earth,” has won a phenomenal eight Olympic gold medals the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics, making Olympic history. He has also broken multiple world records Bolt was born … Read MoreUsain St. Leo Bolt (1986- )
The University of the West Indies (UWI) is a public regional university unique in the world of higher education. The university is supported by and operating for the benefit of the people of 17 nations and territories in and around the Caribbean. These nations include … Read MoreUniversity of the West Indies (1948- )
William “Bill” Pinkney is the first African American, and only the fourth person in the world to circumnavigate the globe alone by boat. Pinkney was born on September 15, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois to Marion Henderson Pinkney and William Pinkney, Sr. He attended Tilden Tech … Read MoreWilliam “Bill” Pinkney (1935- )
When Jennifer Josephine Hosten won the Miss World contest in 1970 she was the first woman from Grenada and the first of woman of African ancestry to hold the crown. She was crowned amid the greatest controversy in Miss World Pageant history. Hosten was born … Read MoreJennifer Hosten (1947- )
