Olga (Ollie) Burgoyne (1879-1974)

Olga “Ollie” Burgoyne, also known as Ollie Burgoyne-Calloway, was a singer and dancer specializing in Russian and other ethnic dances. She was also an actress and businesswoman who gained popularity during the Harlem Renaissance and left her mark as one of the most influential African … Read MoreOlga (Ollie) Burgoyne (1879-1974)

Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk (1991- )

Afro-Ukrainian champion athlete and politician Zhan Beleniuk was born January 24, 1991 in the capital city of Kyiv (a.k.a. Kiev) to Svitlana Beleniuk, a Ukrainian dressmaker. His father, Vincent Ndagijimana, an ethnic Hutu and former student at Ukraine’s National Aviation University, was killed in a … Read MoreZhan Vensanovych Beleniuk (1991- )

The Afro-Beat in Russia: The Influence of Black Music on Russian Popular Culture, 1890-2002

In the following article, Russian DJ Ivan Tchijevsky describes exclusively for BlackPast.org the long history of black music and black musical performers in Russia. Writing from a musical festival in Odessa, Ukraine in June 2019, he outlines his views below. As I visit festivals of … Read MoreThe Afro-Beat in Russia: The Influence of Black Music on Russian Popular Culture, 1890-2002

Pearl Hobson (1879- ?)

In the decades prior to the Russian Revolution, Pearl Hobson became the most popular African American dancer and singer in Imperial Russia.  Known by various names but mostly by her Russian stage name which translated into English was “Mulatto Sharpshooter,” Hobson captivated elite audiences from St. Petersburg to Moscow although apparently … Read MorePearl Hobson (1879- ?)

In the Land of Czars and Commissars: African Americans in Russia, the Soviet Union, and Post-Soviet Russia, 1824-2015

In the following essay independent historian Robert Fikes explores the eclectic experiences of African Americans in the world’s largest nation in the 19th and 20th Centuries It was in May 1824 that Nancy Gardner Prince, rescued from a life of poverty and hardship in Massachusetts … Read MoreIn the Land of Czars and Commissars: African Americans in Russia, the Soviet Union, and Post-Soviet Russia, 1824-2015

Michael Lee-Chin (1951- )

Michael Lee-Chin is best known as a business magnate, investor, and philanthropist.  He is the founder and Chairman of Portland Holdings Inc., a privately held investment company which owns a collection of diversified operating companies in media, tourism, health care, telecommunications, and financial services.  He … Read MoreMichael Lee-Chin (1951- )