The following are short descriptions of individuals, places and events which have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
Francine Gálvez, a multi-talented actress, journalist, and newscaster, holds the distinction of being the first Black woman to anchor a news program in Europe. That achievement came when she took on the role at Televisión Española (TVE) as anchor of the weekend edition of Telediario … Read MoreFrancine Gálvez (1966- )
Jeanne Martin Cissé was a Guinean teacher and nationalist politician. Cissé was born on April 6, 1926 to Darricau Martin Cissé and Damaye Soumah in Kankan, Guinea. She attended the Ecole Normale de Rufisque, a teacher-training institute for women in Dakar, Senegal, where she trained … Read MoreJeanne Martin Cissé (1926-2017)
Christian Uzoma Onyeji Sr., a composer, ethnomusicologist, and pianist, is deeply dedicated to promoting classical music drawn from Nigerian-based content and methodology. Born on August 15, 1967, in Imo State, Nigeria, he carries on the musical legacy of his paternal grandfather, an Igbo master Oja … Read MoreChristian Uzoma Onyeji (1967- )
On August 7, 2022, Francia Márquez became the first Black woman to be elected Vice President of Colombia. The following year, she was also sworn in as Minister of Women and Equality in the Cabinet of Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Marquez, a noted social activist … Read MoreFrancia Márquez (1981- )
Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old African American resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was fatally shot by Officer Christopher Schurr of the Grand Rapids Police Department during a scuffle between the two in Grand Rapids. Born on February 6, 1996, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), … Read MorePatrick Lyoya (1996-2022)
Educator, political campaigner, and women’s rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was born Frances Abigail Olufunmilayo Olufela Folorunso Thomas on October 25, 1900, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, to prominent farmer Chief Daniel Olumeyuwa Thomas and dressmaker Lucretia Phyllis Omoyeni Adeosolu. Ransome-Kuti was one of only six girls admitted … Read MoreFunmilayo Ransome-Kuti (1900-1978)
Ngina Kenyetta is the former First Lady of Kenya, widow of Mzee Jomo Kenyetta (the first president of Kenya), the mother of Uhuru Kenyetta (Kenya’s fourth president), and a recipient of the Macky Sall Prize for Dialogue in Africa (2019). She was born Ngina Muhoho … Read MoreNgina Kenyetta (1933- )
Scholars have been able to assemble only a meager amount of information about Queen Turunku Bakwa of Zazzau, at that time, the largest and most powerful of the Hausa city-states in what is now Northern Nigeria. It could be because she remained in the shadow … Read MoreQueen Turunku Bakwa (?-1566)
Few scholars have seriously attempted to examine the origin and life of the 10th-century Black Jewish woman from the tribe of Dan, who is popularly known as Judith, Queen of the Falashas. Sometimes called Kaila, her existence remains an enigma, involving numerous research conflicts and … Read MoreJudith, Queen of the Falashas (10th c.)
Meaza Ashenafi Mengistu, a human rights activist, broke barriers in Ethiopia when, in 2018, she became the first woman to hold the position of President of the Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia. Mengistu was born on July 25, 1964, in the Asosa Zone of Benishangul-Gumuz, … Read MoreMeaza Ashenafi Mengistu (1964- )
