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.
On September 30, 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traore led a military coup in Burkina Faso, overthrowing the government of Paul-Henry Sandaogo Damiba. On October 21, 2022, Traore was sworn in as transitional president and head of state of Burkina Faso. He was also appointed supreme chief of … Read MoreIbrahim Traore (1988-)
The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a private possession owned by King Leopold II of Belgium which now comprises the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lasted from 1885 to 1908. Leopold’s claim to the vast … Read MoreCongo Free State (1885-1908)
The Anglo-Zulu War was a conflict between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom from January 11, 1879, to July 4, 1879, in South Africa. The background of the battle began with the British having interest in Zululand. They specifically wanted the Zulu population to … Read MoreAnglo-Zulu War (1879)
Prudencia Ayala was a writer, social activist, and campaigner for women’s rights in El Salvador. Ayala was the first woman to run for President in El Salvador and Latin America. Ayala was born on April 28, 1885, to Aurelia Ayala and Vicente Chief in the … Read MorePrudencia Ayala (1885-1936)
Sidi Mubarak Bombay, one of the most extensive travelers in sub-Saharan Africa in the 19th century, was honored for his assistance to British explorers and adventurers. Bombay, of waYao/Bantu ethnicity, was born in the Ruvuma Region of southern Tanzania around 1820. Separated from his parents … Read MoreSidi Mubarak Bombay (a.k.a. Mbarak Mombée, 1820?-1885)
National heroine and revered freedom fighter Juana Ramírez, popularly known as “La Avanzadora” (The Advancer), was born January 12, 1790 in Chaguaramal, Monagas State, Venezuela. Her enslaved African mother, Guadalupe, was purchased by her putative father, Spanish army general Andrés Rojas. As a child she … Read MoreJuana Ramírez (1790 -1856)
Afro-British micro artist Willard Wigan’s journey to international recognition and financial security began with an unhappy childhood. Born in Wednesfield, England, in June 1957 to Jamaican immigrants, he was afflicted with undiagnosed Asperger’s disorder. Uninformed, impatient teachers reacted to his dyslexia and struggle to read … Read MoreWillard Wigan (1957- )
In 1564 Lope Martin, an Afro-Portuguese mariner, navigated the first round-trip voyage in the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to the Philippines and back to Mexico during the sixteenth-century Age of Exploration. Details about Martin’s parents or his childhood as a mulatto growing up in Lagos, … Read MoreLope Martin (1520?-?)
Afro-British musician, composer, and orchestra leader Joseph Antonio Emidy is believed to have been born sometime in the year 1775 in Guinea, West Africa. Enslaved at age 12, Portuguese traders brought him to Brazil, where Jesuit priests, recognizing his natural talent and intelligence, taught him … Read MoreJoseph Antonio Emidy (a.k.a. Joseph Emedy and Joseph Emedee, 1775-1835)
Hilarius Gilges is the only well-publicized example of a native German of African descent who actively opposed the rise of Nazism in his nation prior to the onset of World War II. Born in Düsseldorf on March 4, 1909 (some sources say April 28, 1909), … Read MoreHilarius Gilges (a.k.a. Lari Gilges, 1909-1933)
