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.
Miguel I de Buría, also known as King Miguel and Miguel the Black, was a former enslaved person from San Juan, Puerto Rico who ruled as the King of Buría in the modern-day state of Lara, Venezuela from 1552 to 1555. He is best known … Read MoreMiguel I de Buría (1510-1555)
Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro Basilica is located in Yamoussoukro, which since March 1983 been the capital of Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast). It is the largest Christian church in the world, according to Guinness World Records. The basilica is not to be confused … Read MoreOur Lady Of Peace of Yamoussoukro Basilica (1989- )
Juan José Nieto Gil, a Colombian politician, writer, and army general was the first president of African descent in Colombia. Nieto Gil was born on June 24, 1805 in Loma del Muerto, Colombia to Tomas Nicolas Nieto and Benedicta Nieto. He had three siblings, Francisca … Read MoreJuan José Nieto Gil (1805-1866)
Gustavia is the capital and main seaport of the island of Saint Barthélemy, also known as “St. Bart’s.” The Caribbean island is said to have been discovered by explorer Christopher Columbus in 1493, who named it after his brother Bartolomeo. The Taino Indians were the … Read MoreGustavia, Saint Barthélemy (1648- )
Breffu, an African woman from what is now the nation of Ghana, who was enslaved in the Danish West Indies, is credited with leading one of the longest recorded slave revolts in North American history. Denmark began its involvement in the African slave trade in … Read MoreBreffu (?- 1734)
Olive Elaine Morris was a member of the British Black Panther Party and a grassroots activist in Great Britain. Morris was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica on June 26, 1952. Her parents migrated to post-World War II Great Britain while Morris and her siblings were … Read MoreOlive Elaine Morris (1952-1979)
The First Sudanese Civil War was a twelve-year conflict between the northern and southern regions of Sudan between 1955 and 1972. The war began a year before Sudan was declared independent from Great Britain. The main belligerents in the war were the central government of … Read MoreFirst Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972)
A professor, poet, and playwright of English, Dutch, and African descent, Derek Walcott was a 1981 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant recipient who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. Born on January 23, 1930 to Warwick, a civil servant, and Alix Maarlin Walcott, an … Read MoreDerek Walcott (1930-2017)
Rotimi Adebari is a Nigerian-Irish Politician who was elected the first black mayor in Ireland. Adebari was born in 1964 to unnamed parents in Okeodan, Ogun State, Nigeria. Although much of his early life is unknown, Adebari did receive a bachelor’s degree in economics from … Read MoreRotimi Adebari (1964- )
Professional basketball player Rui Hachimura was born on February 8, 1998 to a Japanese mother, Makiko Hachimura, father, Zakari Jabil, an African immigrant from Benin, in Toyama Prefecture of Japan. Hachimura also has three younger siblings, one brother and two sisters. He got involved playing … Read MoreRui Hachimura (1998- )
