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.
Nova Scotia is considered the place of origin of modern ice hockey. The quantity of natural ponds ideal for skating, combined with the British gaming tradition helped facilitate the geographic and social conditions necessary for the development and creation of the game now known as … Read MoreThe Coloured Hockey League of the Maritimes (1890s-1920s)
Bill Richmond, a.k.a. “The Black Terror”, the first black boxer to gain international recognition, was born in Cuckold’s Town (now Richmondtown), on Staten Island, New York, on August 5, 1763. In 1777 when the English troops held New York during the revolutionary war, he served … Read MoreBill Richmond (1763-1829)
Joseph Phillipe Lemercier Laroche, the only passenger of known African ancestry who died on the Titanic, was born on May 26, 1889 in Cap Haiten, Haiti. He was the son of a white French army captain and a Haitian woman who was a descendant of … Read MoreJoseph Phillipe Lemercier Laroche (1889-1912)
In 1949 it was far from clear as to whether or when Great Britain would grant independence to Nigeria. Nonetheless 45 year old Nnamdi Azikiwe had already emerged as one of the leaders in the Nigerian independence campaign. He and other Nigerian nationalists took that … Read More(1949) Nnamdi Azikiwe Speaks at a Rally for Nigerian Independence at Trafalgar Square, London
On July 31, 1959, Nigeria was slightly more than a year away from full independence from Great Britain. On that day Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Premier of Eastern Nigeria and National President of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), gave a speech to … Read More(1959) Nnamdi Azikiwe Speaks on the Role of Nigeria and other African States in World Politics
Nigerian independence leader Nnamdi Azikiwe appeared before the Plenary Session of the British Peace Congress held in London on October 23, 1949. He used that occasion to educate his audience about Nigeria and Africa. He also used the opportunity to remind the peace advocates that … Read More(1949) Nnamdi Azikiwe Speaks before the British Peace Conference in London
On May 18, 1955 the Eastern House of Assembly, the regional legislature for Eastern Nigeria, moved a resolution to established the first university in Eastern Nigeria. Nnamdi Azikiwe gave a speech seconding the motion introduced by the Eastern Region Minister of Education. That eastern university … Read More(1955) Nnamdi Azikiwe, “The University of Nigeria Speech”
In 1953 when Northern Nigerians were beginning to consider secession from the Nigerian colony that would soon be a nation, Nnamdi Azikiwe gave a speech before the caucus of his political party, the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in Yaba, Nigeria on … Read More(1953) Nnamdi Azikiwe, “Speech on Secession”
In 1957 Ghana became the first nation in sub-Saharan Africa to win its independence from a colonial power (Great Britain). The independence struggle was led by Kwame Nkrumah who became the nation’s first Prime Minister. Nkrumah visited Nigeria in 1959. He specifically toured Eastern Nigeria … Read More(1959) Nnamdi Azikiwe Honors Kwame Nkrumah on his Visit to Eastern Nigeria
In the following address given eleven years before Nigerian independence, Nnamdi Azikiwe calls for self-determination for the Ibo as they along with other ethnic groups march toward an inevitably free Nigeria. This address was delivered at the Ibo State Assembly held at Aba, Nigeria, on … Read More(1949) Nnamdi Azikiwe, “Address to the Ibo People”
