The following are short descriptions of the women and men who have contributed to the shaping of Global African 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.
Bella Forsgrén is the first black woman elected to the Parliament of Finland. Born February 10, 1992, in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, she was adopted at age 3 by a Finnish couple. Her official, legal name is Asha (meaning hope, given by her … Read MoreBella Forsgrén (aka Asha Maria Belaynesh Forsgrén) (1992- )
African investment banker Tidjane Thiam who was co-CEO of Credit Suisse from 2015 to 2020, was born one of seven children into a politically prominent family in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) on July 29, 1962. His father, Amadou Anna Thiam, was a journalist and … Read MoreTidjane Thiam (1962- )
Pontus Carlsson has been competing in chess matches since age 5 and he is currently a chess Grandmaster. His improbable journey to chess stardom started in 1985 when as a toddler he was adopted from an orphanage in Cali, Colombia, South America by Ingvar Carlsson, … Read MorePontus Carlsson (1982- )
An international human rights and civil rights attorney since 2003, Kimberley Chongyon Motley is well known for her legal practice in both the United States and Afghanistan, as well as her research regarding juvenile justice. Motley is the founder of Motley Legal Services, co-founder of … Read MoreKimberley Motley (1978?- )
Virtuoso technician Classical, jazz, composer Nestor Miguel Torres was born on April 25, 1957, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, to Nestor Torres Sr., pianist and vibraphone, and Ana E. Salcedo Baldovino-Torres. His first percussion and piano teacher was his father. However, Torres, skipping two grades, began … Read MoreNestor Torres (1957- )
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo is a professional basketball player for the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Bucks who played for the National Association Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo was born on December 6, 1994 to Charles Antetokounmpo and Veronica Antetokounmpo in Athens, Greece. Antetokounmpo’s parents immigrated from Nigeria to … Read MoreGiannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (1994- )
Fatima Djalor was an international children’s welfare activist and the first woman of African ancestry to appear regularly on television in the Republic of Moldova. Born in 1989 in Moldova’s capital city of Chișinău, she was one of the three children of a local woman … Read MoreFatima Djalor (1989-2019)
Arabella Fields was a singer and actress known as “The Black Nightingale” and had a storied career performing in Europe. She was born on January 31, 1879, as Sarah Arabella Middleton in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early reports state she was performing at the young age of … Read MoreArabella Fields (1879-1933)
Environmental and social justice activist Freweyni Asress of Gondar, Ethiopia runs the Instagram account @ZeroWasteHabesha, with which she documents her progress toward a zero-waste lifestyle, alongside encouraging and facilitating conversations on topics such as Black ecology, race, and colonization. Defined by academics J.T. Roane and … Read MoreFreweyni Asress (?- )
Freweini Mebrahtu (Ge’ez: ፍሬወይኒ መብራህቱ) is an Ethiopian Chemical Engineer and the creator of reusable menstrual sanitary pads for women and girls in Ethiopia. Mebrahtu was born in the Tigray region of Ethiopia in 1965 and is the youngest daughter of seven children. Her parents … Read MoreFreweini Mebrahtu (1965- )
