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.
Louis Delgres, born in Martinique on August 2, 1766, was one of the most important figures in the fight against slavery in the French Caribbean colonies. The child of an inter-racial couple—Elisabeth Morin, black, and Louis Delgres, white—he quickly entered the military in 1783 at the age of 17 … Read MoreLouis Delgres (1766-1802)
Civil rights supporter, city official, and social activist Gilbert William Lindsay was born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi on November 29, 1900. As a teenager, he left the state and enrolled in a school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lindsay later moved to Arizona where he served in the 10th Calvary and 25th Infantry of the United States Army. … Read MoreGilbert William Lindsay (1900-1990)
Toussaint L’Ouverture was a former slave who rose to become the leader of the only successful slave revolt in modern history known as the Haitian Revolution. Born into slavery on May 20, 1743 in the French colony of Saint Dominque, L’Ouverture was the eldest son of Gaou Guinon, an African prince … Read MoreToussaint L’Ouverture (1743-1803)
Jaya, born Maria Luisa Ramsey, is one of the most renowned singers in the Philippines. Born to popular Afro-Filipino comedienne Elizabeth Ramsey and Filipino singer and musician Reynaldo Kagahastian on March 21, 1970 in Manila, Jaya’s parents separated when she was three years old. Her father emigrated to Canada. … Read MoreJaya/Maria Luisa Ramsey Kagahastian-Gotidoc (1970- )
Louis Brody was a prominent German actor and musician. He was born M’bebe Mpessa in Douala, Cameroon, on February 15, 1892. Little is known about his early life in Cameroon, formerly known as Kamerun. He attended the German colonial school in Douala where he learned to speak German. It is … Read MoreLouis Brody (a.k.a. Lewis Brody), 1892-1952)
Josef Nassy was an Afro-Jewish artist and Holocaust survivor. Born on January 19, 1904 in Paramaribo, Surinam (Dutch Guiana), he was one of seven children born to Adolf Philipus Nassy, a prosperous Jewish businessman who was elected to the Surinam Parliament, and Elisabeth Carolina Natalia Nassy (born de Maesschalk), … Read MoreJosef Johan Cosmo Nassy (1904-1976)
Ivorian–French pop singer John William was born Ernest Armand Huss on October 9, 1922 in the coastal town of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). He was born to a Frenchman, Ernest Charles Huss, and an Ivorian woman, Henriette Amoussan, with whom he never had much acquaintance. At … Read MoreJohn William, a.k.a Ernest Armand Huss (1922-2011)
Internationally acclaimed Afro-Cuban violinist Claudio José Domingo Brindis de Salas y Garrido was born in Havana, Cuba, on August 4, 1852, the son of Claudio Brindis de Salas Monte, director of the popular orchestra Concha de Oro (Golden Shell) who played the violin and double bass, … Read MoreClaudio Brindis de Salas (1852-1911)
Juan Beltrán de Magaña was a black conquistador of Chile. He was born in Guadalajara, Spain in 1537 to Francisco Gonzalez Mencia and Estacio de la Peña. He married Mariana Aguirre and had a legitimate son named Martin de Briones. In addition, he had an illegitimate son of … Read MoreJuan Beltrán de Magaña (1537-1578)
In 1978 David Wabeladio Payi created a writing system he dubbed “Mandombe.” He ascertained that the script was revealed to him in a dream where he saw two figures formed by mortar joints on his wall. The mirror figures he saw on the joints looked … Read MoreDavid Wabeladio Payi (1957-2013)
