A successful entrepreneur, Richelieu Dennis, was born February 25, 1969 in Liberia the son of Mary Dennis. Dennis grew up in Liberia during the civil wars, a time of violence and disruption. However, he was able to attend elementary and high school in Liberia and … Read More … Read MoreRichelieu Dennis (1969- )
There was much racial unrest in New York City, New York in the early 1800s as immigrants from across Europe and migrants from neighboring states arrived in the city. Slavery was abolished in New York state in 1827. Although black New Yorkers were free, many of their families were broken because … Read More … Read MoreThe Colored Orphans Asylum of New York (1836-1946)
Image Ownership: All-Pro Reels (CC BY-SA 2.0) National Basketball Association star player Walt “Clyde” Frazier Jr., was born the oldest of nine children in Atlanta, Georgia on March 29, 1945. While attending the segregated Howard High School in Atlanta, Frazier excelled in football, baseball, and … Read More … Read MoreWalt Frazier (1945- )
In the article below historians Kathleen Thompson and Hilary Mac Austin describe Dr. Mayme Clayton, the longtime law librarian at the University of California School of Law who in her spare time accumulated one of the largest collections of African American photographs and other memorabilia … Read More … Read MoreIn Praise of Mayme Clayton: Images of the African American West
Beny Jene Primm, a pioneer in HIV/AIDS research and treatment and an anesthesiologist, was born on May 28, 1928, in Williamson, West Virginia, to a funeral director father, George Oliver Primm, and a mother, Willie Henrietta Martin Primm, who taught school. He had one brother, … Read More … Read MoreBeny Jene Primm (1928-2015)
Hulan Edwin Jack was born in 1905 in St. Lucia but migrated with his parents to the United States from British Guiana (now known as Guyana). The family settled in New York City. Jack, a high school dropout, eventually went to work for the Peerless … Read More … Read MoreHulan Edwin Jack (1905-1986)
[…] Writing from 1760 to the Present (co-edited, 1971). In 1974, he published From the Dark Tower. In 1975, he co-edited The New Negro Renaissance: An Anthology. Dr. Davis also wrote a popular newspaper column called “With a Grain of Salt” from 1933 to 1950 for […] … Read MoreArthur Paul Davis (1904-1996)
Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson was an African American singer, songwriter, musician, record label executive, and record producer, best known for her work as founder and CEO of the Sugar Hill Records hip-hop label. She is credited for being the dynamic force behind two landmark hip-hop singles, … Read More … Read MoreSylvia Robinson (1936-2011)
The 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion Zaila Avant-garde was born in 2007, in Harvey, Louisiana, to Alma Heard and Jawara Spacetime. Her father gave her the last name Avant-garde in tribute to his favorite album by musician John Coltrane of the same name. Avante-garde … Read More … Read MoreZaila Avant-garde (2007- )
Orange Mound is an African-American neighborhood located in the southeast part of the Memphis, Tennessee. Orange Mound is the first African American community built solely by and for African Americans. Orange Mound was built on the John George Deaderick Plantation. Deaderick purchased 5,000 acres of land … Read More … Read MoreOrange Mound, Memphis (1890- )
