Historical Reenactors at Williamsburg, Virginia Portraying Elizabeth Key and William Grinstead "Image Ownership: Public Domain" Elizabeth Key Grinstead was one of the first women of African American ancestry in the North American colonies to sue for her freedom and win. Key won freedom for herself and … Read MoreElizabeth Key Grinstead (1630–1665)
Murillo Discovering Sebastián Gómez Painting in Murillo’s Studio "Image Ownership: Public Domain" Spanish Baroque painter Sebastián Gómez was born around 1646 in Seville, Spain, a product of that city’s sizeable African-descended community. Ordinary benchmarks pertaining to most of his life—ancestry, circumstances of birth, parentage, identity … Read MoreSebastián Gómez (1646?–1690?)
Diego Velazquez’s Portrait of Juan de Pareja "Image Ownership: Public Domain" Depending on the source consulted, Spanish Baroque painter Juan de Pareja was born in the region of Andalusia, Spain, either in Seville or the much smaller city of Antequera 82 miles southeast, reputedly to … Read MoreJuan de Pareja (1606?-1670)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Roseau is the capital, principal town, and major port of Dominica, an island nation of 72,000 people in the Caribbean Sea. The town had a population of 16,582 people in 2007, making it one of the least populous capitals in the … Read MoreRoseau, Dominica (1650- )
Queen Nanny as Pictured on a Jamaican Bank Note Image Ownership: Public Domain Nanny, known as Granny Nanny, Grandy Nanny, and Queen Nanny was a Maroon leader and Obeah woman in Jamaica during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Maroons were slaves in the … Read MoreQueen Nanny of the Maroons (? – 1733)
Settled Areas in New England in 1640 around the time Dorcas joined First Church at Dorchester. Image Ownership: Public Domain The brief entry for “Dorcas the blackmore” that appears in the Records of the First Church at Dorchester in New England, 1636-1734 suggests that Dorcas … Read MoreDorcas the blackmore (ca. 1620- ?)
Collage Including Mathieu Da Costa Image Ownership: Public Domain Mathieu Da Costa, a free black seaman, is believed to be the first person of African ancestry to reach Canada and he is the first recorded black man to visit the region of Port Royal in … Read MoreMathieu Da Costa (17th Century?)
Black Students in Private School, Bluefields, Nicaragua Image Ownership: Public Domain A city at the mouth of the Escondido River and the Caribbean Sea, Bluefields is home to a large black settlement on the east coast of Nicaragua and is strongly associated with Black Creole … Read MoreBluefields, Nicaragua
Queen Nzinga (Nzinga Mbande), the monarch of the Mbundu people, was a resilient leader who fought against the Portuguese and their expanding slave trade in Central Africa. During the late 16th Century, the French and the English threatened the Portuguese near monopoly on the sources … Read MoreQueen Nzinga (1583-1663)
Osei Kofi Tutu, the fourth ruler of the Ashanti Empire, serving from 1701 until 1717, was also one of the most important leaders of the state that is now part of modern-day Ghana. During his childhood, Tutu was part of the royal court of Denkyira … Read MoreOsei Kofi Tutu (c. 1680-1717)