Pedro Camejo also known as Negro Primero (The First Black in Spanish) was a Venezuelan soldier who fought with the Royal Army and then the Rebel Army during the Venezuelan War of Independence between 1810 and 1823. He was the only officer of African descent … Read MorePedro Camejo (1790-1821)
Jack Sisson was an enslaved African American who became a militia volunteer and was instrumental in the capture of British Gen. Richard Prescott in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War. Sisson was born around 1743 and was owned by Thomas Sisson of Tiverton, Rhode Island. … Read MoreJack Sisson (1743?-1821)
The astonishing appearance of a high-ranking Black military officer in late 18th century Poland who led troops across Europe and in the Caribbean is further evidence of the breadth of the African diaspora. The product of an illicit affair in Paris between British-born Princess Maria … Read MoreWladyslaw Franciszek Jablonowski (1769-1802)
John Hanson was a Liberian senator during the mid-19th century who has been erroneously claimed as the first Black president of the United States. Not much is known about Hanson’s early life. He was born into slavery in Baltimore, Maryland, around 1791. According to some … Read MoreJohn Hanson (1791-1860)
The mulatto slave William Lee appears together with his owner, U.S. President George Washington, in two and quite possibly three paintings, including the iconic Washington Crossing the Delaware by the artist Emanuel Leutze, where he is seen third from left in the boat where Washington … Read MoreWilliam Lee (aka Billy Lee/ Will Lee) (1752?-1810)
Detroit, Michigan, is a large midwestern city founded in 1701 by French settlers. With a population of 664,139, Detroit is the most populated city in Michigan, and it has the highest percentage of African Americans in a major city with over 70% of its residents … Read More10) Detroit, Michigan (1701- )
With a population of nearly 4 million people, Los Angeles, California is the second-largest city in the United States. About 48.6% of the population in the city identifies as Latino and 9% as African American. Los Angeles also has some of the most polluted air … Read More8) Los Angeles, California (1781)
What happened (Who are they): Sojourner Truth was the most prominent African American woman to participate in both the abolition of slavery and women’s rights movements in the 19th century. Her activity just before and during the Civil War earned an invitation to meet President … Read MoreSojourner Truth (1797-1883) [Children’s Edition]
Founded in 1779, Warren County, North Carolina, is the birthplace of the environmental racism movement. In 1982 members of the predominantly Black population of Warren County, situated on the North Carolina border with Virginia, began protesting the decision by the State of North Carolina to … Read More9) Warren County, North Carolina (1779- )
Although much attention is paid to Crispus Attucks who died during the 1770 Boston Massacre, the first African American to take up arms and fight in the American Revolutionary War was a slave who in his youth was known simply as Prince. Though some scholars … Read MorePrince Estabrook (1740?-1830)
