Legendary composer, conductor, and saxophonist King Curtis was born Curtis Ousley in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, on February 7, 1934, to Ethel Montgomery and a biological father was never present. William and Josie Ousley adopted him and his sister Josephine Ousley Allen. Curtis began … Read MoreKing Curtis (1934-1971)
Mark Keith Robinson is the current Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (NC) and the first African American to hold that position in the state’s history. His public involvement in politics began just two years before he was elected to the second highest post in the … Read MoreMark Robinson (1968- )
Valerie LaVerne Thomas, scientist, mathematician, physicist, and inventor, was born on February 1, 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland. Reared in the historic all-Black Cherry Hill community, Valerie’s parents were her first role models. They instilled in her the importance of education that resulted “in an inquiry-based … Read MoreValerie Thomas (1943- )
Elvi Gray-Jackson is the second African American woman elected to the Alaska state senate and the first African American to become Chair of the Senate in the state. Born in Newark, New Jersey on April 8, 1953, Gray-Jackson graduated from Barringer High School before attending … Read MoreElvi Gray-Jackson (1953- )
Sandra Hollins is the first African American woman to serve in the Utah State Legislature. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 11, 1970 to Iola Robinson-Seals and Freddie Seals II. In 1988, Hollins graduated from McDonough #35 High School and enrolled in … Read MoreSandra Hollins (1970- )
In the following article novelist and independent historian Amy Sommers briefly outlines the experience of African Americans in Asia between World Wars I and II. She argues that African American influence in Asia was situated in four broad categories: the performing arts, international relations, faith, … Read MoreThe Black Pacific, 1919-1941: African Americans and Asia in the Interwar Period
With a small cadre of white officers and Black NCOs, the segregated 93rd Engineer Battalion (600 men) was activated on February 10, 1941 and quartered in an undesirable mud-filled rear corner of Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Most of the enlisted men were from Mississippi and Louisiana. … Read MoreThe 93rd Engineer Regiment (1941-1945)
Edwina Justus, also known as “Curlie,” is the first African American woman locomotive engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. She was born on July 11, 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska to Lee Chaney and Caldonia Isaiah Chaney. As a young child she attended Brown Park Elementary … Read MoreEdwina “Curlie” Justus (1943- )
Daisy Nelson Moore was a teacher and civil rights activist in Arizona best known for her legal fight to teach in integrated classrooms before the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. Moore was born on December 7, 1910 in Barthsville, Oklahoma to … Read MoreDaisy Nelson Moore (1910-1985)
Gregory Dimitri Gadson is a retired United States Army colonel, motivational speaker, actor, and business owner. Gadson was born on February 19, 1966, in Chesapeake, Virginia. He attended Indian River High School, where he was a standout football player. Gadson graduated in 1985 then attended … Read MoreGregory D. Gadson (1966- )
