Haile Gebre Selassie is regarded by many observers as the greatest Ethiopian long-distance runner of all time. He was born in the province of Arsi in central Ethiopia and was inspired by runners Abebe Bikila and Miruts Yifter. As a child he was said to … Read MoreHaile Gebre Selassie (1973- )
In 1988, Rev. Jesse Jackson made a second unsuccessful run for the Democratic Nomination for President, losing out to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Jackson, however, gave another major address at the Democratic National Convention which met in Atlanta, Georgia. The address, delivered on July 19 … Read More(1988) Rev. Jesse Jackson, “Keep Hope Alive”
In 1984 Rev. Jesse Jackson campaigned for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency. Although he entered the Democratic convention at San Francisco with little hope of winning, his appeals on behalf of the dispossessed of America whom he characterized as the “Rainbow Coalition,” ensured that … Read More(1984) Rev. Jesse Jackson, “The Rainbow Coalition”
The 1927 Times of London (UK) obituary noted of Florence Mills, “There is no doubt that she was a real artist full of individuality and intelligence, and her premature death is a sad loss to the profession.” Florence Mills was an internationally-recognized and multifaceted performer … Read MoreFlorence Mills (1896-1927)
By 1906 Mary Church Terrell of Washington, D.C., had become one of the most prominent African American women in the nation. Ten years earlier she was the first president of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and from 1895 to 1901 she was a … Read More(1906) Mary Church Terrell, “What It Means to be Colored in the Capital of the U.S.”
Image Ownership: Public Domain By 1909 Ida B. Wells was the most prominent anti-lynching campaigner in the United States. From the early 1890s she labored mostly alone in her effort to raise the nation’s awareness and indignation about these usually unpunished murders. In 1909, however, … Read More(1909) Ida B. Wells, “Lynching, Our National Crime”
Los Angeles newspaper owner and political activist Charlotta Bass began her career as a conservative Republican. By the 1940s, however, she moved to the political left. In 1948 she supported Progressive Party candidate Henry Wallace in his failed bid for the Presidency. Four years later … Read More(1952) Charlotta Bass, “Acceptance Speech for Vice Presidential Candidate of the Progressive Party”
Karen Bass made history on December 11, 2022 when she was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris as the first woman and second Black person (after Tom Bradley) to be mayor of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. Before … Read MoreKaren Bass (1953- )
Born on November 24, 1943 in Washington, D.C, David Bing was a skilled point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His mother was a homemaker and his father was a bricklayer who founded a construction company. Dave Bing played with the Detroit Pistons, Washington … Read MoreDavid Bing (1943- )
Alan Page is a former professional football player and current Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Born on August 7, 1945 in Canton, Ohio, Page holds the distinction of being the only player to work on the construction of the National Football League (NFL) … Read MoreAlan Page (1945- )
