George L. Vaughn was a black lawyer and civic leader in St. Louis, Missouri best known for representing J.D. Shelley and Herman Willer in the landmark civil rights case Shelley v. Kraemer (1948). Born to former slaves and raised in Kentucky, Vaughn graduated from Lane College … Read MoreGeorge L. Vaughan (1885-1950)
Ezzard Charles, also known as “The Cincinnati Cobra,” was a quiet, modest individual who went on to become a relatively unheralded world heavyweight champion. Born in Lawrenceville, Georgia on July 7, 1921, Ezzard moved to Cincinnati at the age of nine to live with his … Read MoreEzzard Mack Charles (1921-1975)
Theophilus G. Steward, African Methodist Episcopal minister, U.S. Army chaplain, and historian, was born April 17, 1843 in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Publicly educated, he entered the ministry in 1864 and immediately sought to “go South.” His wishes were granted in May 1865 and he departed … Read MoreTheophilus Gould Steward (1843-1924)
In July 1906, the U.S. Army stationed three companies of the all-black 25th Infantry at Fort Brown, Texas, adjacent to Brownsville. In recent years, southern Texas and the border region had seen periodic disturbances between American soldiers and local Chicanos who resented the military’s presence. … Read MoreBrownsville Affray, 1906
Sugar T. George a.k.a. George Sugar was born in approximately 1827, as a slave in the Muskogee Nation. This former slave emerged as a tribal leader. By the time of his death in 1900, Sugar T. George was also said to have been the “wealthiest Negro … Read MoreSugar T. George (1827-1900)
Samuel Burdett grew up in Kentucky. While still a young man, he joined the Union Army and served as a private for only twenty days before being promoted to corporal. Burdett fought for the last two years of the Civil War, and he was present … Read MoreSamuel Burdett (1849-?)
Rev. Peter Barrow moved his family from Mississippi to Spokane, Washington in 1889. Almost immediately upon arriving, he began to involve himself politically and religiously in the city’s early life. According to Union Army Pension Records, Barrow was born into slavery in 1840 near Petersburg, … Read MorePeter Barrow (1840-1906)
Over the past seven decades the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen have been celebrated, occasionally mythologized, and used as a recent reminder of the patriotism and heroism of African Americans in times of national crisis. Mounting pressure by black leaders such as union activist A Philip … Read MoreTuskegee Airmen
Lester Oliver Bankhead was among a handful of pioneering black architects in Los Angeles in the 1950s. Although he faced the racial prejudice of his time, he was able to obtain work from Hollywood celebrities, such as actor Lorne Greene of the television series Bonanza; … Read MoreLester Oliver Bankhead (1912-1997)
Leon Bridges is recorded as the founder of the second African American-owned firm in Seattle. He was born on August 18, 1932 in Los Angeles, California. In high school he was told by a counselor that he couldn’t become an architect because he was black, … Read MoreLeon Bridges (1932- )
