Nicholas (“Nick”) Brown is the first African American to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington. Born in San Francisco to a career military officer, Brown also lived in Augsburg, Germany as a child. He attended high school in Steilacoom, Washington, … Read MoreNicholas W. Brown (1977- )
Founded in Philadelphia in 1869, the Knights of Labor (KOL) was the largest, most important labor union in the 19th century United States. Unlike most unions (and predominantly white institutions) then, the KOL opened its membership to African Americans and women workers. Prior to the … Read MoreAfrican Americans and the Knights of Labor (1869-1949)
Blues Guitarist Gary Lee Clark Jr. was born on February 15, 1984, in Austin, Texas, to Sandy Clark and Gary Clark Sr., a car salesman. Clark received the first guitar at Christmas when he was 13, an Ibanez RX20. During that time, he read music … Read MoreGary Lee Clark Jr. (1984- )
Professional bare-knuckle boxer Peter Jackson, better known as the Black Prince and Peter the Great, was born on July 3, 1861, in Water Gut, Christiansted, Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) to Peter Jackson Sr., a warehouseman from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Information regarding … Read MorePeter Jackson (1861-1901)
Booker T. & The MGs (the Memphis Group), a biracial jazz ensemble, was formed in 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee. The group’s original members were Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), born December 11, 1944; Lewie Steinberg (bass), born September 13, 1933; Al Jackson, Jr. (percussions), born … Read MoreBooker T & the MGs (1962-2017)
Sloane Stephens is an American tennis player, born in Plantation, Florida on March 20, 1993. Her father John played for the New England Patriots, and her mother Sybil (Smith) was the first woman to be named a first team All-American swimmer in Division one history. … Read MoreSloane Stephens (1993- )
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
Clara Mae Ward, one of the most outstanding soloists and conductors in gospel history, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 21, 1924, to George Ward, a handcrafter and ironworker from Anderson County, South Carolina, and Gertrude Mae Murphy Ward, a pianist and singer also … Read MoreClara Mae Ward (1924-1973)
Concert musician Calvin Edouard Ward was born on February 10, 1925, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Effie Elizabeth Crawford Ward, a graduate of Spelman Seminary for Women and Girls. His father, Jefferson Sigman Ward, a World War I Veteran, graduated from the Haynes Institute in Augusta, Georgia. … Read MoreCalvin Edouard Ward (1925-2018)
