Sarah Fraser, born Sarah Marinda Loguen, was the first African American woman to graduate from the Syracuse University College of Medicine. She was also one of the first African American female physicians specializing in obstetrics and pediatrics. Sarah Loguen was born on January 29, 1850, … Read MoreSarah Loguen Fraser (1850-1933)
Bujumbura is Burundi’s capital and largest city. Located on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, it is only a few miles from the frontier with the Democratic Republic of the Congo by boat through Lake Tanganyika. Bujumbura grew from a small village after it became … Read MoreBujumbura, Burundi (1899- )
The Jamaica Bobsled Federation (JBF) was initially created in 1987 by two American businessmen living in Jamaica, George Fitch and William Maloney. After watching a local pushcart race, Fitch and Maloney recognized similarities with bobsledding. Already aware of Jamaica’s athletic history, particularly around sprinting and … Read MoreJamaica Bobsled Team (1987- )
Pierre Toussaint, New York society hairdresser, devout Catholic, and wealthy philanthropist, was born a third-generation elite house slave at the Bérard family plantation in Haiti. His father’s name is not known but he took his surname in honor of revolutionary hero Toussaint L’Ouverture. His mother, … Read MorePierre Toussaint (ca. 1781-1853) and Marie-Rose Juliette Gaston (1786-1851)
Donald Byrd (Donaldson Toussaint L’Ouverture Byrd II) was born on December 9, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan; his father was amateur musician and Methodist minister D.T. Byrd. He attended Cass Technical High School, had a stint in the US Air Force, graduated from Wayne State University, … Read MoreDonald Byrd (1932-2013)
Beauty pageant queen, model, and actress Denny Andreina Méndez de la Rosa was born on July 20, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Her mother, Lidia Chavez, who had divorced her biological father, met a vacationing Italian, Sergio Casabianca, who became her stepfather. At age five, … Read MoreDenny Méndez (1978- )
Marion Williams, an American gospel singer, was born in Miami, Florida on August 29, 1927. Her father, originally from Nassau, Bahamas, worked as a butcher, a barber, and a music teacher while her mother, born in South Carolina, worked as a laundress. One of 11 … Read MoreMarion Williams (1927-1994)
International peace and women’s rights activist, political office seeker, and crime fighter, Eunice Hunton Carter was born July 16, 1899 in Atlanta, Georgia to William Alphaeus Sr. and Addie Waite Hunton who were also prominent educators and activists. The family moved to Brooklyn, New York … Read MoreEunice Hunton Carter (1899-1970)
Image Ownership: Public Domain Jazz trumpeter Thomas “Tommy” Ladnier was born in Florenville/Mandeville, Louisiana on May 28, 1900. His father was Alfred Ladnier and his mother Willie Williams Ladnier. He played in local bands beginning in 1914 and one of his teachers was trumpeter Bunk … Read MoreThomas James Ladnier (1900–1939)
St. Maurice is commemorated throughout churches in modern Germany as a black African dressed as a Roman Solider. That depiction originated with the renowned statue in the Cathedral of St. Catherine and St. Maurice in Magdeburg, Germany. However, according to some historical authorities, he was … Read MoreSt. Maurice (ca. 250-ca. 287)
