American Olympic athlete Rafer Johnson was born on August 18, 1935 in Hillsboro, Texas to parents Lewis Johnson and Alma Gibson Johnson. When he was around 9 years old, the family moved from Texas to Kingsburg, California. He attended Kingsburg high school and was part of the football, basketball, baseball, and track team as well … Read MoreRafer Johnson (1935- )
The heroic soldier and trusted personal assistant of the revered Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi was a man of African descent nicknamed Andrea il Moro (Andrew the Moor), but born into slavery as Andrea Aguyar in Montevideo, Uruguay. His exact birth date and parents are unknown. One major consequence … Read MoreAndrea Aguyar (a.k.a. Andrea Aquyar and Andrea il Moro), 1810?-1849
Barbara Chase-Riboud was born on June 26, 1939, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Charles and Vivian Chase and is known for her controversial novel Sally Hemings, poetry, and sculptures, including the Malcolm X Steles. Her artistic talent in drawing and sculpting was discovered at any early age and as a result she attended the prestigious … Read MoreBarbara Chase-Riboud (1939- )
The novelist William Edward Demby, Jr. was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Christmas day, 1922, to William and Gertrude Demby. He was raised in their family of seven children in the Fairywood district of Pittsburgh’s West Side. The family moved to Clarksburg, West Virginia, shortly after Demby’s graduation from … Read MoreWilliam Demby (1922-2013)
Frank M. Snowden, Jr. was a distinguished historian, professor, and diplomat most notably in the area the lives of blacks in the ancient world. Of his many esteemed works, Blacks in Antiquity is his most significant scholarship. Snowden was born on July 17, 1911, in York County, Virginia. His family moved to … Read MoreFrank M. Snowden, Jr. (1911-2007)
Although the African ancestry of Alessandro de’ Medici (1510-1537), the first Duke of Florence, is widely known, few people are aware of Raimondo di Cabanni who a century earlier exercised significant authority in late-medieval Italy. He was a slave purchased from pirates by a Neapolitan merchant, and details … Read MoreRaimondo di Cabanni (a.k.a. Raymond of Campagno) (?-1334)
Image Ownership: Public domain Police official, business leader, and civil rights advocate Elbert T. Hudson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on November 16, 1920. Three years later, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1924, his father, H. Claude Hudson, became president of the … Read MoreElbert T. Hudson (1920-2017)
Image Ownership: Public domain Darryl Dawkins (also known as Chocolate Thunder—a name music legend Stevie Wonder gave him), was born in Orlando, Florida, on January 11, 1957. Born to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins, he was raised by his grandmother, Amanda Celestine Jones, in Orlando … Read MoreDarryl Dawkins (1957-2015)
Lutrelle Horne on the Sesame Street Set Image Ownership: Public domain Lutrelle Horne is a producer who worked for Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Shop). He was one-time Executive Vice-President of Children’s Television Workshop and Executive Producer and Director of its International Division. Horne was … Read MoreLutrelle Horne (1937?- )
Image Ownership: Public domain Tyra Lynne Banks is one of the most famous African American models of the late twentieth century. Banks is also a television personality, actress, author, and businesswoman. She was born on December 4, 1973, in Inglewood, California, to Carolyn London, a … Read MoreTyra Banks (1973- )