The second person of African descent to be elected to the lower house of Poland’s Parliament (called Sejm) was Killion M. Munyama, born the son of farmers July 10, 1961 in Monze, Zambia. A scholarship allowed him to travel to Poland in 1981 to learn the language and study … Read MoreKillion Munzele Munyama (1961- )
Image Ownership: Public domain Oliver Golden, born in 1887, in Yazoo County, Mississippi, was the son of former slaves who prospered during Reconstruction. Their house, however, was burned twice by Ku Klux Klan which resented the family’s success and they were forced to leave Mississippi for Alabama while Oliver … Read MoreOliver Golden (1887-1940)
Odessa Cox is the principal founder of Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC), which serves a predominantly black and brown community in South Central Los Angeles, California. Born Odessa Brown on June 8, 1922, in Whatley, Alabama, she was a second-generation community activist. Her father, Chester … Read MoreOdessa Cox (1922–2001)
John Abraham Godson, a conservative politician, university lecturer, businessman, and former Pentecostal preacher, is the first person of African descent elected to public office in Poland. He was born on November 25, 1970, in Umuahia, Nigeria, as Godson Chikama Onyekwere. His father, Silvanus Nwokocha Onyekwere, … Read MoreJohn Abraham Godson (1970- )
Krystian Legierski, an LGBT activist, politician, lawyer, and entrepreneur, is the first openly gay person elected to public office in Poland. He was born on April 22, 1978, in the village of Koniakow in southwestern Poland. His mother is Polish and his father is from … Read MoreKrystian Legierski (1978– )
Ambassador Leslie Alexander With Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson, 2008 “Image Ownership: Public Domain” Ambassador Leslie M. Alexander was a Career Foreign Service Officer. He was appointed by President William J. Clinton to serve as U.S. Ambassador to three nations: Mauritius and the Comoros where he … Read MoreLeslie M. Alexander (1948- )
Statue of St. Maurice c. 1240-1250, Magdeburg Cathedral of St. Maurice and St. Catherine, Author Unknown, Pictures @ 1979 Menil Foundation, Houston, Texas Image Courtesy of the Menil Foundation St. Maurice is commemorated throughout churches in modern Germany as a black African dressed as a … Read MoreSt. Maurice (ca. 250-ca. 287)
Yelena Khanga is a journalist and writer who was born in 1962 in Moscow, Russia. She is the daughter of Abdulla Khanga, who was the onetime vice president of Zanzibar, and Lily Golden, a Russian woman who was a historian and educator. She was also … Read MoreYelena Khanga (1962- )
Image Ownership: Public Domain Eighteenth and nineteenth century classical violinist George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower is perhaps now best remembered for his association with Ludwig von Beethoven, who composed his Kreutzer Sonata for the young Afro-European musician, and personally performed the sonata for violin and piano … Read MoreGeorge Bridgetower (1780-1860)
Jimmy Winkfield, born on April 12, 1882, became famous as an early 20th Century horse jockey. Winkfield, the youngest of 17 children, was born in Chilesburg, Kentucky, a town just outside of Lexington. As a child, he had a routine that included performing chores on … Read MoreJimmy Winkfield (1882-1974)