Twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, John Oliver Killens was an editor, essayist, activist, critic and novelist who inspired a generation of African American writers through his Harlem Writers Guild. He inspired such literary artists as Rosa Guy, Maya Angelou, Ossie Davis and Audrey Lorde. … Read MoreJohn Oliver Killens (1916-1987)
Musician, clergyman and civil rights supporter Gloster B. Current was instrumental in the growth of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP, founded 1909). Born in 1913 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to John T. Current and Earsy Bryant, Gloster grew up Chicago and … Read MoreGloster B. Current (1913-1997)
Bud Powell, jazz pianist, was born Earl Powell in New York City. His father, William Powell, worked as a building superintendent. Powell grew up surrounded by musicians, including his father, who played piano, his brother William, who played trumpet and violin, and his brother Richie, … Read MoreEarl “Bud” Powell (1924-1966)
Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Hayes Washington was born December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. Growing up in a middle-class family, Washington was the second of three children, his father, Reverend Denzel Washington, Sr., was a Pentecostal minister and his mother, Lennis “Lynne” … Read MoreDenzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (1954- )
Founded in Syracuse, New York in 1864, the National Equal Rights League (NERL) promoted full and immediate citizenship for African Americans. Created during the Civil War, the League based its call for full citizenship as compensation for military service in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. … Read MoreNational Equal Rights League (1864-1921)
The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded on August 1, 1925, in Des Moines, Iowa by 120 lawyers to give voice to black attorneys who were excluded from every nationally organized bar association at that time. When the association was formed, there were slightly less … Read MoreNational Bar Association (1925- )
Antonio Maceo Smith, educator, entrepreneur, and civil rights activist, was born on April 16, 1903 in Texarkana, Texas to Howell and Winnie Smith. Smith attended segregated primary and secondary schools in his hometown. In 1924 he earned an A.B. degree from Fisk University and then … Read MoreAntonio Maceo Smith (1903-1977)
Brock Peters, who emerged as a prominent actor of the 1960s, was born George Fisher in 1927, to Sonny and Alma Fisher in New York City. Prior to concentrating on an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, he attended the University of Chicago, and … Read MoreBrock Peters (1927-2005)
Born in Cuba on April 7, 1917, Mongo Santamaria is an Afro-Cuban percussionist who became an influential musician in the United States in the 1950s. His given name is Ramón Santamaría Rodríguez. Nicknamed Mongo by his father, Santamaria believes his nickname comes from the Mali … Read MoreMongo Santamaria (1917-2003)
Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua’s biography is the only known biography of a former slave from Brazil. Baquaqua was born around 1824 near Djougou in modern day Benin to a Muslim merchant family. Baquaqua was captured from Djougou in 1845 while acting as a messenger for a … Read MoreMahommah Gardo Baquaqua (ca. 1824-ca. 1857)
