Entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s original name was Luther Robinson. He was born on May 25, 1878, to Maxwell, a machinist, and Maria Robinson, a church choir director, in Richmond Virginia. Both parents died tragically in 1885. Robinson did not like his birth name, Luther, and … Read MoreBill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878-1949)
Pompey Factor, former slave, scout for the United States Army and Congressional Medal of Honor winner, was born in Arkansas in 1849 to Hardy Factor, a black Seminole chief and an unknown Biloxi Indian woman. By the end of that 2nd Seminole War (1835-1842), most … Read MorePompey Factor (1849-1928)
David A. Paterson, sworn in as Governor on March 17, 2008, is the first legally blind American Governor, the first black Governor of New York State, and only the fourth black Governor of any state. Paterson has been serving as Lieutenant Governor of New York, … Read MoreDavid A. Paterson (1954- )
John Jones, apprentice tailor, writer, and politician was born in 1817 in Green City, North Carolina to a German father and an African American mother. Born a free man, he taught himself to read and write. Jones started his own tailoring business and eventually became … Read MoreJohn Jones (1817-1879)
Alvin Poussaint was born in East Harlem in New York City on May 15, 1934. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School he received a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1956 and an M.D. from Cornell University in 1960. Poussaint completed his postgraduate training at … Read MoreAlvin F. Poussaint (1934- )
Daniel A. P. Murray was born on March 3, 1852 in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of nine he left Baltimore to live in Washington, D.C., where his brother managed the U.S. Senate restaurant. In 1871 Murray acquired a job as a personal assistant to … Read MoreDaniel A. P. Murray (1852-1925)
John Lovick is one of the most successful African American politicians in Washington state history. He has held a number of political positions at the state and county level and is currently a member of the Washington State House of Representatives for the 44th District … Read MoreJohn Lovick (1951- )
George William Crockett Jr. was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 10, 1909 to George William Crockett Sr., and Minnie Amelia Jenkins. His father was a Baptist minister and railroad carpenter and his mother was a Sunday School teacher and poet. Crockett grew up in … Read MoreGeorge William Crockett Jr. (1909-1997)
Born in Ethiopia in 1937, Alexander Skunder Boghossian first rose to prominence at the age of 17 when he won second prize for his painting at the Jubilee Anniversary Celebration of Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie I. The following year he was awarded a scholarship to … Read MoreAlexander Skunder Boghossian (1937-2003)
Floyd Harold Flake was born to Robert Flake, Sr. and Rosie Lee Johnson-Flake on January 30, 1945 in Los Angeles, California. Flake, though born in California, grew up in Houston, Texas and attended public schools there until his move to Ohio to attend Wilberforce University. … Read MoreFloyd Harold Flake (1945- )
