In the late nineteenth century, black Indian freedmen were uniquely affected by the Indian Severalty Acts. Black freedmen had lived in the Indian Territory since before the Civil War, with many having originally come as slaves. While the severalty acts were primarily a legislative effort … Read MoreIndian Severalty (The Dawes and Curtis Acts) and Black Indian Freedmen
Ophelia DeVore Mitchell was an American businesswoman, publisher, and one of the first African American models in the United States. In 1946, she helped establish the Grace Del Marco Agency, one of the first modeling agencies in the nation. DeVore was born on August 12, … Read MoreOphelia DeVore Mitchell (1922-2014)
Hines Edward Ward Jr., former National Football League (NFL) football player, was born on March 8, 1976, in Seoul, South Korea. His parents were an African American father serving in the U.S. Army and a Korean mother, Young He. Ward soon moved to Atlanta, Georgia … Read MoreHines Edward Ward Jr. (1976- )
Milton Murray Holland was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action in the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm. Murray was born on August 1, 1844 in Austin, Texas, the son of Bird … Read MoreMilton Murray Holland (1844-1910)
Jasmine Guy is an American actress, director, singer, and dancer. She was born on March 10, 1962, in Boston, Massachusetts, to biracial parents. Her father, William Guy, is an African American pastor, and her mother, Jaye Rudolph, is a Portuguese American who was a school … Read MoreJasmine Guy (1962- )
Anti-fascist Afro-Italian partisan Giorgio Marincola lived a brief but heroic life. Born September 23, 1923, in the south central coastal town of Mahaday in what was then called Italian Somaliland, he was the son of Italian military officer Joseph Marincola and a Somali woman, Aschiro … Read MoreGiorgio Marincola (1923-1945)
“Image Ownership: Fair Use” Born on July 4, 1902 in Seattle, Washington, Brice Union Taylor was an athlete who broke racial barriers for African American football players. Brice Taylor is perhaps best known as the University of Southern California’s first All-American football player. A descendant of the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and African slaves, he was the … Read MoreBrice Union Taylor (1902-1974)
Prominent Virginia journalist Ray Boone Sr. was born February 2, 1938, in Suffolk, Virginia. His parents, foreign-born Japanese father, Tsujiro Miyanski, and mother, Leathia M. Boone, of mixed African and Native American descent, were banned from marrying in Virginia because of their different races. Yet … Read MoreRaymond Harold/ “Ray” Boone Sr. (1938-2014)
Depending on the source consulted, Spanish Baroque painter Juan de Pareja was born in the region of Andalusia, Spain, either in Seville or the much smaller city of Antequera 82 miles southeast, reputedly to a female of African descent and a native Spanish male whose … Read MoreJuan de Pareja (ca. 1606-1670)
Born March 19, 1784 in the northern coastal territory of La Guajira, Colombia, José Padilla is recognized as one of the first South American-born naval commanders, a founder of the Colombian navy, and a hero in the Latin American wars of independence and the Afro-Hispanic … Read MoreJosé Prudencio Padilla Lopez (1784-1828)
