Her Excellency, The Most Honorable Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, is the first president of the Republic of Barbados. Mason was born on January 17, 1949, in East Point, Saint Philip, Barbados. Her early education began at St. Catherine’s Primary School in 1955, and she left … Read MoreSandra Prunella Mason (1949- )
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, an interracial and international R&B band, began when Thomas (Tommy) Chong invited Bobby Taylor, whom he had met in San Francisco, California, to become the lead singer for the Canadian group the Calgary Shades in 1961. The ensemble included Chong … Read MoreBobby Taylor & the Vancouvers (1966-1988)
Booker T. & The MGs (the Memphis Group), a biracial jazz ensemble, was formed in 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee. The group’s original members were Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), born December 11, 1944; Lewie Steinberg (bass), born September 13, 1933; Al Jackson, Jr. (percussions), born … Read MoreBooker T & the MGs (1962-2017)
Who are they: Charles Mitchell was born into slavery in 1847 on the Marengo Plantation in Maryland. He was born to a free white man, also named Charles Mitchell, and a slave woman whose name is unknown. In 1855, he was brought to the Washington … Read MoreCharles Mitchell, Slavery, and Washington Territory in 1860 [Children’s Edition]
Grafton Tyler Brown was a cartographer, lithographer, and painter, widely considered the first professional African American artist in California. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1841, Brown learned lithography in Philadelphia and then became part of a cohort of African Americans who sought better economic and … Read MoreGrafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918)
With a small cadre of white officers and Black NCOs, the segregated 93rd Engineer Battalion (600 men) was activated on February 10, 1941 and quartered in an undesirable mud-filled rear corner of Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Most of the enlisted men were from Mississippi and Louisiana. … Read MoreThe 93rd Engineer Regiment (1941-1945)
In their latest book on the Black soldiers who helped build the Alcan Highway during World War II, authors Christine and Dennis McClure encountered a story of injustice in the frigid north. See a description of their new book, A Different Race, to get a … Read MoreInjustice in Alaska Territory: The World War II Court-martial of Ten Black Soldiers Who Helped Build the ALCAN Highway
Sabrina Dhowre is a Somalian-American professional model and social media personality. She was born on July 16, 1989 in New York, and grew up in Montreal, Canada. Her mother Maryam Egal was born in Somalia but now resides in British Columbia. After graduating from high … Read MoreSabrina Dhowre Elba (1988- )
William Decker Johnson was the 42nd Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and founder of Johnson Home Industrial College in Archery, Georgia. Born November 15th, 1869 in Glasgow, Thomas County, Georgia to Reverend Andrew Jackson Johnson and Mattie McCullough. Both parents were former … Read MoreWilliam Decker Johnson (1869-1936)
George Putnam Riley, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, was an important figure in the Pacific Northwest during the nineteenth century. Riley’s grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War under General Israel Putnam, and his middle name probably refers to his grandfather’s commander. His father, William Riley, was a clothing … Read MoreGeorge Putnam Riley (1833-1905)
