Galloway United Methodist Church (UMC) in Falls Church, Virginia, was founded in 1867 by George and Harriet Brice, who are buried in the historic graveyard on site. The Brices had escaped slavery and according to the U.S. Federal Census of 1850 were free blacks living … Read MoreGalloway United Methodist Church (1867- )
Laura Adorkor Kofi was a religious leader and Pan-Africanist who created the African Universal Church. Kofi was born circa 1895 in a Ga village outside of the city of Accra in Ghana. In the early 1920s, Kofi served as a church pastor in the Asofa … Read MoreLaura Adorkor Kofi (c. 1895-1928)
The “Saltwater Railroad” refers to the coastal waterway followed by many enslaved people escaping from the Southern slave states into the British-controlled Bahamas. The saltwater railroad served a similar function as the Underground Railroad, a land pathway, that allowed enslaved people to flee to northern … Read MoreThe Saltwater Railroad (1821-1861)
In the article below, culinary historian Diane M. Spivey describes the centuries-old diaspora of African foods and cooking traditions in North and South America. Africa has been a major contributor to the cuisine of North and South America although this contribution has long been overlooked, … Read MoreTransAtlantic Food Migration: The African Culinary Influence on the Cuisine of the Americas
Grant Fuhr was the first black superstar of the National Hockey League. Born on September 22, 1962, in Alberta, Canada to teenage parents who gave him up for adoption. His adoptive white parents—Robert Fuhr, an insurance agent, and Betty Wheeler—raised him in Spruce Grove, a … Read MoreGrant Scott Fuhr (1962- )
Earl Grant was a popular American musician during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his instrumental version of the song “Ebb Tide.” Grant was born in Idabel, Oklahoma on January 20, 1931. While there is not much known about his childhood, we do know … Read MoreEarl Grant (1931-1970)
John Richard Archer was a British politician, Pan-Africanist, and civic leader who became the first mayor of African-descent to be elected of Battersea, a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. Archer was born in Liverpool on June 8, 1863 to Richard Archer, a ship steward from … Read MoreJohn Richard Archer (1863-1932)
African American labor leader Willard S. Townsend was born on December 4, 1895, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Willard and Cora Elizabeth Townsend. In 1938, he organized railway workers of several Chicago, Illinois stations to form the International Brotherhood of Redcaps and remained the union’s president … Read MoreWillard S. Townsend (1895-1957)
Mohammed Ali “Nicholas” Said, an enslaved African from Bornu in what is now northeastern Nigeria, traveled through Europe to the United States. He was born in Kouka, Bornu, the thirteenth of nineteen children to Barca Gana and his wife, Dalia, in 1836. His father was … Read MoreMohammed Ali “Nicholas” Said (1836-1882)
Bernie Custis was a pioneer in American and Canadian football. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 23, 1928, he was the first black quarterback in the Canadian Football League. While he was in high school, he played football, baseball, and basketball and ran track, all … Read MoreBernie Custis (1928-2017)
