North America-Cuba
The Underground Railroad (1820-1861)
The Underground Railroad was established to aid enslaved people in their escape to freedom. The railroad was comprised of dozens...
Charles Z. Smith (1927-2016)
On July 18, 1988, Charles Z. Smith became the first African American to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. He...
Sonia Sanchez (1934- )
Sonia Sanchez was born Wilsonia Benita Driver in Birmingham, Alabama. After her mother’s death in 1935 she lived with her...
W.C. Handy (1873-1958)
Musician and composer William Christopher “W.C.” Handy was born on November 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. Widely known as the...
Nat “King” Cole (1919-1965)
Jazz pianist and popular singer Nathaniel Adams Coles was born into a musical family in Montgomery, Alabama on March 17,...
Huey P. Newton (1942-1989)
Born in Monroe, Louisiana on February 17, 1942, Huey P. Newton was named after the populist governor Huey Long. His...
Wesley Brown (1927-2012)
Wesley Brown earned distinction in 1949 as the first African American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. Wesley...
Charles Young (1864-1922)
Colonel Charles Young enjoyed a decorated military career after his graduation from West Point Military Academy in 1889. A Buffalo...
Jack Johnson (1878-1946)
Jack Johnson, the first African American and first Texan to win the heavyweight boxing championship of the world, was born...
