Pitcher Juan Antonio Marichal, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco (California) Giants from 1960 to 1973, was first Dominican-born baseball player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Marichal, nicknamed “The Dominican Dandy,” was born on October 20, 1937 in … Read MoreJuan Antonio Marichal (1937- )
The Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) would be the target of aggression from its Hispaniola neighbor, French-ruled Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), in the early nineteenth century culminating in a twenty-two year occupation which would have long term consequences for both nations. Haitian … Read MoreHaitian Invasions and Occupation of Santo Domingo (1801-1844)
Dr. François Duvalier, also known as “Papa Doc,” was the president of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. His regime was notorious for its autocratic and corrupt rule. Born on April 14, 1907 in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, François Duvalier was the son of Duval Duvalier … Read MoreFrançois “Papa Doc” Duvalier (1907-1971)
Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, the son of the infamously corrupt and authoritarian Haitian president François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, was president of Haiti from 1971 to 1986. Born on July 3, 1951 in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, he grew up largely in isolation, spending his time … Read MoreJean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier (1951-2014)
Born on June 26, 1808 in the city of Santiago de Cuba, Mariana Grajales Cuello is best known for the role she played in her country’s struggle for independence against Spain. Referred to as the “Mother of Cuba,” Cuello’s promotion of national pride and patriotic … Read MoreMariana Grajales Cuello (1808-1893)
Archibald Grimke was a leading intellectual, activist, and author on racial equality in early 20th century America. Grimke was born into slavery in South Carolina on August 17, 1849, the son of Nancy Weston, a slave, and Henry Grimke, her owner. After his father’s death, … Read MoreArchibald Grimke (1849-1930)
Frederick Douglass was born into Maryland slavery in 1817 to a slave mother and a slave master father. Young Douglass toiled on a rural plantation and later in Baltimore’s shipyards as a caulker. Douglass, however, learned to read and soon sought out abolitionist literature that … Read MoreFrederick Douglass (1817-1895)
Leroy Robert Paige, one of the few African American baseball athletes to play in both the Negro Baseball Leagues and in Major League Baseball. He was also the first player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his career in the … Read MoreLeroy Robert “Satchel” Paige (1906-1982)
Painter and illustrator Aaron Douglas was born in Topeka, Kansas on May 26, 1899 to Aaron Douglas Sr., a baker originally from Tennessee and Elizabeth Douglas, a homemaker from Alabama. and became one of the leading visual artists of his time. Inspired by the work … Read MoreAaron Douglas (1898-1979)
