Twenty-one-year-old Marva Weatherhorn, the first black Miss Guatemala, represented her country in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant. Her mother’s family immigrated to Guatemala from El Salvador to work harvesting bananas. Ms. Weatherhorn’s father and his parents had emigrated from Jamaica to work for the United … Read MoreMarva Weatherhorn (1983- )
“Image Ownrship: Public Domain” In 2013, Brian A. Nichols, career Foreign Service officer with the rank of Minister Counselor, was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as ambassador to Peru. Nichols was born in 1965, to Charles Harold and Mildred (Thompson) Nichols. Charles Harold … Read MoreBrian A. Nichols (1965- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Todd D. Robinson is a career U.S. Foreign Service Officer, currently serving as U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala. Robinson, a Minister Counselor who speaks Spanish, Italian, and Albanian, has had a wide range of postings with the Foreign Service. Since his confirmation … Read MoreTodd D. Robinson (1963- )
Ericka Yadira Cruz Escalante became the first Miss Mexico of African descent. With that victory she completed in the Miss Universe pageant in Roberto Clemente Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2002. Cruz was born in Mérida, Yucatán, México, on November 16, 1981 to … Read MoreEricka Yadira Cruz Escalante (1981- )
“Image Ownershp: Public Domain” George McDade Staples was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, where he served from 1998 to 2001. He was later appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as ambassador to Cameroon, and Equatorial … Read MoreGeorge McDade Staples (1947– )
The first black person elected to the Nicaraguan National Assembly, Loria Raquel Dixon Brautigam was elected to represent the North Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua in 2006. Before entering politics, Brautigam worked as a nurse in Bilwiskana, Río Coco and served as director of the Unidad Policlínica de Puerto … Read MoreLoria Raquel Dixon Brautigam ( ? – )
Andy Palacio was a popular Belizean musician who was born on December 2, 1960 in the village of Barranco in Belize, Central America. Palacio is the most famous musician to emerge from this little-known country. His work has influenced musicians and music-lovers all over the … Read MoreAndy Palacio (1960-2008)
Following World War II, over 500,000 African Americans migrated to West Coast cities in hopes of escaping racism and discrimination. However they found both in the west. For many black Los Angeles, California residents who lived in Watts, their isolation in that community was evidence … Read MoreWatts Rebellion (August 1965)