On December 1, 2005, Mark Mallory was sworn in as the first black mayor elected by popular vote in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three other black mayors preceded him but were chosen by the City Council. He served in that position until December 1, 2013. Born on … Read MoreMark Mallory (1962– )
Image Ownership: Public domain At a time in when educated, skilled, and ambitious African Americans were systematically excluded from even middle management positions in large white-controlled businesses, for decades Charles H. Dodge remained one of the extremely rare persons in the nation to occupy a … Read MoreCharles H. Dodge (1868-1942)
Black Descendant of Cherokee Freedman Image Ownership: Public domain The Robert Nero controversy refers to a late 20th Century case involving the issue of Indian identity among Cherokee Freedmen, the blacks who culturally identify with the Cherokee Nation. The controversy began with a legal class … Read MoreThe Robert Nero Controversy (1983- )
John Raymond Jones, also known as the Harlem Fox, was a Harlem politician and the first African American to lead New York City, New York’s Tammany Hall. Jones was born on November 19, 1899, in Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas. At the … Read MoreJohn Raymond Jones (1899–1991)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Born on July 4, 1902 in Seattle, Washington, Brice Union Taylor was an athlete who broke racial barriers for African American football players. Brice Taylor is perhaps best known as the University of Southern California’s first All-American football player. A descendant of the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and African slaves, he was the … Read MoreBrice Union Taylor (1902-1974)
George Albert Flippin and the University of Nebraska Football Team, 1895 (Nebraska State Historical Society) George Albert Flippin, born in Point Isable, Ohio, in 1868, was a prominent athlete and physician in Nebraska, who broke racial barriers in collegiate football and medicine for African Americans. … Read MoreGeorge Albert Flippin (1868–1929)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Prominent Virginia journalist Ray Boone Sr. was born February 2, 1938, in Suffolk, Virginia. His parents, foreign-born Japanese father, Tsujiro Miyanski, and mother, Leathia M. Boone, of mixed African and Native American descent, were banned from marrying in Virginia because of … Read MoreRaymond Harold/ “Ray” Boone Sr. (1938–2014)
Diego Velazquez’s Portrait of Juan de Pareja "Image Ownership: Public Domain" Depending on the source consulted, Spanish Baroque painter Juan de Pareja was born in the region of Andalusia, Spain, either in Seville or the much smaller city of Antequera 82 miles southeast, reputedly to … Read MoreJuan de Pareja (1606?-1670)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Leo Antony "Tony" Gleaton is an African American photographer, scholar, and artist who is best known for his photographic images capturing and documenting the African influence in the American West and Central and South America. Gleaton, the youngest son of an … Read MoreTony Gleaton (1948-2015)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Clementa Carlos "Clem" Pinckney, was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) pastor, South Carolina State Senator, and rising star in the national Democratic Party. On June 17, 2015, he and eight local black leaders were assassinated in Charleston, South Carolina, during Bible … Read MoreClementa C. Pinckney (1973-2015)