Bill (or Billy) Colbert is best known for serving as an officer of color who upheld the law in the Indian Territory during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Though the details of his early life are scant, historical records indicate that he was of … Read MoreBill Colbert (1835-1933)
Billie Blair is an African American model who rose to fame during the 1973 fashion extravaganza at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, France. She later left the fashion world to pursue her passion for evangelism. Born to Hattie and William Blair in Arkansas, Billie … Read MoreBillie Blair (1951- )
In the pre-Civil War United States, a black man who allegedly murdered a prominent white businessman could expect to be summarily tortured and lynched. But in one of most unusual criminal cases of the era, Moses Tate not only avoided a gruesome death but was … Read MoreMoses Tate (1821?- ?)
Ottowa or O.W. Gurley is remembered was one of the wealthiest men in Tulsa, Oklahoma before the 1921 Tulsa Massacre destroyed his property and forced him to flee. Ottowa Gurley was born on Christmas Day in 1868 to freed slaves in Huntsville, Alabama, Gurley grew … Read MoreO. W. Gurley (1868-1935)
Kadir A. Nelson is one of the premier illustrators in the United States. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 15, 1974, the son of Lenwood Melvin Nelson, a former wrestling coach and Howard University graduate and Emily Diane-Gunter, a telecommunications engineer and motivational speaker. … Read MoreKadir Arfin Nelson (1974- )
Bobby Mitchell was a professional football player in the National Football League. In 1962, after three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Mitchell became the first African American to play for the Washington Redskins, the last team in the league to integrate its roster. Robert Cornelius … Read MoreBobby Mitchell (1935-2020)
Sheryl Patrice Underwood is a comedian, actress, and talk show host. Underwood was born on October 28, 1963, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Joyce Evelyn and Cleo Underwood. She has been very vocal about the various traumas she has experienced in her life since birth. … Read MoreSheryl Patrice Underwood (1963- )
Actor Rudy Ray Moore was born on March 19, 1927 in Fort Smith, Arkansas as Rudolph Frank Moore. He moved to Cleveland at the age of fifteen and began singing in various nightclubs. At the age of seventeen he got a job in Cleveland’s Blue … Read MoreRudy Ray Moore (1927-2008)
On September 6th, 2018, Botham Shem Jean was killed in his Dallas, Texas apartment by off-duty police officer Amber Renee Guyger. Twenty-six at the time of his passing, his death set off nationwide protests from various organizations including Color of Change, a racial justice organization, … Read MoreBotham Shem Jean (1991-2018)
Few people recognize that the Civil War extended into Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). The largest battle in the Territory, the Battle of Honey Springs, took place on July 17, 1863, when Confederate and Union forces clashed near Honey Springs, Indian Territory. Although three of the … Read MoreThe Battle of Honey Springs, Indian Territory (1863)
