Sandra Hollins is the first African American woman to serve in the Utah State Legislature. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 11, 1970 to Iola Robinson-Seals and Freddie Seals II. In 1988, Hollins graduated from McDonough #35 High School and enrolled in … Read MoreSandra Hollins (1970- )
With a small cadre of white officers and Black NCOs, the segregated 93rd Engineer Battalion (600 men) was activated on February 10, 1941 and quartered in an undesirable mud-filled rear corner of Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Most of the enlisted men were from Mississippi and Louisiana. … Read MoreThe 93rd Engineer Regiment (1941-1945)
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church established 1864 was the first African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E. church) in the state of Mississippi. It was also the site for T.W. Stringer Grand Lodge of Freemasonry for the State of Mississippi headquartered in Vicksburg and founded by Rev. T.W. … Read MoreBethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (1864- )
Dr. Vera Mae (Berry) Pigee participated in a demonstration that would desegregate the Illinois Central train terminal in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Under her leadership, three young students, Adrian Beard (16 year old student attending Immaculate Conception Catholic School), Wilma Jones (14 year old student attending Higgins … Read MoreVera Pigee (1924-2007)
In their latest book on the Black soldiers who helped build the Alcan Highway during World War II, authors Christine and Dennis McClure encountered a story of injustice in the frigid north. See a description of their new book, A Different Race, to get a … Read MoreInjustice in Alaska Territory: The World War II Court-martial of Ten Black Soldiers Who Helped Build the ALCAN Highway
Ted Rasberry was a player and team owner in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Rasberry was born on October 8, 1913, in West Point, Mississippi, and in his youth, played basketball, baseball and football. He attended Mississippi Industrial College and graduated with a degree in teaching … Read MoreTed Rasberry (1913-2001)
Minnie Forbes is one of a handful of women to own a Negro League Baseball Team. Forbes owned the Detroit Stars team from 1956 to 1958. Forbes was born in Mississippi in 1932, and in 1945, her family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to live … Read MoreMinnie Forbes (1932- )
Benjamin Harrison Hill was a legislator, teacher, and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister born in Sidney, Nova Scotia, Canada on November 1, 1903 to Joseph L. Hill, a laborer in the steel mill industry and Anna E. Hill, a servant for a private family. Hill … Read MoreBenjamin Harrison Hill (1903-1971)
George Washington Biggs was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Biggs was born on July 2, 1925 in Nogales, Arizona to Dolores and Levi Biggs. Biggs’ father was a member of the 25th Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers) where he rose to the rank of master sergeant. … Read MoreGeorge Washington Biggs (1925-2020)
Born on September 1, 1857 in Columbia, Mississippi, Henry E. Baker was remarkable for being the first author to explore and record the work of African American inventors. He began his education at the United States Naval Academy in 1874 where he was only the … Read MoreHenry E. Baker (1857-1928)
