In the following article, Dr. Gary B. Nash, Director, National Center for History in the Schools and Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Los Angeles, describes his new book, Forbidden Love: The Hidden History of Mixed-Race America. His book provides a counter … Read MoreCrossing Boundaries of Race, Crossing Boundaries of Love
Artist and academic Jefferson Eugene Grigsby, Jr., was born on October 15, 1918 in Greensboro, North Carolina. His interest and enjoyment in art and creativity began in childhood and was later pursued through formal education. He earned a BA from Morehouse College in 1938 and … Read MoreJefferson Eugene Grigsby Jr. (1918- )
Born in Africa and enslaved in America, Thomas Peters is best known for his influence in settling Canadian blacks in the African colony of Sierra Leone. The earliest documentation of Peters’ life is as a 38-year-old slave in North Carolina. When the Revolutionary War began … Read MoreThomas Peters (1738-1792)
Political activist Kathryn Magnolia Johnson was born on December 15, 1878 in Darke County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Walter and Lucinda Jane McCown Johnson. Kathryn Johnson graduated at the top of her high school class in New Paris, Ohio in 1895 and worked … Read MoreKathryn Magnolia Johnson (1878-1955)
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is a public, four-year coeducational historically black liberal arts university located in Durham, North Carolina. The small urban campus is located 23 miles from Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina Central University was founded in 1910 by Dr. James E. Shepard. … Read MoreNorth Carolina Central University (1910- )
Livingstone College is a private, four-year coeducational historically black liberal arts university located in Salisbury, North Carolina. The large, urban campus is located about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina. Livingstone College was founded in 1879 under the name Zion Wesley Institute. One year … Read MoreLivingstone College [Salisbury] (1879- )
Shaw University is a private, four-year coeducational historically black liberal arts university located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1865, Shaw University is one of the oldest historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the country. Shaw was originally founded as Raleigh Institute, a school … Read MoreShaw University (1865- )
Elizabeth City State University was established in 1891 as a response to a bill, enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly, which proposed the creation of a normal school for the training of black teachers in the state. Located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the … Read MoreElizabeth City State University (1891- )
Elwood Watson, a professor of history at East Tennessee State University, is one of the few African American cultural historians to focus his research on the Miss America pageant. In the article below he examines the success of eight black women in winning the pageant … Read MoreThe Racial Politics of Miss America
Bennett College opened in 1873 when seventy African American women and men began gathering for primary and secondary studies in the basement of Warnersville Methodist Episcopal Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. White northern philanthropists contributed tremendously to the school, including Albion Tourgee, a Radical Republican … Read MoreBennett College (1873- )
