Insurance executive Ivan James Houston was born in Los Angeles, California on June 15, 1925 to Norman Oliver Houston and Doris Talbot (Young) Houston. He attended public schools in Los Angeles and graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1943. Later that year … Read MoreIvan James Houston (1925- )
When the U.S. Army was reorganized on July 28, 1866 for peacetime service after the American Civil War, six regiments were set aside for black enlisted men. These included four infantry regiments, numbered 38th through 41st. The 25th Infantry was created during a reduction in March 1869 by … Read More25th Infantry Regiment (1866-1947)
William McBryar was a biracial buffalo soldier whose received the Medal of Honor for his participation in the 1890 Cherry Creek Campaign in Arizona Territory. McBryar was born on February 14, 1861 in Elizabethtown, North Carolina to Rose McBryar, an African American, and a white father whose name is unknown. McBryar attended … Read MoreWilliam McBryar (1861-1941)
Geraldine W. Travis is the first African American elected to the MontanaState Legislature House of Representatives. She worked actively to promote civil rights for African Americans, women, and children, and to break down racial barriers in Montana from 1967 to 1989. Geraldine Washington Travis was born in Albany, Georgia on September 3, … Read MoreGeraldine Washington Travis (1931- )
Lieutenant General Daniel James III became the first African American to be named Director of the Air National Guard upon assuming the position in 2002. He was the son of Daniel James Jr., the first black four-star general in the U.S. Air Force. In 2006 James … Read MoreDaniel James III (1945-2017)
Vasco De Gama Hale, educator, blinded veterans’ association organizer, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) official, was born in Crawford, Mississippi, to Brotop and Jane Hale on February 16, 1915. His father, Brotop, toiled as a sharecropper for a short time … Read MoreVasco De Gama Hale (1915-2002)
Four-star general and precision flier Lloyd W. Newton was born December 24, 1942 in Ridgeland, South Carolina, the fourth of seven children of John H. Newton, a farmer, and Annie Newton. Finishing Jasper High School in Ridgeland, he majored in mechanical engineering at Tennessee State … Read MoreLloyd Warren Newton (1942- )
Image Ownership: Public domain Isaiah Mays, a Buffalo Soldier awarded the Medal of Honor in 1890 for his actions during the Wham Paymaster Robbery, was born as a slave in Carters Bridge, Virginia, on February 16, 1858. Very little is known about his life other … Read MoreIsaiah Mays (1858-1925)
Image Ownership: Public domain Lisa Deshaun Leslie is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Sparks in the Women’s Basketball Association (WNBA) for her twelve-year career from 1997 to 2009. She is a two-time WNBA champion, three-time WNBA MVP, and … Read MoreLisa Deshaun Leslie (1972- )
Black Lives Matter Protesters at Bernie Sanders Rally, Seattle, August 8, 2015 “Image Ownershp: Public Domain” Black Lives Matter was created by three community organizers—Alicia Garza in Oakland, California; Patrice Cullors in Los Angeles, California; and Opal Tometi in Phoenix, Arizona—as a response to the … Read MoreBlack Lives Matter, Seattle Chapter (2014– )