Although Black Americans have lived on the outskirts of major American cities since colonial times, Black suburbanization, that is the significant presence of African Americans in suburban communities, is a post-1960 phenomenon. The modern American suburb is a 20th century development as homebuilders, responding to … Read MoreA Brief History of African American Suburbanization
Digital Underground is a hip-hop group from Oakland, California. The group consists of Gregory Edward “Shock G” Jacobs, Jimi “Chopmaster J” Dright Jr, DJ Fuse, Ronald “Money-B” Brooks, and others over the career of the group. Digital Underground was credited in helping launch the career … Read MoreDigital Underground (1987-2008)
On January 16, 1989, Miami police officer William Lozano shot and killed Clement Lloyd, an African American motorcyclist. Allen Blanchard, Lloyd’s passenger, was injured so severely that he died the next day. The shooting sparked riots in the Overtown and Liberty City sections of Miami, … Read MoreOvertown-Liberty City (Miami) Riot (1989)
Virtuoso Afro-Cuban pianist Felix Spengler was born on March 17, 1960, in La Habana, Cuba to Noemi and Felix Spengler, Sr. He has two siblings and began his musical career at 4, studying violin in Cuba with violinist Alfredo Muñoz and later with Misha Vitenson … Read MoreFelix Spengler (1960- )
On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated United States Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court created by the resignation of Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Two months later on April 7, she was confirmed by … Read MoreKetanji Brown Jackson (1970- )
Rhythm & Blues vocalist, lyricist, and actor Tyrese Darnell Gibson was born on December 30, 1978, in the Watts community of Los Angeles, California, to Tyrone Richardo Gibson, Sr., and Priscilla Murray Durham Gibson, who died from COVID-19 complications and pneumonia on February 14, 2022. … Read MoreTyrese/Tyrese Darnell Gibson (1978- )
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is a Haitian American businesswoman, attorney, and politician, who currently serves as the U.S. Representative from the state of Florida’s 20th congressional district. She was born on January 25, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York. Her stepfather, Dr. Gabriel Smith, and her mother, Marie … Read MoreSheila Cherfilus-McCormick (1979- )
This entry is for juvenile audiences. To see the full version of this entry, click here Who was Bessie Coleman? Bessie Coleman was born one of thirteen children on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, to a family of sharecroppers. Her mother was Black, and her father was multiracial, … Read MoreBessie Coleman (1892-1926) [Children’s Edition]
Chris Dickerson, born Henri Christophe Dickerson, was the first African American to become Mr. America. He was born August 25, 1939, the youngest of triples, in Montgomery, Alabama. After his parents’ divorce, Dickerson entered a Quaker boarding school in Ohio, where he gained an interest … Read MoreChris Dickerson (1939-2021)
The forced removal of Native Americans from the southeastern United States beginning in the 1830s to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River is known as the Trail of Tears. Under British colonial rule and continuing during the first decades of American independence, Indians were … Read MoreTrail of Tears (1831-1850)
