Gobo Fango was born in the Eastern Cape Colony in what is now South Africa around 1855, just before the beginning of the eighth of the nine Xhosa Wars (Cape Frontier Wars) against British and Boer settlers. Fango was a member of the Gcaleka tribe, … Read MoreGobo Fango (1855-1886)
“Image Ownership: Pulic Domain” Martha Ann Jane Stevens Perkins Howell, born on January 20, 1875, was named for her maternal grandmother, Martha Vilate Crosby Flake, who had been a slave during the Mormon migration to the West. Martha Howell’s maternal grandfather was Green Flake, also … Read MoreMartha Ann Jane Stevens Perkins Howell (1875–1954)
“Image Ownership: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times” Leo Antony “Tony” Gleaton was an African American photographer, scholar, and artist who is best known for his photographic images capturing and documenting the African influence in the American West and Central and South America. Gleaton, the youngest son … Read MoreTony Gleaton (1948-2015)
CHAPTER 309 AN ACT PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT AND INPUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS BECAUSE OF RACE, CREED, COLOR OR NATIONAL ORIGIN; DECLARING PUBLIC POLICY; DEFINING TERMS; MAKING VIOLATIONS A MISDEMEANOR. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: SECTION 1. The right to be … Read More(1961) Idaho Fair Employment Practices Act
Image Ownership: Pete Grady (Fair Use) Idaho’s first African American State Senator, inspirational keynote speaker, trainer, and singer Cherie Buckner-Webb, a fifth generation Idahoan was born October 20, 1951 in Boise. Buckner-Webb, her family, and other members of the small black community in the state … Read MoreCherie Buckner-Webb (1951- )
In the account below, Jim Kershner, author, historian, and longtime journalist for the Spokesman-Review, Spokane’s major daily newspaper, discusses what led him to the story of Carl Maxey, one of Washington State’s key 20th century civil rights figures, and the challenges he encountered while writing … Read MoreTelling Carl Maxey’s Story: Understanding the Fighter in the Ring and the Courtroom
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 24th Infantry was organized during a reduction in … Read More24th Infantry Regiment (1866-1951)
Vernon Baker, belated recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, was born on December 17, 1919 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His father, Manuel Caldera, was a carpenter from New Mexico. His mother was named Beulah. At the age of four, Baker lost his parents in a … Read MoreVernon Baker (1919-2010)
Thomas “Les” Purce, politician, businessman, educator, university administrator, and grandson of pioneering black Idahoans, was born on November 13, 1946 to John and Idaho Purce in Pocatello, Idaho. His grandfather, Tracey Thompson, was a well-known Idaho rodeo star. As one of five siblings, he attended … Read MoreThomas L. Purce (1946- )
William H. Wilson established The Northwest Enterprise, a Seattle, Washington weekly newspaper for the African American community, in 1920 and continued to be its editor until 1935. He also served as a board member of Seattle’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of … Read MoreWilliam H. Wilson (?-?)
