The Pearl Incident in 1848 was the single largest recorded escape attempt by enslaved people in United States history. On April 15, 1848, 77 slaves attempted to flee Washington, D.C. by sailing away on a schooner called The Pearl. They planned to sail south along … Read MoreThe Pearl Incident, 1848
Image Courtesy of the African American Museum and Library, Oakland, California Attorney, civil rights leader, and judge Donald Pitts McCullum was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Charles A. McCullum and Irene Pitts McCullum on January 28, 1928. He earned a bachelor of arts degree … Read MoreDonald Pitts McCullum (1928-1988)
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: Fair Use” George Edward Curry was an American journalist who was considered by many of his colleagues the “dean of black press columnists” because of the number of his weekly commentaries which enjoyed wide syndication. Curry was born on February 23, 1947, in … Read MoreGeorge Edward Curry (1947–2016)
Quack Walker Lewis, black abolitionist, barber, AND elder (priest) in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born in Barre, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on August 3, 1798. His father, Peter P. Lewis, was a free black yeoman farmer in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and … Read MoreQ. Walker Lewis (1798-1856)
James Alan McPherson was an American essayist and short story writer. He was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and one of the first to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. McPherson was born on September 16, 1943, in Savannah, Georgia. His … Read MoreJames Alan McPherson (1943–2016)
Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal is a retired American professional basketball player who is also an analyst on the TNT television program, Inside the NBA. During his career, O’Neal at 7 ft. 1 in. and weighing 325 pounds was one of the heaviest players in the National … Read MoreShaquille Rashaun O’Neal (1972– )
William Cowan, known to most as “Mo” Cowan, served in the United States Senate as a Democrat from February 1 to July 16 in 2013, representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Governor Deval Patrick, a fellow Democrat, appointed Cowan on January 30th, 2013 to fill the … Read MoreWilliam “Mo” Cowan (1969- )
Stephanie Diana Wilson is an American NASA astronaut, engineer, and is the second African American woman to go into space, following Mae Jemison. Wilson was born September 27, 1966, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1984 she graduated from Taconic High School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and four … Read MoreStephanie Diana Wilson (1966- )
Marie Van Brittan Brown was the inventor of the first home security system. She is also credited with the invention of the first closed circuit television. Brown was born in Queens, New York, on October 22, 1922, and resided there until her death on February … Read MoreMarie Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999)
