Emory Conrad Malick was an aviation pioneer from the state of Pennsylvania. He was an early graduate of the Curtiss Flying School where he earned his International Pilot’s License (FAI #105) on March 20, 1912. Malick was the first licensed Black Aviator. He was born … Read MoreEmory Conrad Malick (1881-1959)
Naughty By Nature is a hip-hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey which includes Anthony “Trench” Criss, Vincent “Vin Rock” Brown, and Keir Lamont “DJ Kay Gee” Gist. They became a trio in 1986. The group’s original name was The New Style, but it later … Read MoreNaughty By Nature (1986- )
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr is a professional boxer and boxing promoter. Mayweather was born on February 24, 1977, to Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Deborah Sinclair in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mayweather comes from a family of boxers, including his father and uncles, Roger Mayweather and Jeff … Read MoreFloyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (1977- )
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
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- )
The Monotones were a six-member American doo-wop group in the 1950s. Though they recorded other songs, they had only one hit single, “The Book of Love,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 100 chart in 1958. The teenagers lived in Baxter Housing Project and … Read MoreThe Monotones (1957-1962)
Nina Mitchell Wells is an attorney and politician (D) who served as the 32nd Secretary of State for New Jersey. Mitchell was born on September 9, 1950, in Washington, D.C. In her youth she attended Immaculate Conception Academy, an all-girls catholic high school, and graduated … Read MoreNina Mitchell Wells (1950- )
Composer, conductor, and lyricist Van Allen Clinton McCoy was born on January 6, 1940, in Washington, D.C., to Norman S. McCoy Sr. and Lillian Ray. Van had one brother, Norman S. McCoy Jr., and a sister Mattie McCoy Taylor. Van began piano studies at four … Read MoreVan McCoy (1940-1979)
The USS Mason (DE-529) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort and was the second ship of the U.S. Navy to be named Mason. The USS Mason was one of the two U.S. Navy ships during World War II with a mostly African American crew. The other … Read MoreThe USS Mason (DE-529) (1943-1945)
Billy Paul, a major artist of the Philadelphia Soul Sound, was born Paul Williams in North Philadelphia on December 1, 1934. In 1945, the 11-year-old Paul made his first radio broadcast appearance, and by 16, he had appeared at Club Harlem in Philadelphia on the … Read MoreBilly Paul (1934-2016)
