What’s New on BlackPast

Francine Gálvez, a multi-talented actress, journalist, and newscaster, holds the distinction of being the first Black woman to anchor a news program in Europe. That achievement came when she took on the role at Televisión Española (TVE) as anchor of the weekend edition of Telediario … Read MoreFrancine Gálvez (1966- )

The John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, on two and a half acres at the intersection of the African American community of Greenwood (Black Wall Street) and downtown Tulsa, is one of the most unusual parks in the United States. Situated in Tulsa, which currently has … Read MoreJohn Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park

Wilmont A. Barclay, a professional escape artist, mind reader, and hypnotist, was one of the most successful Black magicians of the early 20th Century. Barclay was born in St. Andrew Parish (now the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation), Jamaica, West Indies, on February 28, 1877. … Read MoreWilmont A. Barclay (1877-1944)

Dr. Oscar James Cooper, a physician, is most remembered as one of the co-founders of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the first Greek letter fraternity founded by students at an HBCU (Howard University). Other cofounders were his classmates Edgar Amos Love and Frank Coleman and … Read MoreOscar James Cooper (1888–1972)

Six-foot-eight NBA Superstar legend Connie Hawkins, one of the first basketball players capable of swooping and soaring in flights to the hoop, was born Cornelius Lance Hawkins on July 17, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. A playground legend, he was dunking at the age of … Read MoreConnie Hawkins (1942-2017)

Anthony “Spice” Adams is a former American football player for the National Football League (NFL), actor, comedian, and television host. He was born on June 18, 1980, to Anthony Adams Sr. and Constance Davis in Detroit, Michigan. Adams, who had two siblings, attended Martin Luther … Read MoreAnthony “Spice” Adams (1980- )

George F. Bowles, born enslaved in 1844 in Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the most prominent figures in Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction era Mississippi. He was a lawyer, newspaper editor, politician, and businessman. His early life remains somewhat unclear, with conflicting accounts of his parent’s … Read MoreGeorge F. Bowles (1844-1899)

Leah Penniman is a farmer and food sovereignty activist who cofounded Soul Fire Farm near Grafton, New York, in 2010. Penniman was born in 1980 to Adele Smith, an African American woman and a White father in Central Massachusetts. Penniman’s parents divorced at an early … Read MoreLeah Penniman (1980- )

David Isom, Jr., a 19-year-old African American civil rights activist born in 1939, broke the color line at a segregated pool in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1958. At the time, African Americans were in Tampa-St. Petersburg area was relegated to swimming in … Read MoreDavid Isom, Jr. (1939-1970)