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Ruben Rivers was a United States Army staff sergeant who served as a tank company platoon leader during World War II. Rivers was born in 1921 to Willie and Lillian Rivers in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. He grew up nearby Hotulka, Oklahoma where he and his eleven … Read MoreRuben Rivers (1921-1944)

Robin Davis Gibran Kelley is an educator, historian, and author. Kelley was born on March 14, 1962, in New York City, New York, and grew up in the Harlem/Washington Heights area. He participated in the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program, and attended P.S. 28, … Read MoreRobin Kelley (1962- )

Strive Masiyiwa is a Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist. He is best known for being the founder and chairman of Econet Wireless International and Zimbabwe’s first billionaire. Masiyiwa was born on January 29th, 1961 in Zimbabwe. His father was a miner who later became a businessman, … Read MoreStrive Masiyiwa (1961- )

Kumasi, also spelled as Coomassie, is located in south-central Ghana and is the capital of the Ashanti, also known as Asante, region. The city is best known as the former capital of the Ashanti Empire. Kumasi boasted a population of 2,069,350 people in 2013 making … Read MoreKumasi, Ghana (17th Century- )

Benny Nelson Napoleon was an attorney, law enforcement officer, and politician. Napoleon was born on September 10, 1955 to Reverend Harry and Betty Napoleon, in Detroit, Michigan. Napoleon played little league baseball in his youth and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1973. He … Read MoreBenny Napoleon (1955-2020)

Byron Lowell Donalds is one of only two African American Republicans currently serving as a congressional representative in the U.S. Congress (along with Burgess Owens, R-Utah), and the only African American Republican in the Florida congressional delegation. Born on October 28, 1978, in Brooklyn, New … Read MoreByron Lowell Donalds (1978- )

Cori Anika Bush is the first African America woman elected to represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is also a single parent, a registered nurse, a former pastor, an activist, and a community organizer. Bush was born July 21, 1976 and raised … Read MoreCori Bush (1976- )

Nikema Williams is the first Black chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party, a former state senator, and the first woman to serve as representative of Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, filling the seat held since 1987 by the late civil rights icon John Lewis. Williams was … Read MoreNikema Williams (1978- )

Djenné, also known as Jenne or Dienné, is a southern Malian city that was an ancient center for trading and Muslim scholarship during its height. It is nestled on the Bani River and is approximately 220 miles southwest of Timbuktu. The city had a population … Read MoreDjenné, Mali (11th or 13th century- )