David Nelson Crosthwait Jr.: Inventor and leader in electrical and mechanical engineering
David Nelson Crosthwait Jr. was an African American electrical and mechanical engineer and one of the leaders in the United States in the field of...
Author : Uchenna Edeh
Aaron Douglas: Major artist of the Harlem Renaissance
Aaron Douglas (May 26, 1899—February 2, 1979) was an African American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of...
Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins: Autistic savant and musical genius
One of the most famous American entertainers of the nineteenth century, Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins was an African American musician and composer. Blind from birth...
William H. Carney: First Black American to merit the Medal of Honor
William Harvey Carney was an African American soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle...
Tom Feelings: Visual storyteller with an African perspective
Tom Feelings (May 19, 1933 – August 25, 2003) was a well-known artist, cartoonist, children’s book illustrator, author, teacher, and activist. From the dawn of...
Oliver Lewis: Winner of the First Kentucky Derby
Oliver Lewis became the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, America’s longest continuous sporting event on May 17, 1875. His time of two minutes...
Laura Wheeling Waring: Portrait artist of prominent African Americans
Laura Wheeler was an African-American artist and educator, best known for her paintings of prominent African Americans including W.E.B. Du Bois and Marian Anderson. A...
Olivier Le Jeune: First recorded Black person in Canada
In 1628, the first Black person known to have lived in Canada was a native of Madagascar. He was kidnapped and sold between the ages...
The Chicago Defender: The most influential Black weekly newspaper in America
The Chicago Defender was the United States’ most influential Black weekly newspaper by the advent of World War I, with more than two-thirds of its...
Sugar Ray Robinson: “Pound for pound” the best boxer in history
Sugar Ray Robinson is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and by...