Nelson Mandela: The Father of a Nation.
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered...
Category : Black Firsts
Lemuel Haynes: Religious leader and anti-Maafa activist
“An African…has an undeniable right to his Liberty.” Lemuel Haynes was an influential African-American religious leader who argued against the Maafa (slavery). Haynes was the...
Alexander H. Johnson: The first drummer boy
Alexander H. Johnson enlisted at the age of 16 as a drummer boy in the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. He was the first Black musician to...
The Massachusetts 54th Regiment: The Glory Regiment
The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed of African-American (colored) soldiers; they were first recruited during the American...
Maggie Lena Walker: First Woman Bank President
In 1903, Maggie Lena Walker became the first woman bank president in the United States when she founded the Saint Luke Penny Savings Bank in...
Vivian Malone: Civil rights hero who defied racial segregation
Vivian Juanita Malone Jones was one of the first two African American students to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963 and the university’s...
Wole Soyinka: Noble Prize Literary Genius
Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Babatunde Soyinka, born 13 July 1934, is a Nigerian playwright and poet. He was the first African to win the Nobel Prize...
Lucy Terry: Singer Of History
[dropcap size=small]L[/dropcap]ucy Terry Prince, known as Lucy Terry, (c. 1730–1821) was brought to Rhode Island from Africa. Her future husband purchased her freedom before their...
Arthur Ashe: Tennis Champion
Arthur Ashe is the first African American, and is still the only, African-American male player to win the men’s singles at Wimbledon and the U.S....
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune: The First Lady of The Struggle
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator, known as “The First Lady of The Struggle” because of her commitment to giving African Americans a...