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History
Five remarkable facts about Emmet Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, you should know
Mamie Till-Mobley was considered the godmother of the civil rights movement in the mid-1900s. She devoted herself to fighting racial injustice after the gruesome murder of her 14-year-old son in 1955. Emmet Till was accused of allegedly sexually harassing Carolyn Bryant, a white shopkeeper in Money, Mississippi. The world soaked in the barbaric details of…
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Big Bill Tate, the heavyweight boxer who used the rings to get jobs for 2,600 black workers
Heavyweight champion, Big Bill Tate, was among the many fortunate African Americans who had...
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Attah Ameh Oboni, the Nigerian ruler who refused to shake the hand of the Queen of England because of his throne
The revered traditional ruler, Attah Ameh Oboni, ascended to the throne of Igala land on May...
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How self-taught black artist, Robert S. Duncanson, became the best landscape painter of the West in the mid-1800s
Courage, dexterity, profound cultures, and influential leaders; when it comes to black history,...
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Meet George Boyer Vashon, the first black lawyer in New York and graduate of Oberlin College before slavery was abolished
Black educator and abolitionist, George Boyer Vashon, gained recognition in his lifetime as a man of many firsts. Born July 25 1984 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to his mother, Anne Vashon, and his father,...
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Interesting facts about how the son of Frederick Douglass built the first black municipality in Maryland
When Charles Douglass and his wife Laura decided to visit the Bay Ridge Resort on the Chesapeake Bay in 1890 to enjoy the sea breeze, it did not occur to them that the color of their skin could be a reason...
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The extraordinary story of Hallie Brown, who visited plantations to teach Black children denied education during slavery
Every person of African descent with links to slavery has their own narrative. For educationist Hallie Quinn Brown, her parents, Thomas Arthur Brown and Frances Jane Scroggins were former slaves. Her father...
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Overlooked no more: Richard Henderson, the former slave who provided refuge for 500 fugitives on the Underground Railroad
Richard Henderson came to Meadville in 1824, becoming the first permanent Black resident there. He had escaped from his owner at the age of 15. He did not take this dangerous expedition alone. He escaped...
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How famed painter Edwin Harleston used his portraits to challenge systemic prejudice against Blacks
The journey of African-American painter Edwin Harleston began when he married photographer Elise Forrest in 1920. His wife shaped a long-held pursuit of rewriting the narrative about African Americans....
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The interesting story of how war veterans built Oro, one of the first Black settlements in Canada
The culture in Upper Canada for prospective land owners in the early 1800s was for them to write to the Executive Council of the governor expressing interest in land. Once the petition was reviewed and...
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How Benjamin Bradley sold his history-changing invention to purchase his freedom
Benjamin Bradley shocked his cohorts and owner when he built a steam engine out of a gun barrel, steel and pewter, among other materials. Awed by his brilliance, his owner arranged for him to serve as...
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This African-American scientist is behind the material used to protect telephone cables to enhance connectivity
Over the three decades of his career, African-American scientist Walter Lincoln Hawkins pioneered a global revolution that changed the way plastics were recycled and fiber optic lines were preserved. The...
