Lou Brock/baseball

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John A. Coleman was born a slave in 1852 in Talladega County, Alabama. After he received his freedom at the end of the Civil War, Coleman attended the newly established Talladega College for three years. He worked on a Mississippi River steamboat and then migrated to New York

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Source: Black Past

Robinson, Jack (Jackie) Roosevelt (1919–1972)

When Jackie Robinson took the field on April 15, 1947 wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform, he became the first African American in over fifty years to play on a major league baseball team. In the process, he broke through baseball’s color line that had relegated African American players to the

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Source: Black Past

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was an African-American singer, pianist and civil rights activist. Her birth name was Eunice Kathleen Waymon. She was born in Tryon, North Carolina to Mary Kate Waymon and John Divine Waymon. She was the sixth of seventh children and the family was quite poor when Simone was growing

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Source: Black History Resources

Barbados

Current government officials

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Faith Congregational Church [Hartford] (1819- )

The Faith Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut began in 1819 as a place for African Americans to worship on their own since they were previously only able to worship in the backs of churches and in church galleries in that city. A group of African Americans began worshipping in the

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Source: Black Past

Sugar Ray Robinson

Sugar Ray Robinson, born Walker Smith Junior, was an American Professional Boxer. A member of the international boxing hall of fame, Robinson is believed by many to be the greatest boxer of all time; owing mostly to his 91 fight unbeaten streak, and his remarkable

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Source: Black History Resources

Oct

4

1940

George Grant

George F. Grant knew what most of us have come to recognize – the average golfer is a hacker, destroying grass courses and terrorizing other golfers, homeowners and passersby with wild, dangerous drives. Although he loved the game, he grew frustrated trying to keep the ball from rolling away from

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Source: Black History Resources

Dec

12

1899

Lonnie Johnson

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to come up with a great idea, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. For Lonnie Johnson, a lifetime of achievement and success at various levels on government and private sector projects could not prepare him for the success the he would ultimately achieve – by

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Source: Black History Resources

Nov

26

2012

Mays, Willie Howard, Jr.

Mays, Willie Howard, Jr. ( Say Hey Willie Mays), 1931–, American baseball player, b. Fairfield, Ala. He began his professional career at 17 with the Black Barons of the Negro National League. In 1951 he joined the New York Giants of the National League and led them to a world championship in

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Eric Dickerson

Born in a small town of Sealy, Texas, in 1960, Eric Dickerson was raised by his uncle and aunt after his mother decided not to marry his father at the young age of 17. Even though he did not grow up with his father, Dickerson inherited athletic abilities from the former running back of Prairie View

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Source: Black History Resources

(1811) John Gloucester, “Dedication of the First African Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia”

In October of 1811, before the dedication of the first house of worship for African American Presbyterians in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Reverend John Gloucester, founder and Pastor, had the following address circulated throughout the surrounding neighborhood and all friendly to his cause. The

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Source: Black Past

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain (born Wilton Norman Chamberlain) was an American basketball star who played for several NBA teams. Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied at Overbrook High School where he played on his school’s team for three years, scoring more than

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Source: Black History Resources

Aug

21

1936

Philip Emeagwali

The early life of Philip Emeagwali seemed destined for poverty in his native land of Nigeria. He was the oldest of nine children and his father, who worked as a nurse’s aide, earned only a modest income. As a result, at age 14, Philip was forced to drop out of school in Onitsha. Because he had

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Source: Black History Resources

Nov

26

2012

Mo’Nique

Name at birth: Monique Imes

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is an internationally renowned singer, song writer and musician. He was born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. His birth name was Steveland Hardaway Judkins and as a result of being born premature, he was kept in the incubator where an over exposure to oxygen caused him to lose

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Source: Black History Resources

May

13

1950

Benin

In August 2013, President Boni fired his entire cabinet, including Prime Minister Pascal Koupaki. Part of the reason Boni dismissed his government was due to the allegations that some of them had been linked to Patrice Talon, a Benin businessman accused of trying to poison

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Zephaniah, Benjamin (1958 - )

Benjamin Zephaniah, poet, playwright, novelist and activist, was born on April 15, 1958, the first of eight children, in Birmingham, England. Zephaniah grew up in Wandsworth until the age of nine when his mother, a Jamaican nurse, fled his father, a postman from Barbados. Leaving behind his twin

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Source: Black Past

Apr

15

1958

Mike Jones

Michael Jones, or simply known as Mike Jones, is an American rapper, born in January 6, 1981, in Houston, Texas. He also pursues an acting career on an occasional basis. Jones initially wanted to pursue a different career than that in music, given his extraordinary craze for basketball. He

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Source: Black History Resources

Jan

6

1981

Josh Gibson

Josh Gibson was an American Negro League professional baseball player. He was born in Buena Vista, Georgia on December 21, 1911. His father had a farm there but he moved the family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gibson was studying to be an electrician and only attended school till the 9th grade. He

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Source: Black History Resources

Jan

20

1947

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1722- )

The compact city of Kingstown is the capital of the eastern Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is also a major port city for the Windward Islands, a chain of Caribbean Islands that includes locales beyond St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bananas, coconuts and arrowroot

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Source: Black Past

Huey P. Newton

Huey Percy Newton was an African American leader and co-founder of the Black Panther Party. He was the youngest of seven children born to Armelia Johnson and Walter Newton on February 17, 1942 in Monroe, Louisiana and named after the former Governor of Louisiana, Huey Long. His family was not very

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Source: Black History Resources

Aug

22

1989

(1862) John S. Rock, “A Deep and Cruel Prejudice”

New Jersey-born John Sweat Rock was one of the first African American dentists in the United States. He was also a medical doctor and in 1861, after studying law, was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1861. On January 23, 1862, Rock addressed the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in

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Source: Black Past

Jan

23

1862

Cameroon

National name: République du Cameroun

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Ubangi Blackhawks

The Ubangi Blackhawks were a predominantly black semipro football team in Seattle who played for the Community League in the 1930s. Sponsored by nightclub owner Noodles Smith, who was said to be present for every game, the team was also helped by Bruce Rowell who looked after the teams financial

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Source: Black Past

Nov

5

1937

Waldron, Frank (1890-1955)

Frank Waldron was one of the most influential musicians and teachers in the first half of Seattle’s 20th century jazz scene. Waldron was born in San Francisco in 1890. By World War I he had moved to the Pacific Northwest and played music at a dance pavilion frequented by soldiers from Camp Lewis

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Source: Black Past

Washington, Hercules (Enslaved Cook of George Washington) (1755?- ?)

Hercules Washington was the enslaved head cook at George Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation home where he prepared meals for decades for the Washington family and the guests who visit the mansion. Hercules was most likely born in 1755 somewhere in Virginia although the exact place of birth and

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Source: Black Past

Jamaica

Current government officials

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Research Guides & Websites: African American History

Web research can be very useful and lead to much useful and important information. While every effort has been made to list only reliable sites, researchers should be aware that control of sites change (often without notice) from time to time and, thus, the reliability and point of view of the

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Source: Black Past

Campbell, Clive/DJ Kool Herc (1955- )

DJ Kool Herc was the earliest major figure to emerge from the mid-70s Bronx, New York music scene that would eventually come to be known as Hip-Hop. Born Clive Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica, Herc immigrated to New York City and was exposed at an early age to both American and Jamaican musical

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Source: Black Past

BlackFacts Details

Lou Brock/baseball

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