My Truth: Your Journey is Your Journey

Hillary, Barbara (1931- )

Barbara Hillary is the first African American woman on record to reach both the North and South Poles. Born in New York City, New York on June 12, 1931 to Viola Jones Hillary and raised in Harlem, Hillary attended the New School University in New York, N.Y. where she earned both her Bachelor of

fave

Source: Black Past

Dawson, Daisy Lee Tibbs (1924-2013)

When the principal, J.T. Wright and his wife, a white couple who served as mentors to Tibbs, accepted a position at the University of Washington (UW), they convinced her to move to Seattle with them in 1944 to continue her education. As a student at the University of Washington Tibbs met Akiko

fave

Source: Black Past

Apr

24

1942

McKenzie, Vashti Murphy (1947- )

On July 11, 2000, journalist and clergywoman Vashti Murphy McKenzie became the first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. In 2005 she became the denomination’s first woman to serve as Titular Head. Her commitment to community development is evident in her work with urban

fave

Source: Black Past

Jul

11

2000

(1792) Prince Hall, “A Charge Delivered to the Brethren of the African Lodge”

Barbadian-born Prince Hall spent the first thirty five years of his life enslaved. Twenty one of those years he was owned by William Hall who brought him to Boston in 1765. Prince Hall was finally manumitted in 1770. He quickly became a leader of the small African American community in the Boston

fave

Source: Black Past

(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

fave

Source: Black Past

Jan

23

1862

Chamillionaire

Chamillionaire is an African American rapper from Houston, Texas. His birth name is Hakeem Seriki and he was born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother. He was raised in a strict, conventional household and was the eldest of four siblings. His parents taught him good values and he worked

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Prologue: Selected Articles | National Archives

Prologue: Selected Articles

fave

Source: Archives Library Information Center (ALIC)

Haiti

The beleaguered country was dealt a catastrophic blow in January 2010 when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the countrys capital. It was regions worst earthquake in 200 years. The quake leveled many sections of the city, destroying government

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Dec

7

2010

South Africa

South Africa, on the continents southern tip, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and by the Indian Ocean on the south and east. Its neighbors are Namibia in the northwest, Zimbabwe and Botswana in the north, and Mozambique and Swaziland in the northeast. The kingdom of Lesotho forms an

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield is a retired professional boxer and ex-world heavyweight champion. He was born on October 19, 1962 in Atmore, Alabama. He was the youngest of 9 children and began boxing at the age of 12 when he won the Boys Club boxing tournament. By the age of 13, he competed in the Junior

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Oct

19

1962

(1857) Charles Lenox Remond, “An Anti-Slavery Discourse”

By 1857 “Bleeding Kansas’ and the Dred Scott Decision had intensified sectional tensions over slavery and moved the nation closer to civil war. Against that backdrop, Charles Lenox Remond, on July 10, 1857, addressed the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society where he joined a growing chorus of

fave

Source: Black Past

Jul

10

1857

Black and Mormon

Bringhurst, Newell G. ed., Smith, Darron T. ed., Black and Mormon

fave

Source: Black Past

Sharpton, Alfred Charles “Al” (1954- )

Born in Brooklyn, New York on October 3, 1954, Alfred Charles Sharpton, Jr., is an American Baptist minister and political, social, and human rights advocate. Known as “the Wonder Boy” as a youth, he was licensed and ordained as a Pentecostal minister and toured with the gospel singer

fave

Source: Black Past

Oct

3

1954

Mikal E. Belicove

Home › About Us - Staff Biographies

fave

Source: Black Past

Johnson, Magic

Johnson, Magic (Earvin Johnson, Jr.), 1959–, African-American basketball player, b. Lansing, Mich. After winning the national championship with Michigan State Univ. (1979), he joined the Los Angeles Lakers and with them won five National Basketball Association championships

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Count Basie

William James Basie was one of the most notable jazz musicians of the 20th century. He was born on August 21, 1904 to Harvey Lee and Lillian Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. Both his parents were musicians, which influenced Basie from an early age. His father played the mellophone, and his mother

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Aug

21

1904

(1995) Barbara Jordan’s Acceptance Speech for the Sylvanus Thayer Award from the United States Military Academy, West Point

On October 5, 1995, three months before her death, former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan received the Sylvanus Thayer Award named in honor of Sylvanus Thayer, Class of 1808, who was the thirty-third graduate of the Academy and who nine years later became its fifth superintendent. The award is

fave

Source: Black Past

Oct

5

1995

The History of Black History Month

In the following article Daryl Michael Scott, Professor of History at Howard University and Vice President of Program for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, describes the history of the Black History Month

fave

Source: Black Past

Prosper, Pierre-Richard (1963– )

Pierre-Richard Prosper is an attorney and diplomat who turned his passion for the rule of law into a global pursuit for justice for victims of the worst crimes of humanity, and accountability for the perpetrators of those

fave

Source: Black Past

Sep

11

2001

(1838) James McCune Smith, “The Abolition Of Slavery And The Slave Trade In The French And British Colonies”

James McCune Smith (1813-1865) was a prominent physician and abolitionist. Smith was educated in the African Free School in New York City. When failing to be admitted to any American college, he enrolled in Glasgow University in Scotland in 1832 and earned three degrees including his medical

fave

Source: Black Past

Jun

9

1838

Wineberry, Jesse Calvin (1955- )

Former Washington State Legislator and current internet business entrepreneur, Jesse Calvin Wineberry was born in 1955 in Sedro Woolley, Washington, and adopted by parents Peter and Mary Wineberry. Wineberry grew up in Seattle’s Central District and attended Queen Anne High School. He earned

fave

Source: Black Past

(2004) Al Sharpton, “Speech Before the 2004 Democratic National Convention"

In 2004 Rev. Al Sharpton of New York City, campaigned for the Democratic nomination for President. Sharpton saw himself as the successor to Rev. Jesse Jackson who campaigned for the Presidency on behalf of the impoverished and oppressed. Although he did not garner as much support as Jackson did

fave

Source: Black Past

Don King

Donald King is a boxing promoter, known for setting up some of the most notorious fights in boxing history. He was born on August 20, 1931 in Cleveland, Ohio. He had considered a career in law at first and attended Western Reserve University where he became a bookkeeper at a betting ring. In

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Aug

20

1931

Charles Drew

Born: 6/3/1904 Washington, D.C., U.S.Died: 4/1/1950 Burlington, North CarolinaCharles Drew was an American physician, surgeon, and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge to developing

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

(2008) Senator Barack Obama, "A More Perfect Union"

Controversial remarks drawn from the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an unpaid campaign advisor to Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, and his pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, emerged as a lingering issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. On March

fave

Source: Black Past

Mar

18

2008

Hollingsworth, Dorothy (1920- )

Dorothy Hollingsworth, a prominent educator and politician, achieved a number of “firsts” during her years in Seattle. The most important was becoming the first black woman in Washington State’s history to serve on a school board. Born in Bishopville, South Carolina on October

fave

Source: Black Past

Oct

29

1920

Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen is a retired American basketball player who played along with Michael Jordan on the team Chicago Bulls. He was born on September 25, 1965, in Hamburg, Arkansas to Ethel and Preston Pippen. His mother and father stood at 6 feet and 6 feet 1 inch respectively, and Pippen was the

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Sep

25

1965

The History of Desegregation in Seattle Public Schools, 1954-1981

Hanawalt, Frank and Robert L. Williams, The History of Desegregation in Seattle Public Schools, 1954-1981

fave

Source: Black Past

54th Massachusetts Infantry (1863-1865)

The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry was the first Northern black volunteer regiment enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Its accomplished combat record led to the general recruitment of African-Americans as soldiers. They ultimately comprised ten percent of Union Army and Navy. The

fave

Source: Black Past

Slavery and Freedom on the Minnesota Territory Frontier: The Strange Saga of Joseph Godfrey

New York historian Walt Bachman introduces Northern Slave, Black Dakota, his new biography of Joseph Godfrey, an African American who was born into slavery in the free territory that became Minnesota, fled from abusive masters to seek refuge among the Dakota Indians, and was a principal figure in

fave

Source: Black Past

BlackFacts Details

My Truth: Your Journey is Your Journey

Cuisine Facts

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Literature Facts

Arts Facts