Colonel Ruth A. Lucas: First African-American Woman to Rank Colonel in U.S. Air Force

Wakanda News Details

Colonel Ruth A. Lucas: First African-American Woman to Rank Colonel in U.S. Air Force

Colonel Ruth Alice Lucas was the first African American woman in the Air Force to be promoted to the rank of colonel. At the time of her retirement, she was the highest-ranking African American woman in the Air Force. Lucas was born in Stamford, Connecticut, on November 28, 1920. After high school, she attended Tuskegee […]

Source: Black Then

You may also like

North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University (1891- )

The Morrill Act of 1890 created an opportunity for African Americans in higher education. The 1890 act specifically prohibited payments of federal money to any state which discriminated against blacks in admission to tax-supported colleges or universities; however, states could receive money if

fave

Source: Black Past

Feb

1

1960

Wright, Jeremiah A. (1941-- )

Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 22, 1941 to Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr., a Baptist minister who served as pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Germantown, and Mary Henderson Wright. Wright completed primary and secondary school in that city and in

fave

Source: Black Past

(1968) Robert F. Kennedy, “On the Death of Martin Luther King, Jr.”

On April 4, 1968, during an Indianapolis, Indiana rally for his presidential campaign, attended by a large number of African Americans, Robert F. Kennedy, despite suggestions he shouldnt appear at all, decided to proceed and announce the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., to a group unaware

fave

Source: Black Past

Apr

4

1968

Wilkinson, Anne Raven (1935- )

In August 1955 at the age of 20, Raven Wilkinson became the first African American woman to receive a contract to dance full time with a major ballet company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo of New York City, New York. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and

fave

Source: Black Past

Feb

2

1935

(1898) Rev. Francis J. Grimke, “The Negro Will Never Acquiesce As Long As He Lives,”

On November 20, 1898, Reverend Francis J. Grimke, pastor of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C., delivered a sermon in which he denounced those African Americans who called for conservatism and accommodation. Grimke vowed that as long as African Americans were deprived of

fave

Source: Black Past

Nov

20

1898

Cory Booker | FactMonster

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Berry, Halle (1968- )

Halle Berry, who was born Maria Halle Berry, is a multiracial model, actress, and former beauty queen who was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1968. Her mother Judith Hawkins Berry, who is white, worked as a psychiatric nurse in a Cleveland hospital. Berry’s African American father, Jerome Berry, was

fave

Source: Black Past

Morehouse College [Atlanta] (1867- )

A private, historically-black college for men, Morehouse College opened in 1867 to train former slaves to be Protestant ministers and educators. Today, Morehouse is one of five colleges in the Atlanta University Center, a complex that has included Morehouse’s sister school, Spelman College, as well

fave

Source: Black Past

Bujumbura, Burundi (1899- )

Bujumbura is Burundi’s capital and largest city. Located on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, it is only a few miles from the frontier with the Democratic Republic of the Congo by boat through Lake

fave

Source: Black Past

African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1792- )

Originally established as The African Church, The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas was founded in 1792 by and for persons of African descent to foster personal and religious freedoms and self-determination. The original African Church was an outgrowth of the Free African Society, a mutual aid

fave

Source: Black Past

Savannah State University (1890- )

Savannah State University, a historically black university in Savannah, Georgia, is the oldest state supported black institution of higher education in the state of Georgia. It was the first black public land grant college established in the state after the Morrill Act of 1890. Originally named

fave

Source: Black Past

Name at birth: Julius Winfield Erving II

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

The Enduring Emancipation: From President Lincoln to President Obama

For a nation at war over slavery, President Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation was inevitable. Here, we examine Lincolns challenges to introduce a document that became a cornerstone event for communities of all races for generations to

fave

Source: Smithsonian Black History Teaching Resources

Feb

5

2009

Harris-Stowe University (1857-)

Harris-Stowe University is a historically black college in St. Louis, Missouri. It was also the first public teacher education institution west of the Mississippi River. Harris-Stowe was originally two separate institutions: Harris Teachers College and Stowe Teachers College, which were merged

fave

Source: Black Past

Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I | National Archives

While the Great War raged in Europe for three long years, America steadfastly clung to neutrality. It was not until April 2, 1917, that President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The world, he said, must be made safe for democracy. Quickly, Americans swung into action to

fave

Source: Archives Library Information Center (ALIC)

Apr

2

1917

Mitchell, Arthur Wergs (1883-1968)

In 1934, Arthur Wergs Mitchell became the first African American Democrat elected to Congress from any state. Mitchell served four terms as a Representative in Congress for the state of Illinois (1935-1943). Mitchell was born near Lafayette Alabama on December 22, 1883 and was educated at

fave

Source: Black Past

Dec

22

1883

"Mad Men" in Black: African Americans in the Twentieth Century U.S. Advertising Industry

In the following article University of Oregon historian Daniel Pope briefly outlines the history of African Americans in the Advertising Industry since the beginning of the 20th

fave

Source: Black Past

Gaines, Tomie Louis (1922–2016)

Tomie Louis Gaines was born on November 3, 1922 to Sally Gaines Glenn and Fred Glenn in Hartwell, Georgia. Gaines served in the early twentieth century with the last of the Buffalo Soldiers, the nineteenth century regiments commissioned immediately after the Civil War. Gaines served in World War II

fave

Source: Black Past

Feb

14

2016

Second Baptist Church of Detroit (1836- )

The Second Baptist Church of Detroit, located in the Greektown district of downtown Detroit, is the oldest African American congregation in Michigan and, according to some sources, the

fave

Source: Black Past

Palmer, Ronald DeWayne (1932-2014)

Ronald DeWayne Palmer, U.S. ambassador to three nations—Togo, Malaysia, and Mauritius—was born on May 22, 1932, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Bordeaux in France from 1954 to 1955 and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Howard University in 1955. He received an

fave

Source: Black Past

Jul

25

1987

African-American Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement began decades before 19th century that resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation. Initially, abolition of slavery was not on Abraham Lincoln’s agenda list. However, his ever increasing reliance on black soldiers to punish the rebellious states rendered him to issue the

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Thompson, Klay Alexander (1990- )

Klay Alexander Thompson is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Golden State Warriors. Thompson was born February 8, 1990 in Los Angeles, California to Mychal Thompson, a former NBA player, and Julie Leslie Thompson, a former volleyball

fave

Source: Black Past

Feb

8

1990

Olivet Baptist Church (OBC) [Chicago] (1850- )

The Olivet Baptist Church (OBC), founded on April 6, 1850, was at one time the largest Protestant church in the world, reaching 20,000 members under the leadership of Pastor Lacey Kirk Williams. It is the second oldest black church in Chicago, Illinois and the oldest African American Baptist church

fave

Source: Black Past

Apr

6

1850

The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed | An Online Reference Guide to African American History by Professor Quintard Taylor, University of Washington

fave

Source: Black Past

Jan

10

1945

Hutchins, Hutchen R. (1903-1990)

Hutchen R. Hutchins, born on June 30, 1903, was part of a small but active cadre of African American Communists operating in the Pacific Northwest during the 1930s. Originally from the East Coast, Hutchins attended the Lenin School in Moscow in the late 1920s. In 1932 he was sent to Seattle by the

fave

Source: Black Past

Jan

28

1990

Daniels, Preston A. (1945- )

Preston Daniels, the first African American elected Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa, was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1945. Shortly afterwards his parents moved to Des Moines and he grew up in the Chesterfield section of southeast Des Moines, a working-class area also known as the “southeast

fave

Source: Black Past

Wood, Robert A. (ca. 1966– )

Robert A. Wood is a diplomat who has spent his career in public affairs, helping to shape the image of the United States, and in roles that guide the country’s relations with multilateral

fave

Source: Black Past

Jul

21

2014

(1896) Booker T. Washington, “Address to the Harvard Alumni Dinner"

One year after his Atlanta Compromise Speech 40-year-old Booker T. Washington was on his way to becoming the most influential African American in the United States. One example of that growing influence was the invitation from the Harvard Alumni to speak at their annual dinner in Cambridge while

fave

Source: Black Past

Elders, Joycelyn Minnie (1933- )

Joycelyn Elders, the former U.S. Surgeon General, was born Minnie Lee Jones in Schaal, Arkansas on August 13, 1933 to Curtis and Hailer Jones; she added the name Joycelyn when she was in college. As the eldest of eight children of sharecroppers, Joycelyn Elders experienced extreme poverty in

fave

Source: Black Past

Sep

8

1993

Easley v. Cromartie (2001)

* Governor Michael F. Easley is hereby substituted for former Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., pursuant to this Courts Rule

fave

Source: Black Past

More from Black Then

Black Then | Alexander Pierre Tureaud, Sr: Renowned Attorney Known as Mr. NAACP

Black Then | Phillis Wheatleys, Brought From Africa to America Poem

Black Then | Daniel Payne: First African-American President of a U.S. University

Black Then | Clarence Franklin: Civic Leader The Man With the Million Dollar Voice

Black Then | June 3, 1949: Wesley Anthony Brown Became First African American Graduate of U.S. Navy Academy

Black Then | James Augustine Healy: First African American Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church

Black Then | Ethel Ray Nance: Broke Racial and Gender Barriers in Minnesota

Black Then | Dr. Charles Watts: North Carolinas First African-American Surgeon

Black Then | Gertrude Pocte Geddes-Willis: One of the First Black Female Funeral Directors in New Orleans

Black Then | The Kissing Case: A Simple Kiss On The Cheek That Made Civil Rights History And Shattered The Lives of Two Innocent 9 Year Old Boys

Black Then | [Video]Minister Thomas Whitfield: The Maestro

Black Then | Author Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, a song in the front yard Poem

Mantan Moreland: Comedic Actor During the 1930s & 1940s

Rene Metoyer: Attorney & Louisiana’s First Black Notary Public

Two Headed Nightingale: The Enslaved Conjoined Twins Forced To Perform In Sideshows Who Became Famous Entertainers That Performed For British Royalty

Flash Black Photo: African American Bricklayers Union, 1899

Richard Riker And The New York Kidnapping Club: The Racist History Behind Riker’s Island

White Supremacy and the Democratic Party’s Dark Past

Rev. Avery C. Alexander: Influential Leader in the Struggle for Civil Rights for Louisiana

Dudley Randall: Founded the Publishing Company Broadside Press

Allen Lawrence Young: Educator & Founder of the Wake Forest Normal and Industrial School for Negroes

Documentary Short: The Million Man March [VIDEO]

David Ruggles, America’s First Afro-African Bookseller, Opened a Bookstore Near Broadway In 1834

Fannie Richards: First African-American School Teacher in the City of Detroit

Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg: First African American Female to Own a Radio Station

Rufus Atwood: Leading Academic Educator

Henry D. Marrow: 1970 Racial Killing in Oxford, North Carolina

Eva Jessye: The Grand Dame of Black Music in America

Thomy Lafon: Shrewd Businessman and Philanthropist

Ruth Simmons: First Black President of an Ivy League Institution

Curlee Brown, Sr: Early Pioneer and Fearless Warrior in the Struggle for Human Rights

Basil A. Paterson: Influential Harlem Labor Lawyer and Politician

Black Woman Schools Uninformed English Man About the Harsh Aftermath of Slavery (VIDEO)

David Bryant Fulton: Black Polemicist and Author

Daniel G. Hill: Human Rights Specialist, Historian & Public Servant

Jacob Dobson: First Known Person of African Descent in Nevada

Roy DeCarava: Great American Artist and Photographer of Harlem, New York

Hall Johnson: Violinist, Composer & Musical Director in New York and Hollywood

National Negro Health Week: Formed to Educate Black Communities on Proper Health Practices

Vincent Tubbs: First African American to Head a Motion Picture Industry Union

Venture Smith: The Black Paul Bunyan

Coretta Scott King: Her Activism and Legacy

Alfonso Elder: Second President of North Carolina College (North Carolina Central University)

Flash Black Photo: Pearl Bailey | Legends of Film Series

Black History Observed Through Genetic Makeup, According To Research

A Place All Our Own: The Highland Beach Resort, The First Black Owned Beach Resort Town In The United States

Judge Israel Augustine Jr: First Black District Judge in Louisiana & Civil Rights Activist

Lucy Harth Smith: Pioneer Activist and Educator

Frank Petersen, First African American To Become A Marine Aviator

Hadda Brooks: African-American Entertainer Extraordinaire

Sports Facts

Lifestyle Facts

Literature Facts

Blackfacts BETA RELEASE 11.5.3
(Production Environment)