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Johnson, Robert Louis (1946 - )
Robert Louis Johnson, founder, chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Black Entertainment Television (BET), is also the majority owner of the Charlotte (North Carolina) Bobcats of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the first African American billionaire. He was born in
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Source: Black Past
Metropolitan AME Church, Washington D.C. (1821- )
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) is the oldest continuously operating black church in the District of Columbia.  Metropolitan AME is also designated by the AME Church (the black denomination founded in 1787 by Richard Allen) as the National Cathedral of African
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Christo Rey New York High School
Jan
9
1894
La Tribune de la Nouvelle-Orléans (1864-1868)
The New Orleans Tribune was the first African American daily newspaper in the United States. Started in 1864 by Charles Louise Roudanez the Tribune was notable in that it was bilingual. Articles were written in both French, for the majority of African Americans in Louisiana, and English, in order
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Source: Black Past
Online Encyclopedia: Global African History, People
The following are short descriptions of individuals, places and events which have contributed to the shaping of global African history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAP) Boston Chapter
Brown, Wesley (1927-2012)
Wesley Brown earned distinction in 1949 as the first African American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy.  Wesley Brown grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Dunbar High School.  A “voracious reader,” Brown joined the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History
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Source: Black Past
White, Lois Jean(1938- )
Lois Jean Barron White, the first African American President of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) was born in Nashville, Tennessee on March 21, 1938. She was raised by her grandmother, Rosa Barron, as her own mother lived away in Massachusetts.  White’s grandmother taught her the value
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Pride Academy
Mar
21
1938
Lewis, Arthur W. (1926- )
Arthur W. Lewis was a career foreign officer who served in diplomatic missions in Eastern Europe and Africa before retiring in 1987.  He also played a significant role in expanding opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities in the American diplomatic
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Pride Academy
Bryant Gumble resigns after 15 years as host of NBC's Today Show
Bryant Gumble resigns after 15 years as host of NBCs Today Show
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Jan
3
1997
Senghor, Léopold Sédar (1906-2001)
Scholar, African traditionalist poet, and Senegal’s first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor was born on October 9, 1906 in Joal, Senegal. His father, Basie Diogoye Senghor, was a Malinké landowner. His mother, Gnilane Bakhoum, came from a Christian Fulani family. They gave Senghor a European name to
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Source: Black Past
Dec
20
2001
Kerr, Peter “Black Pete” (1810?-1840?)
Peter Kerr was a freed slave, originally owned by iron worker John Kerr of Fallowfield, Pennsylvania.  By the late 1820s Peter Kerr, after gaining his freedom, moved west.  He is believed to be the earliest known black person to have joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Source: Black Past
Owens, Jesse
Owens, Jesse, 1913–80, U.S. track star, b. Alabama. He was also called John Cleveland Owens, although his original name was said to be simply J. C. Owens. After his family moved to Cleveland he excelled at track and field events in high school. He won the broad-jump titles at the outdoor
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Source: Fact Monster - Black History
Azikiwe, Benjamin Nnamdi "Zik" (1904-1996)
Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first President of Nigeria and wasinstrumental in founding a string of newspapers across
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by BARBinc
Oct
1
1963
The Zong Massacre (1781)
The slave ship Zong departed the coast of Africa on 6 September 1781 with 470 slaves. Since this human chattel was such a valuable commodity at that time, many captains took on more slaves than their ships could accommodate in order to maximize profits.  The Zong’s captain, Luke
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Source: Black Past
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is a professional tennis player, ranked No. 1 in women’s singles tennis as of August 2014, a rank she has held 5 times in her career. She is the younger sister of tennis star Venus Williams. She was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan to Richard and Oracene
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Source: Black History Resources
Sponsored by National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAP) Boston Chapter
Sep
26
1981
Bullard, Eugene James ["Jacques"] (1895-1961)
Eugene James (Jacques) Bullard, the first African American combat aviator, was known as the “black swallow of death” for his courage during missions. He led a colorful life, much of it in
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Source: Black Past
Oct
9
1895
Chris Rock Born
Comedian, author, recording artist, actor, and talk show host Chris Rock was born in South Carolina. He will become a critically comedian, hosting his self titled show on HBO. He will also bring to the forefront a boycott of the flag of his birthplace. He will star in and make a few movies of his
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Feb
7
1967
White Iowa Man Arrested After Calling In Bomb Threat To McDonald’s For Forgetting His Dipping Sauce
As seen on TMZ, an insanely hungry white man from Iowa lost it after discovering he had no dipping sauce for his McDonald's Chicken Nuggets. Authorities revealed to the celebrity gossip site that the man was arrested for calling in a fake bomb threat for the innocent mistake on the
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Source: The Urban Daily
Pearl Primus: Dancer is born
Blending African and Caribbean sources with American traditions of blues, jazz, and jitterbug, Pearl Primus created new and vibrant forms of dance.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Museum of African American History in Massachusetts
Nov
29
1919
Fort Lawton (Seattle) “Riot” and POW Lynching, 1944
On August 14, 1944, African American soldiers “rioted” against Italian prisoners of war at Seattle’s Fort Lawton, an Army staging area for combat in the Pacific. American officers and POWs under their guard were severely beaten. The next morning one of the POWs, Guglielmo Olivotto, was
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Source: Black Past
Aug
14
1944
United Negro College Fund (1944– )
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) was founded on April 25, 1944 by Frederick Patterson, President of the Tuskegee Institute, and Mary McLeod Bethune, an advisor to the Franklin Roosevelt Administration, to provide a steady, consistent stream of funding to 27 financially struggling small
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Source: Black Past
Apr
25
1944
Toomer, Jean (1894-1967)
Jean Toomer was born into an elite black family in Washington, D.C. in 1894. Abandoned by his father as a newborn and losing his mother to appendicitis as a teenager, Toomer spent his formative years in the home of his grandparents, P.B.S. and Nina Pinchback. P.B.S. Pinchback served as a state
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Source: Black Past
The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (2006)
THE MICHIGAN CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE (MCRI), PROPOSAL 2, AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION
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Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies
Howell, Abner Leonard (1877-1966)
Abner Leonard Howell was a star athlete in Utah whose accomplishments went largely ignored during the peak of his football career because of his
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Source: Black Past
Aug
9
1877
Freddy Adu
Freddy Adu of Tema, Ghana, was born in 1989 and moved to the United States with his family at the age of eight. Adu had a nag for soccer from a young age and began competing in neighborhood matches at the age of four. From then on, Adu practiced every day to make his game
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Source: Black History Resources
Curtis Mayfield, singer born
Curtis Mayfield was born on the 3rd of june 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, where he quickly
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Jun
3
1942
Janet Jackson Born
Janet Jackson, of the famous Jackson family was born on this day in Gary, Indiana. Ms. Jackson will star in television shows such as Good Times, Different Strokes, and Fame. She will also become a celebrated songstress recording such albums as Rhythm Nation:1814, Janet, and the widely criticized
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Museum of African American History in Massachusetts
May
16
1966
Amin (Dada), Idi (1925-2003)
Idi Amin was the Ugandan military dictator and President from 1971 to 1979.  During his reign Amin’s military forces are estimated to have killed 500,000 people and exiled roughly 70,000 non-Ugandan nationals (mostly Indians) from
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Source: Black Past
Adderley, Julian Edwin “Cannonball” (1928-1975)
Combining styles of earlier influences with his own unique twists secured Julian Cannonball Adderley’s place in history as an experienced alto saxophonist who was fearless in exploring fresh musical styles.  Born in Tampa, Florida on September 15, 1928, Adderley was welcomed into a musical family
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Source: Black Past
Sep
15
1928
First African Baptist Church, Savannah, Georgia (1773– )
First African Baptist Church, located in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, is recognized as one of the nations oldest African American Baptist Churches. Although the church was not officially established until 1788, the original congregation of mostly enslaved individuals had been formed
Read more
Source: Black Past
Jan
20
1788
First black late-night talk show host in history.
In 1956, the first black late-night talk show host in history, Arsenio hall was born.
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Source: Blackfacts.com
Feb
12
1956
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