You may also like
Pinkney, William “Bill”(1935- )
William Bill Pinkney is the first African American, and only the fourth person in the world to circumnavigate the globe alone by boat. Pinkney was born on September 15, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois to Marion Henderson Pinkney and William Pinkney, Sr.  He attended Tilden Tech High School in
Read more
Source: Black Past
Aug
5
1990
Abbott, Robert Sengstacke (1870-1940)
Born in 1870 to formerly enslaved parents, Abbott attended Hampton Institute in Virginia and then went on to graduate from Kent Law School (now Chicago-Kent College of Law in Illinois) in 1899. In May 1905 he started publishing the Chicago Defender. In the early years he personally sold
Read more
Source: Black Past
Bonds, Margaret (1913-1972)
Margaret Bonds was a pianist and composer noted for her musical adaptations of Shakespeare and collaboration with Langston Hughes.  Bonds was the first African American soloist to appear with the Chicago Symphony and played an important role in the development of twentieth century classical and
Read more
Source: Black Past
Apr
26
1972
Ertharin Cousin
Born: 5/0/905 Chicago, IllinoisErtharin Cousin is, since 202, the twelfth Executive Director of the United Nations World Food ProgrammeBusiness / Schooling:
  • University of Illinois, Chicago University of Georgia
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Rush, Bobby L. (1946- )
Bobby Lee Rush was born in Albany, Georgia on November 23, 1946. He graduated from Marshall High School in that city at the age of seventeen and soon afterwards enlisted in the United States Army.  Rush served in the Army from 1963 to 1968 when he was honorably
Read more
Source: Black Past
Nov
23
1946
Charles Henry Turner
Born: 2/3/1867 Cincinnati, OhioDied: 2/14/1923 Chicago, IllinoisCharles Henry Turner was an American research biologist, educator, zoologist, and comparative psychologist born in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1892, Turner became the first African American to receive a graduate degree at the University of
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by NSBE Boston
Coleman, John A.(1852- ? )
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
Read more
Source: Black Past
Sponsored by APEX Museum
1st Black Democratic Congressman
Arthur L. Mitchell defeated Oscar DePriest in a Chicago election and became the first Black Democratic congressman.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Nov
7
1934
William A. Harper
William A. Harper, student of Henry O. Tanner at the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the most gifted African American artist of the early 20th century, born
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Dec
27
1873
The First Black Psychic
Shirley Ajayi was the first African American given a part on a television show as a psychic! The show lasted for about one year[actually six months] in Chicago, Illinois since the show was seasonal! Shirley started her career the minute her predictions came true! She was renamed Aura and hired to
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Museum of African American History in Massachusetts
Mar
27
2002
McGee, Henry Wadsworth, Sr. (1910-2000)
The first African American Postmaster of a major postal facility, Henry W. McGee, Sr. was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1910, and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1927.  McGee was the first person to rise from the ranks of letter carriers to achieve the status of Postmaster, a post to which he was
Read more
Source: Black Past
Sponsored by Pride Academy
Hunter, Alberta (1895-1984)
Alberta Hunter was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but left for Chicago, Illinois at age 11 after her father died. She peeled potatoes in a boarding house until she could find a job singing blues, the first opportunity was at a Chicago brothel, as entertainment for the prostitutes and their
Read more
Source: Black Past
Sponsored by APEX Museum
Mr. T born
Actor and entertainer Lawrence Tero (Mr. T) born in Chicago, Illinois.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Boston Metropolitan Chapter
May
20
1952
lsiah Lord Thomas is born
lsiah Lord Thomas is born in Chicago, Ill. One of nine children raised by a single mother, Thomas will become a basketball star, first for Indiana University and later for the Detroit Pistons, where he will lead the team to 1989 and 1990 NBA championships.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Apr
30
1961
Martin Luther King Jr's Death
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated by white sniper in Memphis, Tennessee. Assassination precipitated a national crisis and rioting in more than one hundred cities. Forty-six persons were killed in major rebellions in Washington, Chicago and other cities. Twenty thousand federal troops and
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by New York University
Apr
4
1968
Singer Diana Ross born
Actress/Singer Diana Ross, of the Supremes singing group, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Mar
26
1944
Washington, Harold (1922 – 1987)
Harold Washington, the first African American mayor of Chicago, Illinois, was born on April 15, 1922, to Roy Washington, a lawyer, Methodist minister and one of the first black precinct captains in Chicago.  Washington’s mother Bertha Washington was a well-known singer in the
Read more
Source: Black Past
Portrait of Black Chicago
The captions are John White`s own, written some time after he took his photographs. In some cases White used virtually the same caption for several
Read more
Source: Archives Library Information Center (ALIC)
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens was a renowned twentieth century African-American track and field athlete. He was considered the most famous athlete, as he excelled in the sprints and the long jump. He earned fame and respect in the sports world by achieving four gold medals in
Read more
Source: Black History Resources
Sep
12
1913
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey “Bernie” McCullough, or Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor, born on October 5, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. After losing his mother at the age of 16, Mac would set up stand-up comedy shows for neighborhood kids and spent most of his 20s serving various
Read more
Source: Black History Resources
Aug
9
2008
National Afro-American League, Pioneer Black
National Afro-American League, Pioneer Black protest organization, founded at Chicago meeting. Joseph C. Price, President of Livingstone College, was elected president.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Jan
25
1890
Rollins, Ida Gray Nelson (1867-1953)
Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, the first African American Woman dentist, was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, on March 4, 1867.  She became an orphan when her mother, Jennie Gray, died in her early teens.  Rollins’ white father, whose name is not known, played no role in her childhood or education.  After
Read more
Source: Black Past
Ambassador
Clifton Wharton is sworn in as ambassador to Norway. Clifton Wharton was the 1st Black person to earn a PhD in economics from University of Chicago in as well as the first Black president of Michigan State, predominantly White university.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Mar
9
1961
Death of William L.Dawson
Death of William L. Dawson (84), Democratic congressman and party leader, in Chicago.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Nov
9
1970
White Students Support For Segregation
One thousand white students walked out of three, Gary, Ind. schools to protest integration. There were similar disturbances in Chicago and other Northern and Western metropolitan areas.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sep
18
1945
Robert Sengstacke Abbott founds the Chicago Defender calling it "The World's Gre
Robert Sengstacke Abbott founds the Chicago Defender calling it The Worlds Greatest Weekly
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
May
5
1905
People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) founded at
People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) founded at Chicago meeting by Rev Jesse Jackson.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Pride Academy
Dec
18
1971
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
Read more
Source: Black History Resources
Sep
25
1965
Jean Baptist Pointe Desable founds Chicago
Jean Baptist Pointe Desable, a French speaking Santo Domingo native, becomes the first permanent resident and thus founder of Chicago.
Read more
Source: Blackfacts.com
Sponsored by Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts
Jun
6
1790
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffery Jordan is an American basketball legend who played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards for 15 seasons. Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. In high school he played baseball, football, and basketball. When he
Read more
Source: Black History Resources
Sponsored by Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts
Feb
17
1963
More from Chicago Defender
The Chicago Defender Debuts “Stay Strong Chicago” Video
President and Mrs. Obama drop by Chicago Public Schools Town Hall
CHICAGO DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: Entrepreneur, Mimi Paino, Owner of Divinity Luxe Beauty Bar
Gov. Pritzker, Staff Isolate After Staffer Tests Positive for COVID-19
WELLS
LANE
BROWN
POWELL
BANKS
ORTIZ-RUIZ
WILLIAMS
City Colleges of Chicago to Award Students $12.7 Million in CARES Act Emergency Funds
Facebook Awards Black Press of America Publishers $1.3 Million in Relief Grants
Black Therapists on the Destigmatization of Mental Health Within the Black Community
Mr. Sonny Knows 5/13/20
Facebook Awards Black Press of America Publishers $1.3 Million in Relief Grants
Mayor Lightfoot and BACP Awards $5,000 Grants to Nearly 1,000 Chicago Microbusinesses Impacted by Covid-19
The & The Michigan Chronicle host
Blues Kids Foundation in partnership with The Music Center at Columbia College Chicago presents Fernando Jones’ 11th Annual International Blues Camp
Small Business Series: Three Black-Owned Beauty and Wellness Brands Everyone Should Know
Can You Refuse to Go to Work because of COVID-19?
Obamas, Oprah & Others Among Chicagoans Joining Librarians to Read Through “Live From the Library”
Joe Biden’s Plan for Empowering Black America
Mental Health and Me: A Discussion About Blackness and Mental Health
Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Equitrust Funds Over $100 Million in PPP Loans for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses
Becoming is a Personal Look into the life of Former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
NAACP Launches #WeAreDoneDying Campaign, Empowering Black and Brown Communities to Take Action Against Senseless Killings of African Americans
The Role of the Black Church During a Pandemic
COGIC drawing on strength, resolve to battle COVID-19
Oral Health Care during COVID-19
America's first pandemic
Imagining Breonna; Say her name...
We shouldn’t try to hold Biden hostage on black woman running mate
The Black Crisis in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis
How LEAP Innovations is Making Remote Learning Easier for Educators, Parents, and Students
AC Green on Saving Homes and What to Avoid with Banks During COVID-19
Gov. Pritzker Says He's Concerned About Fall Surge if Rules are Ignored
Love Is...
Oprah's COVID-19 Relief Fund Donates $5 million to Chicago
ABC 7 CHICAGO PRESENTS A VIRTUAL TOWN HALL, RACE AND COVID-19
United Airlines appoints First African American President
Clinical Research: On the Frontlines of Diversity and Inclusion
How a Clinical Trial Participant Became an Advocate for the Sickle Cell Community
Her Campus Media and #ImStillGraduating Give Back to The Graduating Class of 2020
Mr. Sonny Knows 5/20/20
RUMORS DEBUNKED! Historian and Scholar Dr. Conrad Worrill is in Great Spirits
City of Chicago kicks-off first-ever Summer Operations Center to Ensure Safe and Healthy Memorial Day Weekend Celebrations
State of Illinois Cancels Summer Events at McCormick Place Including Black Women's Expo; New Dates Scheduled for 2021
The City of Chicago is partnering with iHeartMedia Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI for Two Days of Virtual Entertainment to Encourage Residents to Stay Home
"In Their Own Words," Tells the Story of Chicago House Music from The Ones who lived it.

Glory (From the Motion Picture Selma) - Oscar Performance

Sports Facts

Washington DC Facts

Southern United States Facts

Lifestyle Facts

Martin Luther King Jr. Facts

Black People Facts