Name That Face!
In 1968, this Brooklyn-born half-Barbadoan became the first Black woman elected into Congress. Representing New York’s 12th Congressional District, this author/educator [...]
black firsts
Black Fact of the Week: Mary Jane Patterson was the First Black American Woman to Graduate from College
The daughter of two fugitive slaves, Mary Jane Patterson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1840. When she was 12, her family moved to Oberlin, Ohio were Mary later [...]
Black Fact of the Week: Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor is the Fastest Cyclist in History
Marshall W. Taylor: November 26, 1878 – June 28, 1932 Despite segregation and racial discrimination at the turn of the last century, Marshall W. [...]
Black Fact of the Week: George Dixon Was the First Black World Boxing Champion
Born in Canada’s Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia, George Dixon became the official World Bantamweight Champion in June 27, 1890; making him both the first Black, and [...]
Black Fact of the Week: Haitian-Born Explorer Jean-Baptist Pointe Du Sable Founded the City of Chicago
Trader, traveler, voyager and pioneer Jean-Baptiste Pointe Du Sable was the first permanent non-Native resident of what is now Chicago, Illinois. Born in Haiti as a free man, [...]
Black Fact of the Week: Maya Angelou Is the First Black Woman to Pen the Screenplay for a Feature Film
The late, great and brilliant Maya Angelou wore many hats throughout her 86-year lifespan; from poet, author and professor, to director, musician, and civil rights activist. [...]
Black Fact of the Week: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams Established the First Black-Owned Hospital in America
In 1891, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, an African American surgeon, opened the doors to the first Black-owned and non-segregated hospital in the United States of America, [...]