On this day in Black history, Anthony Burns was returned to Virginia after escaping to Boston, Massachusetts in late 1853. ESCAPE Until the age of 19, he resided on the grounds of Charles Suttle in Richmond, Virginia. He allowed to find his own work and gave Suttle a cut of what was made. With the […]
Jester Hairston is the grandson of slaves. His grandparents were slaves on Hairston plantation at Belew’s Creek, North Carolina. Hairston was born July 9, 1901. An Arranger, Composer, Traveling Choir Leader, Actor and Story Teller. Remarkably his career has taken him all over the world. He has lectured and taught his arrangements and compositions of […]
BY WALTER OPINDE Founded in 1876 as the Central Tennessee College’s medical division, the Meharry Medical College entered history as one of the few black medical colleges in the United States, in Nashville, Tennessee. Currently, the school is in historical records as the second oldest medical college for the people of African-American ascent. The origin […]
Henry B. “Herky” Perry, was born the youngest of six children to Reverend Robert N. and Mary A. Jackson Perry of Thomasville, GA. As a young boy, Perry dreamed of one day becoming a pilot. In 1942, he graduated flight training in Class 42-H, Tuskegee Army Air Field. He was included in the initial cadre […]
At Black Then, we frequently see interesting photos that give us a glimpse into the past. They tend to show us a piece of black history that is often not covered in textbooks, in history classes, or shown in the media. In a photo that we found on Black History Album , we see this […]
Happy Birthday to philosopher, political activist and scholar of African American studies, Cornel West. West was born on June 2, 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to a father who was a civilian U.S. Air Force administrator and an elementary school teacher/principal mother. His family later moved to Sacramento, California. At the age of 17, West attended […]
In this interview clip, James Baldwin speaks with Mavis Nicholson on Go Tell it on the Mountain, Giovanni’s Room, about love, sexuality, and race. Baldwin, who was a renown writer, novelist, and social critic, was well known for pushing boundaries, and questioning the status quo.
BY WALTER OPINDE Let’s join hands in wishing Brady a Happy Birthday, and may he celebrate and enjoy his new age; Brad is now a year older. On this day, June 2, 1972, famous comedian, singer, actor, and television personality, Wayne Brady was born. Brady is known for his work as a regular character on the […]
June 2, 1863: In the early morning hours, Harriet Tubman guided three steamboats around Confederate mines in the waters leading to the shore. Once ashore, the Union troops set fire to the plantations, destroying infrastructure and seizing thousands of dollars worth of food and supplies. When the steamboats sounded their whistles, slaves throughout the area […]
Edward “Bearcat” Wright was a second generation boxer and wrestler. He became best known as the first Black World Heavyweight champion in a wrestling promotion. Finishing his 8-0 boxing career in the late 1950s, he made his wrestling debut in 1959. His hottest period was the 1960s. His 6’6, 275lbs frame made him the perfect heel […]
Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter is a novel by William Wells Brown (1815-84), a fugitive from slavery and abolitionist and was published in London, England in December 1853. It is often considered the first African-American novel. This novel focuses on the difficult lives of mulattoes in America and the “degraded and immoral condition of the […]
BY WALTER OPINDE WGPR-TV was the first African-American fully owned and operated television station in the U.S., which kicked into the air on September 29, 1975, when it made its first broadcast. WGPR-TV stood for “Where God’s Presence Radiates,” and the station, situated in Detroit, Michigan, was founded by William Banks Venoid. The station first […]
