Ukawsaw Gronniosaw began his life in what is today Nigeria. As a young child, Gronniosaw was lured away from his village by slave traders who promised to show him “houses with wings to them (that) walk upon the water.” These “houses” turned out to be slave ships, and Gronniosaw was sent to New York and purchased […]
Dr. Thomas A. Curtis was a pioneer dentist and civil rights leader who helped organize the Urban League and St. Louis NAACP branch. Curtis was born in Marion, Alabama to parents who were slaves. His father later became the State Senator of Alabama and helped raise money to build a school, Lincoln Normal School. The […]
BY WALTER OPINDE This day, June 17, we join hands to help Venus Williams celebrate her 38th birthday as she turns a year older. Venus rose from a tough childhood in Compton, Los Angeles, to become a champion women’s tennis player and four-time Olympic gold medalist. Born in Lynwood, California, Venus Williams learned to play […]
Hal R. Clark, a white attorney from Los Angeles set his eyes on developing an all-black beachfront club. In December 1924, he purchased the property which was located a mile below the Huntington Beach Pier. Clark was known not only an attorney but as an opportunist who didn’t past down on a good deal. Working […]
Charles Henry Douglass saw the need for a place African Americans could gather to enjoy entertainment and support their own. In 1904, he opened up the Ocumulgee Park Theater. Douglass was born in Macon, Georgia to father Charles, who was a former slave and mother Ellen Douglass. He attended the public schools in the afternoon […]
Commander Handsome Thamsanqa Matsane was sworn in as the first black officer to assume Command of South African Navy’s Type 209 submarine, SAS Queen Modjadji on 26 April 2012. Commander Matsane enlisted to the South African Navy in 1998 and completed his Military Training for Officers Part 1 in December 1998. He went on to complete […]
James Steward Davis was one of the most sought-after black trial lawyers during the early 1920s. Davis was the attorney in 48 cases in 1921. Davis was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on October 11, 1890. He attended the local schools and went on to attend Dickinson College where he graduated with a law degree and […]
Constance Cummings-John was politician, teacher, and activist for African women’s rights. She became the first African woman to become mayor of a major African city, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Cummings-John was born in the British colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone. She was born a member into the Krio Horton family. The family was members of descendants […]
“The Dark Destroyer” Nigel Benn was one boxer who made up a trifecta of middleweights that renewed interest of the sport in1980s-1990s Britain. Following his May 1989 loss to Michael Watson, he returned later that year to start his march towards the WBO World Middleweight title. Arrival on the World Stage This new Nigel […]
Calvin Lockhart was a Bahamian stage and film actor. He was best known for his role as Biggie Smalls, a big-time gangster in the 1975 Warner Bros. film “Let’s Do It Again” alongside Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby and Jimmie Walker. Lockhart was born in Nassau, Bahamas, and relocated to New York City when he was […]
Dr. Thomas W. Patrick, Sr., was a pharmacist who founded the Patrick School of Pharmacy in Boston in 1893. Dr. Patrick was born in 1872 in Haiti. He obtained a B.A. degree from Harvard. He also studied at the University of Berlin, Germany, where he received his M.D. Patrick, rotated internship at Harlem Hospital and […]
Photo credits: SCIARC.edu Iddris Sandu (pictured) emerged as a constructural technophile that reformed the conjunction between recreation and tech. Sandu learned computer coding when he was only 13 years old. He referred his expertise on behalf of some of the largest technological corporations on Earth. Google, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of […]
