Knowledge is Power

Stokley Carmichael (Kwame Toure’),civil rights activist, was born in Trinidad on in 1941. Born in Trinidad, Carmichael formed his political beliefs early, attending Howard University despite scholarships offered by white universities. After graduating in 1964, he began work on voter registration in Mississippi with the (SNCC) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which he would later lead. […]

Clarence Cameron White Clarence Cameron White was born on August 22, 1880, in Clarksville, Tennessee. He spent his childhood in Oberlin, Ohio; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Washington, D.C. White began studying violin at age eight; within four years he was studying with the accomplished violinist Will Marion Cook. He attended Oberlin Conservatory from 1896-1901 (accounts differ […]

Rafer  Lewis Johnson, U.S.Decathlon champion,set a world record in the decathlon by scoring  8,302 points on this date in 1958 (July 28). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rafer  Lewis Johnson was born Aug. 18, 1935, Hillsboro, Texas, U.S.) U.S. decathlete. While a student at UCLA, he won the decathlon gold medal at the 1955 Pan-American Games. At the 1960 […]

Will Marion Cook January 27, 1869 – July 20,1944 One of the most important figures in pre-jazz African-American music, Will Marion Cook is also one of its better known personalities. As a composer, conductor, performer, teacher, and producer he had his hand in nearly every aspect of the black music of his time and worked […]

1723 – Crispus Attucks was born & his exact birth date cannot be found because Attucks was a slave on a big plantation in Framingham, Massachusetts. He was one of many slaves who worked in the fields and did farm work. As Attucks got older, he wanted freedom.Crispus Attucks was an African-American martyr and was […]

Countee P. Cullen 1903 – He was born 30 March , but it has been difficult for scholars to place exactly where he was born, with whom he spent the very earliest years of his childhood, and where he spent them. New York City and Baltimore have been given as birthplaces. 1918 – Cullen was […]

Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) was the leader of the Nation of Islam (“Black Muslims”) during their period of greatest growth in the mid-20th century. He was a major advocate of independent, black-operated businesses, institutions, and religion. Elijah Muhammad was born Elijah (or Robert) Poole on October 7, 1897, near Sandersville, Georgia. His parents were ex-slaves who […]

Arnette Hubbard has been a pioneer for black women in the legal field. She became a lawyer at a time when very few women, and even fewer black women, were pursuing law degrees. Hubbard spent 28 years working as a lawyer before becoming a Circuit Court Judge. She is also an active member of numerous […]

Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman in the United States to become a president of a local bank, was born July 15, 1867 in Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A. She was a daughter of former slaves, Elizabeth Draper Mitchell and William Mitchell, who worked in the mansion of the abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew. After a few years […]

Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1893 in Atlanta, Texas. In pursuing a flying career, she had three goals: earn a pilot’s license; become a recognized stunt and exhibition flier; and establish an aviation school for Blacks. Rejected by every American aviation school she applied to, she was encouraged by Robert S. Abbott (founder […]