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Bayard Rustin was an influential civil rights activist, advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., and the main organiser of the 1963 March on Washington. Despite his significant contributions to the movement, Rustin’s story remains less known due to his open homosexuality and past affiliations. In this comprehensive article, we will explore his life, beliefs, accomplishments, …
Mary McLeod Bethune, an American educator, activist, and champion of civil rights, played a pivotal role in shaping the course of African American history in the United States. As a dedicated advocate for education and social equality, she founded the renowned Bethune-Cookman College. She established the National Council of Negro Women, becoming a prominent figure …
Throughout Black American history, many individuals have contributed to developing entertainment culture and social justice movements. Joyce Bryant, an African American singer, dancer, and activist, stands out as one such individual. Bryant’s exceptional ability to captivate audiences, combined with her tireless dedication to the fight for civil rights, established her as a groundbreaking performer and trailblazing …
Carolyn Bryant Donham died on 25 April 2023, aged 88, in Westlake, Louisiana. Her death marked the end of a life inextricably linked to one of the darkest chapters in America’s racial history. With her passing, the full truth of what happened that fateful day in August 1955 may never be known. The case of …
Crispus Attucks was the first American and African American to be killed in the Revolutionary War. Born into slavery around 1723, Attucks was said to be the son of Prince Yonger, an enslaved African brought to America, and Nancy Attucks, a Natick Indian. We know very little about Attucks’ life or his family, who were …
The Springfield Race Riot occurred between 14 and 16 August 1908. It was a pivotal moment in American history, serving as a catalyst for the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and shaping the future of the civil rights movement in the United States. As a city rich in …
In Mississippi, a grand jury has opted not to indict the white woman whose allegations led to the lynching of African American teenager Emmett Till almost 70 years ago, despite recent discoveries related to an unexecuted arrest warrant and an unreleased memoir by the woman, according to a prosecutor on Tuesday. Following more than seven …
Actor Janelle Monaé (Hidden Figures) is set to star as the iconic entertainer Josephine Baker in a new TV series titled De La Resistance. So who was Josephine Baker? Exotic cabaret dancer, operatic singer, comedienne, first black movie star, and bisexual celebrity. Although all these titles frequently appear in searches connected to entertainer Josephine Baker, …
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is an American white supremacist terrorist hate group founded after the American Civil War to suppress and victimise newly freed African American slaves. Over the decades, their targets have grown to include Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Catholics, Jews, atheists and Muslims, as well as immigrants and homosexuals. On 24 …
The theme of Black History Month 2021 is Proud to Be. How did our ancestors reclaim their dignity and what made them proud to be after slavery? I grew up listening to a lot of uplifting songs that told me I should be proud to be black. Growing up during a time when the …
The brutal abduction and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till on 28 August 1955 brought nationwide attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in Mississippi. It also spurred the emerging civil rights movement in America. Emmett Till – Early life Emmett Louis Till was born on 25 July 1941, the only son of Mami Carthan …
Madam C J Walker was an entrepreneur best known for inventing Black haircare products. She was a political social activist, philanthropist and the first female self-made millionaire. Early years Born Sarah Breedlove on 23 December 1867, Madam C J Walker was the first child in her family to be born into freedom after the signing …
Onesimus was an enslaved West African man whose African teachings helped to reduce the impact of the smallpox outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts. Little is known about Onesimus before he was enslaved other than he was Coromantee (also known as Akan people from modern Ghana). Like many enslaved people his original name, age and date of …
You’ve heard of Rosa Parks, but what do you know of Claudette Colvin? Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, 15-year-old Claudette did the exact same thing. Early life Claudette Austin was born in Birmingham, Jefferson County, to Mary Jane Gadson and C P Austin …
What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is observed annually on 19 June. It is also called Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day. The term Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and nineteenth. History of Juneteenth During the American Civil …
Marsha P Johnson was an outspoken transgender rights activist at the forefront of important moments in LGBTQ+ history. Her activism in the 1960s and 70s had an enormous impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Marsha P Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jnr on 24 August 1945 in New Jersey, United States. It was only after leaving …
What is Black Lives Matter? The Black Lives Matter movement started as a hashtag on social networks and officially began in the United States in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin in Florida. The movement grew to protest not just the justice system in America but police brutality against …
Viola Fletcher, the oldest survivor of the racist attack on Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street”, testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing to mark the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Viola Fletcher was 7 when a white mob destroyed the all-Black neighbourhood in Tulsa and killed 300 Black people. For nearly a century the …
The Selma to Montgomery march was part of a series of civil rights protests that occurred in 1965 in Alabama, a Southern state with deeply entrenched racist policies. Death and discrimination Even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in voting based on race, efforts by civil rights organisations such as the Student …
The Great Migration, also known as the Great Northward Migration or the Black Migration, was a significant event in American history that changed the demographic and cultural landscape of the United States. Between 1916 and 1970, this mass movement saw over 6 million African Americans relocate from the rural South to the North, Midwest, and …
Throughout American history, race riots have played a crucial role in moulding the nation’s societal, political, and economic fabric. These violent eruptions, frequently instigated by perceived injustices or disparities, have inflicted enduring wounds upon communities and emphasised the deeply ingrained issues of racism and discrimination that persistently plague the United States. We previously discussed the …
Throughout American history, race riots have been pivotal in shaping the nation’s social, political, and economic landscape. These violent outbreaks, which often occurred in response to perceived injustices or inequalities, have left lasting scars on communities and highlighted the deep-rooted issues of racism and discrimination that continue to persist in the United States. This article …
John Lewis, born on 21 February 1940 in rural Alabama, was a prominent civil rights leader and politician known for his tireless activism, dedication to social justice, and unwavering commitment to nonviolent protest. As the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and a leader of the historic Selma March, John Lewis left an …
Claudia Jones was a feminist, political activist, pioneering journalist, and visionary. She is known for being the ‘Mother of Caribbean Carnival in Britain’. Early years Claudia Jones was born on 21 February 1915 in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. At the age of eight, her family emigrated to Harlem, New York, following the post-war cocoa price crash …
