Lewis Henry Douglass was an Army veteran, journalist, printer, and community activist who fought against racial inequality in America. A native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Douglass was born on October 9, 1840, and was the eldest son of Frederick Douglass and Anna R. Murray-Douglass. He was the husband of Amelia Douglass and the brother of Rosetta Sprague, Frederick Douglass, Jr., […]

Hotel Theresa, the white brick, terra cotta, 300-room, thirteen story, steel-framed hotel, was for many years the tallest building in Harlem, New York. It opened down the street from the Apollo Theater in 1913 and was famously known as the “Waldorf of Harlem” and later the “social headquarters of Negro America.” It was located at what is now 2082–96 Adam […]

Lovie Lee Smith is an American football coach for the National Football League (NFL). Smith was born on May 8, 1958, to Thurman Smith and Mae Smith in Gladewater, Texas. He attended Big Sandy High School in Big Sandy, Texas where he played defensive end and linebacker for the high school football team. After high school, he attended the University […]

WROX Blues Radio Station is a variety AM radio station in Clarksdale, Mississippi. WROX was established and started transmitting on June 5, 1944, its location was at the studios at 321 Delta Avenue in Clarksdale in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. A year later, WROX moved to 257 Delta Avenue in the Alcazar Hotel Building. The founder and original […]

William Anthony “The Refrigerator” Perry was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Perry was born on December 16, 1962, to Inez Perry and Hollie Perry in Aiken, South Carolina. He attended Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina where he played defensive tackle on the school football and ran for the school track team. Perry […]

Bedford Stuyvesant, New York, is the oldest Black community in Brooklyn. Established by the Dutch in 1636 as part of Breuckelen (Brooklyn), it later became known as Bedford Stuyvesant. When Brooklyn was incorporated in 1837, this area comprised parts of the seventh and ninth wards of the new city. One section was home to Weeksville, one of the first free […]

Brownsville, established in 1858 and named after its developer, Charles S. Brown, is known for its vibrant street art scene. Located in the easternmost part of Brooklyn, Brownsville is bordered by Canarsie to the south, East New York to the east, Crown Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant to the north, and East Flatbush to the west. Originally home to Dutch farmers, Brownsville […]

On February 7, 2016, musician Beyoncé Knowles performed her single “Formation” at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show during the game between the Carolina (North Carolina) Panthers led by Quarterback Cam Newton and the Denver (Colorado) Broncos led by Peyton Manning. The halftime show opened with British rock group Coldplay performing their songs including “Yellow,” “Viva la Vida,” “Paradise,” and […]

In January 2025, Daphne Barbee-Wooten, a Hawaii historian and social activist attorney wrote the article below describing the campaign to make the Aloha State recognize the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King as a state holiday. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth date (January 15) became a federal holiday within the federal government in 1985. All federal employees were able […]

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is an award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, and cultural critic. He was born on September 16, 1950, in Keyser, West Virginia, to Henry Louis Gates Sr. and Pauline Augusta Coleman Gates. He has one brother, Paul Edward Gates. In 1968, Gates graduated as the valedictorian of his class from Piedmont High School, becoming one of the […]