Pioneering physician and cancer researcher Lucy Orintha Oxley was born on August 19, 1912, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her father, Edmund Oxley, a minister from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, was the first Black graduate of Harvard Divinity School at Harvard University. Her mother, Esther Winifred Turner Oxley, was an educator from Washington, DC, and a graduate of Howard University. […]

King Houegbadja was the first king and founder of the Kingdom of Dahomey, located in present-day Benin, ruling from 1645 to 1685. He is also credited with creating the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment of the kingdom. The exact date of Houegbadja’s birth and details of his early life are unknown. However, his rise to power is based on […]

Joan Little is an African American woman who was charged in 1974 with the murder of Clarence Alligood, a white prison guard at the Beaufort County Jail in Washington, North Carolina. Alligood attempted to rape Little, but she fought back and killed him in the process before escaping the facility. Her case became a cause célèbre among civil rights activists, […]

Joseph Nyumah Boakai, the 26th and current President of Liberia, has a distinguished career spanning over 40 years in public service. Born on November 30, 1944, in the remote village of Worsonga, Foya District, Lofa County, Boakai’s journey to the presidency is marked by humble beginnings. Growing up in a rural setting, he attended primary and high schools in Sierra […]

In 1890, individuals from three different Baptist congregations in Tennessee moved to the newly opened Oklahoma Territory. After undergoing two name changes and a merger, Calvary Baptist Church was formed in 1900. The church was established in a part of Oklahoma City that would later become known as “Deep Deuce,” a historic African American neighborhood and the birthplace of famed […]

Mahmoud Mohammed Taha was a Sudanese religious thinker, engineer, and political leader who dedicated his life to an innovative reinterpretation of Islam, advocating for a modern, progressive vision for Sudan and the wider Muslim world. Known to his followers as “Ustadh” (the Teacher), Taha’s radical ideas on human rights, democracy, and gender equality ultimately led to his execution for apostasy, […]

Chief Oladipo “Ladi” Jadesimi is a prominent Nigerian oil businessman and the founder of the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), where he currently serves as the executive chairman. His journey to becoming a key figure in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is marked by a strong educational foundation and diverse professional experiences. Born in Nigeria in 1945, Oladipo Jadesimi […]

Alzenia Lynn Hamilton was an American actress. She was born on April 25, 1930, to Nancy and Louis Hamilton in Yazoo City, Mississippi. When she was twelve years old, her family moved to Chicago Heights, Illinois. Hamilton attended Bloom High School in Chicago Heights and later studied at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. After completing her education, Hamilton began her […]

Edith Irby Jones was a pioneering American physician and a trailblazer in both medicine and civil rights. She achieved numerous historic firsts throughout her life: she was the first woman to serve as president of the National Medical Association (NMA) and a founding member of the Association of Black Cardiologists. Among her many accolades, Dr. Jones was inducted into the […]

“Bombingham” refers to a period of racially motivated bombings that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, between 1947 and 1965. The city earned this nickname because more than 50 dynamite explosions took place during this time. These attacks primarily targeted African American residents who attempted to move into white neighborhoods or who participated in civil rights activities. Many of the bombings were […]