Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 ...
Posted Tuesday, May 9th 2023 at 5:26AM
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This Day in Black History: May 9, 1963
Arthur Wergs Mitchell, the first Black Democrat elected to Congress, died in Petersburg, Virginia, on May 9, 1963.
Arthur Wergs Mitchell, a U.S. representative from Illinois, was the first African-American ...
Posted Tuesday, May 9th 2023 at 5:01AM
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Rudolph John Chauncey Fisher (May 9, 1897 – December 26, 1934) was an American physician, radiologist, novelist, short story writer, dramatist, musician, and orator. His father was John Wesley Fisher, a clergyman, his mother was Glendora Williamson ...
Posted Tuesday, May 9th 2023 at 4:48AM
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Meet M.A Cherry, the African American who invented the tricycle in 1888
Many people would not have owned the bikes and motor vehicles they have today if it had not been for Mathew A. Cherry’s invention of the tricycle.
The African American inve ...
Posted Saturday, May 6th 2023 at 2:05PM
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Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-time li ...
Posted Saturday, May 6th 2023 at 1:56PM
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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on Augu ...
Posted Saturday, May 6th 2023 at 1:41PM
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This Day in Black History: May 4, 1884
On May 4, 1884, journalist and activist Ida B. Wells was asked by a train conductor to move from her seat in a ladies' car into a smoking car on a ride to Nashville, Tennessee, where she would be taking class ...
Posted Thursday, May 4th 2023 at 12:00PM
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Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7:05 p.m. He was ...
Posted Thursday, May 4th 2023 at 10:55AM
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Ella Fitzgerald becomes first Black woman to win a Grammy Award May 4, 1959.
Called the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald becomes the first Black woman to win a Grammy at the Recording Academy’s inaugural awards show on May 4, 1959.
During th ...
Posted Thursday, May 4th 2023 at 10:47AM
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28 Facts About Black History and Changemakers, From Beyoncé to Frederick Douglass
Here are Black History Month facts for each day of February.
Every year, the U.S. and Canada observe Black History Month throughout February, to honor the incredi ...
Posted Tuesday, May 2nd 2023 at 2:00PM
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This Day in Black History: May 2, 1844
On May 2, 1844, Canadian-American inventor Elijah McCoy was born.
On May 2, 1843, Canadian-American inventor Elijah McCoy was born in Ontario, Canada.
McCoy was born to former slaves who fled the U.S. via t ...
Posted Tuesday, May 2nd 2023 at 8:39AM
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Singer and songwriter Etta James scored her third Billboard Hot 100 single with her song "All I Could Do Was Cry" on May 2, 1961. The song peaked at no. 33.
The track was featured on her debut album, At Last!, released in 1960. James's "Trust in M ...
Posted Tuesday, May 2nd 2023 at 8:25AM
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On May Day We're Calling for Robust Investments to Build Worker Power
We have a $4 trillion opportunity to build real power for Black and brown workers
May 1 marks International Workers Day, or May Day, which honors the contributions and strug ...
Posted Monday, May 1st 2023 at 10:59PM
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Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on Ma ...
Posted Monday, May 1st 2023 at 10:10PM
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Maxie Cleveland Robinson Jr. (May 1, 1939 – December 20, 1988) was an American broadcast journalist, most notably serving as co-anchor on ABC World News Tonight alongside Frank Reynolds and Peter Jennings from 1978 until 1983. Robinson is noted as ...
Posted Monday, May 1st 2023 at 8:23AM
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Former Charleston, South Carolina Slaves Begin The First Memorial Day
On May 1, 1865 over 10,000 former slaves marched onto the former Washington Race Course which had been turned into a prison camp for Union Soldiers to commemorate the hundreds ...
Posted Monday, May 1st 2023 at 8:11AM
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This Day in Black History: April 30, 1992
The last episode of The Cosby Show airs on April 30, 1992.
The largely successful NBC sitcom The Cosby Show ran for eight successful seasons before the final show aired on April 30, 1992. The groundbreaki ...
Posted Sunday, April 30th 2023 at 6:20PM
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Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for NBA TV. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well a ...
Posted Sunday, April 30th 2023 at 7:17AM
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Robert C. Maynard, the first African American editor and owner of a major daily newspaper in the United States, was known as a trailblazing journalist who led efforts to desegregate newsrooms and educate minority students to pursue careers in journal ...
Posted Sunday, April 30th 2023 at 7:11AM
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Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in ...
Posted Saturday, April 29th 2023 at 8:16PM
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Tammi Terrell is best known as one of Motown’s great talents although her short life was full of tragedy. Romantic and physically abusive relationships with James Brown and David Ruffin may have cut short a career that included many classic duets w ...
Posted Saturday, April 29th 2023 at 2:21PM
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Why Rodney King and the Los Angeles Riots Still Matter
On the 25th anniversary of the infamous Los Angeles riots, we reflect on how America has resisted police brutality.
Why Rodney King and the Los Angeles Riots Still Matter
On April 29, 1992 ...
Posted Saturday, April 29th 2023 at 1:13PM
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This Day in Black History: April 28, 1941
Congressman Arthur Mitchell (D-Illinois) successfully argues to the U.S. Supreme Court that African-Americans were entitled to interstate railroad accommodations equal to white passengers.
Congressman ...
Posted Friday, April 28th 2023 at 2:41PM
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Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. (June 4, 1922 – October 22, 2004) was a United States Navy officer. He was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, ...
Posted Friday, April 28th 2023 at 2:32PM
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This Day in Black History: April 28, 1967
Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight boxing championship after refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Army.
On this day in 1967, boxing legend Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight champio ...
Posted Friday, April 28th 2023 at 2:24PM
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