Black leaders have been vital to making America strong.
Mary Fields (1832-1914) was born into slavery in Hickman County, Tennessee, in about 1832. She received her freedom when the war ended and slavery was outlawed. However, she continued to […]
Mary Fields: First African American Woman to Carry the Mail Read More »
Ormes’ comic strips were syndicated in black newspapers in the 1930s and ‘40s, making her the only nationally syndicated black woman cartoonist until the 1990s. Her characters were fashionable and
Jackie Ormes (1911-1986), First African-American Female Cartoonist Read More »
“The road to success is always under construction,” aptly quotes Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, a New York construction company involved in many major infrastructure
Woman-Owned, Minority-Owned Construction Company Marks 108 Years and Counting Read More »
Youngest American and first black playwright to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award
First black woman to have a play on Broadway
Active in the civil rights movement
Lorraine Hansberry 3rd (1930-1965), Influential Playwright Read More »
African-American scientist, surveyor, author of almanacs  Benjamin Banneker was not only a contemporary of the Founding Fathers but from the evidence he left, he was the mental equal of Benjamin
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806): Astronomer, Surveyor, Scientist, Writer Read More »
Prior to the publication of his first almanac, Benjamin Banneker decided to send a pre-publication manuscript to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, along with a cover letter. He felt if Jefferson were to see the fine work accomplished by a black man, it might lead to Jefferson re-visiting his personal stance on slavery.
For two weeks, Banneker labored over the letter, and on August 19, 1791 he read his handwritten letter for the last time and sealed it into a package with the manuscript, directing to Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State.
Benjamin Banneker’s Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1791 Read More »
