Actor Humphrey Bogart immortalized author Raymond Chandler’s character Phillip Marlowe in the 1946 film, The Big Sleep. Now, there’s chatter that Chandler might have been inspired to create the tough private eye based on the life of Samuel Marlowe, a Black detective who reportedly worked in Los Angeles in the ’30’s. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren […]
The image of a young Ruby Bridges entering the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans made her an icon of the burgeoning civil rights movement. What many don’t know is that later in life, Bridges became an activist after an unfortunate twist of fate led her back to the school that transformed her […]
The overwhelming success of the film Hidden Figures, starring Taraji P. Henson, highlighted three African-American women who were instrumental in propelling the U.S. space program. The state of Arkansas has a hidden figure of its own in Raye Montague, who is the first person to design a U.S. Navy ship using a computer. Montague was […]
Oscar Holmes broke three color barriers in his lifetime, although he never set out to become a pioneer. Holmes was not only the first Black air traffic controller, he was also the U.S. Navy’s first Black commissioned officer and the military branch’s first Black pilot. Holmes was born January 31, 1916 in Dunbar. W. Va. […]
Autherine Lucy became the first Black student to desegregate the University of Alabama on this day in 1956 despite violent threats from rioting white mobs. Lucy, who was ultimately expelled from the school on a weak technicality, re-entered the school in the ’80’s and completed her master’s degree. Autherine Juanita Lucy was born October 5, […]
In the 19th Century, slavery and racism was still entrenched in the U.S., but opposition was growing. David Walker, an outspoken abolitionist, released a pamphlet calling for the end of slavery by any means necessary and made himself one of the most wanted and feared men of his time. Born in Wilmington, N.C. in […]
Grant Fuhr was once referred to by hockey great Wayne Gretzky as the best goalie to ever play in the National Hockey League. Fuhr achieved a series of firsts as a player and after his career ended, he embraced his role model status. Fuhr was born September 28, 1962 in Spruce Grove, Alberta in Canada. […]
On this day in 1978, NASA graduated its first group of Space Shuttle astronauts which signaled a new day for the space program. Among the group of 35, three Black men went on to leave their mark on history as explorers of space. Maj. Frederick D. Gregory of Washington, Col. Guion Bluford of Pennsylvania, and […]
The ’70’s sitcom Sanford & Son was a smash hit for the NBC network, predating the later success of Black sitcoms like The Cosby Show, black-ish and other series that came in its wake. The series is celebrating its 45th anniversary this weekend, and remains a cultural staple within the African-American community. The show starred comedian […]
The case of Sipuel v. The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma laid the early groundwork for other “separate but equal” cases such as the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Ada Louis Sipuel’s racial discrimination case against the school was decided on this day in 1948, making it possible for her […]
