Today marks the founding date of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., better known among Black Letter Greek Organizations as the “Nupes.” In 1911, 10 students gathered on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington and began a tradition that has expanded to a membership 150,000 members strong worldwide. The fraternity was founded as Kappa […]
Ricky Harris and his 20-year plus career had its shares of ups and downs, but the comedian and actor’s comic timing was a notable fixture on the small and big screen. Harris passed away this week at the age of 54, rocking the entertainment world and those who worked alongside him. Harris was born January […]
Fans of the long-running Star Trek franchise will be witness to a new era next year. A new spin-off series, Star Trek: Discovery, features a historic first as Sonequa Martin-Green will become the first Black female lead character of the show. Mrs. Martin-Green will be familiar to fans of AMC’s zombie apocalypse smash hit, The […]
Richard Pryor is, without doubt, one of the most influential stand-up comics of all time and was an inspiration to Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Mike Epps and others. Pryor would have been 76 today after his life was cut tragically short in 2005. Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was born in Peoria, Ill. and raised […]
The island nation of Cuba is both celebrating and mourning the death of longtime leader Fidel Castro this weekend, a mixed reaction to the loss of one of the world’s most controversial figures. While Castro is viewed as both a dictator or a revolutionary, one of the hallmarks of his rise to power was his […]
On Thanksgiving day in 1875, Alexander Crummell, founder of the American Negro Academy, made a historic speech called “The Social Principle Among a People and Its Bearing on Their Progress and Development.” His goal was for Blacks to reflect on racial progress in America on Thanksgiving Day. Crummell was born in New York in 1819, […]
Janie L. Miles made her mark on military history by becoming the first Black woman to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. Miles went on to a stellar career in business after ending her time with the U.S. Navy. Born in 1958 in Aiken, S.C., the 1976 Aiken High School graduate and honor student […]
Agbani Darego became the first native African to be crowned Miss World on this day in 2001. While other African nation-based models have won the coveted title, the women were not of African descent. Ms. Darego was born December 22, 1983 in Lagos State, Nigeria, as one of eight children. After the passing of her […]
Gwen Ifill was a pioneering Black journalist, providing a role model for young Blacks aspiring to media careers, especially women. Ms. Ifill succumbed to her battle with cancer Monday at the age of 61, prompting a nation to mourn one of its most respected journalists. Ifill was born September 29, 1955 in New York City […]
When Zena Stephens officially swears in at the Jackson County Sheriff in Texas, she will become the first Black woman elected to the role in state history. Stephens beat out a Republican rival in a tight race, and expects there will be tough challenges ahead. Little information on Stephens’ personal life exists online but what […]
Toni Cade Bambara was an educator, author, and community activist who was one of the leading voices of the Black feminist movement in the early ’70’s. Ms. Bambara’s works include short stories, anthologies, and screenplays that documented varying levels of the Black experience. Bambara was born Miltona Mirkin Cade on March 25, 1939 in Harlem, […]
In the late 60’s in Chicago, tensions between white police officers and Black city residents were tense. Observing the mistreatment of Black people, Black officers on the Chicago force formed the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League to serve as a bridge of communication and protector for their respective communities. The AAPL was formed by Edward “Buzz” Palmer, […]
