The First To...
He was the first person to perform an open heart surgery...
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
(The date was July 10th, 1893 and the patient's name was James Cornish who had a severe stab wound to the chest. The operation was performed at Provident Hospital in Chicago (which Williams also founded).
You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies, / You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise."
Maya Angelou
"Still I Rise" is a renowned 1978 poem that celebrates confidence and resilience.
What year was the Brown v. Board of Education ruling?
1954
She led escaped slaves in Jamaica, and the Zange (“Zanj” ) Rebellion in Iraq.
Queen Nanny of the Maroons
known as “The Buckeye Bullet,”
Jesse Owens
He won an olympic gold medal in Germany in front of a crowd of hatred and Adolf Hitler, he proved Hitler's prediction wrong.
He invented the first three position traffic light system in 1923.
Garrett Morgan
"Hold fast to dreams, / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly"
Langston Hughes
Titled: "Dreams"
In 1963, this movement is where MLK Jr. delivered his legendary "I have a Dream" speech.
The march on Washington
In Washington D.C.
Led a four-day rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, which resulted in the deaths of over 50 enslavers, profoundly impacting the institution of slavery.
Nat Turner
(1831)
She was a classically trained pianist, singer, and fearless activist known as the "Singer of the Black Revolution."
Nina Simone
Who invented the automatic elevator doors on October 11, 1887?
Alexander Miles
"Something that is loved is never lost,"
Toni Morrison
(A poignant quote by the Nobel Prize-winning author, appearing in her celebrated 1987 novel Beloved.)
On July 20, 1914, this man at the age of twenty-eight, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Marcus Garvey
The UNIA was founded to spur the movement for the empowerment, solidarity, and unity of people of African descent worldwide.
Co-Founder was Amy Ashwood
She became the first woman to lead a major Civil War armed assault (Combahee River Raid), liberating over 700 slaves.
Harriet Tubman
She also led the profound Underground Railroad.
He is widely regarded as one of the most seminal and influential Black filmmakers, known for his 50-year career of culturally shifting, critically acclaimed films like Do the Right Thing (1989). He has revolutionized cinema, consistently addressing social issues while paving the way for modern Black directors.
Spike Lee
Who revolutionized electric lighting by inventing a durable carbon filament in 1881?
Lewis Latimer
(This significantly extending the life of light bulbs. While Edison produced the first lightbulb, it burned out quickly; Latimer’s improvement made incandescent lighting practical, affordable, and accessible for widespread home use.)
"Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within".
James Baldwin
-The Fire Next Time
Founded in 1909 to fight for civil rights, social justice, and equality.
NAACP
He led one of the largest uprisings in the British mainland colonies, where enslaved people marched toward Florida. The uprising was named (Stono Rebellion (1739))
Jemmy Cato
The only African-American male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament, was active on the civil rights front. He was one of many prominent figures who brought attention to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
Arthur Ashe
She invented the technology for 3D movies?
Valerie Thomas
(Developed in the late 1970s and patented in the 1980s. Back then... it was called the illusion transmitter.)
What you do, boy, is get the money and get as far away from here as you can. Don't even stay for your brother's funeral. It might end up being yours also.
Donald Goines
Daddy Cool: A Father Out to Revenge His Daughter's Shame
A profound explosion of African American cultural, artistic, and intellectual life, establishing Black culture as a cornerstone of American identity in the 1920s.
The Harlem Renaissance
As emperor of Mali, he controlled the largest producer of gold in the world at the time. Till this day, he is known as the richest man ever.
Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali)
The 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire, is widely regarded as the richest person in history, with an estimated fortune of $400 billion in modern currency.
Sometimes referred to as simply “Satchmo”, was a jazz trumpeter whose tone’s richness could only be rivaled by that of his singing voice.
Louis Armstrong