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Biographies & Famous People
 Websites presented in alphabetical order African American Inventors 
 Brief annotated bibliography about African American inventors, covering general reference books, films and video, and works on specific individuals, including Benjamin Banneker (surveyor, astronomer, and inventor) and James Forten (abolitionist and maritime innovator). From Encyclopedia Smithsonian, a website of the Smithsonian Institution. http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/afinvent.htm Topics: Black Resources, Technology Last updated Oct 31, 2007 African Americans: FAQs
Answers with citations to 11 frequently asked questions about African Americans. Questions include who was the first African American to be nominated as a presidential candidate ("Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) was nominated for the United States Presidency at the Republican Convention in 1888. He received one vote."), and the first African American woman to serve in Congress (Shirley Chisholm). Includes links to book lists. Part of the Knowledge Base from the Free Library of Philadelphia. http://libwww.freelibrary.org/faq/faqsubcat.cfm?FAQCategory=1 Topics: Black Resources Last updated Jun 11, 2008 Africans in America: People & Events: Benjamin Banneker, 1731-1806
Biographical essay about Benjamin Banneker, "author, scientist, mathematician, farmer, astronomer, publisher and urban planner [who] was descended from enslaved Africans, an indentured English servant, and free men and women of color." Discusses accomplishments and key events in his life, and includes a related essay on Banneker's "Almanac," and letters to and from Banneker and Thomas Jefferson. Part of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) "Africans in America" website and TV series. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p84.html Topics: Black Resources Last updated Oct 23, 2007 Africans in America: People & Events: Gabriel's Conspiracy
This essay recounts the events surrounding the slave rebellion organized by African American leader Gabriel Prosser in 1799 and 1800. Includes links to related essays. Part of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) "Africans in America." site. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p1576.html Topics: Black Resources, Notable People Last updated Aug 23, 2006 Alex Haley Biography
Biography of writer Alex Haley, who is best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Roots" (about his African ancestors) and his contributions to "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." Includes related material about Haley's ancestor, Kunta Kinte, two versions of his family tree, and genealogy resources. From the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. http://www.kintehaley.org/rootshaleybio.html Topics: Authors by Region: United States, Black Resources Last updated Aug 3, 2006 Althea Gibson
This is the official website for Althea Gibson, who "overcame unbelievable odds to achieve international acclaim and success ... in both amateur tennis and professional golf." Gibson, who died in 2003 at the age of 76, was "the first African-American to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships." The site features a partial chronology of her life from 1927 through 1975, photographs, and information about the Althea Gibson Foundation. http://www.altheagibson.com/ Topics: Black Resources, Notable People, Notable People: Women, Photograph Collections, Sports, Women Last updated Apr 6, 2006 America's Story: Harriet Tubman
Brief biography and series of stories about the life of Harriet Tubman, "a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the 'Moses of her people.'" Illustrated essays describe Tubman's escape from slavery, her role as conductor of the Underground Railroad, and her work during the U.S. Civil War. From the Library of Congress. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/tubman Topics: Black Resources, Notable People: Women Last updated Mar 5, 2007 Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
This site contains information on the founder of ASALH, Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, who established the first Negro History Week, which officially expanded to Black History Month in 1976. Includes a list of the Black History Month themes for the next several years, brief details about the Carter G. Woodson Home (a national historic landmark), and information about the annual essay contest for all full-time graduate and undergraduate students. http://www.asalh.org/ Topics: Black Resources, History, Notable People, Special Months Last updated Jan 7, 2006 August Wilson 4/27/45-10/2/05
Collection of news and analysis about playwright August Wilson, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh and who also lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Seattle. Features a timeline, photos, obituary, and background about his Pittsburgh cycle of 10 plays, "each situated in a different decade of the 20th century, ... [which explore] the comedy and tragedy ... of African-American history and culture." Also includes links to many related articles. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03001/497623.stm Topics: Black Resources, Notable People Last updated Jan 31, 2007 Barbara Jordan
A chronology of the life of this Texas politician, quotes from Jordan's speeches and other material, and memorial tributes to her, with links to articles published in the Houston Chronicle. http://www.rice.edu/armadillo/Texas/jordan.html Topics: Black Resources, Federal (U.S.) Government, Government, Notable People, Notable People: Government, Notable People: Women Last updated Feb 12, 2006 Biography.com Celebrates Black History Month
Several dozen report-length biographies of athletes, educators, entertainers, public officials, religious leaders, scientists, social reformers, and writers and artists. Many include photographs and chronologies of completed works. http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/ Topics: Black Resources, Photograph Collections: History Last updated Feb 9, 2007 Black Europeans
Series of features on black Europeans, including Alexander Pushkin, Alexandre Dumas, George Polgreen Bridgetower, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and John Archer. Individual sections include essays, images, and sound samples. Also provides and introduction about black Europeans, noting that in recent years there has been "a new drive to explore and understand the hidden or ignored contribution of people of African descent to the mainstream of European culture and society." From the British Library. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/homepage.html Topics: Black Resources Last updated Aug 20, 2008 Black History Month: A Medical Perspective
This small, illustrated exhibit looks at highlights and achievements of African Americans in medicine. It features biographies of black physicians, a timeline of blacks in medical education, and overview of the black hospital movement (1865-1960s), several folk medicine healing concepts and beliefs, and related materials. From the Duke University Medical Center Library. http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/hom/exhibits/blkhist/ Topics: Black Resources, Health Last updated Jan 10, 2008 Black History Month: Ashe's Activism Helped Mold the Future
Series of articles about tennis player Arthur Ashe, who "become the first African-American man to win tennis' most hallowed trophy, Wimbledon, in 1975." Discusses Ashe's tennis career and victories and his involvement in other causes, including AIDS activism (he died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993), Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, and the rights of Haitian refugees. From ESPN. http://espn.go.com/tennis/s/2003/0205/1504540.html Topics: Black Resources, Notable People, Sports Last updated Aug 4, 2005 BlackPast.org: Remembered & Reclaimed
This site provides "reference materials to the general public on six centuries of African American history. It includes an online encyclopedia of hundreds of famous and lesser known figures in African America, full text primary documents and major speeches of black activists and leaders from the 18th Century to the present." Searchable, or browse encyclopedia articles about people, places, churches, events, and organizations. Directed by an African American history professor at the University of Washington. http://blackpast.org Topics: Black Resources Last updated Feb 20, 2007 The Booker T. Washington Papers
This site is "designed to provide researchers worldwide with full access to the thousands of pages comprising this 14-volume printed work, originally published by the University of Illinois Press." The collection includes autobiographical writings, letters, newspaper articles, tombstone inscriptions, documents from the Tuskegee Normal School (of which Washington was a trustee), and a large number of other documents. The site is searchable, and volumes can be browsed with the aid of the tables of contents. http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/ Topics: Black Resources, Correspondence, Education, Notable People Last updated Aug 4, 2004 Breaking Racial Barriers: African Americans in the Harmon Foundation Collection
Twenty portraits with brief biographical and artist information from a 1944 exhibition, "Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin." The exhibit was organized with the "express goal of reversing racial intolerance, ignorance and bigotry by illustrating the accomplishments of contemporary African Americans." It opened at the Smithsonian Institution and then toured the United States for ten years. The works are now in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery. http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/harmon/ Topics: Black Resources Last updated Feb 1, 2005 Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin
Openly gay activist Bayard Rustin "organized the 1963 March on Washington that culminated in King's 'I Have a Dream' speech. Learn more about his legacy of protest and the making of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. ... Read original essays by Bayard Rustin and listen to recordings of Rustin's speeches and songs, including his famous 1962 debate with Malcolm X." Includes related links. A companion site to the television production from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/brotheroutsider/ Topics: Black Resources, Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered People, Holidays & Observances, Holidays and Observances Individually, Musical Genres, Notable People Last updated Jan 19, 2004 A Canterbury Tale: A Document Package for Connecticut's Prudence Crandall Affair
Full-text collection of correspondence, excerpts from legal documents, and other material concerning Prudence Crandall's opening (1831) of a boarding school for African American women in Canterbury, Connecticut, and the subsequent Connecticut state law prohibiting the establishment of such a school and trial of Crandall. Presented chronologically. This useful collection could benefit from a brief introduction to the subject. From the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University. http://www.yale.edu/glc/crandall/ Topics: Black Resources Last updated Aug 29, 2007 Cayton, Horace (1859-1940)
This article presents biographical information about Seattle newspaperman Horace Cayton. Born in 1859, Cayton was a former slave who worked his way through college before moving to Washington state. The site discusses his career working for Seattle newspapers and publishing the Seattle Republican, "a newspaper directed at both white and black readers and which at one point had the second largest circulation in the city." Includes photos and related resources. From HistoryLink.org. http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=309 Topics: Black Resources, Newspapers, Notable People, Washington State: Media, Washington State: People Last updated Oct 20, 2004 A Centenary Celebration of Ralph J. Bunche
"One of UCLA's most distinguished alumni, Ralph Johnson Bunche (1903-71) fought poverty and racism on his way to becoming one of the twentieth century's leading peacemakers. ... [T]his exhibit celebrates his remarkable legacy by focusing on his accomplishments in three main areas: as a student, a scholar, and a diplomat." Features illustrated essays covering topics such as his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. From the University of California, Los Angeles, Library. http://www.library.ucla.edu/bunche/ Topics: Black Resources, Notable People, Notable People: Government Last updated Aug 16, 2006 Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
This site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Point of View (P.O.V.) documentary about the 1972 presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 had become the first black woman elected to Congress. The site provides a brief guide to 1972 in the United States and information about the 1972 Democratic Convention. Also includes a trailer and synopsis of the film, and links to related information. http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2005/chisholm/ Topics: Black Resources, Federal (U.S.) Government, Government, History, Notable People, Notable People: Government, Notable People: Women, The United States Presidency, U.S. Elections, United States History Last updated Jan 3, 2005 Citizen King
Companion site to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) American Experience program about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that "explores the last five years in King's life by drawing on the personal recollections and eyewitness accounts of friends, movement associates, journalists, law enforcement officers, and historians, to illuminate this little-known chapter in the story of America's most important and influential moral leader." Includes interview, an opinion poll, links to timelines, maps, and a teacher's guide. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/mlk/ Topics: Black Resources, Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties, Holidays and Observances Individually, Notable People Last updated Jan 6, 2005 Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks Dies
Radio program about Rosa Parks (1913-2005), known as the "'mother of the civil rights movement' ... [for turning] the course of American history by refusing in 1955 to give up her seat on a bus for a white man." Includes audio of past interviews with Parks, images, and links to related stories. From National Public Radio (NPR). http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4973548 Topics: Black Resources, Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties, Notable People: Women Last updated Oct 25, 2005 Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
This profile of Dr. Rice outlines her accomplishments at Stanford University, her roles on the boards of directors of various companies and organizations, her educational background, and former position of National Security Advisor. From the U.S. Department of State. http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/rice-bio.html Topics: Black Resources, Notable People, Notable People: Women Last updated Aug 2, 2006 The Continuous Commitment: African Americans in the American Red Cross
This exhibit highlights "a small portion of the contributions made by African Americans yesterday and today" to the American Red Cross. Some of the topics include abolitionist Frederick Douglass' participation with Clara Barton in the founding and continued efforts of the American Red Cross, African American involvement in the Red Cross during World War II, and the development of the African American HIV/AIDS Program. From the American Red Cross. http://www.redcross.org/museum/exhibits/aaexhibit.asp Topics: Black Resources, Health Last updated Jan 10, 2008 Coretta Scott King
Biographical information about Coretta Scott King, founding president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. Includes details about her involvement in the causes of her husband, Martin Luther King Jr. and her activities after his assassination in 1968. Also find essays on Martin Luther King Jr., nonviolence, and related topics. From the Martin Luther King Papers Project, Stanford University. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/king_coretta_scott.htm Topics: Black Resources, Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties, Notable People, Notable People: Women, Social Issues Last updated Feb 1, 2006 Creative Space: Fifty Years of Robert Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop
This companion site to a Library of Congress exhibit explores the life and works of New York City printmaker Robert Blackburn. The exhibit features information about Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop, "the oldest and largest non-profit print workshop in the United States," as well as his earlier involvement with the Harlem Community Art Center (sponsored by the Works Progress Administration). Includes images of works by Blackburn and his colleagues. Searchable. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/blackburn/ Topics: Black Resources, Notable People, Printing, Publishing, and Book Arts Last updated May 23, 2004 DaCosta 400: A Celebration of Black Canadian Heritage, 1605-2005
Overview of the 400-year anniversary celebration (in 2005 through 2007) of people with African backgrounds living in Canada. "Mattheu Da Costa, thought to be the first Black man in Canada (Acadia), came to Canada with Samuel de Champlain," in 1605. Includes a timeline of Canadian black history, important events and personalities (such as Africville and black cowboys), education resources (including recipes), and more. In English and French. http://www.dacosta400.ca Topics: Black Resources, History By Place Last updated Mar 22, 2006 Detroit's Flamboyant Prophet Jones
Illustrated biography of "Detroit's Rev. James F. (Prophet) Jones, who at the height of his popularity claimed to have six million followers nationally." Includes information about the Church of Universal Triumph, the Dominion of God Inc., founded in 1938 in Detroit. From the Detroit News. http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=182 Topics: Black Resources, Notable People Last updated Dec 21, 2008 Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project
Teenie Harris' "40-year career with the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the largest and most influential Black newspapers in the country, began as the nation emerged from the Depression and ended with the Civil Rights Movement. Numbering upwards of 80,000 images [over 45,000 shown here], this archive represents the largest single collection of photographic images of any Black community in the United States -- or the world, for that matter." From the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. http://www.cmoa.org/teenie/info.asp Topics: Black Resources, Notable People, Notable People: Arts & Humanities, Photograph Collections: History, Photograph Collections: Regional: United States, Photography, U.S. History By Place Last updated Jan 2, 2009 Dorothy Porter Wesley (1905-1995): Afro-American Librarian and Bibliophile
This exhibit "honors the memory of one the most prominent African-American librarians and bibliophiles of the twentieth century." Features a biography, transcript of a speech given by Wesley in 1957, an exhibition checklist with selected images of books and postcards, and a selected bibliography. From librarian James Findlay of the Bienes Center for the Literary Arts (now Bienes Museum of the Modern Book), Broward County Library, Florida. http://www.broward.org/library/bienes/lii13600.htm Topics: Black Resources, Librarianship Last updated Jan 17, 2008 Dox Thrash: An African American Master Printmaker Rediscovered
A biographical timeline, images, and information and illustrative examples of various styles of printmaking utilized by Thrash (carborundum mezzotint, carborundum relief etching, aquatint, drypoint, etching, linocut, lithograph, woodcuts). A companion to an exhibit of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, this site also features information on conservation methods used in the exhibit. http://www.philamuseum.org/micro_sites/exhibitions/thrash/ Topics: Black Resources, Notable People Last updated Apr 23, 2006 Du Bois: The Activist Life
This site features a biographical essay and chronology of the scholar, author, sociologist, co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and editor of The Crisis and other journals. Also contains a description of the W.E.B. Du Bois Papers collection and an exhibit of materials from the collection. From the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. http://www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/exhibits/dubois/intro.htm Topics: Black Resources, Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties, Notable People, Social Issues Last updated Nov 21, 2005 Duke Ellington
Biography, discography, awards, photo gallery, and a list of quotations from the jazz musician. Also includes a bibliography of books about Ellington and his music. Presented by the estate of Duke Ellington and by CMG, "the company that represents the name/image/likeness of Duke Ellington." http://www.dukeellington.com/ Topics: Black Resources, Music, Musicians, Notable People Last updated Jan 6, 2004 The Duke Ellington Society: An Appreciation of the Great Duke Ellington
An elegantly designed site produced by the Duke Ellington Jazz Society. All aspects of Ellington's art and career are covered, with special sections on his singers and on Billy Strayhorn, with music samples and links to other Ellington sites. Note: the news and links sections have not been updated recently. http://museum.media.org/duke/ Topics: Black Resources, Music, Musicians, Notable People Last updated Oct 1, 2004 Famous Firsts by African Americans
List of firsts by African Americans, such as "the first African-American billionaire, combat pilot, Nobel Prize winner, poet laureate, Oscar winner, and Miss America." Browse list by category such as government (such as Barack Obama, first African American to head a major party ticket in a presidential election), law, diplomacy, military, science and medicine, scholarship, literature, film, sports, and more. Includes links to related material. From Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. Note: Generates pop-ups. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmfirsts.html Topics: Black Resources Last updated Jun 9, 2008 Forgotten Genius
Companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Nova program about the "extraordinary life journey of Percy Julian, one of the great chemists of the 20th century. ... [Who was] the grandson of Alabama slaves," and who "become a world-class scientist, a self-made millionaire, and a civil-rights pioneer." Features a timeline, audio clips of Julian, and material about making steroids. Also includes links to resources and a teacher's guide. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/ Topics: Black Resources, Notable People Last updated Feb 5, 2007 The Forten House
Details about African American abolitionist and businessman James Forten and the house in Philadelphia he owned. Features background about Forten, a sailmaker, and other members of his household, and information about selected items from the home. Also includes material about other 1790s Philadelphia merchants and tradespeople. From Independence Park Institute, which offers education programs for Independence National Historical Park. http://www.independenceparkinstitute.com/inp/forten/forten_intro.htm Topics: Black Resources, U.S. History By Place Last updated Aug 20, 2007 | |||