Gwendolyn Brooks: The Poet Who Turned Black City Life into Literature
Gwendolyn Brooks became the first Black author to win a Pulitzer Prize, capturing the rhythms, struggles, and beauty of Black life in Chicago. Her poetry transformed everyday city experiences into lasting American literature.
Sarah E. Goode: The First Black Woman to Receive a U.S. Patent
In 1885, Sarah E. Goode became the first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent for her invention, a folding cabinet bed designed to maximize space. Her innovation reflected both ingenuity and the realities of urban life in post-Reconstruction America.
Mae Jemison: The First Black Woman Astronaut and More Than a First
Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, went from Chicago classrooms to NASA astronaut, doctor, and STEM leader, learn how her life story inspires kids, families, and educators today.
Ruby Bridges: The Civil Rights Icon We’re Still Not Teaching in Full
Mae Jemison went from a curious kid in Chicago devouring astronomy books to the first Black woman in space, a doctor, engineer, and STEM champion for our kids. Her journey shows Black girls that science, medicine, and space aren’t off-limits, they’re waiting for them.
Sojourner Truth: More Than the Quote We Keep Repeating
Sojourner Truth is often remembered for one powerful phrase, but her life extended far beyond a single speech. As an abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, and traveling preacher, she reshaped conversations about race and gender in 19th-century America.
Jesse Owens: 20 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens won four gold medals and challenged Nazi racial ideology on the world stage. These 20 facts explore his athletic achievements and lasting legacy.
Muhammad Ali: 25 Facts You Should Know About “The Greatest”
Muhammad Ali was more than a boxing champion—he was a global icon who challenged racism, war, and injustice. These 25 facts explore his career, activism, and enduring cultural legacy.
George Washington Carver: More Than “The Peanut Man”
George Washington Carver rose from enslavement to revolutionize agriculture with peanuts, sweet potatoes, and crop rotation—busting myths like peanut butter invention while teaching poor farmers to thrive. Perfect for classrooms and families exploring Black excellence.
16 Interesting Facts About Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman became the first Black woman and first Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license. From learning French to training abroad, these fascinating facts reveal how she broke barriers in aviation history.
Harriet Tubman: 15 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
Harriet Tubman is widely known for leading enslaved people to freedom, but her life extended far beyond the Underground Railroad. From serving as a Union spy to advocating for women’s suffrage, these lesser-known facts reveal the full scope of her legacy.
Claudette Colvin: The Teen Who Refused to Give Up Her Seat Before Rosa Parks
Nine months before Rosa Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest helped lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement, even if her story was later overshadowed.
A. Philip Randolph: Pioneering Civil Rights and Labor Leader
A. Philip Randolph was a groundbreaking labor organizer and civil rights leader who fought for economic justice and helped push the federal government toward desegregation. His leadership laid the foundation for the 1963 March on Washington and expanded the fight for equality beyond voting rights to workplace rights.
Bayard Rustin: The Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement and LGBTQ+ Trailblazer
Bayard Rustin was the strategic mind behind the 1963 March on Washington and a key advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As an openly gay Black man in the Civil Rights era, he faced discrimination both inside and outside the movement. His leadership, organizing brilliance, and commitment to nonviolence helped shape American history—yet his story is still often overlooked.
Alice Ball: The Unsung Hero Who Changed Medicine
Alice Ball developed the first effective treatment for leprosy in the early 20th century, transforming medical care for patients worldwide. For years, her breakthrough was credited to others before her legacy was restored.
Frederick Douglass: The Abolitionist Who Used Words as Power
In May 1921, a white mob attacked Tulsa’s Greenwood District—known as Black Wall Street—killing hundreds and burning a thriving Black community to the ground. The massacre remains one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in American history.
The Tulsa Race Massacre: The Destruction of Black Wall Street
In May 1921, a white mob attacked Tulsa’s Greenwood District—known as Black Wall Street—killing hundreds and burning a thriving Black community to the ground. The massacre remains one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in American history.
The Ocoee Massacre (1920): The Deadliest Election Day Violence in U.S. History
On Election Day 1920 in Ocoee, Florida, a white mob attacked Black citizens trying to cast ballots. The massacre killed dozens, burned homes, and forced an entire African American population to flee—making it the deadliest act of voting-day violence in U.S. history.
Nat Turner's 1831 Southampton Rebellion: A Deep Dive
In August 1831, Nat Turner led one of the most significant slave rebellions in American history. The uprising in Southampton County, Virginia, challenged the system of slavery and triggered sweeping consequences across the South.
Top 10 Events in Black American History
From 1619 to the present, these 10 defining moments shaped the course of Black American history and continue to influence the nation today.
Uncovering the Complex Legacy of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties and Black History
Adopted in 1641, the Massachusetts Body of Liberties is often described as one of America’s first legal codes protecting individual rights. Yet within that same document were provisions that permitted slavery—highlighting early contradictions in the nation’s understanding of freedom.