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Ophelia DeVore-Mitchell, pioneering model, dies at 93 BY LARRY GIERER March 4, 2014 One of the first African-American models in the country and founder of the first black model agency, Ophelia DeVore-Mitchell died Friday at the age of 93 in New York City. She was more well known in Columbus

SOJOURNER TRUTH'S INFAMOUS "AIN'T I A WOMAN" SPPECH Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree, the youngest of 12 children, in Ulster County, NY, in 1797. When she was nine, Isabella was sold f

Vernon Johns (April 22, 1892 – June 11, 1965) was an American minister and civil rights leader who was active in the struggle for civil rights for African Americans from the 1920s. At times he has

Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (Raleigh, August 10, 1858 – February 27, 1964) was an American author, educator, speaker and one of the most prominent African-American scholars in United States history. Upo

Muhammad Ali defeated Charles "Sonny" Liston for world heavyweight boxing championship.

Elijah Muhammad was the leader of the Nation of Islam ("Black Muslims") during their period of greatest growth in the mid-twentieth century. He was a major promoter of independent, black-operated busi

More than a half-century ago, Alexander P. Tureaud Jr. became the first African-American undergraduate at Louisiana State University until students, teachers, the administration and the Fifth U.S. Cir

Horace Pippin (February 22, 1888 – July 6, 1946) was a self-taught African-American painter. The injustice of slavery and American segregation figure prominently in many of his works. He was born i

Edith Spurlock Sampson (October 13, 1898 – October 8, 1979) was an American lawyer and judge, and the first Black U.S. delegate appointed to the United Nations. Sampson was one of eight children bo

Oretha Castle Haley was born in Oakland, Tennessee in 1939 and moved to New Orleans with her parents in 1947 at the young age of 8. After graduating from Joseph S. Clark High School she enrolled at th

Huey Newton, the youngest of seven children, was born in Monroe, Louisiana, on 17th February, 1942. His father, who named his son after the radical politcian, Huey P. Long, was an active member of the

The first African American Postmaster of a major postal facility, Henry W. McGee, Sr. was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1910, and moved to Chicago in 1927. McGee was the first person to rise from the

Henry Jay Lewis (October 16, 1932 – January 26, 1996) was an African-American double-bassist and orchestral conductor. Originally from Los Angeles, California, Lewis attended The University of Sout

Morehouse College is one of ten historically black colleges and universities in Georgia. Located a few miles from downtown Atlanta in the historic West End district, Morehouse is one of only five all-

Nelson Mandela walked out of the Victor Verster prison at 4.14pm on February 11, 1990, after spending 27 years in detention under the apartheid regime in South Africa. Accompanied by his then

Charles W. Follis, a.k.a. "The Black Cyclone," (February 3, 1879 – April 5, 1910) was the first black professional football player. He played for the Shelby Blues of the "Ohio League" from 1902 to 190

Joseph Charles Price was born in Elizabeth City, N.C. on Feb. 10, 1854. Emily Paulin, his mother, was born a free African American woman and his father, Charles Dozier, was a slave. During Slavery th

On Feb. 8, 1986, the Oprah Winfrey Show became nationally syndicated. Her very first show featured the topic “How to Marry the Man or Woman of Your Choice.” Interestingly, that was not the first c

Latasha Harlins (July 14, 1975 – March 16, 1991) was a 15-year-old African-American girl who was unlawfully shot and killed by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean store owner. Harlins was a student at We

James McCune Smith was born April 18, 1813. He was an African American physician and abolitionist. From New York City, he received his early education at the African Free School. Though his academi

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress later called “the first lady of civil rights”, and “the mother of

Louis Charles Roudanez was born in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, to Louis Roudanez, a French merchant, and Aimee Potens, a free woman of color. Listed as white on his baptismal registry, Roudanez was b

Marie VanBrittan Brown, Home Security Inventor While home security systems today are more advanced than ever, back in 1966 the idea for a home surveillance device seemed almost unthinkable. Tha

The Woolworth sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests which led to the Woolworth's department store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. While not t

Anna Gordy Gaye, the former wife of famed singer Marvin Gaye, has died on Friday at age 92. Gaye was discovered in her home in Los Angeles around 3 a.m. She died from natural causes, family memb