Black History Now
This site is the Web’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical Black American Biographies. It contains hundreds of inspirational stories of Black American Achievement. Our mission is inspiration… and our mission is education…the kind they don’t teach in schools. These extraordinary stories of perseverance and triumph remind us that Black American achievement has influenced every aspect of America’s past, and inspire us to even greater heights in the future.
Science & Invention
Lewis H. Latimer
1848-1928 Lewis H. Latimer was a leading engineer in the formative years of the electric power industry at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. He was a key member of the legendary group of inventors led by Thomas Edison. Close Brush with Slavery Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts,
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Activism
John S. Rock
1825-1866 John Swett Rock was a pioneer African American leader and orator in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. One of America’s first black physicians and lawyers and a dedicated advocate of civil rights and self improvement, he made history as the first African American to be admitted to practice before
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Angelina Weld Grimké
1880-1958 Angelina Weld Grimké was a poet and educator from a prominent, multiracial family. Her published works include passionate protests against racism and eloquent portrayals of the issues faced by black Americans in the early 20th century. Famous Family Grimké was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 27, 1880. Her mother, Sarah E. Stanley, was
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Joseph Cinqué
c.1814-c.1879 Joseph Cinqué led an 1839 mutiny on board the Cuban schooner Amistad, initiating the first slave rebellion in history to be successfully defended in American courts. Captured off Long Island and nearly prosecuted on charges of murder, Cinqué and his fellow Amistad rebels were eventually set free following a Supreme Court decision that opposed
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Military & Exploration
Daniel “Chappie” James 1920-1978 Daniel “Chappie” James dedicated his life to an extraordinary career in the U.S. Air Force. Over the course of three wars, in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, he completed more than 160 combat missions as a fighter pilot. In recognition of his achievements, he received the honor of being the first African American in America’s
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Arts & Entertainment
Bert Williams 1874-1922 Bert Williams was one of Broadway’s most successful performers during the first two decades of the 20th century. First with his partner George Walker, then working solo, he transcended the boundaries of the minstrel tradition in which he performed and triumphed as a comedian, dancer, singer, and songwriter. A Caribbean Childhood Williams was born
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Aviation
Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. 1877-1970 Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. dedicated his entire life and career to the military, beginning at a time when African Americans were consigned to support service roles with no command authority over whites. He rose to the rank of full General, advised the Army on integration strategies, and in the process contributed to the dismantling
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Faith & Religion
Elijah Muhammad 1897-1975 Elijah Muhammad guided the Nation of Islam from its modest beginnings during the Great Depression, when a handful of African Americans met in a Detroit storefront, to its meteoric rise after World War II. Under his leadership, it became one of the most powerful religious and social institutions in the country. A Mysterious Messenger
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