Hughes Van Ellis, One of the Last Survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre, Has Joined the Ancestors
He fought until the very end. Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has joined the ancestors, Black Enterprise reports. In two days, white mobs burned down what was once the prosperous, Black segregated Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The arson destroyed 40 square blocks and […]
Black-Owned Grocery Store Opens in Indianapolis Food Desert
The Black-owned full-service grocery store, Indy Fresh Market, is now open in Indianapolis! The store is located at 6160 E. 38th Street near Sheridan Avenue, WISH TV reports. And with its opening, community members now have a place to buy food in what was previously considered a food desert in Indianapolis. Indy Fresh Market will […]
Black Couple Married for 84 Years Believed to be Longest-Married Couple in Arkansas
The Whitesides, who are believed to be the longest-married couple in Arkansas, are being celebrated for their decades of love! Cleovis and Arwilda Whiteside have been married for 84 years, KATV reports. And the Family Council of Arkansas is recognizing them as the longest-married couple in the state — and possibly the longest-married couple in […]
Dr. Melissa Gilliam Makes History as the First Black President of Boston University
Dr. Melissa Gilliam earned her degree from Harvard Medical School in 1993 before relocating to the Chicago area as an accomplished OBGYN, WBUR reports. The daughter of Dorothy and Sam Gilliam, the esteemed doctor said her passion for helping came at an early age, the byproduct of a house where service and excellence were always […]
New Musical About Malcolm X Is Coming to the Met Opera
One of the latest productions from the Metropolitan Opera is going to be something great! The Metropolitan Opera has announced a new production in has in the works that is focused on the life of civil rights leader Malcolm X, NY 1 reports. “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” is a story from […]
Meet Toni Harris, the First Woman to Receive a 4-Year College Football Scholarship
Toni can play with the best of them! Antoinette “Toni” Harris is a Detroit native who says she’s always been a fan of football. Since she was about 4 she can remember enjoying the sport — though she also grew to love cheerleading and track-and-field over the years. When she was in elementary school, she joined […]
Pearl Bowser, the Godmother of Black Independent Cinema, Has Joined the Ancestors
Pearl Bowser was an institution! Film historian, curator and luminary Pearl Bowser, affectionately known as the “Godmother of Black Independent Cinema,” passed away on September 14th at the age of 92, The New York Times reports. According to RogerEbert.com, Bowser was born Pearl Johnson in Harlem, New York, on June 25, 1931. Discovering her love […]
Philadelphia’s Oldest Black Bookstore From 1950s Officially Granted Historical Marker
Dawud Abdel Hakim founded Hakim’s Bookstore in 1959, with the goal of strengthening the African American community, The Grio reports. Initially selling books from the trunk of his car, Hakim eventually opened the first brick-and-mortar store in West Philadelphia during the height of the Black Power movement. Dedicated to his mission, Hakim was committed to […]
Laphonza Butler Makes History as Third Black Woman Ever to Serve in U.S. Senate
Laphonza Butler has officially been sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris after her history-making appointment to the U.S. Senate. Vice President Kamala Harris, the second Black woman to ever serve as a U.S. Senator, officiated the swearing in of Laphonza Butler on October 3. Butler is now making history as the third Black woman […]
Dr. Robert Kirk, the University of Tennessee’s First Black Professor, Has Joined the Ancestors
Professor Emeritus Robert “Bob” Kirk, the first Black professor to join the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s full-time faculty, has passed away at the age of 92. A native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Dr. Kirk developed a deep passion for education early, earning his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Fisk University in 1953, […]