Novelle Key
Novelle Key is an undergraduate at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus and will be graduating with the class of 2018. She is majoring in political science and minoring in diversity. After graduation Novelle intends to pursue a graduate degree. She is from Tacoma, Washington, where she attended Tacoma Community College through the Running Start program prior to attending UW. Novelle became a contributing writer for Black Past while taking Professor Quintard Taylor’s history class on African Americans in the American West.
Articles by
Charles O. Sampson (1957- )
In 1982 Charles Sampson became the first black man to win a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) world championship, which he won...
Daniel James III (1945-2017)
Lieutenant General Daniel James III became the first African American to be named Director of the Air National Guard upon...
Otis M. Smith (1922-1994)
Otis Milton Smith became the first black justice on the Michigan Supreme Court in 1961, and served on the court until 1966. Smith was...
William E. McAnulty, Jr. (1947-2007)
William Eugene McAnulty, Jr. was the first black justice to serve on the Kentucky Supreme Court and the first black person...
Ronnie L. White (1953- )
Ronnie Lee White became the first black justice to serve on the Missouri Supreme Court in 1995 and served until...
Louis B. Butler, Jr. (1952- )
Louis Bennett Butler, Jr. became the first black justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2004 and served on the court until 2008. Butler...
Ronald S. Coleman (1948- )
Lieutenant General Ronald S. Coleman is the second black person in the United States Marine Corps to reach a three-star...
Betty Wright (1953-2020)
Betty Wright was an award-winning soul singer and songwriter who was highly popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She was the first...
Larry Hoover (1950- )
Larry Hoover is a founder and former leader of the Chicago street gang the Gangster Disciples, and was the Vice President of...
Alicia Keys/Alicia Augello Cook (1981- )
Alicia Keys is a rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and pianist known for her unique blend of classical, R&B, jazz, neo-soul, and hip-hop. She writes...
Erykah Badu (1971- )
Erykah Badu is an award-winning singer and songwriter who has been hailed as one of the most gifted rhythm and blues singers of the...
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (1950-1965); (Hank Ballard 1927-2003)
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters was a rhythm and blues band that were a major influence on the rock and...
