Amar’e Carsares Jehoshaphat Stoudemire (1982- )

Amar’e Stoudemire is an American-Israeli professional basketball player and coach, actor, and entrepreneur born in Lake Wales, Florida on November 16, 1982. After a successful career in the National Basketball Association, he moved to Israel to explore his Jewish identity. Stoudemire was born to Hazell … Read MoreAmar’e Carsares Jehoshaphat Stoudemire (1982- )

John S. Moorhead (1905-2008)

John S. Moorhead was a physician, surgeon, federal public health officer, and the first local Commissioner of Health in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Moorhead was born on October 2, 1905, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Alexander and Justine Moorhead, both from St. Croix, Danish West Indies. … Read MoreJohn S. Moorhead (1905-2008)

Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (1964-2009)

R&B bass guitarist and 6’ 9” professional basketball player Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was born on June 9, 1964, in Fort Worth, Texas, the youngest of six children of Louis Tisdale, a minister, and Deborah “Momma Tiz” Mathias Tisdale. He was reared, however, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, … Read MoreWayman Lawrence Tisdale (1964-2009)

Brittney Yevette Griner (1990- )

American basketball player Brittney Yevette Griner was born on October 18, 1990, to Sandra Griner and Raymond Griner in Houston, Texas. She attended Chester W. Nimitz Senior High School in Houston, where she played for the school basketball and volleyball teams. During her sophomore year, … Read MoreBrittney Yevette Griner (1990- )

Black Cowboys in the 19th Century West (1850-1900)

The earliest evidence of African Americans as cattle herders (cowboys) in North America can be traced back to colonial South Carolina, where stock grazers from what is now Senegal in West Africa were specifically brought to that colony because of their unique skills. They were … Read MoreBlack Cowboys in the 19th Century West (1850-1900)

North from Mexico: The First Black Settlers in the U.S. West

The first Black settlers in what is now the western United States were Spanish speakers who came north from what is now central Mexico. Their roots there began in 1519, when Black men were among the Spanish conquistadores who invaded and destroyed the Aztec Empire, … Read MoreNorth from Mexico: The First Black Settlers in the U.S. West