Connie Tucker was a Black freedom struggle and an environmental justice (EJ) movement leader. She was also a political prisoner during the Black Power era. One of six siblings, she was born to Otis Spencer, Jr. and Bernice Nall on October 14, 1950, in Seale, … Read MoreConstance Marie Tucker (1950-2015)
Dawda (David) Jawara was the first Head of State of independent Gambia. He was born on May 16, 1924, at Barajally, MacCarthy Island, The Gambia (then a colony of Great Britain). His parents were Mamma Fatty and Almami Jawara, a prominent trader in the colony. … Read MoreDawda Kairaba Jawara (1924-2019)
Roots was a television miniseries based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The miniseries aired January 23-30, 1977, on the ABC network. The original series followed the story of Kunta Kinte, from his capture and enslavement in West Africa … Read MoreRoots (1977)
Bass guitarist, vocalist Jermaine LaJuane Jackson was born on December 11, 1954, in Gary, Indiana, to Joseph Walter Jackson, a steelworker and manager of the family’s band from Fountain Hill, Arkansas, and Kattie B. Screws Jackson, a homemaker from Clayton, Alabama. He is the fourth … Read MoreJermaine LaJuane Jackson (1954 – )
In the article below, culinary historian Diane M. Spivey describes the centuries-old diaspora of African foods and cooking traditions in North and South America. Africa has been a major contributor to the cuisine of North and South America although this contribution has long been overlooked, … Read MoreTransAtlantic Food Migration: The African Culinary Influence on the Cuisine of the Americas
Image Ownership: Public Domain Yahya Jammeh is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the second president of Gambia from 1994 to 2017. Jammeh ruled Gambia for 23 years after rising to power as a young army officer in a bloodless military coup … Read MoreYahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junking Jammeh (1965- )
Adama Barrow is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who is the third and current president of Gambia. Barrow defeated Yahya Jammeh in the 2016 Gambian presidential election, but because the incumbent president initially refused to recognize the victory, Barrow was inaugurated at the … Read MoreAdama Barrow
(1965- )
In the article below, Carlton McLellan, PhD, a senior fellow at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST), briefly describes the history of the more than one hundred and forty black women and men who have led diplomatic delegations as U.S. Ambassadors in ninety-five … Read MoreAmerica’s Black Ambassadors: A Historical Snapshot
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Ambassador Barry L. Wells has had an extensive career in international affairs with the United States Foreign Service after an earlier period as a university professor and administrator. Wells was born in 1942 in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from East High … Read MoreBarry L. Wells (1942- )
Ambassador George Williford Boyce Haley served as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Gambia from 1998 until 2001. Haley was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He then traveled to Banjul, the capital of Gambia to assume … Read MoreGeorge Haley (1925- )
