Black History

20 Black Child Prodigies Mainstream Media Doesn’t Talk About Andrew Koonce Andrew Koonce, 15,  is a talented African-American violinist from Atlanta. His list of awards and titles are impressive. As an eighth grader, he ranked first place at the Heritage Music Festival in Florida, winning the Maestro Award for best solo. Rochelle Ballantyne At 17, Rochelle Ballantyne is one of the top chess players in the world. This Brooklyn, N.Y., native  is a high school senior now, but her name is still at the top of Intermediate School 318’s list of best players. She is on the verge of becoming the first black American female to earn the title of chess master. Ginger Howard Ginger Howard from Philadelphia, is an American professional golfer on the Symetra Tour. At 17, she was the youngest African-American to turn professional and win her first debut tournament. She is the first African-American to earn a spot in the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team. Stephen R. Stafford II While most of his peer...

MILDRED BLOUNT: FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO MAKE HATS FOR CELEBRITIES Mildred Blount was widely recognized as a leading milliner in the 1930s and the 1940s. Blount was most noted for her hat creations for celebrities and people in high society. Her interest in millinery grew while working at Madame Clair’s Dress and Hat Shop in New York City as an errand girl. Her love for millinery led to her opening a dress and hat shop with her sister. Blount was born in North Carolina, but was orphaned as an infant. She attended Cooper Union in New York City, but did not complete her studies due to falling ill. She was also a recipient of the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship. During World War II, Blount volunteered with the Red Cross and Los Angeles USO for four years. Over the years, Blount enjoyed researching various styles of hats from past centuries to inspire her modern-day pieces. She designed 87 miniature hats, which represented styles from 1680 to 1937, at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. After ...

Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. After his freshman year with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected as the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves. A two-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Team, Marbury played in the NBA from 1996 until 2009. He then played in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) until his retirement in 2018.

Jesse Owens (right) smokes competitors in the 200-meter sprint at the Berlin Summer Games, setting a new Olympic record.  12 Fascinating Facts About Jesse Owens A gifted sprinter, relay racer, and long jumper, Jesse Owens is best known for winning four gold medals in track and field events in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. In a city draped in Nazi banners, Owens’s triumph defied racist ideology and inspired generations of athletes. Here are 12 fascinating facts about the groundbreaking Olympian. 1. His real first name wasn’t Jesse. The future track star, born James Cleveland Owens on September 12, 1913, was nicknamed “J.C.” by his family. After moving from his native Alabama to Ohio at age 9, J.C. told his new teacher his name on the first day of school. But the teacher misunderstood his Southern accent and thought he said “Jesse” instead of his initials. Owens was too shy to correct her and went by Jesse from then on. 2. He survived DIY surgery with a kitchen knife. Owens dev...

 Benjamin Banneker’s [11.9.1731] Pioneering Career Banneker was a successful almanac-maker and self-taught student of mathematics and astronomy. Benjamin Banneker, born on this day in 1731, is remembered for producing one of America’s earliest almanacs and what may have been the country’s first natively produced clock. Banneker, who was black, had “significant accomplishments and correspondence with prominent political figures [which] profoundly influenced how African Americans were viewed during the Federal period,” writes the Library of Congress. Because of his accomplishments and the unique place he occupied in early American society, Banneker is well-remembered–perhaps too well, given the number of myths surrounding his life. While it’s (probably) not true that he saved the plan of Washington, D.C., Banneker did make some important contributions to early America. Here are three you may not have heard about. He built America’s first home-grown clock–out of wood Banneker was 22 i...

Buffalo Soldiers African Americans served in the U.S. Military during the Civil War and continued to serve afterwards. Many of these soldiers went on to fight in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Although the pay was low, only $13 a month, many African Americans enlisted because they could earn more and be treated with more dignity than they often received in civilian life. In 1866, Congress established six all-black regiments (consolidated to four shortly after) to help rebuild the country after the Civil War and to fight on the Western frontier during the Plains Wars. It was from one of these regiments, the 10th Cavalry, that the nickname Buffalo Soldier was born. American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-A...

Wendell Scott: the first black driver in NASCAR He also was the first to win a Grand National race Auto racer Wendell Scott of Danville, Va., stock car racing’s only African American driver, is shown May 24, 1972, with the maroon Chevrolet Monte Carlo he will drive in the World 600 at the Charlotte , N.C., Motor Speedway. The car was prepared by Junior Johnson and is owned by Richard Howard, who owns a string of furniture stores and also operates the track.  Born: Aug. 29, 1921 Died: Dec. 23, 1990 His story: Scott was born in Danville, Virginia. He learned to be an auto mechanic from his father and opened a shop after serving in the Army during World War II. He started racing on the Dixie Circuit because blacks were not allowed to race in NASCAR. He won his first race in Lynchburg, Virginia, and would compete up to five times a week.  He persuaded Mike Poston, a NASCAR steward, to grant him a NASCAR license during an event at Richmond Speedway in 1953. He spent almost nine yea...

Henrietta Lacks For ‘unrecognised black women’: statue of Henrietta Lacks unveiled in Bristol Lacks, whose cells were used in multiple medical advances, is honoured by the city’s university. There were tears of joy and pride as the first statue of a black woman created by a black woman for a public space in the UK was unveiled in a sunlit garden at the University of Bristol. Three generations of of Henrietta Lacks’ family travelled from the US for the unveiling of the bronze statue of her, sculpted by the Bristol artist and campaigner Helen Wilson-Roe. Wilson-Roe revealed that when she persuaded the university to commission the piece, shortly after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled from its plinth in Bristol and thrown into the river, she had not actually created a sculpture before. But Lacks’ relatives agreed that the image of Henrietta, whose cells have been used in myriad medical advances since her death 70 years ago, captured her spirit, her steadfastness and de...

U.S. Streets Named After Famous Black Figures - Cities around the country have named street signs after prominent Blacks in celebration of their legacy. Take a look at several icons that have been honored this way. – Natelege Whaley  W.E.B. DuBois Avenue, Harlem - Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem, New York, was renamed “W.E.B. DuBois Avenue” in 2009. DuBois was one of many intellectuals who supported the Harlem Renaissance. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta - There are more than 650 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. in America. MLK Jr. Drive in King's hometown of Atlanta borders the Atlanta University Center, where his alma mater Morehouse College is located.  Malcolm X Boulevard, Harlem - In 1987, New York mayor Ed Koch proclaimed Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York, “Malcolm X Boulevard.” The neighborhood was the activist’s old stomping grounds before he was killed. Brooklyn, New York, and Dallas also have streets renamed after Malcolm. Rosa Parks Boulevard, Detroit - In...

Wilson Smith III We would expect that most members of the SoleSavy community can instantly identify the names of the iconic designs in footwear—Air Max 1, Air Jordan IV. Some may even know the year they released—Air Max 1 in 1987, Air Jordan IV in 1989. Yet, aside from Tinker Hatfield (who designed both the Air Max 1 and Jordan 4), many of the artists who put pencil to pad and conceptualized the designs we chase after 30-40 years later remain relatively obscure. Our Designer Spotlight series looks to bring some of those names to the forefront.  Our first featured designer is Wilson Smith III, the man behind notable models like the Air Max Uptempo, Air Max CB34, and the first dedicated designer for Brand Jordan with the AJ16 and AJ17. Smith’s models are still retro’d and have become part of sneaker culture’s vocabulary. Footwear design exploded during the time when Smith rose up the ranks in Beaverton, and his impact is still felt today, as he was named one of America’s Top Black De...