Anna Maria Weems was a black teenager who escaped slavery in Maryland by disguising herself as a male carriage driver. At just 15, she fled her enslaver's home and traveled north, evading capture and enduring numerous challenges. After weeks...
Tom Molineaux was an African American boxer who rose from slavery to become one of the most celebrated boxer of his time. Known for his strength and skill, he gained his freedom through boxing and became famous for his...
In 1840, the American slave ship Hermosa ran aground in British Bahamas while transporting 38 enslaved Africans from Richmond, Virginia, to New Orleans, Louisiana. British authorities, having abolished slavery in 1833, intervened and freed the captives, sparking a diplomatic...
Medgar Wiley Evers was a prominent American civil rights activist, the first field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi, and a World War II veteran, who dedicated his life to fighting racial segregation and injustice. His efforts to improve...
Nsala was a Congolese man from the village of Wala in the Congo Free State, tragically immortalized in a photograph taken by english missionary Alice Seeley Harris on May 14, 1904. The image captures Nsala sitting in silent grief,...
Thomas Thistlewood was an English slave owner, planter, and diarist who spent most of his life in colonial Jamaica. Known for his extreme brutality, Thistlewood thoroughly documented his life in a 14,000-page diary, detailing the horrific abuse he inflicted...
Lloyd Lionel Gaines was a civil rights pioneer who sued the University of Missouri for denying him admission to its law school solely because he was African American. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor, mandating that Missouri...
The Ohio River Uprising of 1826 was a bold act of resistance by approximately 75 enslaved Africans being transported south by Edward Stone, a notorious slave trader, and his associates. On September 17, while traveling down the Ohio River,...
Queen Ranavalona III was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar, ruling from 1883 to 1897. Her reign was marked by efforts to resist French colonization, including strengthening diplomatic ties and modernizing her kingdom. Despite her determination, Madagascar...
Lucie and Thornton Blackburn were born into slavery in the United States, they escaped to freedom in Canada, where they not only built a new life but also made significant contributions to their adopted homeland. Among their many achievements,...
