Willie Francis was an African American teenager sentenced to death in 1945 after a flawed murder trial. At 17, he survived a botched execution, becoming the first known person to survive the electric chair. However, his appeals failed, and...
Elizabeth Eckford, born on October 4, 1941, was one of the Little Rock Nine, the first group of African American students to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957. Her bravery became iconic when, on September...
Thomas Moss was a successful Black entrepreneur and postman in Memphis, Tennessee, known for co-owning the People’s Grocery, a thriving business that provided an alternative to white-owned stores in the area. In 1892, Moss was falsely accused of inciting...
L. Alex Wilson was a courageous African American journalist and editor who covered key civil rights events, including the Emmett Till case and the Little Rock Nine crisis. In 1957, while reporting on the integration of Little Rock Central...
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...
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,...
