On April 26, 1826, a desperate struggle for freedom unfolded aboard the Decatur, a coastwise slave ship sailing from Baltimore, Maryland, to New Orleans. Among the enslaved Africans on board was 24-year-old William Bowser, a young man who had...
William Still, was a very important figure in the abolitionist movement in the United States. Known as the "Father of the Underground Railroad," Still played a crucial role in aiding and assisting at least 649 enslaved Africans escape to...
Lemuel Walters was a Black man in Longview, Texas, who was lynched in June 1919 after being accused of making “indecent advances” toward a white woman. His murder was one of the many acts of racial violence that erupted...
John Punch, born around 1605 in Angola, holds a significant place in American history as the first person in British colonial America to be legally sentenced to lifelong servitude as punishment for a "crime". His case, decided in 1640...
James Meredith is a civil rights activist, writer, and U.S. Air Force veteran best known for integrating the University of Mississippi in 1962, an act that sparked a deadly riot and forced the U.S. government to deploy thousands of...
Eroseanna Robinson was a force of nature who used bold and often unconventional tactics to challenge segregation, militarism, and racial injustice. From breaking barriers in public spaces to defying the U.S. government itself, Robinson spent her life fighting for...
Bill Richmond was a formerly enslaved African who gained international recognition in England as a boxer. Freed during the American Revolution, he became known for his tactical fighting style, defeating top opponents and training fighters like Tom Molineaux. Despite...
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...
