Mansa Musa was the first African Muslim king to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. He was also the richest person in all history with a £321 ($400) billion fortune. Much richer than Bill Gates, the Rockefeller’s and the Rothschild family. Musa Keita I came into power in 1312 following the death of his predecessor, Abu-Bakr …
Walter Tull: First British-born black army officer
Walter Tull was one of Britain’s first black footballers and a First World War hero. Walter Tull was born in Folkestone on 28th April 1888. His father Daniel Tull, the son of a slave had arrived in Britain from Barbados in 1976 and found work as a carpenter. Daniel Tull married Alice Elizabeth Palmer. Over …
John Hanson was not the first Black President of the United States
Social media is a great place to share information be it fact or fiction. One of the most fictional stories is that of John Hanson who was allegedly the first Black President of the United States. The miseducation of black people continues and a lot of the times the lies stem from our own community. …
Viola Davis makes history at the Emmy Awards
On 20 September 2015, actress Viola Davis made history at the Emmy Awards when she won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in How to Get Away with Murder. This is the first time a black woman has received this award in the Emmys 67-year history. Starting with a quote from …
Before Rosa Parks – Ida B Wells
Ida B Wells was born a slave on July 16, 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Her father, James, was a carpenter and her mother, Elizabeth, was a famous cook. Both parents were literate and taught Ida how to read at a young age. She was surrounded by political activists and grew up with a sense of …
Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche
Many of you may have heard of the ‘Unsinkable’ Molly Brown. She is the heroine who helped load the lifeboats on the Titanic. Not many will know of Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche who is notable for being one of only two men of colour to have died on the Titanic. The other was Victor Gaitan Andrea …
Disco queen Donna Summer dies at 63 after battle with cancer
Disco queen Donna Summer died on 12 May 2012, aged 63. The American singer, best known for hits including I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby, had been fighting cancer. A family statement said: “Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While …
The Rodney King Story
Rodney King (born April 9, 1965) was caught by the Los Angeles police after a high-speed chase on 3 March, 1991. The officers pulled him out of the car and beat him brutally, while amateur cameraman George Holliday caught it all on tape. The footage showed seven officers surrounding the solitary King, with several LAPD …
Who was Sara Baartman? Every black woman should know her name
When 20 year old Sara Baartman got on a boat that was to take her from Cape Town to London in 1810, she could not have known that she would would never see her home again. Nor, as she stood on the deck and saw her homeland disappear behind her could she have known that …