Marcus Garvey’s prophecies and philosophy shaped, the Rastafari movement. Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born on the 17th of August 1887, in Jamaica. His teachings of black self empowerment are credited as being the sources behind the founding of the religion. Although Marcus Garvey was never a follower of the Rastafari movement or believed in it (he …
Black History month, white privilege and anti black sentiment
Black History month seems to be a controversial topic no matter what time of year it’s held. In the UK we acknowledge Black History in October, the Americans celebrate in February. If you’ve been on Twitter this month, you’ll know that this simple acknowledgement of our history causes problems to some people. This year we …
Black History Studies presents The History of Black Olympians from 1904
Black History Studies in association with the Phoenix Cinema presents an Olympic double bill with the screening of ‘Black Power Salute’ and ‘The Athlete’ on Sunday 15th July 2012 at the Phoenix Cinema. Black Power Salute is a documentary about one of the most iconic images of the 20th century when two African-American men made …
Norbert Rillieux – Inventor
1806-1894 – Robert Rillieux is famous for revolutionising the sugar industry. Norbert Rillieux was born in 1806, New Orleans, Louisiana. Rillieux was the son of a wealthy, white plantation owner and black slave. His father allowed him access to private Catholic schooling as a child, which was uncommon for children of his heritage to have …
Thomas Jennings
Thomas Jennings (1791-1859) Thomas Jennings was born free in New York City in 1791. In his early 20s he became a tailor but then opened a dry cleaning business in New York. Thomas went on to patent a process for cleaning clothing. He was the first black man to receive a patent. The patent was awarded on …
George Crum
The potato chip (aka crisps) was invented in 1853 by George Crum. The son of an African-American father and a Native American mother, Crum was a chef at the Moon Lake Lodge resort in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. French fries were popular at the restaurant and one day a diner complained that the fries were …
Granville T Woods “The Black Edison”
Many professionals in the electrical industry knew Granville T Woods as the “Black Edison”. Woods was considered by many to be the greatest electrician in the world. The most well-known of Woods’s inventions is a railway telegraph system. He made it in 1887 at his machine shop in Cincinnati, Ohio. This telegraph system allowed train …
Elijah McCoy
Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada on May 2, 1844. His parents were George and Emillia McCoy, former slaves from Kentucky who escaped through the Underground Railroad. George joined the Canadian Army, fighting in the Rebel War and then raised his family as free Canadian citizens on a 160 acre homestead. At an …
Henry Boyd – Black inventor
Henry Boyd was a skilled carpenter, born into slavery in Kentucky in 1802. At a young age, his master apprenticed Henry out to a cabinetmaker. Henry proved to have an impressive talent for carpentry. He learned early that many Black carpenters used their skills to buy their freedom. At 18, Boyd was allowed to work …